Padgett Arnold, from Sequatchie Cove Farms, brings bushels of fresh produce to the drop-off site at Greenlife Grocery, where CSA members like John Cohen can pick them up every week. Photo by Rebecca W. Miller

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By Rebecca W. Miller

Whether it’s increasing fuel and food costs, the uncertainty of transported produce, or just the great taste and value offered by local growers, Chattanooga residents are turning to hometown farms for peace of mind and money when it comes to their dining decisions.

Local farms, many of which sponsor Community Supported Agriculture programs, are the solution many health-conscious families are choosing.

“People these days are disconnected from the source of their food,” says Melanie Babb, program coordinator for Crabtree Farms. “[CSA] connects them to where their food comes from.”

Crabtree Farms is eager to remain an advocate for the new market ideology and thanks to a new Benwood Foundation Grant will be able to do just that.

Mrs. Babb says Crabtree Farms is going to use the grant to put together a Food Shed Assessment, which is an evaluation of how much local food is available in the area. This contribution will be a useful resource for those who are curious about the local food market.

“With rising cost of gas and outbreaks of E. coli, it is more and more important to know where our food comes from,” Mrs. Babb says. “Our local food economy will grow as a result.”

She believes that besides the fresh and organic purity of the foods themselves a desire to support the local food economy is growing.

Families like the Haworths in Flintstone, Ga., are a prime example of residents finding a path to organic and local produce.

“We moved here from Jacksonville, Florida,” says Mindy Haworth, adding that in Florida there were no farms close enough to supply organic goods for her family. “I think when we moved here I knew what [CSAs] were, but we’d never had any experience with them.”

Now, after a year and a half in their new city and in their second summer as CSA members with Rise N’ Shine Farms, Mrs. Haworth is more than pleased with the results.

“It comes out to be about $25 to $30 a week,” Mrs. Haworth says.

She finds that her produce tends to be much fresher and tastier, because it does not have to survive rigorous transportation.

“Most of the food is picked that morning and you just don’t get that unless you grow it yourself,” Mrs. Haworth says. “We feel that what we put in our bodies is so important we’re not willing to put our priorities elsewhere. We also wanted to support local farmers who put their life energy into growing local foods.”

Families are not alone in rediscovering neighboring farms. Local restaurants are also turning to closer, greener markets. 212 Market Restaurant is ahead of the game in Chattanooga as the first green certified restaurant and member of the Green Restaurant Association.

“The GRA’s goals are to create an environmentally sustainable restaurant industry with participation from restaurants, customers and vendors and to be a bridge linking environmental solutions with the consumer,” 212 Market owner Susan Moses says.

Gathering organic products from farms all around Chattanooga is often a taxing process, but one Mrs. Moses considers well worth the effort. Through careful planning and creative play with her recipes, Mrs. Moses is able to create a menu that is easily competitive with others in the market.

The increasing turn of consumers toward local, organic products is one that many Chattanooga residents and businesses are anticipating. The transition is satisfying and comforting for families like the Haworths, who can trace their produce to the exact field where it was grown, and who know they are revitalizing the local food economy simply by shopping a little closer to home.

Buying from local farms means:

• You are getting the healthiest food available with more nutrients than food that travels long distances. On average food travels 1,300 miles from farm to table over 7 to 14 days

• You are reducing your carbon footprint by limiting transportation of your food, saving oil and reducing greenhouse gases.

• You are keeping your spending dollars local, helping to grow the Chattanooga economy.

• You are supporting fair farming practices by paying the farmer 100% of the food dollar. On average farmer's receive less than 10% of the food dollar.

Source: Crabtree Farms

Here are just a few of the many local farms that offer CSA programs with delivery/pickup locations in Chattanooga.

Circle S: Cost is $795 for 24 weeks or $420 for 12 weeks of full bushel boxes, May through October. For more information, contact Letty Smith at 706-398-7049, e-mail plainandsimple@tvn.net or visit www.circlesfarm.net.

Crabtree Farms: Cost is $800 for 29 weeks of full-bushel boxes. For more information contact Melanie Babb at 423-493-9155, e-mail at info@crabtreefarms.org or visit www.crabtreefarms.org.

Jay’s Garden Variety: Cost is $700 for 30 weeks of full-bushel boxes or $350 for 30 half-bushel boxes. For more information contact Jay or Les Rivett at 256-657-7247 or e-mail at rivet@farmerstel.com.

Rise N’ Shine Farms: Cost is $750 dollars for 30 weeks of full bushel boxes or $425 for 15 weeks of half-bushel boxes. Contact Mitch and Elisabeth Gilbert-Lawson at 706-676-0825, e-mail at risenshinefarms@yahoo.com or visit www.riverridgefarmstn.com.

River Ridge Farms: Offers grass fed pork, pastured pork, poultry, turkeys and eggs. For more information contact Dave and Verlinda Waters at 423-334-5643, e-mail at farmers@riverridgefarmstn.com or visit www.riveridgefarmstn.com.

Sequatchie Cove Farms: Cost is $800 for 30 weeks of full-bushel boxes. Contact Padgett Arnold at 423-619-5867, e-mail at Padgett_arnold@yahoo.com or visit www.sequatchiecovefarm.com.

Signal Mountain Farm: Cost: $800 for 30 weeks of full bushel boxes, May through November. Contact: Thomas O’Neal at (423)645-0510, e-mail at dhammafarm@yahoo.com.

Sassafras Fairy CSA: Cost is $600 for 20 weeks, from June to October. For more information, contact Raine Barjkana at 423-949-3307, e-mail growers@sassafrasfairy.com or visit www.sassafrasfairycsa.com.

Williams Island Farm: Cost is $700 for 24 weeks of full bushel boxes May through October. For more information contact Kelsey Keener by e-mail at williamsislandfarm@gmail.com.

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