Last summer was the first year I purchased a summer vegetable CSA from Eagle Creek Farm. It was fantastic! We bought another one this year (but double the size) and can’t wait for the first delivery. Every week we had vegetable feasts and the whole family enjoyed the tasty meals.
CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. In a CSA, you assume the risk along with the farmer. We purchase a share and receive vegetables (whatever is ready) each week for about 4 months. However, if there is a massive storm or other damage to the farm, we won’t get any vegetables. It’s a way to guarantee an income to the farm so that they can continue to farm year after year.
Farm John offered two Saturdays last year to travel out to the farm near Bowden and volunteer for the afternoon. Both of these trips were wonderful experiences! We learned about new vegetables , got our hands dirty, and had fun being outside. Now, when we go to pick up our vegetable share we have a much better idea of how those vegetables ended up on our plate.
Consider buying a CSA! The Slow Food Calgary website has the most comprehensive list of Alberta farms offering CSA’s that I have found: http://slowfoodcalgary.ca/directory/
Check out Eagle Creek at: http://www.eaglecreekfarms.ca/