Imagine receiving a steady pipeline of in-season fruits and vegetables plucked directly from farms without having to venture into rural areas, crowded farmer’s markets or expensive specialty stores to get them.

Heirloom tomatoes, assorted cantaloupes, juicy nectarines, sugary onions and bright bell peppers are among the produce available for weekly pickup through the Tierra Miguel Foundation’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, which began in 2002.

Consumers who subscribe to CSA pay $375 per quarter for weekly drop-offs of boxes containing between 25 and 35 pounds of farm-fresh bounties, which are delivered to 12 different sites throughout San Diego County every Tuesday. Those sites include downtown, City Heights, the College Area, University City, Encinitas and Oceanside. Biweekly rations are available as well for $187 per quarter.

According to Beth Levendowski, president and CEO of Tierra Miguel Foundation, the boxes are designed to feed two to three adults, and their contents, dictated by what’s in season, change every week.

“If you eat fruits and vegetables regularly, the program is less expensive than purchasing your produce at a store,” she notes.

The produce originates from the 84-acre Tierra Miguel Farm in the Pauma Valley, along with nearly eight other growers in the region, all of which adhere to sustainable farming practices that involve the use of pesticide-free insect controls, natural fertilizers and “living” composts.

The boxes are often supplemented with other items such as honey produced from Tierra’s hives or premium raisins that come from a farm in Fresno, which will be included in the October boxes. Also in the fall, apples from Julian farmers are added to the boxes.

“Our largest complaint is that people don’t use all the fruits and vegetables,” says Levendowski. So in order to help subscribers better utilize their produce, the organization offers classes six months out of the year called Field to Fork, led by nutritionists who offer cooking tips and explain the nutritional values of the produce. In addition, CSA packs into its boxes a newsletter that features recipes for specific in-season produce.

Among the other seasonal goodies consumers receive are red kuri winter squash (a dry, sweet squash that looks like a small pumpkin), six different varieties of tomatoes, nardello peppers, okra, eggplants, garlic, cucumbers, plums and various types of cantaloupes.

“We believe that the only way to start curing our physical ailments is to increase our nutrition,” Levendowski says. “And you can only get that by eating fresh food that’s not two weeks old by the time you buy it. In many cases, we pick the food a day before it’s delivered.”

The Tierra Miguel Foundation is a nonprofit organization that promotes direct relationships between farmers and consumers with the purpose of creating sustainability. Its CSA program currently serves 75 consumers in San Diego County and extends to Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange counties.

To join CSA, call (760) 742-4213 or visit their Web site, www.tierramiguelfarm.org.