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Read the press release here.

Albany Park Refugee Training Farm Offering Food Memberships

By Patty Wetli | March 31, 2014 12:05pm
 Twenty memberships in Global Garden's CSA are available for the 2014 growing season, averaging 20 pounds of veggies per week.
Twenty memberships in Global Garden's CSA are available for the 2014 growing season, averaging 20 pounds of veggies per week.
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DNAinfo/Patty Wetli

ALBANY PARK — There's no excuse not to eat your veggies if you buy a membership in the Global Garden Refugee Training Farm.

Community Supported Agriculture programs provide members with weekly "shares" of a farm's produce in exchange for an upfront fee. Global Garden is charging $350 for a 15-week membership that will run June 7 through Sept. 13. Shares will be available for pickup at the farm, 3000 W. Lawrence Ave., on Saturdays.

It is expected that each share box will contain five to 25 pounds of produce, enough for a family of three. Early season shares tend to be heavy on the greens, with tomatoes, eggplants and peppers coming later in the summer, according to farm manager Linda Seyler.

The refugee training farm will also operate a farmers market on Thursdays and Saturdays, with the opening date still to be determined. The farm should not be confused with Peterson Garden Project's community garden, which operates out of the same location — the garden's produce is not ripe for the picking by the general public.

The Global Garden Refugee Training Farm was built in 2012. More than 40 families from Bhutan and Burma work the formerly vacant one-acre plot, which is managed by the Coalition of Limited English Speaking Elderly. The farmers produce organic vegetables for their families and for sale, learning how to translate their growing skills to a Midwestern climate, with the goal of moving toward economic security.

For more information about the Global Garden CSA or to obtain a membership form, email globalgardenfarm@gmail.com.