CONTRIBUTED

Sandhills Farm to Table Cooperative invites the public to join a unique community of more than 1,300 Sandhills area households coming together around local food while enriching the overall community.

Memberships and subscriptions for the 18-week spring--summer 2012 produce box season start today (Feb. 1). With the new automated system, sign-up is easy and online.

"There is incentive to hurry," says a spokesman. "Subscribers during February receive a special $20 gift credit to try out the new online store."

In its third season, 2012 is "The Year of the Consumer" for SF2T, after two years of focusing on farmers and farms. This winter the co-op conducted extensive consumer surveys, and as a result, made innovative changes. Consumer-members indicated they wanted more control over their subscriptions, and changes were made to provide control over both box contents and deliveries.

Love sweet corn and strawberries, but don't care for carrots, collards or beets?

New this year is the "alt box." Every weekend, subscribers can go to the co-op's new Online Store and review the probable box contents for the following week. The regular produce box will offer seven to nine fresh, local fruits and vegetables, same as last year.

Or, up to 200 members can select "the alt box" with a slightly different variety of local produce. If they do nothing, the regular produce box will be delivered.

The long-awaited Local-Online Store will also open, offering subscribers a growing number of products and convenience. Subscribers have the weekly option of ordering bulk quantities of produce for fresh eating, canning and freezing, some organic and sustainable produce, as well as many of delicious specialty and value-added items our region offers. These items can be picked up at area gathering sites along with the produce boxes.

Small household? No problem.

New this year is a limited -number of "bread box" subscriptions for small households having trouble eating all their produce. The "bread box" subscription option offers $17 worth of fresh produce and a weekly loaf of home-baked whole-grain bread.

Have a vacation planned? No problem.

Many subscribers vacation a couple of weeks in the summer, missing a scheduled delivery. Most of these missed boxes, by far, are either picked up by friends and family, or are donated to neighbors in need.

In 2011, SF2T members generously gave more than three tons of produce - that farmers were paid for - to local families in need.

This year, members will have more control over their deliveries. A new feature has been added to put a delivery on "hold," which will cancel the delivery and convert the price of that box into credits to use in the SF2T Online Store. (Weekly subscribers will have two holds, biweekly can "hold" one).

Biweekly subscribers can now easily keep up with their delivery schedule. Their "Member Dashboard" will display a -calendar of their scheduled -deliveries. A new recipe bank will also be online.

Sign-up is simple. Visit www.SandhillsFarm2Table.com and sign up online. Questions about membership and the subscription program are answered in an extensive FAQ on the website.

The season begins the week of April 18-19, and runs until Aug. 15-16. Anyone can become a 2012 member for $25, and take advantage of special online and Market Days offerings of local treats such as pastured pork, duck and chicken, grass-fed beef and lamb, vegan products, local bakery, jams, pastured eggs and more.

Members also have the choice of ordering a produce box subscription. Options include weekly (18 weeks) or biweekly (9 weeks) -deliveries, family boxes and a new subscription for a "bread" box.

Produce box cost ranges from the $22 per week for a standard box to the $40 family box.

Spring-summer boxes -contain the usual local -produce, including asparagus, strawberries, ripe -tomatoes, onions, sweet corn, squash, blueberries, lettuce and other greens, peaches, blackberries, basil, melons, cucumbers, green beans and more.

Co-op members do not have to live in Moore County, but all deliveries will be made to area gathering sites, including a location in Rockingham and one in Sanford. A list of sites is on the website.

The produce in the box will be valued at farmers' market prices, and area farmers will get paid 70 percent of the retail price, versus the nationwide average of 17 cents per consumer food dollar spent at the grocery store.

"Our motto, 'We're all in this together,' is not just something we say but something we do," says the spokesman.

Last year, farmers were paid $260,000, and churches and schools received $33,000 for their missions for hosting gathering sites. Some 3.5 tons of produce - that farmers were paid for - were donated to local families in need.

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@SandhillsFarm 2Table.com, or call (910) 949-2142.