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Join a Community Supported Agriculture, support local farmers


by Vanessa Clark
MUSC Dietetic Intern
The items in your lunch today traveled an average of 1,020 miles to get to you, according to The Journal of Environmental Science & Technology.

The greenhouse gases emitted on this journey represent only 4 percent of the total emissions released to produce and deliver food. Purchasing local foods is a great way to reduce these environmental pollutants, provide healthy food and support the local economy.

One of the best ways to go local when spring hits is by signing up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share. By joining a CSA, you’re teaming up with a particular farm (or farmer) for the season. Members pay for a “share” in advance and receive a box (small, medium, or large) of produce every week. Shares are either picked up weekly at a communal delivery site or are delivered to your doorstep. For those living and cooking alone, shares are often perfect for sharing. Talk to neighbors, and coworkers about teaming up to split food, costs, and pickups. Most shares cost about $7 to $10 per person, per week.

Local CSAs aren’t limited to selling things that grow out of the ground. CSA groups in the area offer everything from fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs to beef, poultry, fish, and even clams and oysters. A great place to start your journey home is with Lowcountry Local First (http://lowcountrylocalfirst.org/). The website has a list of farms that offer CSA shares, some that even have drop-off sites at or near MUSC.
Although winter’s chill is still here, don’t wait to secure your spring farm share. Many farms will sell out as the growing season approaches. January may seem like a tough time to purchase locally, but, if you know where to look, it can be as easy as finding peach cobbler at a summer picnic.

Load up on local products at any of the following:
Thornhill Farm—Seasonal CSA shares. Visit http://ourlocalfoods.com/. Thornhill Farm has offered to start a drop-off site for online grocery orders at MUSC. Contact clarv@musc.edu.

The Vegetable Bin, Whole Foods, and Earth Fare carry some items from Thackeray, Fields Farm, Mepkin Abby Mushrooms and Giddy Goat Cheese.

Boone Hall Farms—Market with some locally sourced products. http://boonehallfarms.com/

Ray & Les Oliver—Farm store selling grass-fed beef in Vance. E-mail riverrunfarms@live.com.

Keegan-Filion Farm—Local, pastured chicken and pork and grass-fed beef. http://www.keeganfilionfarm.com or akfilion@yahoo.com

Clammer Dave—David Belanger’s oyster, clam CSA. dbelag@email.com

Sustainable Seafood—http://scaquarium.org/SSI/default.html






Friday, Jan. 21, 2011

The Catalyst Online is published weekly by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. The Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to The Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.