Fresh Food on a Budget

“I am so proud of New Brunswick, slowly getting the ball rolling to create a culture of responsibly sourced, locally economical, quality food! (...) and of course something fun to check out,” says Gabby Aron, an AmeriCorps student who works for Elijah’s Promise. And she knows what she’s talking about. Gabby is the coordinator of the new and exciting New Brunswick CSA.

The basic idea of CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is that a group of “members” (consumers, that is) purchase “shares” in a farm’s harvest. Members pay at the beginning of the season when the farmer needs the money most. When the crops start coming in the farmer delivers a weekly assortment of vegetables, herbs and some fruit. You support sustainable agriculture, your local economy and get freshly picked organic local produce at reasonable prices.

The New Brunswick CSA is unique in its affordable payment arrangements. “We want to create access to organic fresh food for people who normally won’t have access to it in urban setting,” says Gabby, “our goal is to make sure anyone can participate, regardless of income.”  

So how does it work? There are a number of ways to participate in the New Brunswick CSA.  A full price share costs $600, which works out to $25 a week. This is way less than what you’d have paid for organic local vegetables at a store. You may also split a share with a friend. People with lower income can purchase a share on a sliding scale which requires a 10% deposit at sign up, and then weekly payments at the time of pick up.  Members can add a share at Elijah's Promise's CSB (Community Supported Bakery, same idea but with baked goods.) Later in the season there will be a fruit share. The share boxes include recipes and storage tips so you can make the most of your share. Pick up is at Elijah’s Promise.

A typical share includes 6-10 varieties of fresh local  produce grown by farmer John Krueger of Starbrite Farm in Andover, NJ. John Krueger has been farming for over 25 years.  He grows and shares his produce with close to 700 members. Some of his other CSA sites include Metuchen, Westfield, Montclair, Newark and Staten Island.

Gabby plans cooking demos and field trips to the farm to deepen members’ understanding of their food as well as their connections with each other. “We’d like to change the inequality common in the way people eat.” she says, “I really like it that different people from different background get the same quality food”

Wendell Berry said “Eating is an Agricultural Act.” Let me add to it - “Eating is an Act of Social Awareness”. To learn more, click here: http://www.elijahspromise.org/what-we-do/csa/