CONTRIBUTED

Responding to the rapidly rising demand for seasonal, local -produce, the Sandhills Farm to Table Cooperative is now accepting subscriptions for its eight-week fall produce box season.

"Thanks to a new automated system, sign-up is online," says Jan Leitschuh, one of the organizers.

Sandhills Farm to Table Cooperative is a community enterprise organized around farms and food. In its second season, the unique member-owned enterprise includes farmer-members, staff-members and consumer-members.

Some 35 local producers grow a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables for more than 1,260 households, and each box delivered contains seven to nine types of fresh local produce in season.

Deliveries are made to 11 -"gathering sites" throughout four counties.

The co-op's vision is best expressed in its two mottos: "Neighbors Feeding Neighbors," and "We're all in this together."

The season begins the week of Sept. 7-8, and runs until Oct. 26-27. Anyone can become a 2011 member for the prorated fee of $12.50, and take advantage of -special market days offering local treats such as pastured pork, duck and chicken, North Carolina seafood, grass-fed beef and lamb, local bakery, jams, -pastured eggs and more.

Members also have the choice of ordering a produce box -subscription. Options include weekly or biweekly deliveries, family boxes and a new subscription for organic and transitioning-to-organic produce. Box cost ranges from the $21 per week for a standard box to the $50 family-sized organic-and--transitioning box.

Health experts encourage the -consumption of "five to nine" -vegetables and fruits per day. In a survey of 2010 SF2T members, 87 percent reported eating more fruits and vegetables than they otherwise would have.

Fall boxes last year -contained a variety of fresh, locally grown, seasonal -produce including broccoli, several varieties of apples, spinach, pecans, mushrooms, garlic, Bibb lettuce, fresh tomatoes, peaches, decorative pumpkins, muscadine grapes, acorn squash, carrots, -collards, sweet potatoes, black walnuts and much more.

In addition, the local success of this Sandhills -project is -spawning start-ups -elsewhere in the state. The SF2T Co-op model, the first of its kind in the country, has -generated a new project around Winston-Salem - The Triad Farm to Table Cooperative - which is already up and running. Similar projects in two other regions - one in Cumberland County, and -another in Anson/Union/ Stanly counties - are actively being explored.

Anyone interested in supporting local agriculture through an -inexpensive membership or local subscription is invited to sign up online at the website www.Sandhillsfarm2Table.com.

For questions not answered on the website, email info@SandhillsFarm2Table.com, or call (910) 949-2142.