Community Supported Agriculture Available to all Johns Hopkins students and staff - 2009 season: June 9 - Nov 17
- Pickup times: Tuesdays from 3:30-4:45pm at JHSPH
- Prior to March 15, a full share costs $485 - only $20 per week for enough fresh, organic produce for a family of four
- After March 15, a full share costs $540
- Pay online or by check
What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?
CSA is a way for consumers to buy produce directly from farmers. Payment is made up front which helps cover production costs of the farm and guarantees a degree of financial support that can help enable small farms to remain in business. The CSA movement originated in Japan in the 1960’s to address concerns about the environmental impact and the quality of the food produced by industrial agriculture. The name for this movement, Teikei (“cooperation” in Japanese), is philosophically translated to “food with the farmer’s face on it”. CSAs provide the opportunity for consumers to have a relationship with farmers, know where their food is grown and gain direct knowledge about the farming practices. By buying food locally and directly consumers support a family, their farm and the community. Food produced locally is also fresher and tastier than produce grown using industrial methods which often pick produce weeks before peak ripeness and rely on varieties selected for hardiness not flavor. The CSA Project at JHSPH
The Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) initiated the first CSA project at Johns Hopkins University in 2007 with One Straw Farm. One Straw Farm has been operating as a certified organic farm for 22 years and has run a CSA for 6 years. Joining the CSA entitles members to receive eight varieties of produce items every week (enough for a family of four) delivered to JHSPH from June 9 - November 17, 2009. The produce items vary according to what is in season, and include (just to name a few) cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, squash, spinach, chard, sweet potatoes, raspberries and watermelon. Members often split a share with someone. Only one membership is necessary; CSA partners are responsible for splitting costs, organizing produce pickup and divvying up items. Last year over 50 students, faculty and staff of JHSPH and the School of Nursing signed up for the CSA. Every year, four additional shares are donated to a local community organization in support of food security activities. CLF hopes to see this project grow and add more drop off sites throughout East Baltimore next year. If you have any questions or feedback, and / or are interested in establishing a drop- off site near you, please contact Brent Kim, CLF’s CSA coordinator, or visit One Straw Farm. Additional resources and information: One Veggie at a Time: The JHSPH CSA recipe blog Recipes from One Straw Farm Short video about a North Carolina CSA Kayam Farm is located at the Pearlstone Jewish Retreat Center in Reisterstown. Kayam (which means "enduring" in Hebrew but also "sustainable") cultivates environmentally and spiritually rooted Jewish culture in Baltimore, the Chesapeake watershed and beyond, in part by sponsoring an organic CSA program. Other CSAs in the Mid-Atlantic
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