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CSA Benefits Local Fresh Food Lovers, Farms

Link: Penn's Corner Farm Alliance CSA

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― From tomatoes, to scallions, to spinach and now jalapeño peppers – E. Coli and salmonella scares have us taking a closer look at what we feed our families.

But if you want to know where your food is coming from then a fairly new concept called "Community Supported Agriculture" may be just the ticket.

Fresh food lovers in Downtown, Morningside, Mount Lebanon, Oakdale, Wexford and other neighborhoods are pledging support to local farms, and in return get a share of crops picked just the day before.

The "Penn's Corner Farm Alliance" a CSA of 22 local farmers gives best value for your dollar and helps protect the environment.

Pam Bryan is one of those farmers. She says, "From the time I was little all I could remember wanting to do was farm."

She produces high-quality fresh produce on "Pucker Brush Farm" in Shelocta, Indiana County, and provides it directly to the public, skipping the middleman, through the CSA.

Neil Stauffer, the CSA manager says the co-operative, founded in 1999, first supplied some of the best restaurants in the area. Customers of those restaurants wanted to eat well at home too.

"Obviously, the local food movement's really taking off right now," he says. "More and more people looking to get their hands on fresh, local food from sources they know and can trust."

Most of the food we eat travels an average of 1,500 miles from farm to table. Transportation is becoming more expensive because of rising fuel costs and driving up prices at the supermarket.

The CSA pools resources and everybody benefits.

Here's how a CSA works: members buy shares in the CSA providing farmers with a stable income. In return a boxful of fresh fruits, vegetables or other farm products is delivered to a host address in your neighborhood (usually somebody's front porch where you pick it up) each week.

One box is delivered for each customer throughout the growing season. A typical box might include blueberries, eggs, mint, lettuce, zucchini, corn and salad mix - seven-to-10 items. Much of it is organically grown.

A weekly e-mail newsletter tells what you can expect and even offers recipes.

MORE INFORMATION: Visit - Penn's Corner Farm Alliance CSA | Email - pennscorner@gmail.com | Call - 412-363-1971

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