I love being part of the Cape Town CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) project. One of the joys of eating seasonally is the anticipation of the new crops that each season brings, and being part of a CSA you’re right in the thick of it – what was growing, that morning, is now in your hands. I’ve never had such amazing broccoli as I had during the winter CSA, and I am looking forward to seeing what the springtime will bring.

In case you have no idea what I’m on about, here’s what a CSA is:

WHAT IS A CSA?

A CSA is a partnership between an agricultural or artisan producer and a group of consumers. The consumers sponsor the production of a specific crop or product at the beginning of the CSA, and during the season, the producer responds with frequent reports on that crop’s development and growth, and the consumers can visit the producer to learn more about how crop is grown, and even help with the harvest. The harvest is divided between all the members during the course of the season. Possible CSA products could include vegetables, fruit trees or grassfed beef from an entire steer.

The point of running a CSA (and a cornerstone of the Slow Food ethos) is to reconnect consumers with agricultural producers, and make urban dwellers aware of the lifecycles implicit in growing and producing the food we eat.

This spring, we are running a mixed organic vegetable CSA, grown just outside of Kraaifontein by small, organic farmer Erick Zenzele, that will be divided among all participants every week (i.e. every week during the season you receive a bag of mixed vegetables).

And here’s the scoop on this Spring’s CSA:

We are delighted to announce the launch of another Slow Food Cape Town Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) vegetable project this spring, serving Durbanville, N1 commuters and Cape Town.

With a vegetable CSA, you pay at the beginning and get a share of a small, emerging farmer’s organic harvest, to be picked up at a convenient collection point once a week for the period of the CSA.

The Spring 2009 CSA includes:

• One small, organic farmer, Erick Zenzele
• A weekly veggie bag containing a constantly changing selection of SIX vegetables
• Four collection points for you to choose from, at Home Baked @ Red Cherry, Klein Joostenberg Deli, Jaqui Daya Food Store and Millstone Farmstall
• A weekly email newsletter
• An online blog with information, links, recipes and a chance to interact with other CSA members
• Farm outings to Erick’s farms, to meet your farmer, see the crops and learn about how they are grown
• A total of EIGHT weeks of vegetable delights, running from Tuesday 8 September through Tuesday 27 October 2009
• Total cost is R399, which translates to R49.88 for each week

Reconnect with where, how and when your food is grown!

To book your membership, email kate@slowfoodcsa.co.za

I’ll definitely be signing up again, and look forward to visiting the farm on which my weekly vegetables have been grown!  The best part is – the more we support these initiatives, the more likely the range of produce available for future CSAs will increase.  Imagine crisp organic autumn apples, or berries, or a share in some of the fruit that usually gets sent straight overseas?  That’s what I’m hoping for.

Hope to see you on the next farm visit!

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