THE SCOOP: The Nameth boys — David, Richard, Josh and Steven (shown with Ranch Foods Direct owner Mike Callicrate) — are familiar faces to Ranch Foods Direct customers. During the summer and fall growing season, they appear weekly with fresh vegetable deliveries under the tutelage of mom Marcy Nameth. In 2013, the boys will be back, once again showcasing the best of what their Fowler farm has to offer. Sign up for their Greenhorn Acres CSA (the initials stand for Community Supported Agriculture) pay upfront and you get a portion of what their Arkansas Valley farm produces all year long, conveniently delivered to Ranch Foods Direct for pickup once a week. Marcy also provides members with wonderful recipes, cooking tips and updates on daily farm life.

FOOD 101: How better for kids to improve their food and farm literacy than by learning from their peers? Last year, District 11 Food Services Director Rick Hughes came up with a brilliant idea. Why not collaborate with Greenhorn Acres on a CSA fundraiser? Ten percent of each CSA sold went back to participating elementary schools to fund needed projects; kids and their parents who joined the CSA learned about farming from the Nameth family during weekly trips to pick up their produce. “It was a lot of fun,” Marcy says. “It was rewarding to see their excitement over the different foods. A lot of the school staff participated too. It was a win-win for the schools, for the kids and for us.”

The fundraiser continues this year at the Chipeta and Steele Elementary Schools. Parents and kids will pick up their produce subscription weekly at Ranch Foods Direct.

UP NEXT: Greenhorn Acres hopes to double their CSA members this year. That’s in spite of a historic drought that has affected farmers up and down the Arkansas Valley. “There’s fewer tractors running than you’d normally see,” Marcy says. Still, it looks like the farm will be fortunate enough to get the needed irrigation water. “We’ll make it work,” she says. They hope to plant raspberries for the first time this year along with some new varieties of tomatoes, peppers and summer squash. Deliveries are expected to begin as early as mid- May.