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Buying local is relatively new positive trend, particularly for produce. Buying local helps support small farms, reduces your carbon footprint, and delivers fresher produce. Many natural food stores now label their local produce, but unfortunately, it isn’t always readily available, especially if you buy organic.

Now is a great time to look into Community Supported Agriculture programs, or CSAs. Many of them are just getting started up for the year around the U.S. They all work a little differently, so you’ll have to search online for one near you to get the details.

The basic idea is that you buy a “share” in a local farm. Most of them ask you to pay up front to have a box of produce reserved for you every week for a certain amount of time. Every week, you will either pick up your box, or have it delivered, depending on the farm.

Here in Asheville, we bought a share in Jake’s Farm. For $650, we will receive produce for a minimum of 20 weeks. If the farm has a good year and the weather cooperates, they may extend it beyond that for no additional charge. So for $32.50 per week, we get enough farm fresh, organic produce to probably last us (we eat A LOT of produce) half the week. Of course, a lot what we buy isn’t grown at Jake’s Farm so we still need to do some shopping at the grocery store for things like bananas, avocados, and oranges.

The produce is boxed and ready for us every Tuesday at the farm. Jake’s Farm does not offer delivery, but it is a gorgeous drive in the country and not much farther of a drive than to the grocery store.

You don’t get to pick and choose what you buy through most CSAs. Whatever they are growing is what you get. Our CSA does make some substitutions for food allergies, but that’s about it. If you’re the least bit adventurous, this is a great way to branch out and try some new types of vegetables that you may not have bought before.

Keep in mind though, investing in a CSA is a little like investing in a stock. If the farm has a great year, you receive a bountiful selection of fruits and vegetables. If, on the other hand, catastrophe strikes, you don’t get your money back. You are literally investing in your community farm.

Find out about CSAs or other local farm programs in your area. Call them up and ask for a tour. Most likely, they will be thrilled to show you around. Local organic farms take great pride in their land and the food they grow. Seeing a farm full of beautiful, fresh, fruits and vegetables is a much more inspiring experience than walking through a grocery store produce aisle.

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