The Farmer and the Cook also runs a Community Supported

Agriculture Program.

CSAs provide their members- who buy a season's share in the farmer's produce- with

periodic boxes of the harvest.

Our CSA has pickups every week, and the produce we harvest hasn't been out of the ground or off the stalk for more than 5 or 6 hours, when our members pick up on time.

 

                                          Grace and Camila with Jatari eating brocolli

CSAs are enormously beneficial to both the farmers growing the food and the members "supporting" them. With the money from shares in our CSA, we buy water, tools and seeds, and pay our lease on the land and our tractor payments.

This is the freshest way to buy produce in the Ojai Valley, as well as a great way to "know your grower", and in doing so, support the local economy, decrease oil dependence, and bring the power back to our community!

For more information, prices and availability, call Steve at 805.290-0988

Pickups are from Farmer and the Cook, so you can do yourshopping in one stop. We grow year around for our members, and have CSA potluck parties at the farm as often as possible.

Our members often volunteer their help with growing andharvesting our food, as well, and get to learn more about

organic agriculture in the process. Everything in the box is organic, and grown without manure, and only spraying neem, kelp, and bacillus thuringiensis. We also include a weekly farm newsletter and recipes. We reuse the same set of totes every week.

Examples of what might be in our box at different times of year are below.

Winter/Spring Box:

Our Lettuce Mix, Spinach, Radicchio, Broccoli, Cabbage
Nantes Carrots, Bok Choi, Fennel, Golden or Crimson Beets
French Breakfast Radishes, Green Garlic, Arugula
Cilantro, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Curly Kale, Collard Greens
Fennel, Endive, Peppermint, Spearmint

Summer/Fall Box:

Our Salad Mix, Spinach, Heirloom Tomatoes, Cucumbers
Summer Squash, Sunflowers, Lebanese Squash, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Red Russian Kale, Collard Greens, Broccoli, French Breakfast Radishes, Arugula, Cilantro, Basil, Chamomile, Peppermint, Spearmint, Various Hot Peppers, Bell Peppers, Garlic, Beets

YES, WE NEED LOTS OF HELP AT THE FARM  AND VOLUNTEERS ARE MUCH APPRECIATED AND WELCOME.

FIRST THEY MUST MAKE PRIOR CONTACT AND BE PREPARED TO PICK, PLANT SEEDS, WEED OR PACK THE CSA BOXES. 

WE OFFER YOU SOUP & SALAD BAR AT THE FARMER AND THE COOK, IN EXCHANGE FOR AROUND 3 HOURS OF WORK.

THERE IS A CAMPGROUND CALLED LAKE CASITAS ABOUT 3 MILES DOWN THE ROAD IF YOU ARE TRAVELLING THROUGH AND NEED A PLACE TO STAY

E-MAIL US AT: FARMERANDCOOK1@GMAIL.COM

REMEMBER TO BRING A WIDE BRIMMED HAT.

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 IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN VISITING THE FARM PLEASE CONTACT:

Grace Bueti, Director of Farm-based Education
Ojai Center for Regenerative Agriculture
Rio Gozo Farm at HELP of Ojai's West Campus
1651 Rice Rd. Ojai, CA 93023
805.223.0774

OR

Steve Sprinkel, farmer

805-290-0988

The educational program is supported by the Center for Regenerative Agriculture; visit their website to read about the programs they initiate.

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We have had over 500 students and adults come out to visit Rio Gozo already this year. We have worked with people ages 5-65 and have had a variety of programs, from tours to classes and workshops to work parties. TV turnoff week also saw schools visiting Rio Gozo farm. We have covered topics from definitions of organic and sustainable agriculture, to planting and harvesting techniques, GMOs, farmworker justice, perceptions and perversions of "local", the history of pesticides and fertilizers, and gender inequality in agriculture.

We have worked with students from CSU Channel Islands, Thacher School, all the public elementary schools in the Ojai Valley, UCSB, Oak Grove School, Valley Oak Charter, and a troop of Boy Scouts.

Call us to arrange a visit.