Now's the Time To Buy Your Share Of Summer Produce

Ten years ago, Lara Levison changed the way she shops for vegetables, and she changed her style of cooking as well. She joined a Community Supported Agriculture program. And along the way, she learned to love bok choy.

Each week, from late spring through early fall, Levison receives a bulging bag of produce from farmer Leigh Hauter of Bull Run Mountain Farm in The Plains. Hauter drops off the vegetables near Levison's house on Capitol Hill. From one week to the next, Levison doesn't know what to expect. Sometimes she is familiar with the items in the bag; sometimes, she's not.

"Previously, my mode was to find a recipe, purchase the ingredients and then I'd make it," says Levison, 42, a legislative staffer for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). "Now I take the things I receive and figure out how to cook them. I hadn't even heard of bok choy before."

More than a dozen farms in the Washington area operate CSA programs. They're among more than 1,000 across the country.

Enrollment in the programs for the 2006 season is taking place now.

Under the CSA concept, customers pay an annual membership fee in advance to cover farm production costs. In return, the farmer provides a "share" of the harvest: a weekly box of seasonal produce for a set number of weeks. On most farms, a full share consists of enough vegetables to feed a family of four (two adults, two children) or two vegetarians for one week. For single members, such as Levison, half shares are available.

In the world of CSA, there are many variables. Most of the participating farmers provide certified organic produce or use organic farming methods. Crops and prices vary from farm to farm. Vegetables are picked up at the farm or at a delivery site. And some farms deliver.

People join a CSA for different reasons. Some simply like fresh vegetables, while others strive for an alternative food system that benefits the area economy.

"I really appreciate food grown locally. I'd rather know my farmer," says Jasmine Dawson, 35, who teaches English as a second language at an Alexandria elementary school. "And I'm socially conscious and would rather not support Wal-Mart and all that it stands for."

Both she and Levison agree that one downside of CSA membership is that sometimes they get items they don't care for. Levison doesn't like okra, for instance, and Dawson has no desire to eat mustard greens. For those reasons -- and more -- drop-off sites often offer a trade box where customers can pitch in a cabbage and pluck some apples in return.

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It's best to shop around for a farm that meets your needs.

The following farms are accepting customers for the 2006 season. A contact person is listed, along with how to get more information and the areas served by the farm. To read about the program, go to http://www.localharvest.org or http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa.

Blenheim Organic Gardens , Washington's Birthplace, Va.; Becky Latane, 804-224-7039 or lwlatane@sylvaninfo.net . Falls Church and at the farm.

Bull Run Mountain Farm , The Plains; Leigh Hauter, 703-754-4005 or bullrunfarm@direcway.com ; http://www.bullrunfarm.com . Dupont Circle, Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church, Reston, Manassas and at the farm.

Farmstead of Charlotte Hall , in St. Mary's County; Lori Brown, 301-884-3384 or farmstead88@msn.com ; http://www.farmsteadgardens.com . Potomac, Rockville, Silver Spring, Old Town Alexandria and at the farm.

Fresh and Local CSA , Shepherdstown, W.Va.; Allan Balliett, 304-876-3382 or info@freshandlocalcsa.com ; http://www.freshandlocalcsa.com . Bethesda, Silver Spring, Northwest Washington, Arlington and at the farm.

From the Ground Up CSA at Clagett Farm , Upper Marlboro; Carrie Vaughn, 301-627-4662 or clagettfarm@cbf.org ; http://www.clagettfarm.org . Dupont Circle, Northwest Washington, Anacostia and at the farm.

Good Fortune Farm , Brandywine; Mike Klein, 301-579-2105 or mkleinm@msn.com . Silver Spring, Rockville and Northwest Washington.

Green Uprising , Davidsonville; Michael Foley, 301-864-1009 or foley@cua.edu . Hyattsville and Davidsonville.

Sandy Spring CSA ; Vanessa Strunk, 301-424-9142 or vstrunk-bodyandsoul@verizonnet ; http://www.sandyspringcsa.com . Rockville and at the farm.

Stoney Lonesome Farm , Gainesville; Esther and Pablo Elliott, 703-754-9145 or esther@slfarm.us ; http://www.slfarm.us . Northwest and Northeast Washington and at the farm.

Waterpenny Farm , Sperryville, Va.; Rachel Bynum, 540-987-8567 or waterpenny@verizon.net ; http://www.waterpennyfarm.com . Arlington, Lorton and at the farm.