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"  By now you&amp;#039;ve likely heard some buzz about Community Supported Agriculture programs or CSA&amp;#039;s. If you haven&amp;#039;t, these are programs that deliver market baskets of locally grown produce on a weekly basis throughout a growing season. If you&amp;#039;re a fruit and veggie lover, you may have even considered signing up. But you probably have a few unanswered questions, including what do you get for your money? Why Join? In addition to getting convenient deliveries of delicious, local fruits and vegetables-think ripe tomatoes off the vine, juicy peachesthat have never been refrigerated--you support your local farms and farmers. How Do They Work? Typically, you pay a flat fee before the program begins. Each week you get a delivery brought either to your house or a nearby drop-off point. Usually, you can&amp;#039;t choose what you receive. However, before you sign up you can request a list of what will be delivered each week to help you decide if the program makes sense for you. If you do opt in, the schedule will help you plan meals....If you&amp;#039;ll be getting a bumper crop of basil, you can pick up pine nuts and Parmesan for pesto in the supermarket.  What Do They Include? Since the produce is local, you should expect to receive fruits and vegetables grown within 80 miles or so of your house, in the current season. So if you live in Maine, you won&amp;#039;t be getting avocadoes. The fees typically include the produce, delivery, and often extras like recipes or cookbooks. Does It Make Sense? In a word, yes. But only if your family eats lots of produce and you&amp;#039;re not fussy about what you get. You can&amp;#039;t control what you receive and you may be confronting lots of kale or collard greens week after week in late summer. In the waning days of fall, you may have to get creative with rutabagas or cabbage. Because you pay up front, you should divide the total cost by the number of weeks the program runs to determine how much you&amp;#039;ll be spending each week. You&amp;#039;ll typically pay about $10 per week and receive enough produce for a family of four. How to Find Out More: If you still have questions (including how to find a CSA in your area) go to localharvest.org. Check out the recipes below for some fun ideas on how to use your bounty. Swiss Chard With Golden Raisins and Capers Kale Chips "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/institute/a20599/about-community-supported-agriculture-programs/>