Ventura CSA FAQ


ABOUT RIO GOZO FARM 


We grow vegetables, herbs, fruit and flowers in the Ojai Valley on three different farms in the Ojai Valley. Our farm is known as Rio Gozo, "Gozo" is Spanish for Joy. The majority of the food we grow supplies Rio Gozo Farm's CSA program; any extra is sold to restaurants and markets in Ventura County.
In addition, we host farm education groups and speak at public events.

Rio Gozo Farm CSA's program delivers:
Thursdays in Ojai and Ventura
Private delivery for groups may be arranged.
Call for more information.
(805) 272 5337
Become a fan of Rio Gozo Farm CSA on Facebook


CSA FAQ


What is a CSA Share?
You have literally purchased a share of our harvest. This means that you share in the farm’s risks and rewards. Volume increases and decreases throughout the seasons, but we are working every day to provide a wide variety of high quality produce.

Joining a CSA is the best choice you can make to support your local farmers, to eat green, and to ensure the continuation of sustainable agriculture in your area. You can learn more about CSAs and how they work here.

How much does it cost?
We offer seasonal memberships (12 weeks) giving our members the chance to experience all the variety a season can produce.  CSA members pay for the season in advance. Call us for current membership rates.


How many people will a share feed?
Our share is designed to provide enough produce for a family of 3-4. For the true vegetable fanatics, it works for two. Plenty of our folks enjoy splitting a share with a friend. If you are going on vacation, think about donating your produce to a needy family or offering it to a friend.

How often will my family receive our share?
Your share will be dropped off weekly on the day and at the location you selected. We know how much you love our boxes, but we need to keep them on the farm, so please bring your own bags to transfer your produce home.

Where and when do I pick up my share?
Pick up days are: Thursdays in Ojai and downtown Ventura.  You may receive your share delivered to your door for $5 delivery fee.

How do I manage all this gorgeous food?
You will enjoy your CSA share so much more if you set aside some time on your pick up day to wash your vegetables and store them properly. It may be intimidating at first to work through the whole bag, but if everything is prepped and ready to go, it really simplifies the routine.


Do I really need a salad spinner?
YES! It is helpful to stock a few other items in your kitchen as well – creativity, a spirit of adventure, and a good collection of cookbooks all come in handy.


What can I expect to receive?
We will post information about what to expect in your box on a weekly basis. In general, you should expect 9 – 12 items. Here is an idea of what we like to grow according to season:








In the Share




We grow a little bit of everything at Rio Gozo according to the conditions of our climate.  
You may see what we have currently in the box under the post "The Haul" 
or follow us on Facebook.
Here's an example of what past shares have included.


Spring: Arugula, Basil, Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Celeriac, Cilantro, Chard, Collard Greens, Cucumbers, Dill, Endive, Fava, Fennel, Flowers, Kale, Lettuce, Mint, Onions, Parsley, Peas, Potatoes, Radish, Radicchio, Spinach, Spring Onions, Squash Blossoms

Summer:  Basil, Bell Peppers, Chard, Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Fava, Flowers, Garlic, Green Beans, Lavender, Lettuce, Melons, Onions, Oregano, Peas, Chili Peppers, Potatoes, Tomato, Zucchini

Fall: Arugula, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Chard, Cilantro, Collard Greens, Dill, Endive, Escarole, Fennel, Kale, Lettuce, Potatoes, Radicchio, Radish, Turnips, Winter Squash

Winter: Arugula, Beets, Broccoli, Broccoli Rabe, Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Celeriac, Chard, Cilantro, Collard Greens, Dill, Endive, Escarole, Fennel, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Parsley, Parsnips, Radish, Spinach, Turnips




How do I learn more?
Please bookmark our blog. We are working to build a community forum with recipes and other useful information about getting the most out of CSA life. We provide updated links on the site to several organizations and bloggers who can help you get even more out of your share.

