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Community Supported Agriculture Reconnects People to the Land

Share in the bounty of local farms.

Wendy and Alan Gorfain are both vegan and buy organic produce as much as possible. They reside in a wooded area in Avon not conducive to growing their own garden. Joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program six years ago seemed like a perfect alternative.

A CSA is a prepaid subscription to a local farm’s produce for the season. Members, known as “shareholders,” pay in advance in the winter. This upfront payment helps finance the farm’s operating costs prior to the growing season.

When it's harvest time (typically for about 20 weeks, from June to October), members reap the benefits. The farm provides members with a weekly supply of about six to ten different seasonal fresh vegetables, herbs and fruits.  The produce is guaranteed to be freshly picked and grown without chemicals.

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“My husband I eat a great deal of produce. We have a philosophy that favors such a community,” said Wendy, who added the CSA arrangement is an “excellent bargain for the amount of food we receive.”

The Gorfains belong to Holcomb Farm CSA in West Granby. Holcomb Farm is one of several certified-organic farms in the region and is a member of the Connecticut Chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA).

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Every Saturday morning, as part of their summer routine, the Gorfains drive to West Granby. Holcomb Farm also offers "pick-your-own" vegetables, herbs and fruit.

“We get so excited as the season begins and let nothing get in the way of our farm schedule,” said Wendy.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the most recent data (collected in 2007) show that 12,549 farms in the U.S. reported selling products through a CSA program. The CT Chapter of NOFA lists a dozen farms in the Greater Hartford region with a CSA program.

A CSA offers consumers a way to support local farms and to share a portion of the harvest. Emily and Dave Baffaro of West Hartford, shareholders in the Holcomb Farm CSA, especially enjoy sampling new vegetables.

“We wanted to eat local and in season,” said Emily. “We also like trying a variety of vegetables we might not necessarily buy on our own.”

For the first time, Adamah Farm, which claims to be the largest Jewish educational farm in North America, has set up a CSA with weekly pick-up offered at the Mandell JCC in West Hartford. The 10-acre farm is located in Falls Village and is a program of the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center.

In the late afternoon on Thursdays, from June until November, more than 50 shareholders of the Jewish Local Greens CSA of West Hartford arrive at the JCC with shopping bags and take home produce such as kale, bok choi, collards, lettuce, broccoli, scallions, spinach, radishes and beets. August will yield watermelon, tomatoes, eggplant and carrots. If one “share” (about two bags filled with produce) is too much for one family, members can split a share and divide the produce with a share partner.

Adamah is a unique CSA because Greater Hartford area community members have done all the work to sign up shareholders. Members have organized a pick-up and volunteer schedule to set up produce on tables outside the JCC, said Sarah Chandler, associate director of Adamah.

“We were looking for a community to share our values and be in a relationship with us,” said Chandler, adding that a core group of people representing several Hartford area synagogues are the main organizers.

According to the Jewish Local Greens website, the CSA “is a mutually beneficial partnership where urban consumers receive fresh, nutritious vegetables while helping to sustain the livelihood and stewardship of regional farmers.”

Leftover harvest and some damaged produce are delivered weekly to the Food Bank sponsored by Jewish Family Services of Greater Hartford, said Chandler.

According to the Holcomb Farm CSA website, the Farm’s Fresh Access Program provides thousands of pounds of fresh produce each season to area social service organizations. These organizations then distribute the produce to the communities they serve, such as low-income seniors in Granby and Hartford.

Martha Page, executive director of the Hartford Food System, which sponsors the CSA program Grow Hartford, said, “Our experience shows there’s a great deal of interest in fresh fruits and vegetables and in knowing where they came from.” Grow Hartford has three full sites: On Laurel, Broad and Zion Streets, and a newly established site at the corner of Park and Main Streets. Page said that this year excess produce is delivered to Hands on Hartford and the South Park Inn.

Sharon Bercowetz of West Hartford is in her second year as a member of Grow Hartford. She loves having “an endless supply of veggies,” and is proud that Grow Hartford supports Hartford residents who meet income eligibility requirements. 

Share the bounty, but also the risk

One risk with a CSA is that severe weather may ruin crops and a harvest. Hailstorms in the spring tore lots of leaves off spinach at Adamah Farm in the Berkshires. Flooded fields drowned broccoli and radish fields at Adamah. An infestation of pests or a drought may also affect harvests.

“Let’s face it, in New England we are subject to weather,” noted Wendy Gorfain, who quickly added that despite bad weather last year Holcomb Farm did everything they could to offer other items when certain vegetables weren't available.

Membership costs vary, with a full membership typically around $500 and half-memberships about $300. Generally, farms have fully subscribed their shares and there is a waiting list. But many of these farms reserve produce to sell at their farm stands or at farmers’ markets.

On July 28, 4-7 p.m., Adamah Farm will hold a farmers’ market in the lobby at the Mandell JCC in West Hartford, selling kosher pickles, cheese, jams and jellies as well as seasonal organic produce.

Several farms offer special days when members can help out on the farms or join in special activities. Holcomb Farm offers movie nights, yoga classes and hikes on Saturday mornings and a progressive pot luck, said Gorfain. Adamah Farm held a Farm Day in June and will hold another on Oct. 16. In August, shareholders will be invited to help harvest beans and peas.

“As long time members, we have watched the farm grow and develop,” said Wendy Gorfain about Holcomb Farm. “Just one visit to the farm and when you see the fields, you will understand the tireless hours and passion that goes into running the farm.”

“We feel blessed to have such an opportunity close by.”

 

Regional farms with a CSA program:

According to the Connecticut Chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association, the following farms have a CSA program:

Bristol’s Farm

541 Albany Tpke.

Canton, CT

860-977-6948

www.wildcarrotfarm.com

First Bloom Farm Cut Flower CSA

24 Dyer Avenue

Collinsville, CT

860-693-9380

Maggie@firstbloomfarm.com

George Hall Farm

180 Old Farms Road

Simsbury, CT

860-658-9297

www.georgehallfarm.com

Holcomb Farm CSA

111 Simsbury Road

West Granby, CT

860-653-5554

www.holcombfarmcsa.org

Windham Gardens

87 Notch Road

Granby, CT

860-798-7989

info@windhamgardensonline.com

Adamah Farm

Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center

116 Johnson Road

Falls Village, CT

www.adamah.org

Grow Hartford

86 Park Street, 2nd Floor

Hartford, CT

www.hartfordfood.org

Dinebergs Farm

Canton and Windsor

www.dinebergsfarm.com

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