I have always wanted to join a Community Share Agriculture (CSA) program. The concept is simple: local farmers grow healthy organic food right in your ‘hood. You support these farmers by purchasing a share of their crop and, in exchange, get to eat delicious, wholesome food.

Next time you buy produce at your grocery store, take a look at the labels, and you will see that most of what you eat is not grown locally. I was shocked to learn that my lettuce was coming from Peru and apples from the state of Washington; you name it – it’s a literal trip around the world. Imagine what they have to put on that food to preserve it all the way to Ohio, not to mention the cost and impact to the environment.

Food grown locally comes right from the earth to your table, in most cases is grown organically, and supports the environment and farmers in your hometown. Can you say win-win situation!

If you live here in northern Ohio, I’m pleased to provide the details about City Fresh, a not-for-profit program of the New Agrarian Center. They distribute locally grown, fresh fruits and veggies each week throughout Cuyahoga, Erie, and Lorain counties. Please go to www.cityfresh.org, or call 330-221-4027, to find out where they will be offering food pick-ups on a weekly basis starting June 12 and running into late October.

I’m going to be picking up my weekly veggie fix on Thursdays in Vermilion, Ohio, and I’m really excited to try out all kinds of new veggies. It will be kind of like getting a surprise basket of goodness each and every week.

Eating fresh organic fruits and vegetables can be costly, so here’s the cool part: for a single share, it is only going to cost me $15 per week. If you are on a limited income, it is only $9.

All the food is grown within 70 miles of where I’ll pick it up, is picked within 24 hours of the time I go to pick it up, and isn’t genetically modified. Plus, 95% of City Fresh produce comes pesticide and herbicide free.

City Fresh is a really powerful group – they are 100% run by local volunteers, and their trucks run on 80% waste vegetable oil. How cool is that!

If you don’t live in my neck of the woods, I encourage you to seek out a CSA in your area. When I was at Tadasana Festival, I got to meet the folks at Farm Fresh To You, who deliver organic produce right to your door throughout the greater LA area.

In case you were wondering, the ahimsa part comes in by practicing non-harmful activity – both to the environment and also by feeding yourself healthy, non-harmful foods.

Eat local, be healthy, and support local farmers!

Got a great CSA in your community that you would like to share with DDD readers? Please leave a comment below and share the local goodness.