CSA Programs


LEAF Community Farm Markets are Thursday evenings at the Lakewood Public Library, from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. The Markets is the delivery location for several Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs.

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!

Options for residents with limited income

LEAF Community's mission is to provide broad access to local foods. We proudly accept the Ohio Direction card, and our market participates in a the "Produce Perks" program. This is a program of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Food Policy coalition, in which 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.

If you feel deterred from joining a typical CSA program, since most programs require the large lump sum payment in the early spring, we offer a CSA Payment Plan in which you can make weekly payments. 

Download the application to participate in this program.

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.

Pricing (1 market bag per week for 20 week season):

  • Half Share: $310 feeds one person produce (not as much variety as other sizes)
  • Single share: $465 feeds 2 to 3 people several servings of produce weekly
  • Family share: $775 feeds 4 or more several servings of produce weekly                           

Extras - add these to your share

  • 1 dozen eggs (free-range, GMO free and hormone free diet) each week for 20 weeks:  $75                                                      
  • 1 loaf of wheat bread each week for 20 weeks: $75                                            
  • 1 jar of jam each week for 20 weeks (specify a flavor or variety): $75 
  • 1 pound of grass fed ground beef each week for 20 weeks: $140

To  sign up online, click here. 

Maggie's Farm (an Urban Farm in Stockyards)

Maggie's Farm is in the Stockyards neighborhood. The farm is a true community effort. While Maggie's Farm can't guarantee that all produce is GMO-free, it strives to search out seeds that are heirloom or non-GMO, and they use sustainable practices where possible.  All of its food is grown in raised beds built using a combination of lasagna gardening and a hugelkultur hybrid (permaculture). They create their own compost and use no pesticides or herbicides.

Pricing: 1 regular  share (enough for 3-4 people per week): $600.00 per season for 20 weeks. Each share includes extras such as bread, jam, and cheese.

To sign up online, click here.

Cleveland Crops CSA

When you choose to participate in a Cleveland Crops CSA, you are supporting adults with developmental disabilities in Cuyahoga County who are involved in its agriculturally focused job training program.  Produce is grown on urban farms in Cleveland.

Pricing
  • Full Share:  $540 for 20 weeks of fresh produce (for heavy vegetable eaters or family of 2-4)
  • Half Share:  $320 for 20 weeks of fresh produce (for those wishing to add fresh local produce to their diet)

Learn more and order online at www.clevelandcrops.org 

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: $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.

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.