Page 1 of 1

CSA - meeting notes

Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:59 pm
by Dan Slife
Hello,

This Saturday's meeting was a great success. The LEAF Community has nearly doubled in size over the last 72 hours. That's quite amazing.

We're doing critical ground work here, something that's not happening in most places U.S.A. With your continued participation it is possible that the L.E.A.F. Community will make a significant, transformative impact on the health, culture and economy of Lakewood.

If you choose to commit to a CSA we need to know who you are and which program you're registering with. If you choose Covered Bridges Gardens you will also need to include your veggie preferences.

For those who attended Saturday's meeting, please pardon my digression; skip to section II for CSA information.

For those who've come to the table late, missing this meeting, here's a brief overview of what we're doing and how to get involved. Section II describes your options for CSA participation, registration forms are attached in pdf format, and both include additional program information.

I. L.E.A.F. Community: General info

Mission Statement: Lakewood Earth And Food Community is dedicated to the development of a more sustainable, healthful and economically viable community through actions producing broad access to the purchasing, growing and trading of fresh, local foods and culture.

By fulfilling this mission as a community, we are embarking on a social and economic enterprise which radically diverges from the status quo, yet is both pragmatic and prudent, given the spirit of the times.

We are focusing our collective energies on 4 main initiatives: Community Gardening, Bulk Buying, Soil Building, and participation in CSA programs. Do you have interest and/or experience in any or all of these four areas?

For general information, please send a message to leafcommunity@gmail.com

Our website is currently under construction: www.leafcommunity.org

II CSA INFORMATION

Below is general meeting information about Covered Bridges and City Fresh. If you have specific questions, you can contact me directly at djslife@gmail.com , or, you can go directly to the source (contact info below).

If you choose to commit to a CSA we need to know who you are and which program you're registering with. If you choose Covered Bridges Gardens you will also need to include your veggie preferences. The deadline is April 7th.

1. Covered Bridges Gardens, Mick and Kay Prochko

(440) 858-2569 Office

(440) 862-1682 Mobile

Last year, the core group of LEAF Community participated in the Covered Bridges CSA program. Having an overall positive experience with the produce from Covered Bridges, we thought it wise to continue this relationship while building our numbers in order to ameliorate some for the negatives from last year's season.

Chief complaint: proportion of crops not to the buyer's liking. Some got too many peppers, some not enough. Some got too much kale, others..... not enough.

This year, we will leverage our strength in numbers to influence the amount and type of crops which the Prochko's will plant. If you decide to commit to Covered Bridges, you will need to include your veggie preferences in response to this message. They will grow approximately 25 crops during this season (see attached registration sheet for seasonal selections).

On Pesticides: Covered Bridges uses both organic and non-organic pest management chemicals ONLY AS A LAST RESORT, to save threatened crops.

Corn is usually sprayed near the end of the season when worms become an issue.

We will work closely with Covered Bridges throughout the growing season to keep you informed as to what has been sprayed. Depending on our level of participation (yet to be determined), we may be able to opt out of chemical use for certain crops. We will assess this possibility with Covered Bridges upon receiving your responses.

If you're still concerned, don't hesitate to contact Mick directly at the above mentioned telephone number.

In sum, by entering into this relationship as a group we open up the possibility to influencing the produce we receive as well as the pest management methods employed by the farmer.

For pricing and info on Covered Bridges Gardens, please refer to the attached registration sheet.

2. City Fresh, Maurice Small

Office:216.429.8238

www.gotthenac.org

City Fresh is an aggregator of locally grown produce. By working with over 25 local producers, including Covered Bridges, City Fresh pulls together high variety yield, which is distributed through their share bag program and at Fresh Stop markets throughout the region.

LEAF Community will be working with City Fresh in order to bring a Fresh Stop to Lakewood. At a fresh stop, share bags are distributed and additional produce is sold, market style.

City Fresh is working with a handful of larger producers (Covered Bridges Gardens included) and over 20 small farms within the city of Cleveland and region, all independently owned and operated.

From their website: www.gotthenac.org "The City Fresh initiative brings together fifteen community partners from across Northeast Ohio committed to building a just and sustainable food system for the region. City Fresh focuses on improving local food access in traditional urban centers in Northeast Ohio. Barriers to accessing fresh, local, and nutritious foods include: distribution challenges in connecting local farmers with consumers, lack of education about nutrition, vacant lots in cities untapped for food production potential, and income. "

As City Fresh is aggregating produce from multiple sources, it is unclear to what extent LEAF Community members will have access to knowledge about chemical use, or influence over the use of such chemicals per share bag. If you are interested in City Fresh and concerned about pesticide use / tracking, please contact City Fresh directly. This is an afterthought not vetted during the discussion on Saturday.

Several members of LEAF Community participated in Last years City Fresh share program. They were pleased with the variety and quality that City Fresh delivers.

For pricing and info on the City Fresh share program, see attached registration sheet.


Registration

Your commitment needs to be registered no later than Saturday April 7th. This early deadline is necessary in order to negotiate on crops and chemical use with Covered Bridges, and to secure a Fresh Stop in Lakewood.

If you are interested, send me a private message through this website.

Dan