Week of March 1, 2026

CSA or Farmers Market — Which Is Right for You?

Buying from a local farm usually comes down to two options, and they work pretty differently. A CSA asks you to pay at the start of the season, sometimes several hundred dollars at once, in exchange for a weekly share of whatever the farm brings in. You don't choose what's in the box. If it's a good kohlrabi year, you're getting kohlrabi. If the tomatoes come in heavy in August, you'll have more tomatoes than you planned for. A farmers market works the other way around: you show up, you see what's there, and you buy what you want. No commitment beyond what's in your hand.

The CSA model suits people who cook regularly at home and don't mind working with whatever arrives. Part of what you're paying for is a relationship with a specific farm. Many Maryland operations, like Next Step Produce in Newburg or Clark's Elioak Farm in Highland, build their whole season around their CSA members. The upfront payment matters to the farmer because it covers seed costs and early labor before anything is ready to sell. In return, you often pay less per pound than market price, and you get produce that was picked for members rather than held for display. The challenge is that the box runs on the farm's schedule, not yours, and some weeks the volume can be hard to get through if you're a single person or a couple without much time to cook.

A farmers market is easier to start with if you're new to buying local and still figuring out what you'll use. The Saturday market at Druid Hill Park in Baltimore or the one in Riverdale run by Prince George's County give you a chance to buy a bunch of turnips without committing to turnips every week for six weeks. You can also talk to multiple vendors, compare what's available, and spend what you have without worrying about whether you're getting full value from a pre-paid share. The trade-off is that the best stuff goes fast, prices can be higher for small quantities, and you have to actually get yourself there on a consistent basis to make it work.

A lot of Maryland farms have figured out that their customers want both options, and they've built their operations accordingly. Many CSA farms also show up at weekend markets, and some let CSA members pick up shares at the market instead of at the farm. If you're unsure which model fits your life, it can make sense to buy a half-share in a CSA from a farm that also sells at a market you already go to. That way you see the full range of what they grow, you learn the rhythms of the season, and you're not locked into something that doesn't match how you actually cook. Starting with one farm and getting to know them well tends to be more useful than trying to sample everything at once.