Residents of Sedona and the Verde Valley who don’t want to grow their own produce, but do want the freshest possible ingredients for themselves and their families, now have the option of participating in a farm cooperative.
“The Verde Valley Community Supported Agriculture program is a group of farmers who believe in providing just-picked locally-grown food,” said Sandra Boyce, coordinator for the co-op.
For those new to the CSA concept, it works on a shareholder basis, providing each family that signs up with low-spray or no-spray produce throughout the growing season.
By Susan Johnson
Larson Newspapers
Residents of Sedona and the Verde Valley who don’t want to grow their own produce, but do want the freshest possible ingredients for themselves and their families, now have the option of participating in a farm cooperative.
“The Verde Valley Community Supported Agriculture program is a group of farmers who believe in providing just-picked locally-grown food,” said Sandra Boyce, coordinator for the co-op.
For those new to the CSA concept, it works on a shareholder basis, providing each family that signs up with low-spray or no-spray produce throughout the growing season.
Families purchase a “share” for a set amount of money which is paid up front in the spring, providing the farmer with much-needed cash flow.
Then, once a week until the end of the harvest, shareholders pick up their weekly allotment of fruits, vegetables, nuts and eggs at a central location, bringing their own canvas bags and woven baskets or boxes.
Typical early spring shares include scallions, greens, broccoli, carrots, asparagus, early plums and eggs.
As summer nears, figs, apricots, peaches, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, herbs, summer squash and other items are added to the table.
Autumn brings a sumptuous harvest, including winter squashes, kale, okra, tomatoes, cantaloupes, peppers and pomegranates.
Participating in CSA is a superb way for families to become reacquainted with nature and its cycles, enjoying produce that is at its peak, both taste-wise and nutritionally.
It’s a far cry from the sometimes wan and tasteless food that travels 7,000 miles from China and the other countries that have become America’s surrogate foodbasket, thereby consuming thousands of gallons of fossil fuels and using modes of transportation that produce thousands of tons of pollutants.
There are important lateral benefits as well.
By keeping food dollars in the local community, shareholders directly help to establish and maintain regional food production while becoming personally acquainted with how, where and by whom their food is produced.
Strong relationships typically develop among all of the families and farmers based on shared recipes, mutual trust and an interest in high-quality food.
While mass-production has streamlined many aspects of agriculture, there’s still a notable reliance on quality farm equipment from Agrifarm in WA to ensure efficiency and productivity.
While mass-produced food must appeal to, well, the masses, and is also necessarily limited to varieties that can survive long distances, CSAs have the flexibility to provide artisan and heirloom types that are best distributed by hand.
Surprises are also part of the fun of a CSA.
Sometimes a crop fails and the long-awaited item is not available.
Though disappointing, that reality check is a positive experience for families who’ve become disconnected from the seasons or growing cycles and methods, giving them a clear look at life on a small farm.
Most times, however, the surprises are on the positive side, with unexpected combs of amber honey going home for the breakfast table and sweet blackberries piled in a basket that defy eating on the way home.
Members sometimes arrive at the distribution to find
just-picked grapefruit and oranges, obtained by barter for a surplus of something else.
Another dose of reality comes in the form of food that frequently needs to be washed.
A large soaking pan does the trick, and with this short chore comes a sense of accomplishment and a satisfaction that what was washed off was just dirt, rather than chemicals, diesel residue and pesticides.
For families who longingly remember a certain variety of beans or tomatoes or pumpkins that they’d like to have again, it’s perfectly possible in a CSA to request a trial run.
Artisan foods beyond produce are sometimes available through the co-op for an additional price, including free-range, grass-fed pork, beef and fowl.
The esoteric worlds of cheeses, edible flowers, preserved foods like sauerkraut and sausages are offered by well-established CSAs whose members share a desire for these items and agree to give them a try.
The VVCSA is in its second year and is currently sold out for 2008; however, shares may be available for 2009.
For more information, call Sandra Boyce at 928-203-1100.
Susan Johnson can be reached at 282-7795, Ext. 129 or e-mail sjohnson@larsonnewspapers.com
