Buy A Share or Two

Where is your food grown? China, Mexico, Chile. Do you even know.

While the US still produces a good amount of the food we eat, we are slowly (and sometimes quickly) slipping from the top spot. For a whole slew of reasons, the farmers here in the US are being overtaken as the leading food producers in the world. Not good for us, the consumer.

Instead of having your food grown a long ways away and then trucked in to you, why not take a look at other options. With the price of food going up anyways, due to food shortages around the globe, and now, the rising price of gas, a lot of us will try to figure out how to save a few bucks. Here are some ideas.

Hit the farmers markets. If you do not know where any are in your area, look online. There are many out there. Farmers markets give consumers a great way to compare lots of produce side by side for quality and price. You can also find out what kind of chemicals the grower uses.

Another idea is to sign up for what is called a CSA- Community Sponsored Agriculture. Basically you buy a share of a farm, and get paid back every week in the form of a "farm share box". Shares are usually purchased prior to the growing season for a one time flat rate. Once the season gets underway, every week, the shareholders get to divvy up whatever gets pulled out of the ground that week. Some CSA's allow you to add eggs or honey or other farm type products.

With both of the above methods the produce is referred to as seasonal. In other words, apples will not be available in May. While this takes some getting used to, the idea of getting fresh produce, grown in your area, at a farm that you can visit, is very appealing. Besides saving you money, it also puts money back into your area, instead of some village in China or Mexico.