Some community supported agriculture (CSA) members complain they get nothing but dandelion greens in their produce box. Not so the members of CSA California! I picked up my first bag from that local produce club last night — and got a bountiful share of strawberries, blueberries, and citrus fruit — along with beets, a whole of yams, and of course, yummy leafy greens.

Everything you see above, I got for $25 — because CSA California packs together about 15 pounds of produce for each of its bags. Yes, it came in a disposable paper Trader Joe’s bag — but that’s only because I got my bag as a one time deal. Regular members can BYOB to pick up their local produce sans waste.

CSA California isn’t a strict CSA; not all its produce coming from one farm. However, most of CSA California’s produce comes from the Tutti Frutti, a certified organic farm in Carpinteria — whose farmers’ market stand I’ve actually worked at a few times!

Still a relatively new program, CSA California’s continuously changing — and expanding. The service now requires an initial commitment of at least four weeks — though after pre-paying for the first four weeks, you can then pay for each week on site. Delivery service is available — but it sounds like you have to get 9 other neighbors to also sign up for delivery in order to make this happen.

That said, I actually did get a one-time deal by opting to pick up at the Green Business Networking event last night — which happens a spot I can walk to, making for a zero carbon footprint produce experience for me (though the bag was a bit heavy to carry home while wearing heels). All you have to do is email sara@csacalifornia.org by 6 pm the night before to nab a bag — then pick it up on site. Of course, I didn’t even email in advance — I was just lucky that CSA California brought a few extra bags of produce and let me buy one at the event.

So if you plan to attend Green Business Networking events and only need produce once a month, do as I did. Otherwise, sign up at CSA California’s website. Pick up locations are in Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, Mar Vista, North Hollywood, Topanga, Valley Village, West LA (at Fairfax High), Westchester, and West Hills.

Plus, a Santa Monica location’s just been added! Starting April 25, Santa Monicans will be able to pick up a bag of CSA California produce at Rawvolution, 2301 Main St., Santa Monica, on Sundays between 5 pm and 7 pm. Sign up now, because the first 20 signups will get a 20% discount coupon for a meal at RAWvolution.

Earlier: >> Locavoring in a box: Organic CSAs in Los Angeles

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