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CSA/NSA Information
2010
NSA shares are now available! See below for details.
********************
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) provides
consumers with a direct connection to the farm that produces their food.
CSA members make an upfront financial contribution to the farm, and
receive weekly shares of the best the farm has to offer. The Heirloom
Gardens CSA produces food grown within Northwest Denver, so the harvest
travels just a few miles (or a few blocks!) to reach the members. This
model of neighborhood production is often called Neighborhood Supported
Agriculture (NSA).
A Shared Commitment: Shared Risks,
Shared Rewards
NSA allows members to
support farmers by agreeing to share in the risks and rewards of food
production. The Heirloom Gardens farmers and volunteers will utilize
organic, biointensive and sustainable growing methods to produce a wide
variety of crops for the community. In a well-functioning NSA, with
Mother Nature's cooperation, shareholders can expect to receive more
than their money's worth of fresh vegetables and herbs throughout the
growing season. However, since nature offers no guarantees, Heirloom
Gardens cannot guarantee its weekly or seasonal offerings although every
effort will be made to do so. Members understand that NSA share payments
are non-refundable.
A
Season's Bounty
The 2010 Heirloom
Gardens harvest season runs for 20 weeks, from May 26th - October 6th.
We specialize in heirloom varieties and will be planting vegetables and herbs. Our NSA members are always our priority when
we harvest, receiving the best the farm produces in each week. You can
click here to view a list of the
vegetables and herbs we will be planting in 2010. Eating
locally is, by definition, eating seasonally, so we will only produce
food in time with
nature's calendar.
Some Special
Benefits of NSAs
-
Your food is not just local, but
ULTRA local! You have the ability to, any time you'd
like, visit the "farm" and see for
yourself how your food is grown.
-
Your food is always handed
to you by someone who actually grew it, so you have a
face-to-face connection with your
farmers, and have someone readily available if you have
any questions about your vegetables or how to prepare
them.
-
Your food is grown through
volunteer labor -- young adults,
retirees, families, etc. -- who want to get hands-on
experience in gardening. You never have to worry about
the labor practices on your farm.
-
You get to enjoy
heirloom varieties, and discover the wonderful
tastes that go along with them!
-
Your food is grown on land
that was previously resource-consuming lawn, or weedy
open space -- now transformed for food
production.
-
You're participating in
something that is helping to build community
in the place where you live.
How to
Participate
Shares will be
distributed at the main HG site in Northwest Denver (near I-70 &
Sheridan) on Wednesday afternoons from 4:00-7:00. For the 2010 season we have Regular Shares (for a
family of 2-3 people) available for $400.
Please
click here to download the Registration Agreement. Agreements need to be mailed to Heirloom Garden, along with
payment, to complete the registration. We have a limited number of
shares available, and they will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.
Know Your
Food, Know Your Farmer!
NSA members are
welcome to make an appointment to come by and visit the garden sites
anytime. They are also welcome to join our volunteers in the different
farming activities - including seed starting, transplanting,
fertilizing, weeding, and harvesting. Click
here if you would like to volunteer.
Many thanks
to Community Roots, Angelic Organics, Grant Family Farms, and Abbondanza
for providing inspiration and examples of how CSAs can be structured. |
