August is bringing changes and challenges to the way that co-op members subscribe to Community Supported Agricuture (CSA).
The Lake County Community Co-op issued a reminder last week about its new monthly single-box system. July 30 was the final day to order CSA boxes for August.
I”ve watched the co-op as it continues to evolve and noticed that its two-box combination of “purist” and supplemental produce became too much for my family to eat. My household consists of only two people and even though we reduced the frequency that we ordered food through the co-op, much of the food still ended up going to waste.
The $15 model consists of one box with a full variety of fruits and vegetables obtained from local farmers first, regional farmers second and the co-op”s distributor third.
Orders are placed monthly, by the last Thursday of the month for the coming month”s boxes.
Members can also buy freshly-baked organic bread from Main Street Bakery in Kelseyville. The co-op “bread share,” at $5 a loaf, costs $20 for the month. Buyers receive one loaf of bread with their CSA order each week.
Bringing direct benefit to local growers is an exciting component of the current CSA practice. The co-op has advocated all along for giving local growers a market to sell directly to consumers. The weekly Friday Night Farmers” Market is one successful venture that emerged from the co-op”s efforts. The market, now in its second year, is organized in partnership with the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce. It meets each Friday afternoon at Redbud Park in Clearlake.
The other emerging venture is to involve local growers in filling the CSA box. The co-op recently announced that it is working with two local growers: Barber”s Country Farm and Leonardis Organics. There is also a link on the co-op”s Wiki site, http://lakecountycommunityco-op.wikispaces.com/, for other local farmers and producers who “Wanna supply the Co-op?” Local suppliers that meet its requirements are invited to contact the co-op via buyer@lakeco-op.org.
I observe a potential problem, however, in having to pay up front for all four boxes each month. When you pay $60 for the month, you are committing to take a CSA box every week.
That may still be a lot of food depending on the size of your household. It would be so much easier to pay your $60 and then stretch acquisition of your boxes over a longer interval: but it would probably be a book-keeping headache for hardworking co-op volunteers.
One possible solution proposed by the co-op is to share the weekly boxes with another member of the co-op, either by splitting up a box or taking it on alternating weeks. It”s entirely up to you, however, to establish these connections. I hope that the co-op implements a forum to help members communicate.
Coming up with the monthly lump sum may also present challenges; the co-op recommends setting aside a little bit each month until you have the $60 you need to pay for your first month; after that, the co-op advises, the cycle should “pay for itself.”
As always, the co-op has an ongoing need for volunteers to staff drop points and pick-up sites as well as serve in other capacities. For more information, visit http://lakecountycommunityco-op.wikispaces.com/Member+Contributions.
Orders and payments can be made online at http://lakecountycommunityco-op.wikispaces.com/CSA+Orders.
Cynthia Parkhill is the focus pages editor for the record-Bee and editor of the Clear Lake Observer?American. She can be contacted at ObserverAmerican@gmail.com or 263-5636 ext. 28.
