Kickstarter Pick: CitySprout, A Revolution in Food Distribution

When you want local produce you have two options: You can go to a farmer's market, or grow the fruits and vegetables yourself.

While farmers' markets are a wonderful resource, many are only held on the weekends and sometimes inconvenient locations. And though most apartment dwellers we know would love to grow their own food, we're limited by a few small pots crammed onto our windowsills and fire escapes. Which brings us to our Kickstarter pick for the week:

CitySprout, a project that aims to help close the gap between local farmers and city folk by hosting an online marketplace for the two to connect. It works like this: You enter your zip code to see what farmers are going to be bringing to your neighborhood, when they'll be there and how much it will cost.

"For example, if you live in Williamsburg, you may see that there are several drop-off locations spread throughout the borough, one for each day of the week." You can see that on Monday, between 9-11am, Farmer Ned will be two blocks away with crates of carrots, apples, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, peppers, potatoes, green beans and broccoli for $25 a crate. You pay for your share ahead of time and then head over on the assigned day to pick it up. No ordering a month's supply like some produce delivery services. You pay on an as-needed basis.

CitySprout is only feasible if enough people in your zip code express an interest. You can sign up now so that by the time it launches your neighborhood will already be on the list. Better yet, back the project. Incentives include free shares you can use to order produce once the service launches.