Good Hope Farm Launches First Summer Produce CSA
Cary, NC – Cary’s urban farm, Good Hope Farm, will start its first Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program this Summer, with boxes of freshly grown produce available for anyone who signs up.
Local Produce Subscription
Good Hope Farm, an urban cultivator farm located on Morrisville Carpenter Road, will start its first publically-available CSA this Summer, with eight weeks of produce from Wednesday, August 7 to September 25, 2019.
“Those people who sign up, they come and pick up a produce box once a week, between 4 and 6 PM. If they aren’t available, a friend or family member can come and pick it up, so there’s some flexibility,” said Erin Crouse, project manager for Good Hope Farm for The Conservation Fund. “Then if there are any leftovers or boxes that aren’t picked up, we donate that food.”
Produce will vary from week to week but Crouse said it will include Summer fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and squash, as well as food Cary families may have less experience with, such as sweet potatoes and long beans.
“We will also include recipes for foods that people may be unfamiliar with,” Crouse said.
People have the option of a small or large box, with a small box containing four to five items while the large box holds six or seven, depending on the week.
Growing the Farm
Last Summer, Good Hope Farm held a pilot CSA program, only open to Town of Cary employees. Crouse said many of the farmers with Good Hope Farm are beginners and this was the first time doing this kind of program.
“We wanted to hold a test, with the help of town employees, to see how to best serve the community,” Crouse said. “This way, we could learn and iron out the technical details to make this a better operation.”
Good Hope Farm is also operating its Summer farm stand now, selling its produce from 5 to 7 PM on Wednesdays.
Also, if people cannot participate in the CSA program, Crouse said there is a “Share-a-Share” program as well, where people can make donations to subsidize boxes for others.
“We will be giving some of our boxes to Dorcas Ministries,” Crouse said.
Good Hope Farm is located at 1580 Morrisville Carpenter Rd.
Story by Michael Papich. Photos courtesy of Good Hope Farm.
