By Colin Marston ’13
THE ROUNDUP
Chicken tenders, burritos and pizzas on campus aren’t Brophy’s only food
options.
Community Supported Agriculture is a program sponsored by the Brophy Office of Faith and Justice that provides an outlet in the McCain Colonnade every Wednesday for local farmers to offer their seasonal produce.
CSA provides an eclectic array of produce options, although people don’t get to choose specific vegetables, rather specific amounts are set at the beginning of a subscription.
There are currently 28 subscriptions under the Brophy program, with a subscription ranging from 10-12 weeks.
It costs $20 per week.
The support for such a program emerged from 2009’s Summit on Human Dignity focusing on climate change.
The produce for the CSA program comes from Crooked Sky Farms, an Arizonan farm collective that workshopped during the 2009 Summit.
The farm states it uses no herbicides or pesticides, although it is not federally certified organic.
It runs multiple farms, urban and rural around the state.
“CSA is a program happening across the country, and it’s an effort to support local agriculture and ensure the availability of seasonal local crops,” said Mrs. Kim Baldwin, assistant principal for ministry in the Office of Faith and Justice.
She said that CSA gives perspective of what’s in season, what grows and opens up new food choices. The Brophy CSA coordinator is Nancy Sage, a Brophy mom.
“The program is definitely fresh and local, and it makes me more innovative and inventive in the kitchen,” said Mr. John Damaso ’97.
“The idea of CSA is not to save money or provide convenience, but a desire to support local farmers, experience new produce choices, and know where food comes,” Mrs. Baldwin said.
Some produce examples include spinach, radish, purple turnips, oranges, kale butternut squash, onions, curly mustard, tangelos and rapini.
Those interested can sign up to the program anytime by contacting Mrs. Baldwin in the Office of Faith and Justice.
Read more Summit-related articles in the 2011 Summit Special Section.