Global Gardens 2012 CSA Shares now Available!
Mwaliko and Ibrahim show off one week's September 2010 share.
Did you know that when you shop at the store, 79% of your food dollars are spent on marketing, packaging, and distribution?! Only 21% goes to the farmer.* When you join our CSA, 100% of your food dollars go to support a Boise Refugee Farmer.
All of our produce is spray-free and produced right here in Boise!
*data from the University of Wisconsin.
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 grow our vegetables using organic methods and don't use any agrochemicals in the production of your food.
We have our CSA pickup on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 4:30 pm til 6, at our community garden on 30th and Jordan Streets.
How much food will I get?
You will get a beautiful Global Gardens locally made produce bag 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 a copy of our original Global Gardens Cookbook to help you keep it interesting and learn to cook new kinds of veggies.
The CSA is 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. The Tuesday pickup will be mainly supplied by the Somali Bantu Community Farm, and the Thursday pickup will be supplied by the individual farmers.
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 $415 for an 18-week season. This includes 18 weeks of veggies at about $21/week, plus 6% sales tax and the cost of market bags. Online orders are $425 because of the high cost of bank fees.
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 up to 50 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 $415 all at once. You are welcome to send us a deposit to reserve your share and make several payments. We can make this work for you! Just ask.
In 2012 we will be introducing a new monthly payment plan. We recognize that many families can't afford to pre-pay, but maybe also don't qualify for the food stamps program. For those families, we will offer a monthly payment plan, $115 per month, due at the first pickup of each month. (Your total payment will be $460 for 4 months.). This is because it costs us more to keep track of and process more checks, and because we can't use the funds to buy seeds and supplies unless customers pre-pay. You still commit to the entire 18-week season, and unless you are using an EBT card, YOU CANNOT PAY US WEEKLY IN CASH. Sorry, it just gets too confusing.
Global Gardens CSA accepts food stamps!
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. This year's price will be $21 per week. It's a good value for the money and we would really like this service to be utilized more! If you know someone who might be interested, please let them know about it. Katie is available to explain the CSA process EBT customers or to visit your organization to explain the program. As far as we know, we're the only CSA in Boise accepting food stamps. EBT customers are allowed to pay weekly in cash, if their benefits run out.
Do you have half-shares?
We don't, because coordinating a CSA with many participating farmers is complicated enough! We suggest that if you need a half-share, you find a friend or neighbor to split your share with. in past years, many members each paid half, and either divided the share themselves, or alternated pickup weeks.
Do you deliver?
Until now, we have not, but this year we will offer delivery if enough members are interested. Delivery will be $8 per week extra. We can also deliver to your workplace for a flat rate of $20 per week if 3 or more members would like delivery to the same workplace. Please let us know whether you're interested in and we'll keep you posted on whether delivery is happening. Since many refugees are having trouble finding work in this economic environment, this service will provide a good supplemental weekly income for our delivery driver.
Meat Shares:
In 2011 we launched a meat share program in partnership with Homestead Natural Foods. In addition to your regular veggie share, we offer an optional meat share, once a month, the second week of each month. Homestead offers a 10 lb bag of frozen meat for $60, and like a veggie share, what comes in the bag is a surprise. Members can choose beef, pork, or a mix. Beef shares are generally half ground beef and half other cuts, pork shares are a mix of cuts. You can decide each month whether you would like to purchase a meat share, and payment is due when you pick it up. Buy buying in bulk we get a discount over Homestead's market and online prices. All of the animals are grass fed, an excellent choice for local, sustainably produced meats at a reasonable cost. Eggs and sometimes chickens are also available.
For City Gardens Customers:
This year we will partner with City Gardens CSA to provide a summer-only share after their spring share ends. If you are a City Gardens member, please contact Katie directly for details.
How do I join?
Send a check to:
Global Gardens
c/o Katie Painter
1607 West Jefferson St.
Boise, ID 83702
Please include your name, address, phone number, and email address, or email this information to Katie Painter at kpainter@idahorefugees.org.
Click here to join online! Online membership is $10 more due to bank fees!