Thrifty Green Thursday no. 1
As of today, I have joined the Thrifty Green Thursday carnival. What is this, you ask? It is a blog carnival started over at the Green Baby Guide, with many bloggers linking together to give their fav. green tips each Thursday!
While I do realize that I posted a few of them the other day (the gas post!) I thought I would highlight one or two of them just a bit better today for those looking to be both thrifty and green!
So, my first thrifty green tip is… find a CSA farm!
What is a CSA farm? CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and that is pretty much what it is! A CSA farm is fully supported by the community that it exists within. The members pay a flat fee each year and get their fresh picked (usually organic) produce each week throughout the Summer months, and into fall.
One of the best places to find a CSA farm in your area is through Local Harvest. Local Harvest is (among other things) a listing of farms across the country, and you can search by zip code and state to find farms near you!
We have been members of 2 different CSA’s thus far (we moved, remember?) and we have loved both of them! A big box or bags filled with produce each week, all freshly picked the day before we got it, and all organic.
That’s the green part. So what’s the thrifty part?
How much did you spend last time you went to the store and purchased a list like the one below?
1-2 lb potatoes
1 bunch beets or carrots
2-3 onions
1 bunch kale or turnip greens
1-2 round tomatoes
1-4 Roma tomatoes
2 bags mixed greens
1 bag spinach
1 green zucchini or 2-3 patty pan squash
1 cucumber
2-4 ears corn
1 bunch basil, dill or parsley
1 head lettuce, collard greens or cabbage
That is just an example of one of the weeks we have had thus far this Summer. what does all of this wonderfully fresh, tasty and organic produce cost you ask?
Our subscription was $475. It started in mid-May, and lasts through mid-October. That is just one week, and we get it each week for 5 months.
Last time I bought ONLY produce at Safeway – and not even that much – it cost me over $100 for about 2 plastic grocery bags full. That lasted about 1 week. So, at that rate, I would be spending over $500 each month to get the same amount of produce each month that I get through the CSA farm… and a lot of it would have been shipped from another country to get to my table.
So, now do you see the thrifty side of it? 5 months worth for less than my grocery store would charge for ONE month, and the quality is better, the produce fresher.
Here’s a green smoothie lifted up in a toast to CSA farms! Filled with fresh organic fruit and mixed greens, of course!
3 comments
I too belong to a CSA and love it, but it’s not nearly that cheap! We pay $135 per month for a paper grocery bag full of produce. Still, I know that organic produce is insanely expensive and it feels good to support our local economy. After reading your post, I might just shop around a little and see what other CSA’s in our area have to offer.
Thanks so much for joining Thrifty Green Thursday this week!
I very much want to join a CSA sadly though all in our area are full
. I’m quite sure they’re not that cheap either, what a great deal you’re getting!
That is a great deal all right! I pay $30/biweekly for a box of organic veggies that is delivered to my door. I prefer this as I don’t drive. One downside of this service is that not all the produce is local. Your CSA sounds really great . . . I may have to look into other options in my area. Green smoothies are a great idea, too!
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