PORTLAND, Ore. - Buying fresh and buying local used to mean heading for the farmer's market.

Now there's a new way to get your home grown produce, and, thanks to rising food and gas prices, it's becoming a bargain to boot.

It's called community supported agriculture, or CSA, and the small farms are sprouting up all over the Northwest.

"I'm feeding 60 families this year, plus growing for the market," said Brenda Stanton of Rosemattel's CSA Farm and Herbs. She has been operating hers for over two years.

Business is booming for Paula and Scott Korell who just opened 6 Acres Farms.

"We already have a waiting list of 13 people for next season," Paula Korell said.

Here's how a CSA works - each farm sells shares ranging in price from $500 to $800 for a season. Season lengths vary between 25 to 30 weeks. Each week, shareholders pick up their basket of produce.

All veggies are seasonal, many even add farm fresh eggs to the baskets. Each CSA is different, but the goal is always the same, the freshest, healthiest produce you can buy.

"When you look at the grocery stores, a lot of that stuff has traveled 800 miles ... We try to harvest the day of, the morning of," said the Korells.

Brenda Stanton calls it putting a face to the farmer. "They know who we are, we may not know them real personally but they can come out and visit and see that a real person grows their food."

And not only are you buying fresh and local, but most of the CSA farmers pride themselves on farming organically.

To top it all off, with the increase in gas and food prices, shares may actually be a bargain to buy into.

Even so, for most of their customers it's not about the price.

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