World Peas Farm Share Pickup Returns to Bedford

The New Entry Sustainable Farming Project is bringing their World Peas farm share program back to Bedford, with a pickup point for the weekly shares in town from June to October. 

NESFP, run through Tufts university, is once again bringing its World Peas Community Supported Agriculture shares to 20 communities across the state, including Bedford.

The World Peas CSA pickup point in Bedford is located at First Parish Unitarian Universalist on Great Road. 

Food and Access Coordinator for the World Peas farm share program, Kate Petcosky, said last year, 30 Bedford residents signed up for the weekly CSA shares in 2012. 

"The Bedford pickup spot is such an open space and it allows us not only to connect with the congregation at First Parish, but also with the Bedford community as a whole," Petcosky said. 

What sets aside the World Peas CSA from other farm share programs is NESFP's focus on working with over 20 immigrant, refugee, and beginning farmers in eastern Massachusetts, according to Petcosky.

"There's a lot of community supported agriculture share programs on the market, but I think what sets us aside is that we support immigrant and beginning farmers, farmers that might not otherwise have a chanceo," Petcosky said. 

"The World Peas CSA is a unique, multi-producer model that makes it possible for beginning or small-scale farmers who cannot manage a CSA on their own to participate by growing a select number of crops for the CSA, while providing greater crop diversity and reducing production risk for CSA shareholders," according to a press release from World Peas. 

Purchasing a share with World Peas means much more than receiving fresh, local produce on a weekly basis, according to Petcosky. 

"You're supporting a system when you sign up with our CSA to support the area's next generation of farmers," Petcosky said

The share stretches from the spring, through summer and into fall, meaning shareholders will received produce including lettuce, baby salad greens, strawberries, collard greens, corn, eggplant and several kinds of squash.

The World Peas CSA provides shareholders with produce that is grown within a 40 mile radius of all of the pickup points, and each share includes fruits as well as vegetables, according to Petcosky. 

After adding several pickup locations for the 2013 season, including in Billerica and Waltham, World Peas expects to have at least 500 shareholders this year, according to Petcosky, an increase of 20.5 percent over last year's 415.

World Peas offers CSA shares of two sizes, for either two people or up to five people, and the shares are available at pickup locations every week from June to October. You can sign up for a share through the World Peas website.

Communites with World Peas pickup locations include Bedford, Burlington, Waltham, Lexington, Concord and Andover.