Community Supported Agriculture

Many farms now have community supported agriculture (CSA) programs, a good way to get fresh fruit and vegetables if you do not have your own garden.   I recently joined the Chestnut Farms CSA for grass-fed meats and chickens.

There is a CSA for fish (CSF)  being offered by Cape Ann Fresh Catch (CAFC).  They have lately added a delivery site at Volante Farms in Needham.  I signed up for the biweekly fish delivery and have received two deliveries (each delivery equals two pounds of fish). 

The first delivery was hake - a mild, white fish that I had heard of but never tasted.  CAFC provided recipe suggestions which I used to cook the hake and it was very good.  The next delivery haddock.    I don't know how much time elapses from catch to delivery, but I must assume that it is very quick - I have never tasted haddock as flavorful as the one I received from CAFC.  One charming side note to the fish delivery is that CAFC tells you what fishing boat your delivery came from. Check out  http://www.capeannfreshcatch.org/.

I read an interesting article in the Boston Globe about a grain CSA that operates from the western part of the state.  A share of this CSA is $375.00 for 2 bushels of unmilled grain.  That seemed a bit beyond what I could handle, but I was tempted.  If you have information about other CSA programs, please share them!


Janice Coduri, Director
Wellesley Free Library