With New Year comes new resolutions, and a popular one for many is to eat better. A great way to do so is to join community-supported agriculture (CSA). Joining a CSA requires a payment and, in return, you’ll receive farm-fresh produce and possibly other items such as eggs or honey regularly during the spring, summer, and in some cases fall months. Even better, some insurance companies offer rebates for joining a CSA making it even easier.

Not ready to commit to a CSA? Local farm markets and food co-ops are a great low-commitment way to sample local, seasonal produce.  Some markets are also open during the winter; check their web pages to be sure.

The historical way to eat local produce is to, well, produce it yourself. The annual tree and shrub sale of local counties makes it easy to produce your own fruit and nuts in addition to beautifying your land. These sales generally require placing an order for a number of plants before picking them up closer to the growing season; if you don’t have much space, you may need to split some trees with friends. Note that you can generally purchase plants even if you don’t live in the county.

The library is also hosting a seed library where you can pick up seeds for vegetables, herbs, and flowers all for free! The seed library is opening at the end of February and is located on the first floor above the Dabble Box display cases.

Looking for additional inspiration? The online catalog has more about local food and gardening. Or stop by Information & Reference on the second floor to locate or order new or hard-to-find books and DVDs.