What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
Share in the harvest.
In a CSA, a community is created between a local
farmer and consumers. The consumers purchase a "share" of the upcoming
harvest produced on the farm. The cost of a share is based on the true
costs of production. By purchasing a share, the consumers obtain farm-fresh,
organic produce on a weekly basis while helping to keep a local family
farm economically and environmentally viable.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) began in this country in 1985 in New England
as a way of supporting social and ecological responsibility in the local
community. Of the more than four hundred CSA's in the United States, a
majority adhere to the principles of sustainable agriculture by using
organic farming methods.
Shareholders of the Be Wise Ranch CSA, for example, not only enjoy farm-fresh certified organic produce, they also support the use of ecologically-responsible farming methods which improve the mineral and nutrient content of the soil, and recycle local green waste into compost. Organic farming helps preserve the water and air quality of their community by not using or encouraging the manufacture and use of chemical fertilizers, or dangerous chemical pesticides and herbicides.
A CSA brings the consumer and the farmer together - enhancing ecological diversity, facilitating the recycling of important nutrients and waste products, and maximizing the self-sufficiency of family farms.
What about you?
Would you
like weekly deliveries of vine- ripened tomatoes and melons, freshly picked
corn and vegetables, and sweet juicy oranges at a reasonable cost?
Would you like to eat vitamin- and nutrient-rich produce grown organically, without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides?
Would you like to encourage responsible, sustainable stewardship of a local, organic family farm right here in San Diego?
"Be wise" and join 600 other families in San Diego who are members of the Be Wise Ranch Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project, started in 1993.
Five reasons for joining Be Wise Ranch CSA:
You and
your family will be able to eat tasty and nutritious farm-fresh produce
year-round, delivered weekly (or every other week) to a location convenient to
your home.
You will enjoy a wide variety of fruits and vegetables grown organically, without the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.
You will encourage sustainable stewardship of a local family farm right here in San Diego.
You will join a community of 900 families in San Diego who are committed to social and ecological responsibility in the local community.
And you can do all this at a lower cost than buying the same produce at a supermarket!
Enjoy fresh produce year round at a reasonable cost.
Be Wise Ranch
grows a wide variety of organic fruits and vegetables. See our harvest
calendar for a complete list. Here in San Diego, we are blessed with
a long growing season and we are usually able to supply you with farm-fresh
produce year round. We specialize in growing organic fruits and vegetables
whose farm-fresh flavor cannot be bought in a supermarket, such as fresh
sweet corn and vine-ripened tomatoes. And, as a member of our CSA, you
receive all of this fresh, nutritious, organically grown produce, grown
locally on a family farm, delivered weekly to a convenient location to
you - for less than what you'd pay in a supermarket.
You can select a share size (large or small) and a delivery schedule (weekly or every other week) appropriate to your needs. Use the links below to learn more about the Be Wise Ranch CSA project. We deliver boxes of produce to our members on a weekly or every-other-week basis to many pick-up locations in San Diego - including State College, North Park, Mission Hills, Mira Mesa, Rancho Bernardo, Escondido, Ocean Beach/Pt. Loma, Pacific Beach, University City, Poway, Rancho Penasquitos, Scripps Ranch, Encinitas, Leucadia, Fallbrook, and Vista. You select the location that's most convenient for you.
For more information, see our CSA FAQ's
