In Sharing the Harvest, the authors lay out the basic tenets of CSA, provide useful information for both farmers and consumers on starting and running a successful community farm project, and describe hundreds of useful strategies that have worked (or not worked) for CSAs from Alaska to Florida. An inspirational yet highly practical handbook for a growing movement, Sharing the Harvest is a must-read for:

• Farmers, of both large and small farms, who want to investigate a more satisfying and financially secure way to sell their crops.
• Consumers, who want to serve their families fresher, healthier, better-tasting food than is available from the supermarket — and at the same or lower cost
• Backyard gardeners, who would like to supplement their own vegetables with a wide variety of food that is every bit as good (or even better) than homegrown
• Food activists, chefs, and others, who recognize the benefits of within the seasons" and the importance of local farms.

To an increasing number of American families the CSA (community supported agriculture) is the answer to the globalization of our food supply. The premise is simple: create a partnership between local farmers and nearby consumers, who become members or subscribers in support of the farm. In exchange for paying in advance — at the beginning of the growing season, when the farm needs financing — CSA members receive the freshest, healthiest produce throughout the season and keep money, jobs, and farms in their own community.

In this thoroughly revised and expanded edition of a Chelsea Green classic, authors Henderson and Van En provide new insight into making CSA not only a viable economic model, but the right choice for food lovers and farmers alike. Thinking and buying local is quickly moving from a novel idea to a mainstream activity. The groundbreaking first edition helped spark a movement and, with this revised edition, Sharing the Harvest is poised to lead the way toward a revitalized agriculture.

"If we want to keep farmers in business, it's time for all of us, ordinary citizens and policy makers alike, to begin learning how that might be done. Sharing the Harvest is a great place to start." Joan Dye Gussow, from the Foreword

"We hunger for a true connection to what's on our plates. We want to know who grows our food and where, how it's grown and why. We want to participate in a food system that is ecological, just, nourishing, and connected to community. The CSA movement offers all this and more. This book is an essential guide to understanding what it's all about, and to making it happen!" Jessica Prentice, author of Full Moon Feast

"Sharing the Harvest is an extraordinary book, an opening to a new world in which growing and eating food will be a sharing among humans, between farmers and surrounding communities, not a commercial venture for profit. It is both utopian and practical, inspiring and down-to-earth. It is a treasure, rich with suggestions, exciting for what possibilities it foresees for the human race." Howard Zinn

"Community Supported Agriculture has the possibility, even the likelihood, of transforming community, farming, eating, and economics in the U.S. Elizabeth Henderson's update of Sharing the Harvest offers timely tools for keeping this evolutionary movement on track." John Peterson, Angelic Organics

Elizabeth Henderson coauthored The Real Dirt. She farms in Newark, New York, and has been involved in CSA farming for more than 15 years.Robyn Van En (1949-1997) was the founder of Indian Line Farm, the first CSA in the United States, and author of the path-breaking handbook Basic Formula to Create Community Supported Agriculture.