Jane Maybank, a Charleston-area mother of two, recently started her own community garden with six other families on her sprawling property.

Many years ago, her family bought the land from the widow of a farmer and never produced anything on it – until now.

The six families meet every Friday to tend to their garden. They all help pay for and care for it and all get a share of the crop. They’re eating healthier and learning about nature and horticulture – not to mention having a lot of fun together.

Elizabeth Beak, program director with Lowcountry Local First, a nonprofit that advocates community support for independent locally owned businesses and farmers, says it’s not difficult – especially in the Lowcountry – to get farm fresh food. Families can start gardens of their own, visit their area farmers market or join a Community Supported Agriculture program, which provides a direct connection between the farmer and the consumer.

Beak says the biggest difference between grocery store and fresh produce is taste. Food sold at a farmers market or through a CSA program has been grown for taste rather than for shipping across the country, she says.

“I think it’s much easier for youth/our next generation to get excited about something if it has that flavor … if it’s still warm from the sun and if they took part in the whole growing process and have a relationship with it.”

Maria Baldwin, owner of Our Local Foods, a local certified organic farm, producer and purveyor, agrees and says even though the food is more nutritious, kids don’t care because the flavor is better.

“So much of the food that has traveled distances and miles and has had a long shelf life … it has really lost a significant amount of flavor that it originally had. When children grow up, if their palette identifies with the taste of fresh food, then artificial flavors are foreign to them and they don’t taste right.”

How it works

Holly Herrick, local author of “Southern Farmers Market Cookbook,” says joining a CSA is becoming increasingly popular here in Charleston. The farmers pick whatever is happening in their fields that week, and they have prearranged pickup points for the consumer to pick up their basket.”

She says CSAs make sense for families and are a way to get kids excited about eating vegetables. Getting a basket of vegetables from the local farm gives them something to look forward to each week. It also introduces them to unfamiliar vegetables, like baby patty pan squash.

“They are really beautiful. They actually look like candy.”

Herrick thinks CSAs benefit both farmers and busy families.

“You can get a one-stop shop for the week. That’s what I love about it. You can build dinner around what you get.”

What you get

Sidi Limehouse, lead farmer at Rosebank Farms, says the farm started participating in a CSA this year.

“We’ve had good success with it. It’s a lot of work. But it helps us diversify.”

Rosebank Farms sells products to restaurants and at its retail stand, but participating in a CSA gives them another place to move their product. Limehouse says a common problem with farms located in the Lowcountry is that there isn’t enough volume to send products out, so they must be disposed of here.

“It actually helps us because we’re able plant a little bit more with the realization that we have a place for it to go.”

Limehouse set his member limit at 100 because he wants to be sure he can do a good job. Keeping it at a manageable number has paid off and feedback from members has been positive.

“They didn’t realize they could really get good stuff because they’re used to the grocery store. Sometimes they aren’t happy with the grocery store produce. But they say every time they get something from us it’s good.”

Basket sizes differ by farm and share size chosen and include fruits and vegetables planted that season.

They can be tailored to families’ needs and tastes.

“We’re paying attention to what the people really want and making sure they get what they want.”

For example, if a family doesn’t like beets, the farmer can substitute another vegetable that’s in season, such as collards or okra.

Helen Legare of Legare Farms says her farm is now doing a CSA for the second year. The farm was the first in the

Lowcountry to become a part of a CSA.

“I pretty much know everybody in our CSA and know something about them, and they know me and something about me.”

She sends out a monthly newsletter that lets people know what is happening on the farm. They offer five options for basket pickup in the Charleston area.

Eggs and meat aren’t included in the CSA but can be purchased separately when people pick their baskets. They also offer many other homemade items, such as pickled okra, jams and jellies for sale.

Legare says one of the advantages of buying local and knowing the farmer is the fact that people know where their food is coming from, how it is produced, what pesticides are used and the farm’s sanitation practices. Being a member of a CSA gives people an added awareness of what their family eats.

“It’s forcing people to cook, instead of eating out so much. They know they’ve got vegetables at home they’ve got to cook and prepare.”

What they cost

CSA memberships cost different at each farm but typically are between $150 and $355 per 12- to 15-week season.

Legare says she believes CSA memberships cost a little more than what a family normally would spend on produce at the grocery store.

But the trade-offs are worth it.

“[With a CSA] at least you know where your food came from. You know the farmer. You know that you’re eating healthy.”

Herrick agrees.

“The benefits are the fresher your food is and the less manipulated it is – and shipped and hopped up with preservatives to keep it looking like something that’s alive when it actually should’ve been rotten three weeks ago – is not only going to taste better, but it’s going to be much better for you. Raising children who have very positive feelings about food and what they’re putting into their bodies far outweighs any potential increase in cost. It’s win, win all the way around.”

But Baldwin says the extra cost of being a member of a CSA evens out in the end and might actually save the family money – depending on their eating habits.

“Even though the individual items might cost just a tad more, due to quality you shop with a purpose and are typically planning your meals so you’re less likely to eat out.”

Baldwin says it also cuts down on trips to the grocery store because there is always something fresh in the refrigerator to build a meal around.

“CSAs keep families home cooking simple meals and saving money.”

For more information or to find a local CSA, visit www.LowcountryLocalFirst.org.

To learn about local businesses that support local farmers, visit www.certifiedscgrown.com. *