The Grace Brothers Nursery CSA program is bigger than ever before

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Don Grace, of Grace Brothers Nursery, predicts a bumper crop of organic fruits and vegetables is on the horizon. CSA members enjoy the best of the best.

By Patricia Nugent

The Crop Report is in. Ohio’s weak El Nino winter—with slightly above average temperatures and above average precipitation—means we can expect a beautiful, bountiful, bumper harvest of fruits and vegetables come summertime.

“Also, the weather forecasts are all predicting a warmer, rainier spring, so it’s safe to say we can expect a better year of produce than we’ve seen the past several years,” says Don Grace, who runs Grace Brothers Nursery & Farm Store with his brother, Kevin.

To have your own stake in all that locally grown goodness, the nursery is taking membership orders for its Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.

Begun in 2011, the program has expanded dramatically each year.

Moving Into Meats and Dairy
“We have added several options to the weekly shares that our customers have taken a strong liking to, such as chicken, our own locally-raised pork, dairy, eggs, and artisan bread,” says Don. “People enjoy spending less time waiting in a grocery store line as much as they do knowing where their food comes from.”

The CSA program is easy to be a part of. You pay one price at the beginning of the season. Starting in early June, each week you pick up your boxed assortment of fruits and veggies and whichever add-on option you choose. Don reports the new pork selection includes locally made sausage, smoked kielbasa and chorizo sausages.

Since crops are harvested at optimum ripeness, you can expect a colorful, ever-changing variety of produce each week, including seasonal fruits (berries, melons and apples), lettuce, cucumbers, onions, root vegetables, corn, potatoes, spinach, eggplant and herbs.


Produce comes from more than 20 local farmers throughout Cuyahoga, Medina, Wayne, and Ashland counties.

“The distribution footprint is smaller because the produce is not being trucked in from California or flown in from south of the equator,” points out Don. “And we only work with Certified Organic and small sustainable family farms.”

For the record, Don reports that his personal favorite vegetable-to-season picks are peas in June and Brussels sprouts in October and November.

In addition to a Full Session Share from the CSA, Session A, June 7-November 1 (22 weeks), Grace Brother’s will offer a Session B, June 28-September 27 (14 weeks) for $17-$30/week, and Meat and Dairy Add-Ons for $9/week.

To fit with today’s families, the share comes in three sizes: Garden Basket, Traditional and Family Share.

Helping Locals Find Work
Thinking and acting local is how the folks at Grace Brothers like to operate. Don reports this year they are increasing their partnership with farms that are part of the Solutions at Work (SAW) program, which is one of the largest employers of people with developmental disabilities in the state.

“Employing these local citizens on four urban farm locations in Cuyahoga County is a key part of our mission,” he says. “They are trained in agriculture through a program that’s designed to create innovative career choices. We support this model.”

There are a limited number of CSA shares sold. Register today: by phone at 440-237-2577, online at GraceBrosNursery.com, by mail or in-store before they sell out. Grace Brothers Nursery and the CSA pick-up location is 12905 Ridge Road in North Royalton. Pick-up days are Fridays and Saturdays. Visit GraceBrosNursery.com to view an interesting video about the CSA program.

Categories: Westside Food & Dining