It’s kind of like shopping at a farmer’s market, but the fresh, organic fruits and vegetables are delivered to the neighborhood each week.
Morning Song’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program delivers to a drop off location in 4S Ranch, even though the farm is located in north San Diego County in the tiny, rural town of Rainbow.
“The CSA model connects eaters to real farmers in a way no other distribution system can,” said Lynn Herrick, a local resident affiliated with CSA. “The CSA model connects eaters to growers in a way no other distribution system can — in the form of a weekly subscription basket. Customers get truly local, ‘just harvested’ freshness.”
A basket of fresh fruit and vegetables (picked that day) is delivered weekly to subscribers at a specific drop off site in 4S Ranch. It’s this simple: Pick up the new basket brimming with just-harvested produce, and leave last week’s basket in its place.
There are many reasons to buy locally-produced food including freshness, taste and nutrition, according to Herrick. Additional benefits include reducing air pollution and fuel consumption through decreased transportation miles, preserving farmland and open spaces and keeping money within the local economy.
Although there is no set list of produce, CSA baskets typically contain lots of green leafy vegetables – as well as a variety of fruits and other vegetables that are in season. Raw macadamias, avocadoes and limes are often included. The farm also harvests a large variety of fruit including strawberries, oranges, lemons, raspberries, pears, and apples, as well as more unusual items such as rhubarb, kumquats, guavas, pitya and persimmons. Vegetable varieties range from tomatoes, green beans and squash to eggplant and zucchini. Regardless of what shows up in the basket, the produce is always seasonal, just-picked fresh, and organic.
Morning Song is owned by Donna Buono and is the result of a lifelong dream. For more information on the CSA program, call 949-310-4870, email donna@morningsongfarm.com, or visit www.morningsongfarm.com.
