FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael Silverman
(805) 756-6139
Cal Poly Offers Subscriptions for 2004 Organic Farm Produce Season
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Veggie fans are in luck: The Cal Poly Organic
Farm is
offering an expanded season for its annual Community Supported
Agriculture Program (CSA), which offers fresh organically grown fruits,
vegetables and herbs available weekly to subscribers.
Now in its fifth year, the program lets subscribers pick up a box of
fresh produce weekly at the Cal Poly Organic Farm. The box is designed
to supply a family of two to five members for a week, said Cal Poly
Horticulture and Crop Science Professor John Phillips, advisor to the
program. This year the program is expanding from 22 to 26 weeks, running
May 3 to Oct. 28, with an optional fall extension available for
subscribers wanting fresh produce through the holiday season.
For the first time this year, Cal Poly is partnering with North County
organic farms to add more warm-season crops to the weekly offerings. In
addition to fresh organic produce, subscribers receive a weekly
newsletter with seasonal recipes, produce tips, and invitations to arts
and crafts workshops, activities, barbecues and educational workshops
at
the Cal Poly Organic Farm, Phillips said.
“This really is a great program for families or friends who like
to cook
with the freshest fruit and produce, and people who want heirloom
varieties not available in stores,” Phillips said. “Depending
on
customer demand, we’re also looking at offering organic eggs and
expanding our orchards in 2004.”
Spring crops include strawberries, salad mix, carrots, cauliflower,
kale, broccoli, arugula, escarole, chard, beets and radishes. The summer
and fall crops include several varieties of tomatoes, watermelon,
melons, squash, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, celery, corn, potatoes,
onions, leeks and garlic, and herbs including rosemary, cilantro and
oregano.
The produce may be picked up at the Student Experimental Farm on Mondays
or Thursdays between 3 and 7 p.m. The program can also arrange special
drop-off locations; contact the Cal Poly Organic Farm with such
requests.
The program enables community members to receive a share of the harvest
while helping support the practice of organic farming at Cal Poly.
The cost for the 28-week membership is $520 and can be paid in one or
two installments. Subscribership is limited to 100; however, friends or
families who wish to split a membership and rotate weekly pick-ups are
welcome to do so.
For more information or a membership form, call Sarah Ritter, Community
Supported Agriculture manager, at 756-6139, or e-mail Michael Silverman
at msilvermsd@lycos.com.
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