CSA Programs and LEAF Night Market
LEAF Night Markets are Thursday evenings at the Lakewood Public Library, from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. LEAF Night Markets are the delivery location for several Community Supported Agriculture programs. We proudly accept Ohio Direction. LEAF Community Market is a participating market in the "Produce Perks" program! This is a program of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Food Policy coalition, where Ohio Direction card holders can get buy one get one free market tokens (up to $10) for fresh fruits and vegetables. Visit the customer service table at the farmers' market to learn more. The LEAF Community will offer four produce CSA programs, 1 meat CSA program and many visiting vendors in Lakewood in 2013! All of the programs offered below vend local produce, so items will vary depending on the growing season. Feel great that your food was grown within 75 miles, and picked within 24 hours of delivery! Produce Community Supported Agriculture Programs CSA Payment Plan LEAF Community's mission is to produce broad access to local foods. Limited income neighbors may be deterred from joining a typical CSA program, since most programs require the large lump sum payment in the early spring. The LEAF Community Payment Plan is offered to those individuals who wish to be part of a CSA, but need to make weekly payments. LEAF is offering the Payment Plan for Geauga Family Farms, Maggie's Farm, and Cleveland Crops in 2013. Click here for more information and the application. Geauga Family Farms-Certified Organic CSA 2013
Geauga Family Farms is a cooperative of farms in the Geauga County
Ohio area. Geauga Family Farms CSA program will be delivered on
Thursdays at LEAF Nights. Geauga Family Farms
will offer a 20 week season in 2013. New for 2013: Geauga Family Farms CSA will be offering a half share, in addition to their single and family shares. The half-share provides a selection of fresh produce perfect for one person. This will have less variety than the two larger shares, but will still include a broad range throughout the season. The single share provides enough produce for two to three people to have several servings throughout the week. The family share provides enough for four people to have several servings throughout the week with greater variety and a little more volume. Visit www.geaugafamilyfarms.org for current seasonal information. Pricing (1 market bag per week for 20 week season): Half Share: $285 Single share: $435 Family share: $725 Extras 1 dozen eggs each week for 20 weeks: Price not set yet (check www.geaugafamilyfarms.org) 1 loaf of wheat bread each week
for 20 weeks: $70 1 jar of jam each
week for 20 weeks (specify a flavor or we'll choose): $70 1 pound of
ground beef each week for 20 weeks: Price not set yet (check www.geaugafamilyfarms.org) To sign up: download the brochure. Mail the contract in to 10401 Stuart Drive Concord Twp, OH 44077. Contact:Laura Dobson 440-478-9849 ldobson@geaugafamilyfarms.org Maggie's Farm (an Urban Farm in Stockyards)Maggie's Farm is in the Stockyards neighborhood. The farm is a true community effort. By participating in the CSA, you are keeping your food dollars in the community, offering economic opportunity and growth. Value added products will also be available! While we can't guarantee that all produce is GMO free, we strive to search out seeds that are heirloom or non-GMO. We use sustainable practices where possible. All our food is grown in raised beds built using a combination of lasagna gardening, and a hugelkultur hybrid (permaculture). We create our own compost, use no pesticides or herbicides and repurpose many things that we have sourced like pallets for our fencing. Pricing: Two share size
options Regular Share (enough for 3-4 people per week): $600.00 per season
for 20 weeks Single Share (enough for 1-2 people per week): $300.00 per season for 20 weeks More information about Maggie's Farm hereCleveland Crops CSA Cleveland Crops and Stanard Farm are an employment program with the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Their Mission is to
employ and train people in jobs related to growing, processing, and
selling fresh vegetables and fruits in urban farm settings. To operate a
sustainable business that creates employment opportunities for people
near where they live. As
a part of Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities and its
non-profit affiliate SAW, Inc., Cleveland Crops is a working Urban
Agricultural entity that exists to provide employment and training for
people with disabilities in the areas of farming and selling produce. Pricing: Two share size options Full size share: $500 per season for 20 weeks. Single share size: $280.00 per season for 20 weeks Download the Cleveland Crops brochure City FreshThis 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. Sign up for City Fresh Lakewood online at http://www.gotthenac.org/members How the program works: Pricing: Family (enough for approx 3-4 individuals) Regular: $28 / week Limited Income: $16 / week Single (enough for approx 1-2 individuals) Regular: $15 / week Limited Income: $9 / week To sign up download the brochure and mail in your registration to the address on the form. Contact: Chris, Crystal, Missy or Annie for information about any of the community supported agriculture programs offered by LEAF at leafcsa@gmail.com Since LEAF Nights depend greatly on volunteers, we are always looking for more people to help out. Please let us know if you are able to help out. It’s going to be another great year of LEAF!
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. 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. No California spinach at LEAF night! Community Supported Agriculture is good for the environment for several reasons. 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 “monocrops” 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 Nights. 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 this year 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.
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