• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
The Healthy Home Economist

The Healthy Home Economist

embrace your right to a lifetime of health

Get Plus
  • Home
  • About
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Archives
  • Log in
  • Get Plus
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Get Plus
  • Log in
  • Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Archives
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Recipes
  • Healthy Living
  • Natural Remedies
  • Green Living
  • Videos
  • Natural Remedies
  • Health
  • Green Living
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Green Living / Urban Farm, CSA & Farmers Markets. My Favorite Local Food

Urban Farm, CSA & Farmers Markets. My Favorite Local Food

by Sarah Pope / Mar 2, 2023 / Affiliate Links ✔

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Local Food is the Best Health Insurance
  • Farmers Markets
  • Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
  • Urban Farm

Comparison of local food options such as farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture (CSA), and urban farms.

woman shopping at urban farm CSA

In one of the most encouraging trends of our time, more people than ever are making the switch to local food.

This movement is born out of necessity in many cases.

For example, the quality of the food supply continues to rapidly decline, with the specter of mRNA injections for livestock already here, although the public largely remains unaware of the roll-out. (1)

“You will eat ze bugs” is not a conspiracy theory. Bug protein is being added as a stealth ingredient already in many processed foods in the EU with the United States not far behind. (2)

In addition, food shortages from continued attacks on our supply chains threaten eventual mass disruption of delivery mechanisms. (3)

Local Food is the Best Health Insurance

The best insurance policy for these problems is establishing your own network of local food sources!

Activist Dr. Vandana Shiva goes so far as to say that “farmers are the physicians of the future”.

While you will pay more for this type of food, it is better quality, more nourishing, and tastes better!

You can also rest easy with the knowledge that you are on a first-name basis with the farmers who produce your food.

Thus, knowing exactly the techniques employed from seed or pasture to table can be ascertained quickly and directly.

This compares to the word salad email responses you receive from customer service personnel when inquiring about brand ingredients and production methods.

Once you’re ready to cast your vote for the survival of humanity and the planet by buying locally produced instead of corporate food, you quickly notice that there are three predominant business models that are available.

  • Farmers Markets
  • Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)
  • Urban Farms

The good news is that all of these options are fantastic!

What you simply need to determine is which business model fits your personal routine and approach to food shopping the best. Or, use all three if you prefer.

There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to local food. There is also overlap between the different models as well. More of this later!

Below, I describe each method. As you are reading, consider which would seem to fit your lifestyle and schedule most optimally.

Then, get out there and start supporting your local farmers with your food dollars!

soil grown product at urban farm

Farmers Markets

Farmers’ markets are perhaps the best-known option for procuring local food.

This type of business model is where a group of farmers assemble in a specific location on a recurring basis to sell their food and other products directly to the public.

Farmers’ markets can range from small to quite large. St. Pete Market, which hosts about 10,000 visitors every Saturday, is probably the largest and best-known in my community.

However, my tiny community also has a Saturday morning farmer’s market with just a few vendors.

My husband and I make it a point to visit the farmers’ market for any out-of-town location we are visiting. You can get a feel for a community better by doing this than almost anything else!

The one downside of farmer’s markets is that the consumer does not visit the farm directly. This leaves the door open to potential scammers (vendors have been known to buy mass-produced food and pass it off as local).

This problem is rectified by having the coordinator(s) for the farmers’ market physically visit the farms of each of the approved vendors to ensure authenticity.

In my opinion, it can also sometimes be difficult to verify that produce was grown in the soil (hydroponics has low nutrient density and is not something I will buy).

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

Community Supported Agriculture or CSA is another method of directly connecting farmers with consumers in a mutually beneficial business model.

Here’s how it works in a nutshell. A farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the surrounding community.

Most commonly, the “share” is a bag of vegetables provided every week during the farming season. However, other farm products may be included as well.

To participate, consumers purchase a membership share and are normally required to pick up at the farm during a specified time each week.

CSAs may offer a limited number of shares at a discount if a certain number of volunteer hours at the farm are provided.

volunteers working at a CSA urban farm

Urban Farm

Urban farms are another local food option that is springing up.

The one where I shop in my community (Meacham Urban Farm) is a blend of a CSA and a farmer’s market.

For example, consumers can purchase a “farm card” to get product discounts and benefits such as online shopping.

But, a card is completely optional as anyone can shop there during business hours, which are more flexible than a typical farmer’s market.

You also see exactly where the produce is grown, right there on site where you are buying.

Beef, chicken, artisanal bread, and other local foods are also available.

A unique twist of urban farms is that they market not only their own products but also those of other local farms.

Thus, their product selection takes on the flair of a farmer’s market while also building consumer loyalty such as what a CSA offers.

Below is a short video of what I bought recently on my weekly trip to my local urban farm.

Which style of local food works best for you?

Please share links to your favorite CSAs, urban farms and farmers’ markets below!

References

(1) mRNA Vaccines in Livestock and Companion Animals are here now.

(2) Bugs to be used in bread, beer, and various other items ‘intended for the general population,’ courtesy of the EU

(3) Food Processing Plants And Distribution Centers Are Burning Down. *UPDATE 11* One Of Largest US Egg Suppliers Burns Down

FacebookPinEmailPrint
Category: Green Living
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: the bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

You May Also Like

jug of DIY fabric softener inside washing machine

Homemade Fabric Softener (sheets too!)

how to clip a chickens wings

How to Clip a Chicken’s Wing to Keep Her Safe (Video)

Cleaning Wool Carpets and Rugs without Chemicals

Cleaning Wool Carpets and Rugs without Chemicals

bread crusts stacked on a white plate

Thrifty Tips for Using Bread Crusts

purple cabbage head cut from the plant stem

Cabbage Harvesting Hack that Doubles Yield

Graphene Oxide in Over-the-Counter Meds and Personal Care Products. Test Before You Use!

Is Your Home Making You Sick?

Get a free chapter of my book Living Green in an Artificial World + my newsletter and learn how to start creating a living environment that supports and enhances health!

We send no more than one email per week. You will never be spammed or your email sold, ever.
Loading

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Sidebar

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

The Healthy Home Economist

Since 2002, Sarah has been a Health and Nutrition Educator dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. Read More

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Check Out My Books

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

Contact the Healthy Home Economist. The information on this website has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. By accessing or using this website, you agree to abide by the Terms of Service, Full Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, Affiliate Disclosure, and Comment Policy.

Copyright © 2009–2023 · The Healthy Home Economist · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!