Welcome
We invite you to become a member of our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project launched in the spring of 2008 at 'Near River'. our property on the Pappinbarra River in the Hastings Valley.
The first step in our venture has been to distribute vegetables each week from our market garden to 25 families located in the Hastings Valley and in Sydney in 2008/09, our first year. We will expand that so we broaden our community and supply more families with our nutritious, wholesome produce in the seasons that will follow.
What is CSA and how does it work?
It works like this: when the consumer becomes a member of the CSA, they give the farm the funds needed to cover the costs of food production before the beginning of the growing season. In return, they share in the harvest and receive fresh vegetables delivered each week. No middle man. No multi-step handling. No hefty mark-ups. No complex multi-national food distribution model.
In a CSA, there is a close relationship between the food grower and the local consumer. Both share the risks and rewards of sustainable agriculture.
There are many CSAs overseas, but not many here in Australia. We absolutely believe that this is how sustainable food production and distribution should, and will, evolve.
Know the origin of your fresh produce
As a member of our CSA, you'll get to take home to your kitchen high quality, locally grown organic vegetables that have been harvested that same day. You'll know the ground they've come from and the people that have tended them.
In a world of over-processed food, you'll come to feel part of a very special community of people who are passionate about growing, cooking and eating fresh, nutritious produce for a healthier way of life.
Why should you share the risk?
Usually the farmer alone bears the risks of losing a particular crop to bad weather, natural disasters or pests. By sharing the risk with the farmer, you open yourself to the possibility of receiving surprising varieties of produce.
For example, if we're having a hot summer, you might receive more tomatoes, corn and capsicum - the veggies that love the warmer weather - but fewer of the cool-weather ones such as cauliflower or lettuce.
I'm interested. How do I join?
To join, simply view this brochure for the Sydney region or view this brochure for the Hastings region, fill either in, and return it to us. We'd prefer full payment initially, but if this is not possible, a deposit will secure your 'share'. Then each month a payment of $120 for Hastings Valley families, or $160 for Sydney families is required by the beginning of the month. Distribution will continue to the end of July 2009. Each week we will deliver the vegetables directly to you in Port Macquarie and Sydney,with deliveries occurring on Thursday afternoon and evenings in Wauchope, Port Macquarie and Sydney's northern suburbs, with the Eastern and Inner West serviced on Friday mornings.
By becoming a member, you can also get involved in the growing of your food. Through our email newsletter, we will keep you informed about progress, and we'll let you know if and when we'd like your help in the garden. All members will be invited to take part in a harvest festival in the late summer/early autumn.
What We Grow
basil beans beetroot broad beans broccoli cabbage capsicum carrots cauliflower celeriac celery chili coriander corn cucumber
dill fennel kale kohlrabi leeks lettuce melons mixed herbs onions parsley parsnips pumpkins radishes rocket salad mix
shelling peas silver beet snow peas spinach spring onions squash tomatoes turnips zucchini
Not everything will be available every week and we cannot guarantee that all of the above crops will make it. The amount and variety starts small in the spring, peaks late summer/early autumn and stabilises over winter.
Who are we?
We are Andrew + Therese, and we live at 'Near River' on the Pappinbarra River in the Hastings Valley. We are passionate about the land; we are dedicated to supplying the highest quality produce to our community using sustainable practices and with minimum impact on this planet and it's inhabitants.
Take Action on Climate Change!
A CSA member is a discriminating consumer – someone who is concerned about the destructive environmental and sociological impacts of conventional farming, and intentionally acts to reverse these trends. CSAs emphasize the role of the consumer in consciously taking moral responsibility for the care of the land and the people who grow the foods we humans need.
CSAs play an important role in reducing global warming. By joining our CSA you will greatly reduce your carbon emissions. The food is not transported from faraway using large quantities of fossil fuels, but grown locally by a farmer you know. By nature, CSAs are small scale and organic. Compared to large-scale industrial farms, the amount of fossil fuels used in the production process is minimal.
For Further Information
Please contact us at: info@nearriverproduce.com and read some of the information on other the other pages of this site.
