CSA and Me

Scientists and epidemiologists insist, pretty much across the board, that the pandemic isn’t over and I trust science. I understand that the more people who #stayhome the greater our chance of eliminating the virus. Or at least buying us time until there is a treatment or a vaccine. Consequently, I’m not going anywhere—for the most part.

I’ve had to take the dogs to the vet. I’ve had to go to renew my license. And I took a drive around the block for curbside pickup of a couple of Cafe Mochas because my partner was going a little stir crazy. I wore lined masks for every outing, kept interactions brief, kept an appropriate social distance, and only left the house for necessities. Starting this week, however, I have to pick up my CSA.

My bounty for Week 1. Yum!

My bounty for Week 1. Yum!

CSA. Community Supported Agriculture. This is a program that supports local farms. You buy “shares”, which gives the farm money to buy seeds and other supplies in advance of the season. In return, you get a “share” of the farm’s yield.

I am now obligated to go out into the world every week to pick up my farm shares. A part of me wonders what the heck I was thinking. My partner and I buy into CSAs because we support local farming, largely because I know the vital role they play in our food chain. I think corporate farming is a bad idea, but I’ll save that for another post. (In case you’re interested, this is a pretty good article.)

It’s a risk, I know, going out every week. But sometimes, you have to take risks, or as my mother would have said, “put your money where your mouth is”.

Huh. I just realized that I’m doing that quite literally.