Healthy Living for as Little as $20 a Week

Photo: Camilla Wisbauer / Istock

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Would you rather have expensive vegetables from who-knows-where at the grocery story or fresh, local produce harvested with loving care by your neighborhood farmer? There's an easier and more delicious way to get your fruits and vegetables, and its prices start at just $20 a week.

Many small farms (more than 3,000!) offer CSA or Community Supported Agriculture shares. You buy a share of the harvest — often for as little as $20 a week ($10 for a half share) — then pick up your box of bounty each week. You support your health, the farm and the local community. It's perfect for anyone who doesn't have time to get to the farmers' market, or just who wants a unique way to get new produce into her life.

The only downside is you have to pay for your share upfront, and technically, by buying a share of the farm, you're also taking on a share of the risks involved in the farming; weather, disease and a host of other factors can affect the outcome of a particular season's harvest. According to Local Harvest's Website, the chances of having any problems are quite low; two to six farms have problems a year, out of the 3,000 list on its Website. Typically, if a farm does have a problem it's with one of dozens of crops -- so you still will enjoy a healthy (literally) batch of fruits and veggies.

You're getting local fresh vegetables at a great cost (much less then you'd spend at the grocery on comparable produce), with low risks; it's no wonder that CSAs are popping up across the country.

Is a CSA right for you? Ask yourself:

• Will my children and I love trying new produce from "our" farm?
• Will I like the challenge of cooking with new fruits and vegetables?
• Do I have the time to pick up or receive produce weekly or bi-weekly?
• Will produce go to waste in my house? Do I have someone I can share my fruits and vegetables with?
• Do my family and I enjoy eating a majority of the foods grown locally in our area?
• Do I love shopping at the farmers' market but don't always have time to get there?
• Do I have time to cook at least a couple of times a week?
• Can I afford the risk if something goes wrong with the season's crops?

Find a CSA on the Local Harvest listings on The Daily Green's homepage. Fall is the time to sign up -- by spring, when the first early greens get delivered, the shares of most CSAs are spoken for.

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