CSA or CoOp?

BigNutbrownHare · 07-30-2008, 11:52 AM

What is the difference between a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) subscription and a CoOp? If there is a difference, which is better (for the farmers and for the family receiving the produce)?

I am just starting to research this and was hoping to get involved with one by late summer or fall, but I am getting overwhelmed with such a simple thing.

Also, if you have done either one, what has your experience been like? What are the biggest negatives associated with it?

MissPitchy · 07-30-2008, 12:02 PM

We've done two. The first year was a co-op and all of the food we received was from the one farm. It was mostly greens, a lot of them strange and unidentifiable to me. It was fun for a few weeks trying to figure out what everything was and then what to do with everything. But I found that I was spending a lot of time running around trying to get things to go with the strange things we were getting. And I'm not a big leaf lover so it got old. I'm sure that varies by farm...this particular one specialized in greens. A small share cost $400 and it was 3 years ago.

The following year was a CSA program and it was through a hydroponic farm in our neighborhood in the city. We got all of the things they were growing - tomatoes, peppers, herbs, greens, fresh flowers, etc. BUT we also got many, many things from surrounding farms and local merchants - organic yogurt and butter, free range meats, fruits, breads, pierogies, pastas. This was significantly more expensive ($800 for the season) but well-worth it.

The biggest negative with the first is that it was A LOT of stuff I didn't really care for and it was a bit far from our house and driving someplace out of the way to get food I wasn't going to love got old! With the second, there really wasn't a drawback. I've considered signing up for it next year even though it is almost 30 miles from my house. I can't find anything like it around here. The portions were perfect and they had a swap box where you could leave things you wouldn't eat and take things other people left.

I don't know what the true difference is between CSA/co-op. I always thought of them as the same thing until you posed the question. But looking back, they referred to the two programs differently.

07-30-2008, 12:51 PM

Don't know the difference either. We joined a CSA with a local organic farm last year. It was fun taking DD to the barn to pick up our produce/flowers. I'm with Jen though-way too much kale, turnip greens, etc. At least here on the east coast those are the first and last things of the season. It was close by, so that was nice. We also had the option of buying local honey, freshly made bread, free range eggs, and chicken. We split our share with someone else, so we each went every other week, and it was $250 each. We didn't do it this year because I thought it would be too much with a new baby and a toddler. Next year we may do it again, however we also want to have our own garden next year, si I don't know if it will be worth it. I am looking into other CSA's that deliver-although picking it up at the barn was half of the fun-chatting with the farmers, and other people.

Puddin' · 07-31-2008, 07:42 AM

We haven't done one in a few years. When I looked into it around here the CSA did the farming for you and the CoOP you had to help out. We went with the CSA and liked it. The foods we didn't want we could leave and someone else could have it.