Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
Camp Joy shares the fruits (and vegetables!) of the garden with 25 families from the San Lorenzo Valley through its Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. CSA is a way to bring small farms and interested community members together for mutual benefit. CSA creates a relationship between people who love fresh food and flowers, and gardners who love to grow it. In the early spring, CSA members sign up for the program and purchase a share of the gardens produce for the entire season. In return, they receive a bountiful basket of Camp Joy’s fruits and vegetables every week throughout the late spring, summer and early fall. CSA members are also invited to spend time at the farm every week when they pick up their basket. Many people bring their children to check in on the goats, pick a few blackberries, wander along the garden paths and watch the peaches ripen.
The contents of the weekly baskets is based on what the garden can produce in our unique microclimate. CSA members enjoy eating what is in season, starting with an abundance of tender spring greens, followed by summer standbys like carrots, beets, peaches, apples and green beans, and followed by the heat loving crops of late summer: tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. Space and are cool nights prevent us from producing some crops, such as corn and melons. Beautiful bouquets of flowers are available in a separate flower CSA.
Members pick up their shares on the front porch of the farmhouse on either Tuesday or Saturday morning. The share price for the regular CSA in 2009 is $550 for 19 weeks; the flower share price is $176 for 19 weeks.
If you are interested in learning more about Camp Joy’s CSA, please contact us in January-March at (831) 338-3651.