CSA – Stands For:

“Community Supported Agriculture”

CSA produce basket

CSA is a program that allows city residents to have direct access to high quality, fresh produce grown locally by regional farmers. When you become a member of a CSA, you’re purchasing a “share” of vegetables from a regional farmer.  Each week you will get a basket of food grown by the farmer.  It is wholesome and fresh from the farm without preservatives and additives that you might find in your local grocery stores.

This is my first year to be involved in a local CSA program and so far I am loving it!  Last night I attended an informational clinic that was provided by Metricks Farm (the local farm that sponsors the CSA program that I belong to).  In this clinic they had a short presentation on how to preserve your food at home through the use of canning.  They also included a few tips on how to freeze your food for later use.

There was a lot of great information shared and I had the chance to meet a lot of great people.  It’s nice to see how many people still enjoy the art of food preservation and the benefits that go along with it.

Processing Food in jars can extend the life of your garden harvest.

Although the person giving the presentation obviously been canning for years she only seemed to be familiar with the water-bath method of canning.  It was very scary to me to think that people are still canning foods by this method only.  Although using the water-bath method is very effective and safe for the higher acidic foods like pickles and pickled vegetables, when canning vegetables, meats or fish the only safe way to do this is by using a pressure canner.  Using the water bath method simply will not give you a high enough temperatures to kill the bacteria that may cause Botulism.  They only way to be sure to prevent this bacteria is to use a Pressure Canner.  Some may argue that they have been canning without a Pressure Canner for years but is that really a risk you are willing to take?  If you are interested in learning more about the use of pressure canning or safe canning in general please visit and download our free USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning.  This guide will give you the information you need to safely preserve your foods with the home canning method.

If you enjoy the benefits of fresh produce and foods, but are unable to grow or produce your own, CSA is the perfect solution for you.  This program is also a great way to support local farms as well.  This program also gives you the opportunity to eat healthier foods!  By canning and preserving your own vegetables and foods you will know exactly what is in the food you are eating.  No preservatives or additives to worry about.  Simply good wholesome foods and you have the enjoyment and satisfaction of doing it yourself.  So why not start today?  Enjoy food the way it was intended to be!