City Fresh CSA

This program was initiated by the New Agrarian Center in Oberlin, Ohio. The New Agrarian center is a non-profit who operates the City Fresh program. Their employees work with 16 local farmers to bring shares of produce to several locations in Cuyahoga and Lorain counties.  LEAF Community volunteers work with City Fresh employees to manage the Lakewood Fresh Stop.  

How the program works:
Shareholders are required to pre-pay for shares at least 1 week ahead. Low-income shareholders receive a discount, and Ohio Direction Card is proudly accepted. The program will run for 20 weeks. Delivery will be weekly at LEAF Community Farmers' Market.

Pricing:                                 

• Family (enough for approx 3-4 individuals)  
• Regular: $30 / week                                                               
• Limited Income: $18 / week                                                
• Single (enough for approx 1-2 individuals)                                          
• Regular: $17 / week                                                                        
• Limited Income: $10 / week                                                                 

Geauga Family Farms—Certified Organic CSA 

Geauga Family Farms is a cooperative of farms in the Geauga County Ohio area.  Its CSA program will be delivered on Thursdays at LEAF Community Farm Markets.  Geauga Family Farms CSA will be offering small, medium, and large sized shares, for a 20-week season. Visit www.geaugafamilyfarms.org for current seasonal information.

• Small customizable share – $390
• Medium customizable share – $700
• Medium share – $540
• Large share – $850

• $75 – 1 loaf of wheat bread each week
• $75 – $150 – 1/2 pint or pint of jam each week (specify a flavor or variety)
• $80 – 1 dozen eggs each week (certified-organic, pastured, GMO- and hormone-free)
• $75 – ½ pound of Middlefield Original Cheese each week (specify a variety)
• $140 – 2 ½ pound packages of Middlefield Original Cheese each week

Sign up for Geauga Family Farms CSA shares here

Cleveland Crops CSA - not updated for 2018

• Full share = $550/season
• Single share = $330/season
  

For information about any of the community supported agriculture programs offered by LEAF, contact LEAF at leafcsa@gmail.com.

The LEAF Night Community Farmers' Market depends greatly on volunteers.  We are always looking for more people to help out. Please let us know if you are able to help out. 

About Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

When people first settled in Lakewood, they purchased their food from local farmers. Farmers from the area brought their carts into Lakewood and sold their meats, dairy products, and produce fresh from the farm. People ate what was in season. They preserved food when it was plentiful to save for other times in the year. Today, the global food industry allows us to purchase foods from all over the world. Most consumers don’t worry about what season or continent their foods grow. Much of our food today is grown at least 1,500 miles away. While this provides for an endless variety of culinary tastes we are discovering that food produced closer to home provides numerous benefits.

Food grown closer to our plates tastes better than that grown for conventional grocery stores. Since international growers ship from such a far distance, they pick their crops long before they are ripe. The farmers supported in the LEAF Community CSA programs all pick when ripe and within 24 hours of LEAF Market. If you need proof of the difference, simply visit a LEAF Market to taste some fresh cucumbers, melon, or tomatoes picked that morning. If you are used to the conventional stuff, your taste buds are in for a treat!

Besides tasting better, local produce is actually healthier than that in grocery stores. Spending weeks on a truck causes the breakdown of essential nutrients, especially Vitamin C. Also, since most global growers plant the same crops year after year on the same fields (monocrops), they deplete essential micronutrients from the soil. If these micronutrients are not properly replenished, the food produced is lacking essential nutrients that it should contain. The produce available at LEAF Community Farmers' Market is the healthiest produce around. The local farmers rotate their crops and work with soil specialists to ensure that they are maintaining an optimal medium for growth and nutrition.

CSA reduces the risk of foodborne illness. Remember the “Spinach Scare of 2006”? The reason this e.coli outbreak was so widespread is because 90% of the country’s spinach supply is processed in the same location in California. By getting your produce locally, you greatly reduce the risk of getting contaminated food. Rest assured, you won't find California spinach at our market!

Community Supported Agriculture is good for the environment for several reasons.

By purchasing your food directly from a local grower, you reduce the amount of fossil fuels used for shipping. Decreasing the number of “food miles” can greatly impact the environmental tax we create.

It's in a small farmer's best interest to sustainably care for their land. Global produce growers are increasingly dependent on harsh chemicals and pesticides, because they typically plant few types of crops (monoculture) and do not rely on traditional techniques such as companion planting or home remedies to help keep their crops healthy. The small Ohio farmers we work with feed their families with the same food we get on LEAF Community Farmers' Markets. They want what is best for their land, their families and their consumers. These farmers use very little pesticides, and whenever possible use organic pesticides. Many of the farms would qualify as an organic farm, however are too small to be certified organic.

One of our CSA offerings is a certified organic program, offered by the Geauga Family Farms cooperative. This is a unique way that a group of  smaller farms can become certified organic, by bearing the logistical and infrastructure hurdles together. 

Purchasing food from local farmers prevents urban sprawl. Urban sprawl creates concrete wastelands in the cities, steals ecosystems from animals and insects, and contributes to a growing problem with stormwater runoff and flooding. By ensuring that our small farmers are successful, they will be less likely to sell their land for development.

CSA benefits the local economy. Northeast Ohio’s economy has been increasingly stressed, with the loss of jobs and “brain drain”. We spend approximately $3 Billion per year on food in Cuyahoga County. Keeping as much of that money in our region will greatly help our local economy.

CSA connects city dwellers to the countryside and farmers. Research shows that we all need a connection to nature.

Many urban people (especially children) do not realize how plants grow, or what they look like in their natural form. Carrots, for example do not grow in perfectly shaped 2 inch nuggets! CSA connects us to our neighbors. In Lakewood, LEAFCommunity Farmers' Markets are magical. People walk by and ask, “What is going on here?” If you come to a Market, you will have the opportunity to meet new folks, enjoy local art, trade your home- grown goodies, listen to great local music, watch kids dance and play, pick up a local share of produce, learn about a new vegetable, and enjoy the Library.