Global Gardens 2010 CSA

 

What is a CSA? 

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  It’s like a subscription program to our farm.  You pay one price for the whole season, and each week from June through September you get a delicious bag of whatever produce is available from the farm. 

We have our CSA pickup on Tuesday nights starting at 5:30 pm, at Edwards Greenhouse, off of Hill Road in Boise.  They have a small farmers market there with live music every week.  It’s a great place to pick up your veggies and get to know your farmers. 

 

How much food will I get?

You will get two beautiful Global Gardens locally made produce bags as part of your CSA subscription.  Each week our members get one of these bags full of produce, usually 6-10 different vegetables.  You’ll also get some recipes to help you keep it interesting and learn to cook new kinds of veggies.

 This year the CSA will be made up of a cooperative of refugee growers, and will include food from several different refugee farms, including the Somali Bantu Community Farm, the African Community Development Farm, and several individual refugees who are starting up their own farm businesses.  So, customers will have a little bit more choice than last year.  We might ask you to select 8 of the 12 items that farmers have available, for example. 

 Also, by joining Global Gardens CSA, you are directly supporting a refugee family, and/or a refugee community organization that supports refugees by providing various services including educational and cultural opportunities.  You are enabling refugees to develop entrepreneurial skills that are transferrable to many jobs, to improve their English, and to spend quality time with their families and communities while growing and eating nutritious local produce.  What a good choice!

   

Here’s what the CSA bag looked like one week in September!

 

What kinds of vegetables do CSA members get?

You get seasonal produce grown right here in Idaho, which means that you get different things throughout the summer.  Here are some things that you could expect:

June: Lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, mustard greens, arugula, radishes, turnips, beets, carrots, peas, onions, garlic, bok choi, strawberries.

July: Lettuce, carrots, swiss chard, kale, mchicha (an African green) peas, green beans, zucchini, peppers, beets, turnips, cucumbers, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, onions, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, basil.

August: Cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, corn, peppers, eggplants, basil, tomatillos, onions, leeks, cabbage, kale, swiss chard, green beans, melons, potatoes.

September:  Tomatoes, zucchini, tomatillos, cucumbers, corn, peppers, eggplant, melons, onions, leeks, winter squash, pumpkins, lettuce, spinach, kale.

 

How much does it cost?

The CSA costs $20 per week, plus 6% sales tax and $20 for two beautiful Global Gardens produce bags.  For the season, it costs $400. 

 If you were a member in 2009 and don’t want 2 more CSA bags, you get a $20 discount.  The bags do make great gifts though!

 Usually CSA customers pay up front, prior to the growing season so that farmers can use these funds to purchase seeds, tools, compost, and other necessities.  We do need most of our customers to do this.  We plan on selling 20 shares and will be accepting members on a first-come, first- served basis.

 However, it’s also important to us that our produce be accessible to eaters of various economic realities, and we understand that not everyone has $400 all at once.  You are welcome to send us a deposit to reserve your share and make several payments.  If paying up front isn’t possible for you, contact us and we can arrange a payment plan.  Also, if you’re a food stamps user, we are happy to charge your Quest card but will have to do this weekly when you pick up your produce.  We can make this work for you!  Just ask.  Contact Katie at kpainter@idahorefugees.org.

 

How do I join?

Send a check to:

Somali Bantu Zigua Community

PO Box 7104

Boise, ID 83704

Please include your name, address, phone number, and email address, or email this information to Katie Painter at kpainter@idahorefugees.org