Community Supported Agriculture

Eating Local

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Why buy local?

Most produce in the US is picked 4 to 7 days before being placed on supermarket shelves, and is shipped for an average of 1500 miles before being sold. And this is when taking into account only US grown products! Those distances are substantially longer when we take into consideration produce imported from Mexico, Asia, Canada, South America, and other places.

Find a farm near you

The Robyn Van En Center provides a national resource center about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) for people across the nation and around the world.

Local Harvest

LocalHarvest maintains a definitive and reliable "living" public nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets, and other local food sources. Their search engine helps people find products from family farms, local sources of sustainably grown food, and encourages them to establish direct contact with small farms in their local area. The online store helps small farms develop markets for some of their products beyond their local area.

What about organic?

Most people are aware that organically grown food is free from exposure to harmful chemicals, but that is only one small part of what organic is about.

Who is Robin Van En?

As the foremost pioneer of the CSA movement in North America, Robyn's life was dedicated to establishing and supporting Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs in the United States. In 1985, Robyn Van En, together with a core group of like-minded producers and consumers initiated a project simply named Community Supported Agriculture at her farm in S. Egremont, MA. The CSA concept, which reconnects producers with consumers and empowers members to "vote with their dollars" for ecologically sound, local agriculture, was brought to the States by Jan Vander Tuin, a friend of Robyn's from Switzerland.

Welcome to CSA and the Robin Van En Center

CSA brings together community members, farmers and agricultural land in a relationship of mutual support based on an annual commitment to one another, a commitment that ensures the survival of local agriculture today and for future generations. The Robyn Van En Center offers a variety of services to existing and new CSA farmers and shareholders nationally.

Farm Aid

The mission of Farm Aid is to keep family farmers on their land. Family farmers are our only guarantee for fresh, local food. Our goal is to bring together family farmers and citizens to restore family farm-centered agriculture. Family farmers ensure safe, healthful food, protect natural resources, and strengthen local economies.

Eat Wild

The #1 site for grass-fed food and facts.

But how do you cook it?

what is it and what do I do with it?

Epicurious.com

Just type in a veggie name at this site and get lots of recipes from the best cooking magazines, searchable, printable and email-able.

more recipes

Whole Foods Market's recipe finder and cookbook sampler, searchable and printable.

a challenge

David Suzuki challenges you

Take the challenge! Renowned scientist David Suzuki asks you to meet his ten step challenge to help conserve nature. One of the ten steps is to buy locally grown and produced food!

my CSA

Sandy Spring CSA

Serves parts of Montgomery and Howard counties in Maryland.