Welcome to the newly redesigned Ajo CSA website! But it’s not just the website that has been overhauled: in the past year, Ajo Community Supported Agriculture has moved from being a food importer and distributor to a food producer and supplier! We now offer organically grown local shares to Ajo residents, all grown in Ajo. We offer a wide variety of garden vegetables and desert foods providing a healthy and nutritious option for Ajo residents.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is an alternative model of the relationship between the farmer or gardener and the customer. This model eliminates the middleman, allowing the grower to form a direct relationship with the consumer, a partnership in which both parties share the abundance as well as the risks of growing food. The consumer not only gets a weekly “share” of what the grower grows, but also gets to know how her food is grown, and can influence what kind of food she wants to be grown for her family. The grower knows her customer, and thus knows how much and what kind of food she should grow. CSA seasonal shares are paid in advance, i.e. at the beginning of the season, which allows the grower to plan the season and collect the money for seeds, seedlings, compost and other expenses. In return, the grower promises to share the abundance from her garden. The size and variety of CSA shares vary from week to week.
We currently offer Ajo-grown shares that are grown by Nina and Betsy at 9 different gardens around town, called Coyote Gardens. We use the best organic, natural, sustainable practices, and open-pollinated heirloom seeds. In all of our actions we strive to take care of the earth and the people, and to give back. Pickups are held every Saturday morning at 9 am at Loma Bonita garden, or the members can pick up their share from the CSA refrigerator located at 901 Morondo at their convenience.
Sign Up for the Ajo CSA Backyard Gardening Program
Anyone interested in installing a garden in their backyard (or expanding their existing garden and/or orchard) can join our Backyard Gardening Program. This program is funded by a grant from the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, which allows us to provide funds for irrigation materials, fencing, construction materials, compost, seeds and seedlings. We organize work parties and provide technical assistance and advice, and encourage exchanges of knowledge in order to create a closely-knit backyard gardening community in Ajo. In return, we ask recipients (and all Ajo backyard gardeners who are so inclined) to sell a small percentage of their produce at the farmers market (on consignment) or donate it to the Ajo Community Food Bank. We also invite winter residents to allow us to glean any fruits and vegetables remaining in their gardens after they leave for the summer. For more information, contact Nina Altshul at kat.altshul@yahoo.com.
This Week's Planned Harvest
Week 10 of 11 (February 18, 2012):
Lettuce mix, I'itoi onions, a variety of greens (choose one - spinach, broccoli, chard, collards), and cilantro
NEWS
Sign-up for the Spring 2012 session is now open!
We will be offering two sizes of shares this spring: our standard 3+1 (3 items + 1 extra), six bi-weekly shares for $60, and an expanded share (5+1) at $95 for six shares. If you would like weekly shares, the price is $130 for 3+1 shares and $200 for 5+1 shares. The new session will run from March through the end of May. Sign up ends March 1.
Recipe of the Week
Collard Greens (by Nina Altshul)
Here's my favorite way of preparing collard greens: Wash the leaves and remove the stems. Chop up the leaves in 1/4" ribbons (or smaller). Heat up some good quality olive oil (1-2 Tbs), add a chiltepin chile or chipotle flakes and chopped fresh garlic (to taste, at least one clove), let sizzle for 30 seconds, and add the collard greens. Add salt to taste, stir, and let "fry" at medium heat until the greens wilt. If you wish, you can let them cook a bit longer, i.e. until they start becoming crisp. Remove from heat and serve. I like serving them as a simple side dish, but even more, I like adding them to my sweet potato burro (with some nice salsa), to a frittata, or as a spicy topping for a veggie soup or bean chile. (BTW, this is also an excellent way to START a soup: add some boiled potatoes to the cooked greens, add water and bring to a boil. Season to taste, slightly mash the potatoes in the pot, and serve.) If you like bacon, collard greens take real well to it so substitute bacon for olive oil, and start the dish off with frying bacon first. Enjoy!