I pay $650 sometime in the early spring for a 20 week share (so $32.50/week). They use the money to plant crops for the CSA (community supported agriculture) members and also for local food banks. When the growing season is good, I get a lot for my money. When bugs or critters are bad, sometimes the share is a little weak. But it spreads the farming risk across the members of the CSA, rather than forcing the farmers to take all the risk. The one I belong to is organic.
This week's share: 2 summer squashes, 1 fresh garlic, 1 kohlrabi, 1 bag of leafy greens, 2 green peppers, and pick your own sunflowers. That's about average for the 20 week season. Early the shares are heavy on leafy greens. Later they are heavy on tomatoes, winter squash, root vegetables.
Each year they donate thousands of pounds of produce to local food banks. They also offer community garden plots at $40-$75 per plot so you can grow your own produce, and a farmer's training program to help get the next generation of farmers going using responsible farming practices.
I've also done a local buyer's club - which buys within 50 miles of the org center. Those tend to be more commercial - so more uniform crops - and more likely to be contaminated with whatever creepy critters are infecting the commercial ventures. But still better than going to the grocery store, since they are all local crops.
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