Fresh Veggies @ your library

Patrons pick up their CSA shares at the Fairfield Woods branch of Fairfield (Conn.) Public Library June 6.

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Fairfield (Conn.) Public Library’s Fairfield Woods branch hosted a community- supported agriculture (CSA) pick-up June 6, the first in a weekly series at the library.

In a CSA, members buy shares of a farmer’s produce and receive weekly shipments of whatever was harvested that week, rather than purchasing specific quantities and types of food. In many CSAs, customers must pick up their shares at the farm.

The library laid the groundwork to become a pickup site last fall, beginning with an email blast to its mailing list to gauge interest. Deputy Librarian Nancy Coriaty knew Nancy Earle, who operates a farmstand in town and had arrangements with a number of farms in the area, through a sustainability mailing list. Branch Reference Librarian Mary Coe spoke to Earle, and one of the farms she works with, Sport Hill Farm, agreed to deliver CSA members’ shares to the library.

“The truck comes from the farm, people check off their name, and it’s a little bit more convenient for them,” Coe said. About 20 of the farm’s CSA members used the library as a pick-up spot.

The library doesn’t have any involvement with the CSA beyond serving as a location for members to receive their shares. Anyone who wants to sign up contacts the farm directly. FPL does offer some complementary programming, however. It launched a seed-lending library this year, and Sport Hill’s owner, Patti Popp, has taught some programs at the library. “It’s great to be able to connect people in the community to green initiatives,” Coe said.