With the Ellenville Garden Center's Thursday Moonlit Farmers Market on hiatus for the next few weeks during renovations, Boca Raton locals who subscribe to CSA baskets from Farmer Jay and the Produce Chick might have worried they wouldn't be getting their baskets.
There was no need to worry, of course, as the Produce Chick, a.k.a. Denia McCobb, would never leave her subscribers in the lurch. She will still be at the Ellenville Garden Center every Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. every week, and the moonlight market will resume in full force on September 27.
The rest of you might be left wondering what a CSA basket even is.
CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.
Though the precise nature of a CSA has changed over the years from
people buying shares in a farm to subscribing to weekly produce baskets,
the basic concept allows local farmers to easily market and sell their
produce to nearby residents. This helps the farmer by providing a steady
source of income, helps the consumers who are receiving the freshest
produce in season, and helps the environment by conserving the fossil
fuels that would otherwise be used to transport produce to faraway
markets.
The Produce Chick's CSA is a little different in that she
sources from a few different farms including that of her husband, Farmer
Jay.
She explains how it works in an email:
"IBut there are a couple of considerations. First, with the current level of demand there are no deliveries so you must be available to pick up your basket and return the empty one on Thursdays. Second, the CSA subscription is a commitment. You pay a week ahead (or two weeks ahead if you're on the bi-weekly pick-up) so you are essentially giving a $35 deposit to begin with.sell produce baskets once per week or biweekly for $35 a basket
(including 1dz eggs). I sell ONLY organic produce and eggs and I make
every possible effort to obtain them only from local and/or Florida
farmers. I do at times have to order from GA, NC and at times even CA
and WA. Somethings we just don't grow in our climate. I will NEVER carry
conventional produce or any produce items from outside of the US.
(Vegan baskets are also available, meaning no eggs for $30.)
Theitems in the produce baskets can vary from basket to basket because some
of the items are harvested that morning from our own farm. Therefore,
we may only have 10 eggplants ready to harvest, 5 peppers, mustard
greens enough for only 6 bundles etc.... so I would then split the
limited items between the baskets evenly so that everyone receives at
least one of the three items from our farm in that week's basket."
Of course, all of that isn't really much to ask when the reward is a huge basket of fresh, local, organic produce.
For more information or to sign up for a CSA basket of your very own, send an email to [email protected].
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