This weeks CSA haul: lettuce, cherry tomatoes, green beans, beets, tomatoes, corn, peppers, garlic, eggs and goat cheese.
Earlier in the summer I joined a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, paying $525 for 20 weeks of vegetables, eggs, and cheese. I’m considering re-upping my membership for winter, but first want to re-consider my hefty investment. The program costs me about $11 more per week compared to buying groceries at my local chains. Does joining a CSA make financial sense?
Cost is the first thing I considered. For the 20-week summer program, I paid $365 for good-sized portions of about seven vegetables, including lettuce, tomatoes, corn, beets, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and garlic. I paid another $100 to receive freshly made goat cheese (chevre or feta) and $60 for a half dozen free-range organic chicken eggs that are free of hormones and antibiotics.
That amounts to $26 a week! Before joining this CSA I spent roughly $15.50 for vegetables, one dozen eggs, and a block of cheese each week. So I am spending $10.75 more per week to be part of the CSA. What gives?
Last week's CSA pick up: corn, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, eggs, peppers, garlic, tomatoes and goat cheese.
The winter share costs even more – $815 for 30 weeks or $27 per week. I will receive a bit of meat each week and the vegetables will taper off in the winter. Each week the farm will give me 1-1.5 pounds of grass-fed ground beef, pasture-raised pork (chops, bacon, sausage) or 1 pasture-raised chicken and veggies. My $815 farm grocery bill also includes a half-dozen eggs and goat cheese.
Clearly, the CSA is not my cheapest grocery option. On top of the extra cost I have no control over what food I receive, and I must drive 60 minutes round trip (significantly further than the nearest grocery store) to pick up my grub on the farm.
A true bargain hunter weighs the total value of a purchase, however, not just the cost. Here are the seven factors that swayed me.
1. I have never eaten healthier. No matter how many times I told myself before joining the summer CSA to stock up on veggies, I rarely bought more than two vegetables per week at the grocery store, usually lettuce and broccoli to cook with dinner. Now that I have so many delicious vegetables in my kitchen, I eat salads almost every day for lunch and create dinner recipes around the greens in my fridge.
2. I am eating organic. Cost has kept me away from organic in the past, even though I believe pesticide-free food is healthier in the long run. When I have a direct comparison between organic and non-organic at the grocery store, I always go for the cheaper option even though I would like to eat organic. As a CSA member, I pay the entire cost up front, so I’m not continually persuaded to shop by price.
3. I am supporting local jobs and the preservation of the farm. I am proud to put a few dollars into my local economy and ensure the landscape near me remains green. If the farm went out of business, who knows what developers would build.
4. I am reducing my carbon footprint. Driving to the farm once a week is the only foul air created to transport my food to my table. No planes, trains, or huge cargo vessels required.
5. I am meeting neighbors. CSA members pick up their vegetables at the same time each week, so I bump into locals. Last week the woman in front of me shared a fantastic tip on killing zucchini mold with a mix of baking soda and Ivory soap. During pick up, kids enjoy petting the baby goats, ducklings, and young cows on the farm.
6. I don’t have to choose what to buy. While the CSA does not offer the huge variety of vegetables available at a mainstream grocer, I also don’t have to decide what to buy each week. That’s one less decision to make.
7. The food tastes really good. The tomatoes make excellent fresh salsa and pasta sauce, the goat cheese seems to fit with every meal, and the fresh corn is worth fighting over. I have noticed, however, that the food goes bad a day or two quicker than store bought. It is a good thing I am a freezer diva.
If you are curious about joining a CSA, visit LocalHarvest.org. You can browse farms by state or find CSA programs within a certain number of miles of your zip code.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
I absolutely would continue to do this as long as it is not impacting your budget bottom line. I love the idea of supporting local farmers, eating healthier and being more community minded. If you can, keep it up!
I agree you should keep it up. It’s a fantastic value for all the reasons you listed and an investment on your entire household’s health, besides. Plus it becomes an artistic medium through offering you creative cooking/freezing challenges with all the variety you are exposed to. Way to go!! My husband and I will be getting on the CSA bandwagon next year and I couldn’t be more excited.
@Rebecca You may not have to wait! Some CSA’s offer fall/winter shares.
For me, it is not worth the price or the driving. I can get organic, locally grown things at Sprouts for less money, especially when you shop sales. I save money on gas, I am supporting local growers and I am eating better. Just my two cents.
@Evie You are lucky to live so close to a source of affordable, organic food!
I’m getting a CSA half-share for the first time this summer and I’m kinda disappointed. Through NO fault of their own, the farm was hit with golf-ball sized hail that destroyed 80 percent of their crops this summer. When you have a CSA you share in the bounty of the season, good and bad. While they have bent over backwards to make sure we have boxes of food – by purchasing organic produce from other small farmers nearby – I’ve decided I’m going to stick with my farmer’s markets next year. I have so much fun shopping at them and it costs me less than my CSA share. I have access to farmer’s markets four days a week where I live. All the farmers at my farmer’s market are local and I am still supporting local small businesses.
I’m splitting a CSA half share with a friend of mine. We wanted to give it a try before putting up the money for a full share.
I do like getting the produce on a regular schedule. It cuts down on my grocery shopping, which I do not like to do. We also eat healthier this way, because we have to use it up before it goes bad. (Although my backyard chickens are happy to eat whatever is left.)
I like supporting the local organic farm. The only thing I wasn’t crazy about early in the season were the things we’d never eaten before, like kohlrabi and fennel. But, the summer produce has been great.
have you looked into abundant harvest? you pick up on saturday your box of organic produce. they also have eggs and cheese for additional cost. small box is $25. you can get it weekly, monthly, whatever schedule works for you. the produce is all organic and from local crops.
LOVE CSA’s! Produce also lasts longer, not to mention tastes better. One can opt to pick-up every other week as well, or volunteer and quite often get bag for free!
Cheers to a great post!
I would guess that one of the reasons you’re seeing such a steep increase in the the amount of money you spend on groceries is simply because you’re buying organic by default. As you pointed out, if you were in the store and given the option to pay less for conventionally-grown produce, you would have. I wonder what the cost difference would be if you had been purchasing organic all along.
Everything about CSA sounds good to me excpe the 60 miles of driving. There must be others who use CSA and live nearby so you could alternate driving?
UPDATE: I’ve decided to join the winter CSA and am really excited to eat my first organic meat. I hope it is worth it!
@Joe Good point. Getting organic food by joining the CSA might actually be cheaper than buying organic from Whole Foods or the local health food store.
@Junie It is a 60 minute drive RT, not a 60 mile drive.
I guess I’m lucky enough to live in Southern California where the weather allows CSA’s to deliver fresh produce year round – instead of paying for an entire season up front, I pay as I got – about $22/week. There are several pickup locations, so I only have to drive a couple miles from my house to pick up my box each week. I’m still adjusting to eating so many fruits and vegetables, but there’s no way I’ve ever had a healthier diet. And it’s kind of fun to see what’s going to be on the menu each week. (Rumor has it that all natural popcorn on the cob is coming soon!) I’ve been searching the internet for recipes for the bounty and even had to look up what one thing was this past week! I had no idea – I’d never seen such a vegetable before!
I’m really happy with my decision – the food is healthier, I’m eating lots more of stuff that’s good for me, and I’m supporting local farmers – I even get their email addresses and phone numbers in case I want to compliment them!
Wonderful!