The CSA: 7 Reasons Why
By Alex Ball, Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health, School of Public Health, Dani Elenga Intern; CSA Assistant Manager
A CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, is a model in which consumers pay a lump sum at the beginning of a farm’s growing season, and then receive a weekly share of whatever produce that farm grows. It’s extremely fulfilling to see everyone’s excitement about the diverse rotation of produce in our weekly CSA. I’ve even been answering questions about how to sign up for next year! In the midst of all of this excitement, I’ve been reflecting on some of the reasons that make CSA programs such an incredible opportunity for both consumers and producers. Here’s my list:
You are often supporting diversified, small-scale farmers.
CSAs are most often held at smaller farms. These businesses often prioritize practices that benefit ecosystem health, such as minimizing or excluding synthetic pesticide and fertilizer input, providing habitat for native pollinators, and adding organic matter into the soil. As most of our food in the U.S. is produced by large, single-crop farms that don’t prioritize land stewardship or sustainability, it is even more important that we support local farms!
You often receive the produce at a discounted price.
Of course we all want to support value-driven production practices and feel good about our purchasing decisions. Any price comparison between grocery store and farmers market prices, will tell you that it comes at a cost. With a CSA, you will often be paying less overall for high-quality produce than if you had purchased each item individually. This makes up for not being able to select the exact items from week to week, and accepting that some weeks will be more abundant than others.
Farmers receive upfront financial support.
By paying a lump sum to a farm at the beginning of the growing season to receive produce throughout the year, you are giving producers an enormous influx of money right when they need it the most, and before they receive money from other outlets like wholesale or markets. Producers can use this money to cover seeding costs, machinery repairs, and fertilizer during the off-season.
Really, really fresh produce.
The food that goes into a CSA is extremely fresh, sometimes harvested less than 24 hours before distribution! Much of the produce sold at a grocery store has to go through long transportation and storage times, which degrades both the flavor and nutrition of the final product.
A chance to try something new!
How many of us have rotated through the same few fruits and vegetables to use in meals throughout the week? Classic spinach, broccoli, carrots, etc… But garlic scapes? Or purple scallions? How often do we get the opportunity to try those? CSA programs give the option for variety, benefiting both our taste buds by exposing us to new flavors, and our health by exposing us to the variety of vitamins and minerals that come from different plants.
More community engagement
I can’t speak for our shareholders, but picking up produce outside, being able to ask the farmers questions, AND being surrounded by community members is so much more fulfilling than taking something off the shelf at the grocery store. It’s a small, peaceful moment of interacting with the community and building relationships. I certainly enjoy seeing the faces of people who are eating the food the UW Farm team worked so hard to grow.
Fun for the whole family!
Finally, one of my favorite things about running our CSA pick-up this summer has been seeing the whole family get involved! Kids get quite excited about eating fresh vegetables, or at least getting to make the selection from the harvest tote, and it’s really nice to see them get exposed to healthy food, and the environment that surrounds it.
So there you have it! The plethora of benefits that comes from enrolling in a CSA. Generally, we start advertising ours in February through this newsletter, but if you don’t get it in time you can go to Eat Local First and discover another CSA that’s convenient for you. Happy eating, and enjoy that fresh produce!
Produce Highlight: Lavender
By: Zereen Gesmundo, Nutrition Education Intern
Lavender is a fragrant evergreen shrub known for its stunning blue-violet flowers. In the past years, lavender has grown to be quite a popular plant for gardens, chefs, and craftspeople.
How is lavender grown? Lavender is a perennial plant, that’s usually grown in spring or early summer. Lavender, a round bushy shrub native to the mountain zone of the Mediterranean, where it grows in sunny, stony habitats, is now cultivated throughout southern Europe, Australia, and the U.S.
You might be wondering… How does lavender get its distinct floral smell? It gets its characteristic scent from chemicals known as terpenoids, which release smells that play an important role in a plant’s survival. Terpenoids either attract pollinators to help the spread of a species’ genetic material or avert herbivores that might destroy the plant.
Lavender is known for its variety of uses. To promote good health and well-being, it’s used in essential oils, topical oils, capsules, teas, creams, and other beauty products. For culinary uses, you can make lavender sugar by burying the buds in granulated sugar and allowing the natural oils to penetrate the crystals over the course of a week. Or, lavender can be used for simple syrups that can be mixed into lemonades or teas. Lavender can also be used outside the realm of sweet treats. It pairs very well with rich and fatty foods such as salmon and lamb.
