This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Neighbor News

The privilege of eating vibrant freshly harvested produce.

Buy local NJ organic produce through a Howell CSA volunteer group. Sign up soon!

(​​Pesticide and chemical-free produce at a lower cost than the grocery store. ​​Say goodbye to wilted greens and tasteless tomatoes. )

Limited Memberships Available

Pick up every week from June 10 to November 18 on Maxim Southard in Howell, NJ

Sign Up Today! https://www.yourlocalcsa.com or email howellcsa@gmail.com

Find out what's happening in Freeholdfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Prices Per Week with a 24-week commitment must pay in full.

Pre Bagged $25

Find out what's happening in Freeholdfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Basic $31

Premium $37.50

1/2 shares available

*Fruit and Eggs are available at an additional charge and can be bought separately.

If you're unfamiliar with a CSA, it stands for "Community Supported Agriculture." It's a farm where individuals purchase a "crop share" during the winter and early spring before the season begins. Then, throughout the growing season, share members pick up their just harvested shares at a pre-determined location. Members financially support the farmer in advance to grow fresh organic vegetables for them in the upcoming growing season.Why join a local CSA?Pesticide and chemical-free produce at a lower cost than the grocery store.

I calculated a few years ago that being part of a CSA saved my family roughly $1,00 that year compared to if I had been buying the same organic produce at the store! That was enough to sell me and literally made chemical-free produce affordable for my family.Feeding myself and my family chemical-free produce.The pesticides and fertilizers used in conventional farming are carcinogenic (cancer-causing) and endocrine disruptors (i.e., your hormones). On a greater scale, this translates into increased mortality and morbidity within the community and the resulting medical expense and loss of labor.

The privilege of eating vibrant, just-harvested produce.If you're a part of a CSA, say goodbye to wilted greens and tasteless tomatoes. Your produce will be harvested when it's ripe and, in most cases, find its way into your kitchen within a day of being picked. This means better flavor and more nutrient-rich produce. Access to heirlooms and more unusual produce varieties, and the fun of trying new things!The ability to get to know your farmers and develop a relationship of trust with those that nourish your family. Creating a relationship with the earth for yourself and the next generation, outside of structured parks and playgrounds, is good for cognitive development and happiness.Creating an understanding of what real food is and its production value for yourself and the next generation means better nutrition choices and health throughout your family's life.

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?