Gorman Farms CSA - Distribution Center — Attraction in Laurel

Gorman Farms is primarily a place that supports Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA. While they are open to the public in the springtime for strawberry picking and purchasing, the produce grown at the farm is made available only to those participating in the CSA Program. In other words, it is not open to the general public. A CSA Program is funded by folks who pay a one-time price at the beginning of the year. This money is then used by the farm and its employees to purchase the seeds, plants, fertilizer and equipment needed to get the various crops in the ground and maintained. As these crops grow and are harvested, it is divided equally among the CSA participants in units called 'shares." Once a week from late May-early June and into October, the participants share in a delightfully varied and bountiful harvest of the freshest fruits and vegetables that are in season at that moment. Participants can select between two share sizes, Medium (good for 2-4 people) and Full (for 4-6 people). All produce is grown organically, pesticide-free, and sustainable. Since joining the CSA two years ago, I've been extremely pleased at the quality and variety of the harvest, which is enough to share with our friends most weeks. It's also a good way to be introduced to different and unusual vegetables, and I've found a lot of new favorites I was not familiar with before. The farm owners and staff are very proud of their accomplishments and harvests, and they are currently expanding their farmland to include a new, larger nearby farm that will forever remain as such, never to be developed into more suburban sprawl.

There is no better way to "eat locally" save for perhaps your own backyard garden. I have my own garden, in fact, and the Gorman Farm CSA supplants it. Each week a newsletter is emailed to the participants telling them what items are on the roster to be picked up. A "state of the farm" letter informs people of the progress, what to expect next, and instructions on how to prepare and store the harvest items. A number of delicious recipes are also included which use the current harvest items as the primary ingredients. Your taste buds, tummy, and health and well-being will thank you many times over.

It is well worth the time to explore Gorman Farm's web site to learn the history of the farm, its goals for the season and future, and the importance of growing and farming locally. Some might consider the initial cost of participation a bit steep, but it is well worth it throughout the season, with the yearly costs coming considerably under what it would cost to it the same kinds and amounts of produce from your local grocery. In many cases, the VISA produce it quite unique and not found at your typical grocery store. It's well worth the investment, and every week the shares are filled with delights...

I love this CSA. Love the flower and herb garden and the flexibility. However I can only recommend the Full Share and not the Medium. Last year we did full share and it was amazing, but a little too much for me to keep up with the prep and cooking/preserving. So this year we did the medium share, expecting a little less; it is definitely more manageable for me, but I am disappointed in the lack of variety and most weeks feel I'm not getting nearly my time and money's worth as the full share. It's not just smaller quantities, it's fewer types of items resulting in less flexibility for items I'm allergic to, and I'm required to go to straight to the farmers market and fill in all the items I am missing from the full share, doubling my errands and my costs. Medium share backfired for me. If time and energy are a factor, gear up for the Full Share, or just make a single trip to a local farmers' market and be...

Most of the produce is good. There's decent variety, but there is never enough. The full share may give you 8 different things, but there isn't enough of most things to make dinner for two adults with, let alone for a family hoping for leftovers! For example, 1lb of greenbeans (less after trimming) or 1lb of potatoes (3 potatoes!) or a very small head of broccoli. The only things there has ever been much of have been summer squash (they I still never had issues using it all and have supplemented it from my own garden) and cucumbers (though still not enough to make more than a jar of pickles). All in all, it was a nice experiment to join but doesn't work well for those like me who would rather cook in batch a few...