The Co-Op

I've been doing quite a bit of research on how we can feed our family organic produce without forking over a premium for it at our local Whole Foods. I have been reading about CSAs (community supported agriculture) on blogs like 30 Bucks a Week and Local Harvest.

I began searching for CSAs in the DFW area and settled instead on a co-op. It's called Urban Acres. I liked it for several reasons: First, I only have to pick up once every two weeks. Second, there is a conveniently located pick-up location. Third, they have a variety of produce and deliver year round. Fourth, you can buy a whole or a half share.

I decided to go with the whole share first which will cost $50 every other week. If we find that it's too much for us to eat, we can switch to the half-share which is $30 every other week. I did pay a $50 membership fee, $14 for the bins the produce will be provided to us in, and we pay for our produce in advance. So, I've already paid for tomorrow's produce and will take a check for $50 for the next delivery. It's kind of like Christmas: you don't know what you're going to get until you open the package.

Tomorrow morning is my first scheduled pick-up day. They sent me two email reminders this week, which I appreciated. I'm so excited, though, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have forgotten.