CSA program delivers locally grown produce to students

Joan Norman, owner of One Straw Farm, spoke about the Community Supported Agriculture initiative yesterday. One Straw Farm is the largest certified organic vegetable farm in Md. One Straw Farm, owned by Norman and her husband, Drew Norman, supplies families, restaurants and wholesalers with the finest certified-organic produce.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is an initiative undertaken by One Straw Farm involving a mutually beneficial relationship between farmers and the community. Participants pay $515 for the entire growing season (June-November) in exchange for weekly shares of produce during harvest.

“Hopkins students should sign up for this program because it is a consistent, affordable way to receive local produce while supporting their local community. It provides a healthier option to students and a close pickup point to get fresh organic vegetables without the need for a distant commute,” Sustainability Outreach Associate Joanna Calabrese wrote in an email to The News-Letter.

Hopkins will host three pickup sites for CSA 2011. Staff, faculty and students are eligible to join and pick up their shares of produce every Wednesday from any of the three sites. For every ten shares the Office of Sustainability signs up, One Straw Farm donates one share of produce that will succor a supportive housing program for women in the Waverly neighborhood.

“I am extremely excited that One Straw Farm is willing to offer a ‘student’ share specifically for the fall months,” Real Foods co-president freshman Raychel Santo wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “It offers students an early exposure to the wonderful taste and joys of experiencing fresh, local foods and hopefully will make them advocates for life.”

Norman gave an overview of the program and spoke about how past participants have learned new recipes from the produce and improved their health through a better diet and weight lost.

“We at One Straw Farm grow a wide variety of produce like kale, arugula, bok choy, cucumbers, eggplant, watermelon, strawberry and a whole lot of others. What one will get in a share usually depends on the season,” Norman said. “ No two bags are ever the same.”

She also spoke about how for the first time this year the Hopkins Sustainability Office will also match students who want to receive only half a share up. Along with sending out emails when the produce arrives, they will also set a share aside in case it cannot be picked up that day.

Comparing to prices from the Waverly Farmer’s Market, Norman said in her speech that one saves over $100 per year on a full share. “To me, that’s a pretty great deal, considering you get eight quality organic foods each week,” Santo wrote.

Junior Alexandra Cohen has not heard much about the program, but she would consider participating in it if she had more information about it. “If I could find out more about it and how to get involved, I would probably do it in the future,” she said.

Calabrese feels that Hopkins students are starting to become more aware of their food options. “Some Hopkins students go to the farmer’s markets and other organic food grocery stores in the city,” she wrote. “Select classes on campus often educate students about the local food options here in Baltimore as well and encourage students to shop smart and locally.

The city itself has a culture of sustainable local food options, which becomes more relevant to students as they go off the meal plan.”

However, Calabrese says that the campus is not completely sustainable. “We do not have universally campus-wide sustainable food practices,” she wrote. “We hope to reach more students through CSA. More of the student body can actually participate in CSA for the first time and work out a payment plan to start receiving produce in September. CSA was traditionally for grad students, staff, faculty as well as the few undergraduates who stayed over the summer, but this new development with One Straw Farm will increase our pool of potential CSA participants and make it a more appealing option.”