Follow us on Facebook! Rio Gozo Farm CSA Interacting with our Facebook page is a great way to let us know what is on your mind and how we can help. We love to hear from you, and we love to share tips and tricks with each other. Once you get the hang of CSA life, you’ll find that it provides wonderful benefits. We’re excited to hear more about how it works for you!








The Dirt on Rio Gozo's New Ventura CSA







Ojai and Ventura residents have the opportunity to participate in Rio Gozo's  CSA program. CSA, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture, is a subscription farming program offering members a weekly box of produce and a chance to have a direct connection to the food on the table. In addition, becoming a part of a CSA is activism- subscribers support local food and small farms; in doing so they ensure healthy land stewardship.



Contact John and Elizabeth at (805) 272 5337 for more information on subscribing to the Ojai and Ventura CSA. Or write us at riogozofarm@gmail.com.
Also, check out our recipes and images from the farm on Facebook, Flickr and Picasa. Tell everyone you know about Rio Gozo Farm CSA.
We're looking forward to putting local food on your plate.
(805) 272 5337
riogozofarm@gmail.com


Recipes

Apples (1) Arugula (3) arugula flowers (1) Avocado (2) Basil (9) Beet Greens (3) Beets (15) Bell Pepper (1) Blood Orange (2) Bok Choy (6) Bread (1) broccoli (3) Brussels Sprouts (2) Butternut Squash (4) Cabbage (11) Cantaloupe (1) Carrots (16) Cauliflower (1) Celeriac (3) Celery (6) Celery Root (1) Chard (14) Cherry Tomatoes (4) Chinese Broccoli (1) Chocolate Mint (1) Cilantro (7) clilantro (1) Coffee (1) Collard Rapini (1) Collards (3) Corn (1) CSA Information (8) CSA Memberships (1) Cucumber (8) Daikon (1) Dandelion (6) Dill (10) Edible Flowers (1) Eggplant (6) Eggs (1) Endive (1) Escarole (4) FAQ (1) Farro (1) Fennel (11) Frisée (1) Garlic (6) Garlic Scape (1) Gold Beets (1) Grapefruit (1) Green Garlic (2) Hakarai Turnip Greens (1) Hal (1) Haul (230) jalapeno (2) Jalapeños (2) Juicing (1) Juniper Berries (1) Kaboucha (1) Kale (15) Kohlrabi (2) Komatsuna (2) Lacinato Kale (1) Leafy Greens (1) Leeks (5) Lettuce (5) Mint (3) Mustard Greens (1) Nettles (2) Newsletter (2) Onion (6) Onions (1) Orange (1) oregano (1) Outstanding in the Field (1) Pak Choi (1) Parsley (3) Pea Shoots (1) pepper (6) Poblano (1) poetry (1) Pollen (1) Pomegranate (1) Potatoes (4) Preserved Lemons (1) Press (1) Pumpkin (4) Purslane (2) Radicchio (4) Radish (3) Rapini (1) Red Peppers (2) Romaine (1) Romaine Lettuce (1) Rutabaga (1) Sage (2) Salad dressing (1) Seder (1) Sorrel (1) Spinach (8) Spring Onions (2) Squash Blossoms (3) Stock (1) Strawberries (1) sugar beets (1) Summer squash (3) Sweet Pea Shoots (1) tangerines (1) Thanksgiving (1) Tomatillos (2) Tomato (10) Tomatoes (5) tricky (1) Turnip Greens (2) Turnips (13) Volunteer (1) Watermelon (1) Winter Squash (2) Zucchini (15)

Blog Archive

Community Supported Agriculture

Support Locally Grown Food

There is plenty of gozo at Rio Gozo Farm. That is JOY in Spanish and joy is one of the most dependable products we have. Gozo is commonly found in gardens and farms. Once you get a little gozo up and going it is very tolerant of most pests, withstands dry periods, and grows with a modicum of fertilizer. After gozo becomes a staple of one's diet, it goes with about anything. Actually folks crave it so much it is a wonder everyone does not have a patch of it growing close at hand. Grab up some gozo and get with the flow.