Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs allow you to purchase a share of a farm’s harvest by paying an up-front fee in exchange for regular deliveries of fresh produce or meat throughout the summer. A CSA allows a farmer to calculate the upcoming season using a better understanding of what needs to be planted. Farmers can then plan their crops more efficiently. Consumers typically benefit from lower costs by purchasing directly from farms rather than through grocery chains.

CSAs can work in a variety of ways. Some farms use a points system, while others sell boxed portions. Some farms will also sell each item at a set cost.

Depending on how much produce you need and the size of the CSA share, you might consider sharing a CSA share with friends or family. By sharing with others, you can split the weekly share or alternate weeks. Sharing lowers your costs, without wasting produce you can’t use. Either way, CSAs make it easy to get locally grown fresh produce on a regular schedule throughout the summer.

Note: Some CSAs might already be full for this summer. However, many have fall or winter shares, too. Also, some CSA’s require a work commitment of several hours so check before you sign-up to be sure the CSA policies work for you.

Here’s a list of local CSAs:

• Nourse Farm (Westborough)
• Harvey’s Farm and Garden Center (Westborough)
• Lilac Hedge (Rutland), which offers home delivery and a subscription service for locally-raised meat.
• The Pumpkin Farm (Medway), which offers a meat CSA
• Stearns Farm (Framingham)
• White Barn Farm (Wrentham)
• Chestnut Hill Farm (Southborough) no website, but call them at 508-785-0339