CSA flowers and boxes, June 9th, 2010
What is a CSA?
CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Originally – this referred a group of people who pooled money to purchase a farm or land – then worked it as a group & harvested the benefits. Now more commonly it is an up front commitment by a consumer to a farmer. The consumer pays for produce at the beginning of the season, giving that farmer necessary capital for seeds etc. In return, the consumer is rewarded with weekly produce and relived of the necessity of going to the farmer’s market at the crack of dawn on a Saturday for the best selection.
Who should join?
Sounds like a silly question, but it it’s not. Rather than talk about who should, here’s who shouldn’t
Folks who don’t like lots of different kinds of vegetables. Seriously – if you just want some great tomatoes in the height of summer – come see us at the farmers market instead. If you really, really dislike something & want to exclude it from your box, let us know. Once that something comes into season, we’ll put it in your box as a freebie with a great recipe. If you make the recipe (you’re on your honor here) and still don’t like it, we’ll 86 it from your CSA. Remember though – it’s almost impossible for us to deal with people who tell us they “don’t like: tomatoes, corn, basil, onions, lettuce, radishes, beets, eggplant etc. etc.”
People who don’t like to cook. While lots of veggies are great raw – some are gonna have to be cooked, hey, no one wants a raw sweet potato. We include herbs in our CSA – so a decent knowledge of cooking with them is a help. We’ll give you some really nice recipes – easy ones – but if you don’t like to cook, a CSA can just seem a lot like work.
People who don’t like to plan ahead. Once produce starts ripening in mid summer, you’ll have more in your CSA than you did in spring (simply because a lot of summer produce isn’t as expensive as spring produce). You’re gonna want to freeze some of it. Too much basil? Pesto freezes really well. Too many tomatoes? Easy to freeze or can. Remember, fresh produce more about preserving than you think – and it’s a lot of fun. On New Year’s Day 2010 we shared asparagus and green garlic soup with friends – I made it in March 2009 – it was pretty cool.
What’s in the box?
It just depends – in spring, expect a lot of lettuce mix with edible flowers and other early crops like radishes and arugula. Later think beets, sugar snaps and onions. During the summer we should have tomatoes of course, squash, zucchini, peppers, eggplant, melons, cucumbers, Malabar spinach, beans and herbs, in fall we have greens, lettuce mix again, and radishes again. This isn’t a complete list, just off the top of my head. Crop failures are part of farm life – & that’s part of being a CSA – you’re agreeing to buy stuff ahead of time – we hope we’ll do well enough to get you everything we promise, but mother nature’s pretty rough sometimes, and you might just be disappointed.
How many meals should I expect from my box?
That, I’m afraid, is an impossible question to answer. It just depends on how you fix any given item – if you’re just making tomato sandwiches, a couple of pounds of tomatoes should be plenty. If you want to make salsa – a couple of pounds will be plenty too – but you won’t have made an entrée.
When the CSA start and how long does it last?
We should be ready by mid to late April, the CSA lasts 20 weeks. Bye weeks will be announced – there should be 2 of them.
What does it cost?
Since this is our first year offering a CSA, we are going with a small share. This should be enough for couples or for small families who don’t eat at home every night. We estimate an average of $20 in produce and herbs each week. Please note that some weeks will seem as though there is more produce, and some weeks less. This is because we base our pricing on our farmer’s market prices, which vary throughout the season. The cost is $425 - $400 for the share, $25 for two reusable containers.
What are the rules?
You gotta come pick it up. We really want you to have your produce the day it’s picked – we have super limited space to keep things cool – and anyhow, fresh is really what a CSA is all about. Logistically – we can’t accommodate everyone calling & saying “something’s come up, can I skip this week/get double next week/come by tomorrow instead?” etc. etc. A CSA is a commitment for both of us – we’ll sell you some great produce, I promise – you just gotta get it.
You have to pay up front. The driving force behind a CSA is for us to receive some operating costs before harvest. Full payment is due on April 1st.
You have to bring your container back. Please don’t forget – we don’t want to be scrounging for containers on harvest day.
We need your feedback – yea, it’s not really a rule, but we’re open to all kinds of constructive criticism – keep in mind this is our first year – our pricing reflects that and we hope you’ll be gentle with us.
Will you have value added products?
Yes, I’ll let you know by e-mail & you let me know if you’d like: salsa, pesto, herb dressing, etc. etc. I’ll let you know the cost by e-mail too. At some point during the summer, you’ll be able to add cut flowers as well. If you’re having a special event, I’m happy to make arrangements for you in your vases.
Where/what time is pickup?
SO important – pickup is at the farm only! We harvest for CSA on a different day than we harvest for market, so please don’t ask to pickup at market. Pickup day is Wednesday between 2pm and 6:00pm. We’re really easy to find – 6.5 miles from downtown Charlotte, 1401 Auten Road.
Can we have someone else pick up for us?
No problem, just call ahead and let us know.
So there you have it! I’m sure I’ve overlooked things & we’ll have to figure stuff out as we go along – but thanks for coming along for the ride – we hope you enjoy it!
Kim, Rohan & Porkchop