2017 Waitlist




<< Back to main

Value in Your CSA

Posted 8/20/2016 11:34am by Josie Hart.

 

Dear Shareholders,

It can be hard to quantify the value you are getting by purchasing a CSA share: it’s in the quality of the produce, which is much higher than that found in an average grocery store; it’s in the time or hassle saved by avoiding crowds and parking issues at farmers’ markets; it’s in the relationships built through being part of this community. 

While value is found in all of these ways and more, we wanted to highlight another way: price.

In an effort to make our comparison as “apples to apples” as possible, we’ll compare the CSA to a farmers’ market (prices based on average Denver markets). Your share at the beginning of the season cost you $500 for approximately 23 weeks of produce. That averages out to a little under $22 a week. 

First, let's take a look at the early season shares of this year:

CSA Produce Item                                      Farmer's market price

1/2 # salad mix                                         $4 
collard greens                                           $3
hakurei turnip                                            $3
lettuce heads, butter or red                        $2
green garlic                                               $3
parsley                                                     $2
cilantro                                                     $2

The price for this early season share at a farmers’ market would cost approximately $19--very close to the weekly amount ($22) you are paying. 

Now, we’re in peak season. Let's look at last week's CSA share:

CSA Produce Item                                      Farmer's market price

3/4# green bush beans                               $2.50      
2# heirloom tomatoes                                 $8
1# bell/Anaheim peppers (4-5)                     $4
2 red onions                                               $3
1 head romaine lettuce                               $2
1 bunch basil                                             $4
5 hot peppers                                             $2
1 bunch kale                                              $3.50
1 bunch mint or tarragon                             $2

If you had purchased last week's share at farmers’ market, the total would have been an estimated $31; that’s $9 more than your weekly share.

And don’t forget the additional items that we price affordably for you as a member, such as our fresh-cut bouquets for $5 or free-range eggs for $5.50.

Supporting a CSA is surely not just a cost-saving thing; it is a movement and a way to keep your money in the local economy. To wrap up, I’d like to share this quote from a great local economy thinker and supporter of Colorado farms:

“When we join a CSA, we are making peace. When we shop at the farmers’ market, we are making peace. When we take a little of our money out of Wall Street and put it into small, local, or organic food enterprises near where we live, we are producing small quotients of peace.” Woody Tasche (SLOW MONEY JOURNAL – SPRING 2016).                  

Weekly produce list: 

this list is subject to change based on conditions

Napa cabbage
Garlic
Onions
Tomatoes
Peppers
Head lettuce
Cilantro
Summer squash or pickling cucumbers 
Hot peppers  

 

 

Notes from the field: Wami Wofi hot peppers

CSA Manager, Phil Cordelli

This week we’ll be handing out Wamae Wofi peppers, a Korean variety which was brought back to the US by one of the horticulture staff here at the Gardens. Last year we ran out of the original seed packet and so we used saved seed from the 2014 crop. When we saw the fruit last year we realized that the name we got was incorrect; it was in fact “Wamae wo F1”, a hybrid. We didn’t know it was a hybrid since the writing on the seed packet was all in Korean! Hybrid varieties don’t come true from seed due to unstable genetics, so most growers don’t save seed from them. When we saved seed for this year we selected two variations: the usual thin-walled, moderately spicy form; and a larger, milder and sweeter form we called “scrunchy top.” There are variations of each form out there, varying quite a bit in spice levels, so enjoy whatever variation you get! This is one of the reasons we love working for Denver Botanic Gardens--the opportunity to experiment!