When you bite into a slice of watermelon from the Horn Farm Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, you're not only enjoying a sweet treat, but you're also supporting local agriculture. The Horn Farm, located at 4945 Horn Road, York, will once again offer its CSA, providing fresh fruits and vegetables to participants throughout the summer months.

"CSAs are a partnership between farmers and consumers," explained Alexis Campbell, executive director of the Horn Farm. CSA members purchase a share at the beginning of the season and receive a weekly box of seasonal produce for 20 weeks.

"As shareholders, CSA members are investing in the success of the farm and benefit directly by receiving their share, or portion, of the annual harvest," Campbell elaborated. "The Horn Farm CSA is unique because membership supports several local, regenerative farmers as well as the educational programs and mission of the Horn Farm Center." CSA farmers who partner with the Horn Farm are Kilgore Family Farm, York Fresh Food Farms and Green Bean Farm.

Shares of the CSA are seasonal, with contents varying depending on what is available during the spring, summer and fall. "We aim to provide as much variety as possible," Campbell noted. A spring box might include lettuces, spinach, kale, Swiss chard, spring onions, beets, turnips or herbs. A summer box might offer tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, summer squash, watermelon or cantaloupe. In the fall, the box might feature garlic, potatoes, sweet potatoes or winter squash.

Campbell, who participates in the CSA herself, said the program has made grocery shopping easier. "I don't have to worry about buying organic or deciding what selections to make," she explained. "All of my produce from the Horn Farm CSA is grown organically and sustainably. Also, since the CSA boxes are seasonal, my diet has become seasonal as well. I get to experience the natural ebbs and flows of the season, and I enjoy the challenge of finding new recipes to incorporate the seasonal fruits and vegetables that come in my CSA share."

Offering the CSA fits in with the Horn Farm's overall mission, she noted. "Our mission is to connect soil, food and people in ways that improve the health and resilience of our community," she remarked. "By supporting our partner farmers at the Horn Farm Center and providing members with a reliable, weekly supply of fresh, seasonal, chemical-free produce, we are helping to build lasting farm-to-consumer relationships that benefit the health of our community and local economy."

CSA pickup generally starts the first or second week of June and runs through October, depending on the weather. The deadline for CSA registration is the first week of June, and space is limited. All memberships are first-come, first-served. For more information or to register for the Horn Farm CSA, visit https://hornfarmcenter.org/csa.