Viking Supported Agriculture taking signups for fall

Western Today staff

October 3, 2012

The Viking Supported Agriculture program at Western Washington University is now taking signups for fall food boxes.

VSA is Western’s Community Supported Agriculture program. Those who sign up will receive a box of local fresh organic fruits and veggies every Thursday from Oct. 11 to Dec. 6.

Signups continue through October.

The VSA program is a project of the Office of Sustainability and is funded by a Whatcom Community Foundation grant to help the local community support sustainable local agriculture by making nutritious food available to members of the Viking community. The VSA program supports Growing Washington and Alm Hill Gardens, located in Everson, 25 minutes northeast of Bellingham.

Growing Washington partners with upwards of a dozen small local Whatcom and Skagit County farms.

By partaking in the VSA program and receiving fresh veggies you support local growers by investing all-at-once in more than a dozen small farms.

To sign up, email Simon Davis-Cohen at Simon@readthedirt.org and include the following information:

  • Your name
  • Phone number
  • What box option you have chosen, and if you are a student
  • When your first drop-off date is
  • How many weeks you will be signed up for
  • How mush money you will pay

Payment: You will bring your payment (cash or check made out to Growing Washington) when you pick up your first box.

Starving Student Discount: Students get 10 percent off the regular price. Boxes will be available in front of Carver Gym on Thursdays between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Boxes that are not picked up will be donated.

The Options: There are three options. All are “Farmers Choice” boxes, where the farmer chooses what delicious veggies and fruits you will receive each week.

Option #1: Viking Box: 10-11 items/box. $25/box for faculty and staff, $22 for students.

Option #2: Veggie Bomb: 14-15 items/box. $30/box for faculty and staff, $27 for students.

Option #3: Mini Box: 6-7 items/box. $17/box for faculty, staff and students.

What to Expect:

  • Apples (1.5-2 lbs)
  • Arugula (.5-.75 lb)
  • Asian Pears (1.5-2 lbs)
  • Basil (2 oz)
  • Beans, Shelling (1 lb)
  • Beets (Assortment) (.75-1lb)
  • Bok Choy (.5-.75 lb)
  • Broccoli (.75-1 lb)
  • Brussels Sprouts (1lb)
  • Cabbage (1.5-2 lbs)
  • Carrots (.5-1 lb)
  • Celery (.75-1 lb)
  • Collard Greens (.75-1 lb)
  • Corn (4)
  • Cucumbers, Slicing (2)
  • Cucumbers, Pickling (.75-1lb)
  • Eggplant (1-1.5 lb)
  • Fennel (1-2 bulbs)
  • Garlic (.5-.75 lb)
  • Kale (.5 lb)
  • Leeks (1 lb)
  • Lettuce, Head (1)
  • Lettuce, Mix (4 oz)
  • Onions (1.5-2 lbs)
  • Peppers (2-3)
  • Plums (1.5-2 lbs)
  • Pluots (1.5-2 lbs)
  • Potatoes (1.5-2 lbs)
  • Pumpkins (2 lbs)
  • Radishes (.5-.75 lb)
  • Rosemary (1 oz)
  • Rutabaga (1.5-2 lbs)
  • Sage (1 oz)
  • Shallots (.75-1 lb)
  • Spinach (4 oz)
  • Swiss Chard (.5 lb)
  • Tomatillos (1-1.5 lbs)
  • Tomatoes (1 lb)
  • Turnips (.5-1 lb)
  • Wheat Berries
  • Winter Squash (2 lbs)