Farm to Table Pittsburgh to Host Regional CSA Fairs

veggie subscription sizes

Coming in April and May, you can meet several CSA providers to see what subscribing to a CSA is all about. These are all free events and the CSA Fairs are hosted by Farm to Table Pittsburgh

The CSA Fairs are scheduled regionally:

Saturday, April 23, 9am-12pm at the Mt. Lebanon Farmers Market on Washington Rd. in the South Hills: Register for Free Online

Sunday, April 24, 1-4 pm at the Wigle Whiskey Barrel House in the North Side: Register for Free Online

Tuesday, May 3, 4-7pm Happy Hour, at the Chatham University Eden Hall Campus in Richland Township: Register for Free Online

Saturday, May 21, 12-6pm, at the Venture Outdoors Festival, Point Park

Farms and co-ops that sell CSA’s are welcome to participate.  They can sign up by calling Erin Hart, (412) 563-8800 or by visiting FarmToTablePA.com/local-food-tastings and clicking on each event to register.

What is a CSA?

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  It is a term that has been used for decades to describe a way to purchase farm fresh foods direct from the farmer.  When you purchase a CSA you are buying a share of the farms’ harvest for that year or season.  Your share is delivered to a single drop point, usually in your neighborhood, where you and other subscribers can conveniently pick up that week’s CSA box.

This business model is valuable for farms because it helps them distribute in bulk. Also, having a set amount of subscribers at the beginning of the season helps farmers accurately project volume and decrease waste.

Consumers like it because it’s a convenient way to get fresh local food on a set day and location.  CSA’s are typically known to come as a box of produce, but with the surging popularity there are meat, dairy, and value-added products like coffee and bread now available to add on to a subscription.

You can find more information on the Penn State Extension website: http://extension.psu.edu/business/ag-alternatives/marketing/community-supported-agriculture-csa

Farm to Table Pittsburgh CSA Survey

While researching the value of a CSA Fair to farms and consumers, Farm to Table Pittsburgh created a survey that attracted almost 400 people from their social media feeds and email marketing lists.  These survey results show that consumers are receptive to purchasing a CSA and goes into some detail behind purchasing decisions.

Find all results of the survey online at FarmToTablePA.com

2016-CSA-Survey-Infographic