Say “CSA,” and you’ll probably picture a monthly basket overflowing with a local farm’s fruits and vegetables. Not so anymore. “Community supported agriculture” — where you pay a flat fee for a cut of a farmer’s harvest — is forging new ground, expanding into a variety of artisanal products beyond fresh produce alone. Sure, prices may be higher than what you’d pay at the chain supermarket, but so will quality, and you can take pride in the fact that your money is supporting a family-owned business and sound ecological practices. Here are some of our favorites:
» Marin Sun Farms serves up cuts of beef, lamb, goat, pork, veal, and poultry for pick-up in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Palo Alto and Point Reyes. Prices range from $45-$170/month, depending on the package you order. marinsunfarms.com/meatclub.html
» Sa-what? “Salumi” is the high-fallutin’ name for sausage, salami and other salted delicacies made from pork. The Bay Area’s Boccalone Salumi Society makes semi-monthly deliveries of its artisan meats to Oakland and San Francisco. Three-month subscriptions are either $174 or $294, depending on the package you select.
boccalone.com
»Family-run Kanalani Ohana Farm in Hawaii grows Kona coffee on the slopes of volcano Mauna Loa and sends freshly roasted batches to subscribers at the beginning of every month. The annual subscriptions are $240 for a half-pound per month and $432 for a full pound. kanalanifarm.org
»Herbalist Nancy Phillips and her husband Michael operate Heartsong Farms, a 58-acre apple and herb farm in northern New Hampshire. A $75 share in their harvest will get you a shipment of Echinacea tincture (good for pesky flues and colds), organic garlic, an all-purpose healing salve (made from calendula, comfrey, and St. John’s wort), herbal teas and wild cherry bark cough syrup. herbsandapples.com
» Former journalist and television producer Susan Gibbs gave up the glamorous life to raise sheep and goats on Martha’s Vineyard. Knitters can buy into a share of the shearings. A share of the Fiber Farm’s fall harvest, which produces mohair and kid mohair yarn, is $100. A share in the spring 2009 harvest is $125.
marthasvineyardfiberfarm.com
—E.B. Boyd