Farm Memberships

Above: My husband picking fresh organic strawberries with our twin boys.

Not everyone enjoys gardening, has the space for a garden or has the time to garden. Almost everyone probably wishes they could have fruits and vegetables straight from the farm though! And- you can!!!

There are several benefits in buying direct from a farm. It's usually considerably cheaper than grocery stores. Don't let the word "organic" scare you when making fresh produce purchases, organic produce at a farm is usually 1/4 to 1/2 the cost of store prices. You can pick your own selection just like the grocery store at many farms as well, saving you even more than the pre-picked varieties.

Buying direct from local farms also keeps the profit in your home town. Local farmers are struggling to make a living and hundreds of farmers are being forced to stop farming and find other ways to provide for their family. Did you know that many of the fruits and vegetables used in canned goods and even fresh produce is often imported from other countries? Not to mention that canned goods lack many of the beneficial nutrients found in fresh fruits and vegetables.

Some farms allow you to purchase a pre-season membership to the farm. Each farm will probably do this differently but ours offers multiple pick up locations, making it just as easy as stopping by the store. You pre-purchase a share of the crop yield and each week you can pick up a box of hand picked fresh produce in a variety of what the farm is growing & at the pickup location of your choice. Our favorite farm offers memberships in a large share ($560 for 20 weeks= $28 a week) or a small share ($420 for 20 weeks is $21 a week). You pay in full or make a deposit.

Farm shares or memberships are a great way to provide fresh local produce for your family, and can also be a great supplement to home gardening. We pre-purchased a small share this year for our family of 5 and we will also grow some of our own as well. I am estimating that we will save at least $100 a month during crop season and with freezing/canning I hope to save at least $25 a month during the off season months. Totaling an annual savings of $650 in produce!

This website offers a search engine to locate farms, memberships and co-ops near you! http://www.localharvest.org/