Community Supported Agriculture projects link local growers to those who want to support family agriculture operations.

In this city, Benicia Community Gardens has been encouraging residents to order produce from participants in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). A free family event Sept. 13 on the First Street Green will let residents further explore this form of grocery shopping, as well as learn about how healthy food choices can help sustainable farming.

The Farm2Family Expo also will inform residents about the funding needs of a pilot project that is expected to take a 1/8 acre of school property and try to produce more than 6,000 pounds of food on it.

Benicia Community Gardens began its CSA partnership in 2012 with Terra Firma Farms, which grows produce in Winters and counts on selling directly to consumers instead of to stores.

Terra Firma Farms, a 200-acre certified organic farm, delivers from Sacramento to San Francisco and Alameda. “The numbers have been consistent, about 25 families,” said Elena Karoulina, executive director of Benicia Community Gardens.

“It’s also seasonal,” she said. “Once Benicia Farmers Market is open, less people buy from the farm. The number increases in winter.”

She said participants have a choice of three box sizes they can order. The farm packs each box with fresh, in-season produce they are harvesting that week.

Subscribers also get the farm’s newsletter with updates, information about the produce and recipes.

That means each week, recipients can get something different, depending on what is being harvested. “No tomatoes in January!” Karoulina said.

But it also gives subscribers a chance to benefit from bumper crops, which can be ordered directly from the farm website. So if peaches are plentiful during summer or oranges are productive in winter, Karoulina said, those additional fruits can be ordered.

Benicia Community Gardens arranges for a pickup point in places with plenty of parking, and subscribers are told when to arrive to receive their boxes.

Once Karoulina’s group was assured Benicians would support these partnerships, Benicia Community Gardens expanded the project to local sustainable meat from a similarly named but different farm, Tara Firma in Petaluma.

This farm raises non-genetically modified or chemically treated hogs, cattle, chickens and turkeys on rotated pastures that also have no chemicals or drugs, and it delivers its own meat and eggs, as well as products from other approved partners, to subscribers.

“Again, customers have a choice of three sizes of weekly or biweekly meat delivery,” Karoulina said. “It includes seasonal meat — yes, meat is seasonal.” For instance, pork delivery increases in fall, she said.

Subscribers also can order different cuts of meat and meat products, such as sausages and bacon, as well as eggs, yogurt, butter and cheese, she said.

A third CSA partner is Siren Fish Company, a local fishermen cooperative, Karoulina said. The cooperative works with local anglers and fish farmers to provide clients with what she called “the true catch of the day.”

For fish, clients may choose from two sizes of boxes, and whether they arrive weekly or biweekly. “You get what fishermen brought in that week,” she said. “If it’s stormy weather and boats did not leave their ports, they’ll send farmed products — mussels or oysters.”

She called it a “great way to learn about seasonal fish,” such as the crabs that are expected to be plentiful in November.

Most recently, Real Food Bay Area has become a CSA partner that delivers to Benicia.

“This company started its operation as Claravale, a raw milk distributor for the Bay Area, and they later added other local, sustainable real food to their delivery menu,” Karoulina said.

Claravale was one of two dairies in California certified to sell raw milk; a third was certified recently, Karoulina said. She said they are inspected regularly by the California Department of Agriculture.

“Cleanliness standards for raw milk are stricter than for pasteurized products,” she said.

The raw milk and other products arrive in large coolers with dry ice and stay cold throughout the day, Karoulina said. Standing weekly orders of raw milk and eggs are available, too, she said.

Subscribers now can order cheese, honey, olives and fermented products as well.

“While we do not advocate for any diet or food choice, we do work with local holistic health practitioners and organizations who actively promote healthy food choices and healthy cooking,” Karoulina said.

“One of them is Dr. DeAnne Miller, of Essence of Life Healing Studio. DeAnne joined our ‘What’s for Dinner?’ program, an educational potluck series, last year and quickly became our leading facilitator.” Miller also has joined the Benicia Community Gardens board of directors, and will speak at the Farm2Family Expo.

Karoulina said the group meets monthly from January to June at Heritage Presbyterian Church to share “wonderful, home-cooked meals and talk about modern food, ways of production, what makes food sustainable and where to obtain it.”

In addition, “We usually have a food preparation demonstration or food tasting.”

Another community partner that collaborates with Benicia Community Gardens is Healthy Cooking with Kids, another nonprofit organization.

“We have been working with the BUSD (Benicia Unified School District) to try to enhance their school gardens program for a few years now,” said Norma Lisenko, Healthy Cooking with Kids executive director.

“They are expanding their mission from cooking classes for children to establishing edible gardens and even farms at Benicia’s schools,” Karoulina said.

The Farm2Family Expo is a joint project with Healthy Cooking with Kids and Benicia Unified School District.

“The main idea is to showcase and fundraise for the Robert Semple (Elementary School) Farm and Permaculture Food Forest,” Karoulina said.

The Permaculture Food Forest will be planted at the school later as part of the Benicia Sustainable Backyard, the newest focus of Benicia Community Gardens, for which it received a Community Sustainability Commission grant.

The Farm2Family Expo also is a chance for Benicia Community Gardens to introduce its CSA partners to other members of the community, as well as to let subscribers meet their food’s producers, Karoulina said.

The expo will be where Benicia Community Gardens will launch the Benicia Sustainable Backyard project, she said.

One of the event’s speakers is Trathen Heckman, Petaluma, executive director and founder of Daily Acts, which in 2010 was named Sonoma County’s outstanding environmental education program and received the Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy’s Leader in Sustainability Award. Others will talk about how to encourage permaculture throughout the city, Karoulina said.

“We are also launching Benicia Community Farm as part of the program,” she said. “The first stage, Benicia Community Chicken, will have a designated area at the event.”

Among the children’s activities will be pony rides, a petting zoo, face painting, a jump house, accoustical music, games and art.

Those interested in subscribing to the Benicia Community Gardens Community Supported Agriculture project may register at realfoodbayarea.com/home.

The Farm2Families Expo will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 13 at the foot of First Street on the First Street Green.