LOCAL AND ORGANIC
Wednesday, June 4
We've all heard about the benefits of buying local. It helps support the local economy and cuts down on gasoline consumption since fewer items need to be shipped.

In our Parent 2 Parent report, Shauna Lake explains an innovative way to buy local organic produce for your family all summer long.

This is one of the biggest trends in farming right now, CSA. It stands for Community Supported Agriculture. What it means is small, local farmers sell shares of their crops to the public. In exchange, share holders get a weekly supply of fresh, seasonal produce.

'We bring a share, a portion of whatever's fresh and they take it home and feed their families,' said Dave Bell.

Hilary Silbermanis a CSA customer of the Bell Organic farm in Draper. She says she loves being surprised by what she finds in her weekly order.

'It's kind of exciting. You never know what you’re going to get. You might get something you've never cooked with before and it's fun to try something new,' said Hilary. 'I plan my recipes based on what I get and what's nice is every week I get something different.'

CSA's are growing in popularity around the country, as more consumers are eager to buy local. The famer benefits by guaranteed customers and cash flow. Consumers benefit by getting the freshest possible produce from their own community.

'Now more people are telling us the value is in being local. They like that we're organic, but are really excited about the fact that we're local and organic,' said Dave Bell.

The farms offer everything from the basics like broccoli and peppers to specialty greens and heirloom tomatoes. Costs can vary. At Bell Farms the share price for an average sized family is about 400-dollars which will provide fresh produce for 20 weeks.

'It works about to about a dollar a day per person which isn't a lot when it comes to food,' said Dave. 'It's great for your family. It's very seasonal; you always have fresh produce and don't have to go shopping. You don’t even have to think!'

By kutv.com

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