All through the fall, Saturday mornings were an adventure for Bethany Headrick and her family. Each week, she, along with her husband Rob Bailey and their three children, headed to downtown LaGrange to pick up a basket full of fresh produce from Jenny Jack Sun Farm.

“We looked forward to Saturday mornings. It was like Christmas every week,” said Headrick, a teacher at LaGrange High School.

Headrick was a member of a local CSA - Community Supported Agriculture - program through Jenny Jack Sun Farm in Pine Mountain. The farm is a 4-acre, chemical-free farm that serves primarily Troup and Harris counties.

CSA programs have been in existence around the world since the 1950s. A family, person or group of people commit to supporting a local farm by paying an up-front fee for a growing season, thus becoming a shareholder in the CSA. The fee goes to the farm to support its operations and, in turn, each member receives a weekly harvest of fresh, local produce during the growing season.

Last year, Jenny Jack Sun Farm owners Chris and Jenny Jackson partnered with other nearby small farms to provide a CSA in LaGrange for the first time. In recent years, they also served Atlanta and Harris County.

“We’ve decided to step away from our main market in Atlanta to focus on growing our local membership,” Jenny Jackson said.

The couple hopes to increase the number of CSA members in LaGrange this year and also are adding a pickup location in West Point.

The cost for the 14-week season is $350 and each week beginning in May, members pick up a bag of fresh produce worth $25 at Market on Main, the local farmers market next to the Carmike movie theater on Main Street in LaGrange. On average, the bag of produce includes six to eight different vegetables - whatever is plentiful at Jenny Jack Sun Farms.

This year, they are adding a half-share option for $210.

“It’s for smaller families that don’t need a large amount of vegetables every week,” Jenny Jackson said.

Although the initial investment is significant, Headrick said overall the CSA was a bargain.

“We came out well. We didn’t buy produce the whole season, and the taste and quality was all superior to anything we could get at the grocery store,” she said.

The CSA is ideal for families who are willing to try new things and want to eat good, healthy food, she said.

“What we put into our bodies is so essential to everything we do - how we feel, how we behave, how we concentrate. I make it a priority to cook even if it means all the kids are in the kitchen with me,” she said.

Produce for the summer includes beets, beans, blueberries, cabbage, carrots, collard greens, cucumbers, eggplant, field peas, garlic, Irish potatoes, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, melons, summer squash, onions, okra, peppers, turnips, tomatoes and more. CSA members also receive fresh herbs including cilantro, fennel, basil and more.

— For information on Jenny Jack Sun Farm CSA or to sign up for the CSA, contact Chris and Jenny Jackson at jennyjackfarm@gmail.com or at (706) 333-4479. CSA members pick up produce between 8 and 10 a.m. Saturdays beginning in May in LaGrange at the downtown Market on Main and from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the train depot in West Point. Cost is $350 for a full share or $210 for a half-share for 14 weeks.

Checks can be made out and sent to Chris Jackson, 5841 GA 18, Pine Mountain, GA 31822.

Sherri Brown can be reached at sbrown@lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 240.