All we are saying is 'Give peas a chance'
Posted
Jul 03 2008, 05:14 PM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
"Story Girl" at the My Money and My Life personal finance blog wondered if community supported agriculture were a frugal choice. She'd be paying $25 a week for an ever-changing variety of fresh, local produce. But $25 is "nearly half my weekly grocery budget," Story Girl notes.
Now she's really glad she did it. In an item called "Why I love CSA," she explained that there was more to the decision than simple frugality. "There are a lot of reasons why I consider this to be a good choice for me," she writes, "and why it may even save money in the long term."
Story Girl got to meet her "farmer," a woman who offered fresh lemonade and a tour of the garden. "I feel much better about buying produce from someone whose dog I've played with than from a huge corporation."
The produce is not only organic, it's delivered as quickly as possible. That means optimum nutrition as well as superlative flavor: "Tomato basil salad is practically a spiritual experience."
That $25 a week buys more than the two of them can eat, so they get to share with friends. Yet there's still so much left that they find themselves eating not just more fresh vegetables but also varieties they might not have taken a chance on in the supermarket. Story Girl notes that eating so much unprocessed food will make them healthier, possibly saving them money in the long run.
Then of course there's the "green" angle. Locally grown veggies requires a lot less transportation than that grown hundreds or thousands of miles away. In addition, Story Girl and her husband are supporting organic farming practices vs. factory farming that tends to use lots of chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides.
If you're wondering what to do with your economic stimulus check, consider investing in a CSA membership. To find a local group, go to the Local Harvest site and type in your zip code.
