Volunteers assist in packaging CSA shares during the Jamestown Public Market’s 2022 market season

The Jamestown Public Market and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church are celebrating National CSA week the week of February 20 through 25.

Public Market Director Linnea Haskins said CSA stands for “Community Supported Agriculture, “You invest in a farm ahead of the growing season and in exchange you basically get the product that they grow or raise. So most CSA shares are vegetables or fruits, produce, but there are also flower shares, meat shares, some people do bread and eggs.”

Haskins said a lot of farms like to do CSAs because it helps expand their customer base and guarantees income prior to the growing season, “So, they can rely on that income to help them to grow what they need to grow, and harvest, and pay for any supplies, etc. But it’s a wonderful way for people to invest local.”

The Jamestown Public Market will be offering its third season of the ‘Eat Fresh, Do Good CSA’ this summer.

Working with local farms, such as organic produce farm Abers Acres and Amish-led Hidden Valley Produce, the Jamestown Public Market cultivates three sizes of CSA shares community members can ‘invest’ in prior to the growing season.

The cost of each share covers the produce people will receive week to week for 16 weeks, from June to September, as well as a donation towards the Jamestown Mobile Market program.

For more information on how to sign up for an ‘Eat Fresh, Do Good CSA’ share visit https://www.jtownpublicmarket.org/csa

Jamestown Public Market Director Linnea Haskins tells us about CSA Week and discusses agriculture in our community.

Public Market Director Linnea Carlson the CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, program was started last year as an effort to reach more people beyond the public market while supporting the Mobile Market.

She said when people sign up for the CSA, you’re not just supporting local farmers but supporting the Mobile Market, “Because some of that, your investment, goes into our general operating budget for things like gas and maintenance for our vehicle and that sort of thing. But what you get in return, for the 16 weeks that the Mobile Market runs, every Wednesday you come to St. Luke’s. We have a pick-up time frame. And you will get a crate of fresh fruit and vegetables.”

Carlson said 50 people signed up for the CSA last year and they hope to double that to 100 people this year.

Carlson said there are three levels to the CSA , with the first level being good for those who have never done a CSA and who want to introduce more seasonal vegetables into their diets, “We suggest that you start with our fun size which is the smallest. But then we have two sizes up. We have a family size and then a full size. And that depends on, you know, we recommend the full size for people who just absolutely love their vegetables and they know they’re going to eat the variety.”

Carlson said you can learn more about the Public Market programs and sign up for the CSA at https://www.jtownpublicmarket.org/.