2008 Northern Nevada CSAs - now is the time to subscribe

Have you considered buying your family’s produce directly from the people who grow it and live in your community? If you live in northern Nevada now is the time to get your subscription in. The 2008 Great Basin Basket ordering season is now open. There are also other great CSA programs available, like Custom Gardens, that may also suite your needs.

If you already love CSAs and are ready to subscribe contact Great Basin Basket soon because the Early Bird deadline is approaching fast (the form is in Acrobat format, which Blogger doesn’t support, so I couldn’t include it here). If you prefer, go to the new website.

If you need to know a little more, read on.


The good people who grow for and manage the Great Basin Basket CSA have expanded the program this year and made it flexible to suite a variety of needs. Families can sign up for up for a single season or the full program for 32 weeks, May through the second week in December. You can even buy a weekly delivery of flowers! This year CSA subscribers will also received other food products produced right there on the farms we partner with.

Why subscribe to a CSA? There are the obvious reasons. CSA produce is tasty and fresh because it is harvested and delivered to you within a day or two, and the growers choose and grow varieties for taste rather than uniformity and ability to handle the rigors of shipping.

Then there are the more “fuzzy” reasons. CSAs are a partnership between the people who grow the food and those who eat it; we all take part in the bounty and the risk. It is a healthy, fulfilling partnership that creates a sense of community possible only when the consumer knows the producer. Whether you need a dinner out, coffee, or veggies there is a feeling beyond consuming when you get to talk the people who have a personal interest in your experience. I know that my family’s life is richer because the people we’ve met and the amazing food that comes in our box each week.

And finally, let’s talk about the doubts. Buying by the season means paying all at once and the price often triggers an initial “ouch!” response. But when you break that figure down to the weekly cost the price is actually very reasonable, and it accurately reflects what it really costs to grow quality food. You might be concerned you’ll get too much food, so you might split your basket with a friend or coworker. My family uses most of what comes in the basket, but this year we’ll be searching for a second-harvest program for our extras.

One final bonus. As the season progresses the price of food will continue to increase due to the huge amount of petroleum it takes to get the produce to the supermarket (chemical fertilizers, storage facilities, transportation), etc. Great Basin Basket prices are fixed at the beginning of the season so subscribers will not likely experience a price increase during the 2008 growing season.