COLUMBIA, S.C. — Spring is in the air and that means a lot of us are starting flower and vegetable gardens in our back yards, patios and balconies. But what if you don’t have time or space for a vegetable garden -- or just don’t have a green thumb but still want to have fresh veggies throughout the summer?
Subscribing to a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program might be the answer for you. CSAs are subscription shares of produce and meats available from single farms and growers or co-ops and come in different sizes (small, medium or large boxes), prices and delivery options to fit your needs. Some CSAs offer delivery to your door, most are pick-up from centralized locations. You often have the option to buy a subscription by the season (spring, summer, fall) or year-round.
CSAs are also a great way to help support your local farmers who, like many others, are struggling to overcome income losses due to the coronavirus pandemic. The South Carolina Department of Agriculture maintains a statewide list of CSAs and you can find others through Local Harvest.
Here are a few options available in the Midlands -- Richland, Lexington and Orangeburg counties. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of area CSAs.
- Bushels and Bags Farm, Ridgeway, contact for arrangements, specializing in vegetables, microgreens and duck eggs
- Crazy Chic Heritage Farm, Ridgeway, contact for arrangements, specializes in woodland raised pork, pastured chickens and grass fed beef
- Eze Farms, Columbia in-town farm run by Ezekiel Ministries, pick-up in Columbia, specializing in seasonal vegetables
- First Fruits, Blythewood, pick-up in Blythewood, organic produce
- FoodShare, Columbia, a co-op that works with other organizations in the Midlands and accepts SNAP EBT for Fresh Food Boxes -- each box comes with recipes for that week’s ingredients
- Gruber Family Farm CSA, St George, choose pick-up locations in Columbia, Irmo, Lexington and Orangeburg
- Hollywood-Rose Hill CSA, pick-up in Columbia, comprised of Organically Roland, Greenleaf Farms and Doko Farms
OR ORDER STRAIGHT FROM THE FARM STORE
- Doko Farms, 2101 Cedar Creek Rd., Blythewood -- by appointment only -- heritage lamb, pork, chicken and turkeys
- Goat Daddy's Farm, 144 Tomahawk Trail, Elgin -- 10 am to 3 pm Saturdays -- raw goat's milk, chevre cheese, pork
- Gypsy Winds Farm, 3005 Buckhead Rd, Blair -- call for hours -- specializing in heritage breed lamb, pork, chicken
- Heritage Fields Farm, 10259 Broad River Rd, Irmo -- seasonal hours -- fresh vegetables, eggs, flowers (irises in April & May, by appointment), metalworking
- Old McCaskill’s Farm, 377 Cantey Lane, Rembert -- 10 am to 6 pm Thursdays and Fridays -- pork, lamb, chicken, duck, and wool items
- One Hubcap Farm, 1236 Muller Road, Blythewood, cut flowers, vegetables and pastured pork
