Binghamton CSA Fair

From Northeast Organic Farming Association Of New York:

Make an investment in a local farm—get a season’s worth of fresh food. It’s called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). At a Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA-NY) CSA Fair you can learn about CSAs, meet your local farmers, compare share options, and sign up for a farm share. NOFA-NY is hosting a CSA Fair in Binghamton on March 16th from 2:00 to 4:00pm in the Metrocenter Atrium on 31 Front Street.

CSAs foster a sustainable food system by promoting seasonal eating. Every season has its own colors, textures and flavors. Cooks who capitalize on the treasures of each season are well rewarded. In June your share might have sugar snap peas, mixed greens, colorful beets, radishes, and herbs like cilantro and basil. It’s the season for bountiful salads. In August you might open your box to find colorful heirloom tomatoes, eggplant, garlic, onions, sweet and hot peppers, Swiss chard, and sunflowers. Imagine fresh salsa, grilled vegetables, and stir-fries. During fall harvest, winter squash, broccoli, cabbage, potatoes, Brussels, and leeks are plentiful. Soups, roasted squash, and Thanksgiving sides are some of fall’s well-loved dishes.

Through your involvement in a CSA, you will gain a deeper appreciation of what is involved in producing the food you eat. At the 2012 Albany CSA Fair, From Scratch Club interviewed many CSA farmers including Justine Denison from Denison Farm in Schaghicoke, NY. Justine explains how CSAs impact shareholders saying, “All of our members know that they can come out and we’re only a phone call away. All they have to say is ‘Can we come out? I want to show my children where their food is coming from.’ And I encourage those children to pick a few things. Once they’ve put their hands in the ground and lift up that vegetable, they will probably eat it.”

If we are going to have a truly sustainable food system, farmers and consumers alike need to take a “shared risk” in food production. Farming is a risky business. If a farmer has to assume all the risk, he or she will be more likely to take “shortcuts”—like using toxic chemical fertilizers and GMOs—to remain competitive and productive. CSA members make a commitment to supporting their farmer whether there is a bountiful harvest or not.

Justine explains the relationship that develops saying “For most people, after a few weeks they really begin to view life in a different way. Their meals revolve around what’s going to be in their box, their children are excited about what’s going to be in their box, and that’s fabulous. I didn’t anticipate that when we were going to do the CSA. I just wanted to be on the same page, that we were in a relationship where we shared the risk and the bounty.” For more information on the NOFA-NY CSA Fairs, visit www.nofany.org/csafair.

Binghamton CSA Fair: Saturday March 16th from 2:00- 4:00

Metrocenter Atrium, 31 Front Street, Binghamton NY 13905