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a community farming cooperative
GROWN
Locally
Food Basket
Farm
Shares &
Food Basket Comparison
GROWN Locally has two distinct way in which families can purchase our products. In this section of the website we will explain the basic ideas and differences between the two so you can make an informed decision about how your family will choose to receive our produts.
The first method for purchasing our products is simply called Farm Shares. Many of you know how this works as we have been using it for 9 years now. Farm Shares uses the Community Supported Agriculture model as its basic structure whereby families receive a box of fresh vegetables each week of the season. You will find a detailed description on our Farm Shares description page on this website. For the purposes of this page, it is important to know that the box is packed by us with a portion - a share! - of everything we have ripe that week You receive this "share" of our harvest for a specific price for the entire season.
The second way to receive our products is through the GROWN Locally Food Basket. The Food Basket is set up as an order-as-you-go type of model. See the Food Basket concept page for a detailed description. Orders can be placed each week, by standing orders or pre-season bulk orders and these orders are placed either by phone or on this website.
The big difference in these two methods of purchasing is in choice. Farm Shares is about receiving a variety of pre-packed, fresh seasonal produce on a regular basis. Food Basket offers more choice of families. It allows you to receive the same fresh produce but requires you to place orders each time you would like a delivery.
Food Basket is great for families who might be out of town for more than, say, 4 weeks of our season, if they have a small garden of their own, have some picky mouths to feed or if they might just want choice in what they receive.
Farms Shares is also really great, but for different reasons. If your family likes a variety of vegetables, enjoys trying recipes and cooking with lots of kinds of vegetables and is OK with a "surprise" each week, Farm Shares will be for you!
Food Basket orders will cost a small amount more because we cannot determine what will be bought in any given time period. Thus we have to charge a retail price for the food. On the other hand, Farm Shares allows us to know what is needed in advance, we can plan and project crop needs and know what we need to pack each day. It is a commitment by us and by our shareholders. But for this, shareholders receive their produce for a lower cost per unit and do not need to make orders to receive it.
So, the bottom line is: if you want to choose what you receive, the GROWN Locally Food Basket is for you! But is you like the diversity our growing season offers and like to receive a box each week without remembering to order, sign up for Farm Shares. Either way is great by us. if you have more questions,. please contact us at 563.864.3847 or at sunspot@netins.net.