St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea to host annual Community Supported Agriculture Fair

St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea and 5 Healthy Towns will host the third Annual Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Fair on March 17, from noon to 3 pm at The Ugly Dog Distillery in Downtown Chelsea. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet and speak with local farmers, as well as sign up for summer CSA memberships, which include access to weekly boxes of in-season produce.

“A CSA membership is an opportunity for people to access affordable, sustainably grown food, and helps support local farmers,” said Emily Griswold, manager of the Chelsea Farmers Market. “Engaging with vegetables that you have never seen can create excitement around food preparation and expand your nutritional intake. Putting your dollars into small-scale farms not only supports a local business, it can positively impact the surrounding watershed, build soil health and create flowers for our local pollinators.”

A CSA membership is a subscription-like service to a local farm’s produce, which can include vegetables, fruit, humanely raised meats, organic options, or more, depending on the farm. At the fair, potential CSA members will have the opportunity to browse tables and meet with local farmers and producers.  Attendees can ask questions and learn about which CSA options are best for them, based on the food options, pickup times and locations, and the price of each farm.  Once signed up, CSA members will have access to weekly boxes of fresh, locally produced food.

Memberships to CSA farms are available in the communities of Grass Lake, Stockbridge, Manchester, Chelsea, and Dexter, often with pickup locations at the town’s farmers market.

A directory containing information about all CSA farms within the 5 Healthy Towns area will be made available prior to markets opening in May.  Please e-mail all questions about this program to the Chelsea Farmers Market at coordinator@chelseafarmersmkt.org.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.