Hey Rhonda! We use bags made from old sheets and tablecloths for our CSA the customer pays a deposit and each week returns the clean empty bag for a full one. We went to the thrift shops and such and asked them to save the old sheets and tablecloths that they could not sell. We got some ladies, some sergers, some sewing machines and of course some chocolate and 5 hours later we had 80 large bags and 200 small produce bags made. We had a blast and now it is done!! I will be able to use these bags for quite some time the only down fall is they do not stand up so filling them can be akaward...
Mother to five awesome kids, wife of 17 years and milk maid to two beautiful cows. Living the good life!!!
Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts
Posted - Mar 31 2009 : 06:26:06 AM
I can't come up with any brilliant ideas other than using recycled boxes. I think Heather has a great idea there, and if you bought some wooden dowels to sew into the sides of the bags they would stand up, and you could always put a thin piece of wood or cardboard in the bottom to create a base.
My local CSA uses bushel baskets like they have at orchards. I have seen them at places like Garden Ridge for around 5 dollars each. The families are required to pay a $5 deposit on the basket which they are also asked to bring back each month. If at some point they withdraw from the CSA they can get the $5.00 back if they bring back the basket.
I meant to let you girls know what we found that has worked great. But I've been so busy with the CSA that I haven't had a chance. :)
One of the vendors at the garden center where I work delivers the onion sets in wooden boxes. They were nice enough to save me about 25, which is enough for our 10 member CSA. I like them because they are easier to stack and transport than bags or bushel baskets. Also, they are a bit more reusable than cardboard.
Here is a picture of a stack of boxes and then the contents of a box one week.
Need Help and Ideas for CSA
Posted - Mar 30 2009 : 9:23:09 PM