While lavender is more often used for its floral flavor, it also has medicinal uses. Lavender oils contain potent chemicals such as linalool, linalyl acetate, and camphor which act as anxiety relievers and sedatives. Consequently, lavender is often used to improve sleep quality and ease anxiety.
This upside-down plum lavender gouda cake is the ultimate summer treat! The upside-down plum cake pairs perfectly with the lavender whipped cream, making a fruity and floral heaven.
Ingredients:
Lavender whipped cream:
1 cup heavy cream (250 ml)
1 ½ teaspoon dried lavender flowers
¼ cup powdered sugar (32 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Upside down plum lavender gouda cake
2 tablespoons butter, melted (28 grams)
3-4 plums thinly sliced into ¼-inch thick wedges
¾ cup butter, softened (170 grams)
1 ½ cup granulated sugar divided
3 large eggs
⅓ cup buttermilk (83 ml)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour (148 grams)
½ cup yellow cornmeal (78 grams)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup shredded gouda (64 grams)
Instructions:
Make the lavender whipped cream. Heat the heavy cream in a small pot over low heat until it starts to steam but doesn’t boil. Add the lavender and stir to combine. Remove the cream from the heat and cool completely. Chill the cream in the fridge until cold, preferably overnight. Strain the lavender and whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, whipping until combined. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare the cake. Add 2 tablespoons of melted butter in a 10-inch cast iron pan or cake pan. Sprinkle ¼ cup sugar in an even layer on the butter. Slice the plums into ¼-inch thick wedges and arrange them in the pan slightly overlapped.
Combine the ¾ cup softened butter with the remaining 1 ¼ cup sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating one egg before adding the next. Add the buttermilk and vanilla and mix until combined.
Combine the dry ingredients together including the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the batter, stirring just until combined. Stir in the shredded cheese, mixing just until combined.
Pour the cake batter on top of the plums in an even layer. Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes.
Place a plate on top of the cake and carefully invert the cake. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature with the lavender whipped cream.
Date: Thursday, September 19, 2024, from 5:30-7:30PM
Location: Center for Urban Horticulture
The evening will feature a fall harvest three-course, family-style dinner prepared by Chef Jason Vickers, showcasing UW Farm produce and local ingredients with a traditional indigenous twist!
The UW Farm donates regularly to the UW Food Pantry. During peak season we also donate to nearby food banks. The links below are resources to help you or someone you know with food access.
Every year, we have the capacity to grow more food and increase our educational and research program at the UW, but not without your support. Every contribution goes to work immediately, helping us better serve students. Your support can sustain our momentum and help seed new opportunities for student internships, academic work, and future growth. Please consider making a gift to the Farm online
The Weekly Dirt is produced once a week by the University of Washington Farm, a program of the UW Botanic Gardens, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, College of the Environment. It is published nearly year-round for educational purposes and the majority of the content is written or contributed by students and farm staff.
This issue’s contributors:
Managing Editor: Siffre Tooth, UW Farm Food Security Lead ’23-24
Around the Farm: Alex Ball, Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health, School of Public Health, Dani Elenga Intern; CSA Assistant Manager
Recipe of the Week: Zereen Gesmundo, Art:3D4M & Nutrition Minor, Nutrition Education Intern
Contributing Editor: Rebecca Alexander; Librarian, Manager of Reference and Technical Services, Elisabeth C. Miller Library
Photo Credits: Perry Acworth. Other photos retrieved from the internet and noted in sections
A CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, is a model in which consumers pay a lump sum at the beginning of a farm’s growing season, and then receive a weekly share of whatever produce that farm grows. It’s extremely fulfilling to see everyone’s excitement about the diverse rotation of produce in our weekly CSA. I’ve even been answering questions about how to sign up for next year! In the midst of all of this excitement, I’ve been reflecting on some of the reasons that make CSA programs such an incredible opportunity for both consumers and producers. Here’s my list:
Or purple scallions? How often do we get the opportunity to try those? CSA programs give the option for variety, benefiting both our taste buds by exposing us to new flavors, and our health by exposing us to the variety of vitamins and minerals that come from different plants. 
