Does Community-Supported Agriculture Save Money?

What is CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture, also known as CSA, is where everyday people buy shares in a farm before the fields have even been planted. This money is used to pay for the supplies and labor needed to plant and maintain the fields throughout the season. Harvests are split evenly between the shareholders and handed out on a weekly basis throughout the harvest season. Some CSA's provide eggs, milks and other products and some allow for half-shares, where you pay half of the amount and receive a share every other week.

The CSA concept started in Japan over 30 years ago. After a stop in Europe, the CSA concept came to the United States and is slowly picking up in popularity. Many claim that the "ripen on the vine" vegetables taste better than the produce, organic or conventional, you find in the store. A lot of people enjoy being introduced to produce they'd never pick up in a regular grocery store.

The real question: is community-supported agriculture frugal?
It really depends on a few things: the cost per share (of course!), how much produce you receive, how much produce you actually eat and if you're into organic foods.

The cost and amount of food varies between CSAs. Even the length of the harvesting season varies! One CSA may cost $500 for to get a huge box every week, for 22 weeks. Another may be $400, but it's for a smaller box and only 20 weeks. As you can guess, comparing and contrasting the individual benefits of different CSAs is downright impossible.

Before you sign up for a CSA, take into consideration the amount of fruits and vegetables you actually eat. If your family eats very little fruits and vegetables, a CSA membership will not help you. Also, consider your adventurism - if you don't like trying new stuff, then a CSA isn't for you.

For many people, the biggest complaint about a CSA is that they have no control over what they receive every week. You may get 2 lbs of okra one week, but no celery or carrots, which you need for your favorite chicken soup recipe. Families on a CSA will still have to go to a grocery store to fill out their pantry.

For those of you who are into "organically grown produce", a CSA may save you money. Organic fruits and vegetables are expensive; a quick trip through the produce section of your local supermarket will demonstrate that truth to you. Most CSA owners like to point out the fact that if you bought the same items at a farmer's market, you'd spend a lot more money than you would on a CSA membership.

If you don't mind eating the "conventionally grown produce", a CSA will not save you money. Between my grocery store's weekly specials and the availability of a local produce market, I know I would never come close to spending $300 on produce over 6 months. So why would I pay $500 for a CSA?

How can you make a CSA membership frugal?
There are a few things you can do to make a CSA "frugal":

Use it all up. If you can eat everything in your box, then store it, freeze it or preserve it in some way.

Share you share with someone. Many people find that at the peak of the harvesting season, a CSA delivers way too much food for them, so they split the box, and the cost, with a friend, neighbor or family member.

Buy a "half-share," where you get half of the produce delivered to you.