New CSA in the Lakes Region

[PapaDon]

The new Big Banana Community Supported Agriculture consists of families in the Lakes Region who want fresh, all-natural, and/or organic vegetables and fruits, but find prices for them kind of high. By pooling money in a form of Community Supported Agriculture (or CSA) , they can buy in bulk directly from the farms and get what they need at a more reasonable price.

Their goals are to:
* provide healthy, fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables for their families at lower prices;
* encourage and support smaller, local farmers and producers; and
* increase the quality and quantity of foods for the poor and needy through local charities.

The above pretty much copied from their homepage. Check 'em out at BigBanana.org (http://www.bigbanana.org/).

[PapaDon]

Hi, Friends, Big Banana.org, a CSA, has veggie and bread baskets order deadline tomorrow, Tuesday, May 11. The first pickup day of the season is Saturday, May 15 at Franklin Savings Bank in Gilford from 8:00 - 8:30 a.m. The bank is located at 11 Sawmill Road. There's a map here (http://www.bigbanana.org/pufsbgilfordnh/).

A copy of the current newsletter is also available on the Newsletter page of the site. It has a recipe, what types of veggies, etc. are available this week, the Frequent Feaster Program, and Totes.

Sorry this sounds so much like an ad, but BigBanana.org is not a business. It's a Community Supported Agriculture group of families and local farmers run by volunteers. We appreciate so many of you visiting the website and hope you like the changes we've made over the last couple of days.

[PapaDon]

Oh yeah, I got roped into volunteering, can you tell?

[PapaDon]

Today was our first pickup day at Franklin Savings Bank in Gilford.
All went smoothly and we were pleased with the number of members
who joined on the Monday/Tuesday "order" days at www.BigBanana.org.

http://www.bigbanana.org/images/jo-lois5.jpg
Joanne McNulty (left) of Big Banana CSA and Lois Wisler (right)
of Franklin Savings Bank holding bread baskets behind a row of
small veggie baskets ready for pickup.

[angela4design]

This program very much interests me, but the short time window at only one location is my reservation. (Saturday 8-8:30am at Franklin Savings) Are there any plans to have more drop off locations, or more time windows?

[PapaDon]

This program very much interests me, but the short time window at only one location is my reservation. (Saturday 8-8:30am at Franklin Savings) Are there any plans to have more drop off locations, or more time windows?

Yes! If you take a look at the website now, you will see that 2 new pickup locations are in the works. One or both of them may have a longer pickup window than the FSB in Gilford, which is set around the Volunteer Coordinator's need to be at work by 8:45. The Alton location, if all goes well, will be open by Memorial Day weekend.

We are also looking for volunteers to coordinate more locations/times. If anyone is interested, please drop us a note on the Support/Contact page at www.BigBanana.org. Thanks

[PapaDon]

BigBanana.org CSA now offers meats from several local farms. See the website for specific items.

[PapaDon]

The Lakes Region's Family CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) group, Big Banana, has added certified organic veggie baskets from Red Manse Farm.

Orders for these and other items can be placed online at www.bigbanana.org (http://bigbanana.org) on Monday or Tuesday for pickup the following Saturday morning at 8 am.

Other items include veggie baskets, artisan breads, lamb, pork, beef, and free range eggs, all from local growers and producers.

Big Banana is a group of local families pooling their buying power to get high-quality local items at better prices.