Healthy eating more accessible through CSADate: 5/6/2016 WILBRAHAM – Looking for a way to get fresh vegetables, fruits and other products directly from local farmers? A Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share is one way and now is the time to contact participating farmers.
A CSA share is “pretty critical, vital” to the success of small farms, Kathy Smedberg of Green Acres Fruit Farms at 868 Main St., explained to Reminder Publications.
Smedberg has operated her farm and orchard since 1985 when she bought it and the CSA share program has had a “positive impact” on her business.
In a CSA program a consumer pays in advance for fresh local farm products and picks them up weekly during the season at the farm itself. The cost varies from farm to farm, as well as the length of the growing season and the products offered.
A CSA program allows a farmer to receive upfront capital for the growing season and an idea of what to grow and in what quantity.
Smedberg’s program begins in early July and goes for 24 weeks through mid-December. Besides a variety of vegetables, Smedberg also offers fruit from her orchard and fresh eggs from her 40 cage free hens. The cost for a full share is $650 – or about $27 a week – and a half share is $335. Payment plans are available.
She is asking people to sign up now for the program in order to determine which vegetables will be in greatest demand. Each participant fills out a form listing their favorite vegetables from her long list, least favorite and whether or not the participant wants eggs. Smedberg also asks if there are any food allegories in a participant’s family.
The addition of eggs to her farm share has proven very popular and she said for a small farmer it’s necessary to “diversify to stay alive.”
Smedburg uses no genetically modified organism seeds or feed and applies low to no levels of pesticide.
Each week the participants come by the farm to pick up his or her share. Smedburg said the customer picks the day and time. In the case a participant can’t come one week to pick up the share, if Smedburg is given 48 hours the customer won’t lose that distribution of food.
Smedburg prefers the farm share program to participating in a series so farmers markets because there is competition among farmers at the markets and the packing and unpacking of produce can damage it.
Other farmers in the area are offering CSA shares as well. Red Fire Farms in Granby, Granny’s Place in Agawam, Crow River Farm/Scantic Valley CSA in East Longmeadow and Calabrese Farms in Southwick are among them. For additional details go to www.farmfresh.org and type in a zip code to find local farmers.
To sign up, contact Smedburg at greenacresfruitfarm@outlook.com or 596-3016 or come in and visit the farmstand open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
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