Hauter is the head farmer and owner of Bull Run Mountain farm in Virginia. The farm follows the community supported agriculture model and provides fresh alternatives to grocery store produce. The farm serves about 500 families in the Washington and Northern Virginia areas.
What’s the purpose of a CSA?
This is an idea of people getting together and growing vegetables as a community. And since, it’s evolved. CSAs are now mostly farmer-directed.
How does it work?
They look at our Web page and sign up for the season and during spring until the middle of October. They get vegetables and come to our pickup to get vegetables every week for 19 weeks. Plus they can come out before and after to get what is available.
Any requirements to receive fresh veggies?
I want people to realize this is different than going to the grocery store. When you go there, you can eat anything. With this, it’s whatever is in season and you figure out how to cook that. It’s completely a different way to look at food.
How are CSAs better than shopping at a grocery store?
I don’t think it’s better — it’s different. You’re getting fresher food picked that morning. … If you want a tomato in June, this is not for you. If you want to be locally and more in touch with the world and your environment, this is for you. The only way to get it fresher is if you got in your backyard.
What’s the difference in taste?
For tomatoes you get in the store, they are picked green and will ripen. But to get them to you in a way that is edible, they pick them green. They don’t have all the juice that our tomatoes have. Usually, lots of [produce sold in area stores] is grown overseas.
— Kaitlin Schulter
