North Fork Living: Community Supported Agriculture Sign-Up In Full Swing

Owning a home on the North Fork of Long Island has its perks, and local produce is certainly one of them.

Over the past 20 years Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for farmers and communities to come together and support one another. With a CSA, local farmers offer “shares” to the local community. These shares (or “memberships”) sell for a set price and in turn, shareholders get a weekly box/share of seasonal produce during the local farming season.

Why CSA? Purchasing your produce locally, when possible, will result in the freshest produce picked at the peak of its taste and nutritional quality. In a community that knows the importance of buying local, it doesn’t get much more local than the soil we live on and prosper from!

Local CSA’s run approximately 26 weeks and prices range from $500-$600. While it might sound like a lot of money upfront, it translates to roughly $21-$23 per week for produce picked from the field just hours before! Some farms offer “partial” or “half shares” for smaller households, while some farms allow you to split a full share with a friend. Still worried it’s too much produce, then try one of the farms canning clubs or potlucks where you can learn the canning process and swap recipes.

Which local CSA do you use and why?

 — Nicci Fitzgerald, North Fork Real Estate, Inc.