Contact: Becky Cordier, Head of School, (520) 297-2288 or bcordier@greenfields.org

FRESH-FROM-THE-FARM PRODUCE AVAILABLE AT GREEN FIELDS WEEKLY
THROUGH INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH SLEEPING FROG FARMS

TUCSON,AZ– Northwest residents now have a new option for fresh-from-the-farm produce – delivered every Thursday afternoon to Green Fields Country Day School.

The school is partnering with Sleeping Frog Farms to introduce a community-supported agriculture program where members can join to receive weekly baskets of fresh-picked seasonal fruits, vegetables and herbs.

The produce is locally grown using environmentally sound and desert-conscious farming practices – which means tastier produce with more nutrients – and leaves a smaller carbon footprint than mass-produced food transported from other states.

This new partnership benefits Green Fields – which receives 10 percent of the proceeds – and benefits Sleeping Frog Farms, which wanted to add a distribution site in northwest metro Tucson. The farm has a similar partnership with Civano Community School on the eastside and participates in the centrally located St. Phillips Farmer’s Markets on Sundays.

“This is a perfect fit for Green Fields,” said Becky Cordier, head of school. “We want to encourage healthy eating for our families and neighbors – and are committed to supporting locally sourced food and sustainable farming.”

The 75-acre Sleeping Frog Farms is located in the Cascabel corridor of the San Pedro River Valley.

This new community-supported agriculture program is open to the public. Members pay roughly $25 a week for a bountiful basket of fresh produce with a retail value of $25 to $35. The farmers will bring the produce to the Green Fields campus for pickup on Thursdays from Feb. 7 through May 9 between 3 and 6 p.m.

In addition to the produce, CSA members meet the Sleeping Frog farmers and receive weekly newsletters with recipes, along with other benefits including farm tours and farm volunteer opportunities.

The deadline to enroll in the program is Jan. 15. The cost is $325, which can be paid in one or two installments. Registration forms are available online at www.greenfields.org or www.sleepingfrogfarms.com. For assistance, call Green Fields at 297-2288.

In a CSA, consumers buy shares in a farm’s output before the growing season starts, then reap the benefits of the harvest each week as the season progresses. Sleeping Frog Farms produces a diverse assortment of seasonal heirloom fruits and vegetables picked at the peak of ripeness. Laying hens, dairy goats, honey bees and earthworms are integral to pollination, soil-building and recycling crop waste into food and fertilizer.

On Feb. 7, the day of the first produce distribution at Green Fields, CSA members can meet student ambassadors for tours of the historic 20-acre campus that was once an alfalfa farm, then became a boarding school for boys. Founded in 1933, Green Fields is Arizona’s oldest independent day school and the only one in Southern Arizona that offers a continuum of classes from kindergarten through 12th grade.

By partnering with Sleeping Frog Farms, Green Fields is getting even greener, Cordier said. The school already raises herbs and other produce in a greenhouse, and the third-grade class raises chickens and sells the eggs. Green Fields students run a small farmer’s market on the first Friday of the month, donating proceeds to benefit local charities they select. Now the students also will be able to use some of the Sleeping Frog farm-fresh produce for school projects, cooking or healthy snacks.

The Green Fields curriculum includes core classes in English, social studies, science, math, the fine arts, Spanish and French, plus technology and competitive sports. Activities are often held outdoors. The eclectic grounds feature adobe-brick buildings from the 1930s and a geodesic art dome from the 1970s.

For more information on Green Fields, call 297-2288 or visit www.greenfields.org.

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