WHO KNEW you could have an abundance of fresh, local produce from late spring through late fall without tending your own garden or visiting the local grocery store?

Well, a lot of you probably did know! Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, is the best thing since sliced bread, and the Upper Valley has many to choose from: Sunrise Farm in White River Junction, VT; Root 5 Farm in Fairlee, VT (with convenient pick-up locations); Crossroad Farm in Norwich and Post Mills, VT; Edgewater Farm in Plainfield, NH; Sweetland Farm in Norwich, VT, and Cedar Circle Farm in Thetford to name just a few. CSA philosophy is simple. You buy a share, or shares, from the CSA program of your choice (or choose more than one!) in the early spring, thus providing the farm with the support needed for the growing season. Generally, sometime in May, your first weekly bounty of produce is available for pick up. You’ll still be collecting your produce well into the fall, and many farms offer limited winter shares of root vegetables.

Visiting the farms is fun and connects you to the land and source of your food. Many farms have free herbs or flowers for picking, as well as other local items such as eggs, vinegars, breads, meats and chickens, dairy products, maple syrup, honey, etc.—all local, many organic.

Now’s the time to join, so do a Google search and see what’s growing out there!