Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
What is a CSA share?
CSA is a food distribution model where you receive a portion
of the farm’s harvest each week during the summer. The
weekly allotment of produce is called a share. Different vegetables
become available as the fields grow and crops are ready to
be harvested.
A share feeds a typical family of four each
week.
Garden City Harvest offers two main CSA options, the PEAS Farm CSA and the River Road Grubshed CSA. Our CSAs offer a way for people to connect to food, farming and a sense of place. Our two CSAs are similar in the vegetables they offer, but involvement, pricing, and amounts are different for each program.
PEAS Farm CSA
The Farm CSA grows 80 organic shares at its 6.5 acre Rattlesnake farm. PEAS and Youth Harvest students help to grow these vegetables and flowers throughout the summer.
These shares usually sell out
in early spring so be sure to order your share early! The yearly average for a share is about 200 pounds of freshly picked
organic produce.
Cost: The cost of a PEAS Farm CSA is $400. By operating the CSA we generate money to grow the remaining food on our farm for the Missoula Food Bank and the Poverello Center, allowing us to meet our mission of growing healthy vegetables for those who are the most in need.
If you cannot afford this cost there are several options to still participate. You can fill out a low-moderate income application to receive a $100 discount off your CSA, or you can participate in our River Road Grubshed program, which is less expensive and has a work component.
Please contact us at 523.3663 or email us if you need a low-income application.
There is a flower option available with the Farm CSA
for just $40 (Flowers start in July, weather permitting).
Pick-Up: Weekly shares are picked up on Mondays or Thursdays
at the PEAS Farm in the Rattlesnake between 4:30 and 6 pm.
Produce
is harvested the day of pick-up, washed, and set out buffet
style on a long table before you arrive.
An alternate pickup is the Garden City Harvest office at 103 Hickory St (near McCormick Park) on Mondays between 4:30 and 6
pm. If you cannot pick up your share, you may send a friend for
it.
Any produce not picked up is taken to the Missoula
Food Bank or Poverello Center.
PEAS Farm CSA is sold out for the 2008 season.
River Road GrubshedCSA
The River Road Grubshed, located at 1631 River Road, is a CSA program that encourages your participation and connection with the food you eat.
The Grubshed Program sells 20 summer and 12 winter CSA shares.This program
is similiar to the CSA program offered through the PEAS Farm
but has more of a hands on approach. You are required to help in the garden
three times (ten hours) during the growing season*.
Cost: A summer share is $300 (+10 hours of work) for 18 weeks of vegetables (half shares are available).
A winter share is $400 (+10 hours of work) for 450 pounds of food that you can freeze, can, or store for the winter.
*You can pay an extra $50 in lieu of work component.
Pick-Up:Vegetables and flowers
will be picked up Mondays from 5-6:30pm or Thursdays from 5-6:30 pm at the River Road Garden.
Orchard Gardens CSA
Orchard Gardens is offering a short season CSA for low-moderate income members of our community. This CSA will offer approximatly 12-14 weeks of veggies, including greens, tomatoes, carrots, brocoli, potatoes, squash and more.
Please contact 523.3663 for more information on this CSA and to see if you income qualtify.
Veggies in our CSAs
Crops grown and harvested at the PEAS Farm and River Road usually include:
- Basil,
broccoli, beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac,
chard, chinese cabbage, collards, sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant,
kale, leeks, lettuce, onions (sweet and storage), parsnips,
peas (sugar, snap and snow), peppers (sweet and hot), potatoes,
pumpkins (jack-o-lanterns and pie), scallions, spinach, squash (winter and summer), tomatoes (varieties for canning), & turnips.
Benefits
- Enjoy fresh, locally grown, organic vegetables and flowers
without all the work!
- Save money.
- Your participation in this program helps support Garden City Harvet's
food donations to the Missoula Food Bank, the Poverello
Center, the Joseph Residence, and other local
hungry families. Last year we were able to give approximately 30,000
pounds of food to local hunger agencies in Missoula.
- Participate in an ecologically-conscious gardening/agricultural
program.
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