In April 2024, the Sustainable Food Systems Network (SFSN) piloted the first Salad Club. With positive feedback from students, we aim to run the program annually. Salad Club functions as a miniature Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Students who sign up and pay for the program ahead of time receive a share of produce each Thursday for three weeks in April. Each share will include greens and vegetables grown by the Ross Student Farm that students can use to make personal salads throughout the week. The shares will come with cooking suggestions, and the first share will come with the option of salad making supplies such as a cutting board and knife, or a salad spinner. Students will pay a one-time fee at an affordable cost each year. We are able to support up to 20 sign-ups. Approximately 16 spots will be regular paid memberships, and approximately 4 spots will be held for students facing food insecurity, who will have the option to join for a significantly subsidized cost.

What is a CSA?

In a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, the grower-seller-consumer relationship has been redesigned. Instead of becoming a customer who solely purchases food from a seller, customers become a member of a cooperative effort with a farmer/grower to enable the farm to produce clean, responsibly-grown produce. CSAs help to grow produce that has a minimal impact on the environment, creates a benefit to the customer, and provides the capital necessary for farmers/growers to produce the highest quality product possible.

Explanation of Growing Practices/Sources of Produce

The purpose of our CSA is to provide opportunities for students to gain marketing skills through the Student Farm at Penn State. The produce that is distributed each week is primarily grown on the Ross Student Farm, with some produce coming from our hydroponics system in the campus greenhouses.

 

Produce and Greenhouse Practices

Our CSA follows strict food safety protocols that other commercial CSAs follow. Before contacting any produce, hands and tools will be washed. Distribution of products will be done in clean, food safe containers. Some of the crops such as tomatoes and cucumbers will be harvested daily in the peak of their season. To reduce the respiration of crops and decrease bacterial multiplication, harvested crops will be stored in a refrigerator until pickup. Students in charge of final packaging will check for spoiled produce. The field and greenhouse growing spaces will be kept clean along with regular checks for pests and disease. Even with these safety precautions, there is always a risk with consuming raw foods. For more information, please visit http://www.foodsafety.gov/.

 

  • All workers must wash their hands before handling crops.
  • Produce will be harvested into clean, sanitary containers.
  • Harvest dates will be recorded.
  • After harvesting, produce will be kept refrigerated before distribution.
  • Refrigerator temperature will be monitored and recorded to ensure produce is kept in optimum conditions.
  • Produce should be thoroughly washed just before consumption.