Market Farming

["Hook Family" <guldann AT ix.netcom.com>]

The ladies are
all vegetarians and would love to have fresh local produce.  I am looking
at expanding my garden and doing a CSA type of marketing with them.  They
are all on a fixed income.  Does anyone charge on a sliding scale?
They are part of a church that is vegetarian leaning so I think it could
develop into a bigger group.

I know there are some CSAs (from reading) that offer lower priced
memberships I seem to recall that the members who can afford it are asked
when paying for their share if they'd like to contribute to a scholarship
type program.  That way the farmer does not bear all the burden of cheaper
food.  I may have read this is Sharing the Harvest by Liz Henderson.

If you can picture a mixed CSA of those who can afford x amount and those
that can't what about requiring some folks to work.  Work does not have to
be many hours of hard physical work.  It can be office type work,
newsletter, cooking classes (vegetarians can probably teach some great veg
recipes) etc. An elderly lady might be able to teach canning or freezing to
help perserve veggies.  Any elderly person could tend some of the pickup
hours not real heavy work, be there to greet and point where this and that
is.  An elderly person could help pack shares (if your method requires it).
I tend all my pickups and I have often thought how cool it would be to
either have an elderly person with me to field questions or to man the
pickup hours alone.

This work requirement may also relieve any feelings of charity on proud
folks.

Beth