Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
What is CSA? | Sign up for CSA on-line
Avalon Organic Gardens, Farm, and Ranch
Originally started in Sedona, Arizona in 1994, Avalon Organic Gardens and Farm has supported more than 100 people with fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs, meat, and dairy products. In 2007 the gardens and farm were moved to Tumacacori, Arizona, located south of Tubac in the Santa Cruz Valley, and became Avalon Organic Gardens, Farm, and Ranch. Our 165-acre ranch land was farmed for many centuries continuously, and we are honoring this tradition and plan on annually increasing the quality of its products and the beautification of all its special places. Our mission is to make this land again a sacred place, as Father Kino used these lands to start the Tumacacori Mission in 1691 which included large grazing fields and gardens to provide for its indigenous community and neighbors. (Now the Tumacacori Mission, bordering our ranch land, is a National Historic Park.)
What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a concept of partnering between agriculturalists and the people who use the gardener’s produce. This grassroots movement started in the USA in the late 1980s, based on ideas from Europe and Japan. Members of a CSA support the farmers as they tend the earth in a responsible and sacred way while growing the highest quality produce. The average produce travels 1,500 miles to get to your plate. Eating locally is environmentally friendly and sustainable. The following websites provide more information www.csafarms.org and www.umassvegetable.org
How does it work?
We—the gardeners and farmers of Avalon Organic Gardens, Farm, and Ranch—are responsible for the planting, tending, and harvesting of the crops. CSA members buy a share of our harvest in advance of the growing season. Each week during the growing season members pick up their share of the harvest at a designated location. From June until November (for 24 weeks) there will be a variety of fresh vegetables in the harvest. We will fill your personalized crate every week according to your share and you will receive as much variety and quantity as conditions allow. Most seasons, there are some crops that do exceptionally well and others that produce less than expected. As partners in agriculture, we share the benefits of bumper crops and the risks of a crop failure.
Avalon Organic Gardens, Farm, and Ranch cannot guarantee the quantity or what produce will be available.
What are we growing for you?
The produce we hope to provide includes: basil, bush beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, chard, cilantro, collards, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, kale, lettuce, melons, parsley, parsnip, peppers (sweet and hot), pumpkin, radish, spinach, summer and winter squash, sweet potatoes, tomato, and many other surprises. We are growing varieties that you may not find in standard grocery settings. We choose to grow heirloom, native, and GMO-free seeds in order to preserve and protect our food supply. The big question for you will be how much, when, and what kind of vegetables do you receive in your share? We sort and deliver what matures week by week. Some vegetables come early; some take all summer to produce. For example, welcome cabbage to your plate in June, but be patient for melons, which will come in late August.
Is the produce “organic”?
Though our gardening and farming is organic in practice, the USDA rules prohibit the label "organic" on actual produce if the farm is not certified, and we are working towards that certification. During this transition time our vegetables are grown without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. What we do is love the earth and grow healthy soil, using permaculture methods including biodynamics that will, in turn, grow healthy plants that are resistant to pests and disease. Our members know us and trust our methods, and can observe our practices.
What are the benefits of joining our CSA program?
- Fresh locally-grown produce reserved for you throughout the growing season.
- Food nurtured by loving hands on sacred ground.
- Weekly pickup at designated locations.
- Food that is picked ripe and delivered fresh.
- Produce that has not been sprayed with chemicals.
- Healthy foods for healthy lifestyle.
- A wide variety of heirloom, native, and GMO-free vegetables.
- Produce at a discount from market prices.
- Participating in sustainable living by lessening the unnecessary costs for shipping produce worldwide.
- Becoming part of our Worldwide Community Friends Alliance—These are friends who may belong to our Global Community Communications Alliance Church, or they may attend our various activities, classes, Sunday Services, or just come and enjoy the gardens and have a great meal with us! If you are interested to volunteer time in the gardens you are welcome to learn and work right beside us.
- All proceeds will support the expansion and development of Avalon Organic Gardens, Farm, and Ranch and the agricultural training efforts of Global Community Communications Alliance Church in their Personality Integration Rehabilitation Program for Teens and Adults. Ask for more information if interested. (www.pirp.info)
Share Types Available
- Single Person Share: Suggested minimum donation of $290
- Family Share (2-4 people): Suggested minimum donation of $490
This covers 24 weeks of harvest, from June 19, 2008 until November 26, 2008. We have a limited amount of shares available, so sign up as soon as possible. First come, first serve. Visitors welcomed.
Calendar
- Send in payment in full ASAP. Other payment plans are available if needed. Contact us.
- June 19, 2008 First pick up. Every Thursday 3-7 PM
- Nov 26, 2008 Last pick up, for Thanksgiving!
How to Sign Up?
Signing up for our CSA program is easy:
Just click here to sign up for the Avalon Organic Gardens, Farm, and Ranch CSA program on-line
but before you do, you may want to visit us first. Visiting is easy too, just give us a call at (520) 603-9932, or email us. We feel our CSA members are part of our extended family.You may also send a check or money-order to
Global Community Communications AllianceMake checks payable to "Global Community Communications Alliance". Include full payment for your share and include the following information:
attn: CSA Program
P.O. Box 4910
Tubac, AZ 85646
- Name
- Address
- Phone
- E-Mail (if available)
- Share Type: Family or Single
Contact Information
Avalon Organic Gardens, Farm, and Ranch
attn: CSA Program
P.O. Box 4910
Tubac, AZ 85646
Phone: (520) 603-9932
Email:
Website: www.avalongardens.org