Community Supported Agriculture consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community’s farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production.
Typically, members or “share-holders” of the farm or garden pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation and farmer’s salary. In return, they receive shares in the farm’s bounty throughout the growing season, as well as satisfaction gained from reconnecting to the land and participating directly in food production. Members also share in the risks of farming, including poor harvests due to unfavorable weather or pests. By direct sales to community members, who have provided the farmer with working capital in advance, growers receive better prices for their crops, gain some financial security, and are relieved of much of the burden of marketing. Read more
AT one time specialty fruits/vegetables were defined as vegetables and/or herbs that were not traditionally grown in the U.S. but were imported to the U.S. or were grown in the US, although on a limited scale. Specialty vegetables were also referred to as exotic, unusual, world vegetables, and/or high-value crops.
On the United States Department of Agriculture’s website the definition of Specialty Crops is stated as follows:
The Specialty Crop Competitiveness Act of 2004 and the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 have defined specialty crops as “fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).” Eligible plants must be intensively cultivated and used by people for food, medicinal purposes, and/or aesthetic gratification to be considered specialty crops.
Specialty vegetables are sometimes called the “eccentric ones”. What may be common to some couldn’t be more foreign to someone else. They can, and often are, oddly colored, shaped or shaped (at times all three). Others you can’t tell apart till the first sample. Specialty crops can be often difficult to grow, can be grown out of season, or are “foreign” to where they are grown. They may be miniatures or heirlooms or vegetables prized by epicurean cooks. Despite all their differences what they all can have in common, besides being somehow unusual, is that they often command a higher price than their ordinary counterparts. Specialty vegetables are in greatly increasing in demand. Read more
