O.U.R CSA
(Community Supported Agriculture)
Registration for OUR 2019 CSA Program is OPEN!
What’s a CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture is a system which connects the producer (farmers) to consumers by allowing them to “subscribe” to the harvests of the year. It is alternative to typical food-distribution models, by “cutting out the middle-men” and allowing consumers to pick their food up directly from the farmer.
In return for subscribing to OUR CSA, you receive a weekly box of produce that also includes items such as meats, eggs, jams, dried fruits, herbal medicines, other preserves, and breads. Everything you receive will be organic and from OUR permaculture farm (with exceptions to the bread which we get at a local organic bakery).
Also included is a weekly newsletter informing you of the happenings on our farms, recipes and herbal medicine suggestions, and invitations to community building events.
Subscribing to a CSA box gives you the opportunity to build relationship with the Ecovillage by supporting our farming and sharing in the abundance of OUR Harvest.
The model is a subcategory of civic agriculture that has an overarching goal of strengthening a sense of community through local markets.
In return for subscribing to a harvest, subscribers receive either a weekly or bi-weekly box of produce or other farm goods. This includes in-season fruits and vegetables and can expand to dried goods, eggs, milk, meat, etc. Typically, farmers try to cultivate a relationship with subscribers by sending weekly letters of what is happening on the farm, inviting them for harvest, or holding an open-farm event.”
Some examples of a typical weekly box from our 2018 harvest
Options for OUR CSA
OUR Veggie Box
Includes vegetables for 2 or 3 people and fruit (when available), a recipe, and an occasional sample of a locally-made product or service
Full Season: $650 or 3 payments of $225
Half Season: $325 (Jun–Aug or Aug–Oct)
OUR Lifestyle Box
includes vegetables for 4 or 5 people and fruit where available, a surprise O.U.R. item, (e.g. eggs, sausages, canned goods), a recipe, and an occasional sample of a locally-made product or service
Full Season: $850 or 3 payments of $300
Half Season: $425 (Jun–Aug or Aug–Oct)
By signing up, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to the following terms and details:
- The boxes are available for pickup every week on Wednesdays between 2pm and 7pm from June 5th to October 16th, at O.U.R. ECOVILLAGE, 1565 Baldy Mountain Road.
- O.U.R. ECOVILLAGE (OUR) commits to make our best efforts to produce a generous amount of food for the cost paid by the customer. It is understood that the customers are contracting OUR to grow and harvest what the land will provide. There is no guarantee of a specific amount or variety of food. The intent of a Community Shared Agriculture program is to share in the risk and ensure the farmer a reasonable wage for their hard work.
- If the customer is not able to pick up their box at any time during the agreement period, s/he has these options: A) give or sell the box to a friend who can pick it up at O.U.R. ECOVILLAGE, B) donate their share to the CMS Food
Bank Society in Mill Bay. OUR does not give refunds for un-retrieved boxes. - The customer may bring their own container to load with their weekly harvest. OCA will provide a box for a $20 deposit fee. This fee will be refunded at the end of the season upon return of the empty box.
To purchase a share in OUR CSA, please fill out the form below. You will then be contacted by a member of OUR office staff to complete your payment and registration. If you have any questions about the CSA or the registration process, or have any challenges with the site, please email us at grow-food@ourecovillage.org.
