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Carrie, You are absolutely correct that potential CSA members should visit the sites online and talk to others who've been members of the CSA they're considering so they know what to expect. I have been a CSA member on and off at various farms for almost 20 years (possibly even before the term CSA was coined). The first 4 were in FL (zone9) and had varying levels of success, from an almost total crop failure caused by lack of experience, drought, and brutal temperatures, to one with a weekly home delivery of a small amount of pristine veg, herbs, and salad greens on ice. In 2008, we joined a CSA nearby our home in VA. I requested a half-share, but the farm isn't staffed for that amount of specificity, so we took a full share, enough to feed a family of four--it seemed like enough for 8. If I may add some things that we found.
1. If you enjoy or feel it's necessary for your sanity to go out to dinner several times a month, don't join a CSA, because you'll feel like you wasted your money.
2. A second refrigerator in the garage or basement is almost a necessity because of the volume of material you get all at once, even if it's not a full share. Unless it's a boutique type farm that removes the outer leaves of lettuces, cabbages, carrot tops, radishes, beet greens, mustard, etc. the vegetables will seem huge as compared to grocery store products.
3. Be prepared to wash the local soil off your products. Sometimes I felt like half the farm's sticky clay soil came with things like beets or leeks, which required a hose to rinse the dirt off. Greens may need several dunkings in clear water to get the grit off and then several rounds in the salad spinner to dry them. I found it best to clean the produce outside. I didn't like putting that heavily clay soiled water down my kitchen sink.
4. Don't make the mistake of trying to clean all produce immediately upon getting it home. I found the produce keeps better if cleaned just prior to use, possibly because water caused cells to break down sooner, especially in greens.
5. Some CSAs request or require volunteer hours. Ours was 2 per month. Be prepared to do some harvesting or weeding, sometimes in hot, wet, or dusty conditions. The CSA may suffer if everyone doesn't fulfill their share.
6. Spare yourself the guilt of not using every single thing. Share with neighbors, or colleagues at work. If they don't have their own garden, they'll love it. I used to take things to work (a big corporation) and put them in the coffee kitchen with a note on them. Everything always disappeared in minutes. If you get really overwhelmed, there's always your own compost pile.
If you can get past the 'OMG what do I do with all this stuff' of the first week or two, you'll eat better than you ever have. Everything we got actually tasted like I remembered from my grandfather's garden when I was a child. We were rhapsodizing over the flavor and freshness. I actually lost a couple of pounds while eating more volume. I'm not a vegetarian, but found myself eating much smaller portions of meat, and not feeling deprived.
At the end of the 2008 farm season, our farmers (a full time staff of 3 very dedicated people) weren't sure if they would do a CSA in 2009. The increased cost of seed, gasoline, water use, some crop failure, the time they put in, all had weighed on them and they needed a rest. They just informed us about a week ago that they will farm in 2009. I can hardly wait.
