The University of Tennessee's organic teaching farm is hosting a pilot Community Supported Agriculture or CSA program this spring. The organic farm in its third year of providing produce for a weekly farmers' market will only offer CSA shares on a limited basis this year: to the first 20 UT students, faculty or staff who enlist in the program.
CSAs are becoming increasingly popular, especially with consumers who want local, organic produce. The programs support farmers by ensuring them of financial support at the beginning of the growing season. In this case, CSA members will be supporting a student-run portion of the campus farm where food is grown to USDA Organic specifications.
CSAs are typically a thrifty way to provide organic food for your family, if you can't grow everything yourself. This CSA is charging $560 for a 20-week season, with families receiving a half-bushel of fresh vegetables each week for an average of $28 per week. To sign up, contact UT's Mary Rogers at mroger30@utk.edu.
For those who don't get a CSA this season, we can still purchase freshly picked organic produce each Wednesday from 4:00-7:00 pm at the UT Farmers' Market at the UT Gardens in Knoxville.
Both CSAs and farmers' markets are great ways to go clean couponing!