Support Local Farmers by Joining a CSA!
For the past five years, my family has participated in a program that
supports a local Virginia farm just outside the beltway in Virginia.
Through the program, called Community Supported Agriculture, or
“CSA” for short, community members in the farm’s delivery area pay
in advance (usually in March) for a share of the crops that will be
harvested during the summer and fall. This setup provides the farm
with cash early in the growing season, while providing shareholders
with the experience of learning how their food is grown and the
assurance that organic, sustainable methods were used to produce
the crops.
The farm that runs our CSA, Potomac Vegetable Farms, has been
owned and operated by the same family since the 1960s and has
offered a CSA program for the past seven years. For six months out
of the year -– roughly June through November -- my family knows
exactly where most of the produce we eat comes from: we can visit
the farm and see the crops growing and we know what gets ripe
when, we know the farmers who work in the fields, and my son can
watch and touch the chickens that lay the eggs he eats. By visiting
open houses that the farm has during the season and by picking up
our vegetables at a central location with other CSA members, we also
know other families who eat from the same fields and chickens that
we do. In the summer, we still visit the Falls Church Farmer’s Market
for a few items we might have run out of or need for a specific recipe,
so we continue to support those farmers, as well.
The photos on this page are from my family’s visits to Potomac
Vegetable Farms in Purcellville and Vienna over the last few years. My
sister belongs to the Bull Run Mountain Vegetable Farms CSA, which
is located on her same road in The Plains. If you’re interested in being
part of a CSA, see the list of CSAs below that deliver to Falls Church
or close by in Arlington. To determine the right CSA for you, check
out their websites to see what they grow and how they grow it,
where they deliver to, and what share plans/options they offer. You
can also email or call the farm if you have additional questions. I’ve
also included links to some additional information about CSAs across
the United States.
CSAs THAT DELIVER TO FALLS CHURCH OR NEARBY
Here is a list of CSAs that deliver to Falls Church. If you know of a CSA that
should be listed here, contact us. All CSAs have limited space, so reserve your
share early (Most CSAs start taking share orders in February). Also, not all
CSAs use all organic, sustainable methods, so if that is important to you, check
that out.
Potomac Vegetable Farms (Vienna and Purcellville, Virginia) – "Ecoganic"
vegetables dropped off at four homes in Falls Church and Arlington on
Tuesdays from mid-June through mid-November. Also offers egg and flower
shares, as well as a few open house events per season for CSA members at
Vienna and Purcellville farms. Regular newsletters and recipes.
Website: www.potomacvegetablefarms.com.
Contact: Hana Newcomb, mhnewcomb@aol.com, 703.759.2119.
Bull Run Mountain Vegetable Farms (The Plains, Virginia) – Vegetables
grown using chemical-free, sustainable practices are delivered June through
October to a location near the East Falls Church Metro each week. The 2006
season will be Bull Run Mountain Farms’ 13th year running a CSA. Additional
options include flowers and eggs, as well as fruit from nearby orchards (not
organic). Regular newsletters and recipes, as well as events at the farm.
Website: www.bullrunfarm.com.
Contact: Lee Hauter, lh@pressroom.com, 703.754.4005.
Waterpenny Farm (Sperryville, Virginia) – Vegetables grown using organic
methods delivered to a Clarendon location once each week, from June through
October. Each share includes some herbs. The farm offers a regular
newsletter, and two shareholder events are hosted on the farm each year.
Website: www.waterpennyfarm.com.
Contact: waterpenny@earthlink.net, 540-987-8567.
Great Country Farms (Bluemont, Virginia) – Shares are delivered to your
home, rather than to a central pickup location. Shares include vegetables,
fruits, flowers, and herbs (spring through October). Although the farm uses
sustainable methods, some crops are chemically treated. The farm is open to
the public during the growing season.
Website: www.greatcountryfarms.com
Contact: farmer@greatcountryfarms.com, 540.554.2073.
LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CSAs
University of Massachusetts Extension Service – Great site, with profiles of
some CSA farms.
www.umassvegetable.org/food_farming_systems/CSA/
Robyn Van En Center for CSA Resources – Background information,
resources for farmers, and a searchable database of CSAs across the United
States. www.wilson.edu/wilson/asp/content.asp?id=804
U.S. Department of Agriculture – Background about the program with links to
articles and other resources. www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa/
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services – List of CSAs
throughout Virginia. www.vdacs.virginia.gov/vagrown-july/csa.html
Virginia Tech Extension Service – Article about CSAs.
www.ext.vt.edu/news/periodicals/commhort/2002-06/2002-06-05.html
Union of Concerned Scientists – Article featuring Bull Run Mountain Farms
CSA in The Plains. www.ucsusa.org/publications/earthwise.cfm?
publicationID=931
Eco Stewards Alliance – List of Northern Virginia CSAs and some links.
www.ecostewardsalliance.org/choices/index.php?t=37
Small Farms Success Project – Profile of Ellen Polishuk, manager of Potomac
Vegetable Farms’ Purcellville farm.
www.smallfarmsuccess.info/profile_potomac.cfm
