Monday, March 16

Community Sharing with Community Supported Agriculture

Nothing says springtime in New York like community-supported agriculture. But before you re-up your regular share of mixed produce and call it a day, consider this new crop of other foods now available on a subscription basis.

The basic concept is the same: You purchase a full or half-share of a supplier's upcoming yield and receive scheduled food deliveries in return. This allows small-scale suppliers who need up-front capital to get in on the action. And because a number of these alt-CSAs also offer home delivery, there's no concern about missed pick-ups. Here are four worth the investment:

Meat The Brooklyn Kitchen is bringing monthly deliveries of pasture-raised chicken ($5.50 a pound; $10 deposit required) and half ($11 a pound, $75 deposit) and whole lambs ($10.50 a pound; $150 deposit) from upstate New York's Awesome Farm (pictured) to its Williamsburg shop. Pick-up begins June 20.

Bread This summer, Hot Bread Kitchen will partner with a handful of local CSAs to offer bread shares ($180). Shareholders can expect to receive corn tortillas, artisanal loaves and the bakery's crispy lavash nine times during the season.

Seafood Upper Meadows Farm in Montague, New Jersey--which supplies the Hell's Kitchen CSA--offers wild-caught seafood (clams, scallops and assorted fish) from local fishermen to premium shareholders ($845 for CSA membership, plus $105 a week). Non-premium shareholders can purchase fish on a per-order basis.

Dairy Though it's not a CSA in the traditional sense, Manhattan Milk nevertheless delivers farm-fresh cheese, eggs, milk and yogurt from local farms to your doorstep every Wednesday. No subscription necessary; delivery service begins April 21.
http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml

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