community syupported agriculture
Milk Lady Farmers’ Markets
Offering a Customer-Friendly Hybrid-CSA Model
In every spring issue of
Farmers are also working with PLENTY you’ ll find a listing for customers to offer greater flexibility and food item choices in their local CSAs( Community Supported Agriculture), a vital CSA memberships. This ensures link between customers and local growers who provide fresh, just with the produce they get, thus
members can fully enjoy and work
harvested produce, and in some reducing waste. When a CSA is cases locally-produced meat products, dairy offerings, flowers and often referred to as a hybrid-CSA
nested within a farmer’ s market,
other farm products. Following the model, there can be even more surge in CSA memberships during the pandemic, and a decrease
Gigi Goin founded Milk Lady
choices for the customer.
in memberships post-pandemic, Farmers’ Markets in 2011 with a thankfully many CSAs have stabilized and are growing. both accessible and deeply
simple belief: fresh food should be rooted in community. Today, she operates four farmers’ markets in Derwood, Rockville, Beltsville, and Fulton, Maryland, each one reflecting that steady commitment to local growers and neighborhood connection. Over the years, the markets have evolved. Gigi now offers a hybrid-CSA membership model that blends the reliability of a weekly curated box with the flexibility of online ordering and advance market selection. Members can shop ahead for pickup or delivery while still enjoying the energy and seasonality of the farmers market experience.
For Gigi, the markets are about far more than produce. They’ re about continuity.“ When we started, neighborhood families would come. Moms who were pregnant then, now have little kids, and we see them every week. Some of the teens who came in the early years worked for us through high school. Now they’ re out of college and stop by to say hi. That’ s the sweetest part,” she says.
Throughout the season, the markets host Strawberry Day, Peach Day, Apple Harvest Day, live music, educational programming, and even a free Community Shred Day, small rituals that create rhythm and belonging.
Food access remains central to the mission. Through the“ Matching Dollars” program, customers using EBT( SNAP benefits) can double their purchasing power while funds last. Year-round fundraising efforts help sustain the program.
Milk Lady Markets also invests in the future of local food through its Young Entrepreneurs Program, giving youth the opportunity to sell
48 plenty I spring sowing 2026