this is forwarded from my unitarian social responsibilty email list. we are trying to keep local farms afloat so that we don't wake up and find five mcmansions where an apple grove was....now yes i have reservations about the soil in th northeast (especially long island which if you either listen to the pixies or know geology it is made of the crap that washed off the glaciers of ny, nj and new england so do i want something grown in long island? i don't know but i did notice that many years ago i spent a magical weekend with a friend and we went to an agway--never having been to an agway i found it very 4-h'y in a type of way and loved it--the last time i got lost out there with the rudest drivers (who not caring i might be lost got behind me and tailgated me because i wasn't doing 90 thru potato fields)...that said...i did not see any agways which if they were there and i was too lost to find them that is one thing but i had a sinking feeling exurbia was eating the potatot fields....just as it has the garden state which is now a slogan and nowhere near reality....i'm sure there are CSA programs in long island and it is is expensive but its for a whole season and you can split shares (and the find needy families was my thing cuz after years of watching WIC and food stamp families trying to feed their families without fishing pcb laden fish out of hudson and making ho ho surprise with the protein being cheese doodles at c-town my reaction is since i don't eat anymore i'd rather contribute to a fund for those that to do) if anyone is interested i will give you jane's email she works at a non-profit in nyc that does this with ny farmers...
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This is mostly for those of you who have not yet received my email
about the CSA. This is an opportunity for those of you who are
interested. Please email me if you have any questions or want to
sign up, and stop by the table on sunday:
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and the Unitarian Society of
Ridgewood
BASICS ON CSAs: CSA is a way of supporting local small-scale
farmers while providing members with seasonal, local, and freshly-
picked vegetables every week. To become a member, a person pays a
fee before the season begins. Then, when the farmer begins to
harvest, he or she provides members with a weekly share of whatever
is in season. The beginning of the season usually starts off with
smaller amounts of produce, lots of greens, and by the time the
summer is in full swing, there is much more variety and abundance.
Some of the SOCIAL/ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: Family farmers in the
Northeast are struggling to survive. They are often cut out or
priced out of the usual wholesale distribution channels and are
further threatened by intense development pressure, which is
converting precious farmland to commercial and residential uses. CSA
offers local farmers a secure market to sell their produce and frees
them to focus on growing. At the same time, CSA provides incredibly
delicious, nutritious, and usually organic food. Community Supported
Agriculture creates an ongoing relationship that addresses both
problems.
OUR FARMER: We have a farmer that seems like a great match for our
community! Located in Paramus, NJ, Susan Joy is the third generation
to be farming her family's land. She has been running a CSA program
for three years, and wants to increase her customers to keep her
business alive. Susan strongly believes in projects that address
problems of food insecurity and inequality of access to healthy
food, and has future ideas about helping start community garden
projects in Patterson. She's also a big believer in the importance
of children visiting a farm, picking a carrot out of the ground, and
to be able to understand (with their tastebuds!) where food comes
from. At the end of every season, she throws a pumpkin picking
event, and invites all the members to her farm.
Susan is not certified organic, but she does not use any chemical
pesticides or fertilizers on her land. She chooses not to apply for
certification because it's expensive and labor intensive to maintain
(record keeping, etc). She invites her customers to come to her
farm every week, to get to know her farm themselves.
CSA AT USR: To join the CSA, a family or individual purchases a
share before the season begins. Then, when harvesting begins, the
farmer supplies each member with a share of the vegetables that are
available. At the beginning of the season, shares will be smaller
and more limited, but as the summer progresses, the shares will be
filled with more variety and abundance. That's the joy of eating
seasonally! Susan's full share provides for about a family of four
and costs $599. (A list of the veggies she's planting this year will
be available at coffee hour on sunday.) However, if we get more than
15 people to sign up, she will bring the price down to $525 per
share. She also wants to make available an option for half shares,
where members can get a full share every other week. She is also
willing to find ways to support families who cant afford the full
price (often when people are away, their shares can be donated). But
once her customers have been receiving their full shares in the
summer, they have been very satisfied.
Susan wants members to come to her farm to pick up their own shares
(rather than her dropping it off herself) (on Wednesdays). However,
what that means for USR is that if enough people decide they are
interested in joining, we could alternate who picks up each week.
Details like that can be figured out, and she's willing to work with
us.
SIGN UP SOON: Planting season is here. This year, Susan can
accomodate for up to about 50 more members of her CSA, which leaves
lots of room for us. However, it makes a big difference to her
planting plans if she IS going to be growing for us. She wants
numbers and names from us in the next two weeks. So email/call me or
sign up at the table on sunday.
Susan will probably be coming to our coffee hour either this week
(April 10) or next week (April 17) to answer any questions anyone
has.
IN ADDITION: If you are interested in getting involved with any of
the organization of this project, please let me know. There is a lot
that we can do with this, but to a large extent, it's what we make
of it. For example, if we have a core group (subcommitte of social
responsibilities?), we can address issues of how we will arrange the
pick ups, what to do with leftover shares when people are away or
dont show up (donate to families or a shelter or soup kitchen...),
how to make shares accessible for lower-income families or
individuals, and maybe even eventually partner up with a community
in lower-income town. If people are interested (which it seems like
they are) and if this season works out well, this could be an
ongoing partnership resulting in lots of good things. And there's a
whole world of food-related social responsibility issues that we can
delve into.
So, email/call, or stop by the table if:
1)you want to sign up
2)you have questions/ideas/feedback
3)you want to be a part of the CSA organizing group
Thank you! and please forward this on to other USRers if you think
they would be interested.
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