those of us who don't have the time or inclination to grow our own can look for these programs. i've been supporting our local farmer for the past year - they do several markets a week across the county plus delivering to our door the most amazing veggies, herbs, etc. i've learned lots of new ways to cook with beets, been greens, kohlrabi, turnips, bok choy and potatoes of all sorts with the dirt still on them This week there was green garlic in the box! i feel just like alice waters and my kitchen is my own mini-chez panisse.

My local farm is a 4th generation - Gazy Brothers in Oxford, TT.

Gazy Brothers Farm is going on its fourth generation of farming. Established in 1918, Grandma and Grandpa gazsi purchased their farm in oxford. At that time, they raised the freshest vegetables sold at local grocery stores and delis in the Naugatuck Valley Area. The Gazsi cousins owned a butcher shop and would sell Grandma Gazsi's homeade pickles and sauerkraut from the cucumbers and cabbage raised on the farm.

Today, Ed Gazy runs the 80 acre farm with the help of his wife, Alexis, his brothers, Pete and Tony, and his four children, Dominic, Roseanne, Nicholas, and Albert. Neighbors tend to give a helping hand during the busy hay season, too. Ed's father, Joe, owns the farm and runs the small stand at the farm.

The Gazys currently produce approximately 25 acres of vegetables, herbs, flowers, and plants on the farm and on neighboring properties. Ed and the family also keep busy by working up to 200 acres of hay each year. Besides the farm stand, the Gazys sell our produce at a roadside stand on Route 67 in Oxford, several farmer's markets, and a few grocery stores when extra produce is available. Our latest project is a CSA, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture.

What is a CSA and how does it work?

A CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, is a way for you to create a relationship with a farm and to receive a weekly basket of locally grown produce. By signing up with a farm, you become a member of the CSA. Each share contains a bounty of whatever is ripe that week.

Our farm offers produce and flower subscriptions, where you can purchase a season of fresh fruits, veggies, herbs, and flowers. Each week, you will receive a box of fresh picked vegetables that are available to harvest that week. Each box content varies by harvest conditions. Your box may also contain 1 or 2 different herbs to cook with weekly. The flowers are freshly cut that day and placed in a vase that can be recycled for the duration of the harvest season.

Although we do not grow our own fruits, such as peaches, pears, plums, etc., we have included a fruit share supplied with the freshest, highest quality fruit for your convenience and enjoyment. The fruit you receive is produced on Connecticut farms, such as apples, peaches, plums, nectarines, and pears from Deercrest and Bussa Orchards of Glastonbury.

We have put in 800 raspberry bushes last spring. Pete has been busy all summer keeping them mowed. Hopefully, they will be ripe and ready to go for those of you who sign up for our fruit share.