Today is National CSA Sign-up Day! Community Supported
Agriculture is a growing trend in local agriculture that has benefits
for both the grower and the members. There are over 6,000 farms with CSA
programs in the United States! For those not familiar with the CSA model, here’s a bit of background for you.
It’s a fairly simple concept – members pay their annual fee prior to the growing season, and receive a share of produce each week throughout the season. The grower, in turn, has the funds to buy seeds and supplies. Most importantly, the grower has much more confidence in farm planning for the year – how much to plant and how much to pick each week. The market for their produce is largely known before the seeds go into the ground. Finally, there is a weekly connection between the farmer and the members, in which helpful information can be provided – including recipes and tips on handling produce. Shares are generally delivered/picked up on a specific time each week. Several novel variations have come about in recent years, which have given both the grower and members more flexibility. To read more about CSAs, here's a great resource.
It’s a fairly simple concept – members pay their annual fee prior to the growing season, and receive a share of produce each week throughout the season. The grower, in turn, has the funds to buy seeds and supplies. Most importantly, the grower has much more confidence in farm planning for the year – how much to plant and how much to pick each week. The market for their produce is largely known before the seeds go into the ground. Finally, there is a weekly connection between the farmer and the members, in which helpful information can be provided – including recipes and tips on handling produce. Shares are generally delivered/picked up on a specific time each week. Several novel variations have come about in recent years, which have given both the grower and members more flexibility. To read more about CSAs, here's a great resource.
At Sweet Penelope Farms, we’re happy to report that the
first year of our CSA program was a huge success! We focus on providing fresh, organically grown produce for our members, and giving them the most for their money. We send emails at the beginning of each week so that members know what to expect in their shares. Particularly with less commonly known vegetables, we provide recipes and tips for storage and preparation. We strongly encourage member feedback, and do our best to continuously improve our program. Our 2015 program membership enrollment is open now. Here are the details:
PICKUP LOCATIONS
Members can choose to pickup on Wednesdays in Aurora at the
Village Market, or on Thursdays at the farm. Our shares are delivered in
reusable bags, and members return their bag at pickup the following week.
SHARE SIZE
We offer a large and a small share. The small share is designed for 2 people and
the large for 4. If you’re concerned that the large will be too much, several
customers purchase a small share and purchase additional vegetables when they come
to pick up at the farm.
VARIETY
We offer a large variety of greens, root vegetables,
potatoes, tomatoes, cukes, peppers, sweet corn and more in the shares. In the
early part of the season, the majority of the share consists of green leafy
veggies, carrots, beets and leeks. This changes as the season goes on, when we
include more starch (potatoes, squashes), and tomatoes, corn, etc.
Those who pick up at the farm will have the option of a
“trade basket”. The idea is, if there is something in your share that you don’t
like or just can’t find a way to put it to use, there will be at least one
other vegetable variety available in the basket to trade it for. It’s important
for us that our customers understand that we need to grow a variety of greens
and root vegetables – including kale, collards, swiss chard, and beets. They
impart a good balance of nutrients for our soil, and they enable us to offer
produce in colder months.
To give you a better idea of what the shares look like throughout the season, here are examples from the 2014 CSA:
June 16th - The small share contained one bag of mixed leaf lettuce, one head of romaine lettuce, garlic scapes, and swiss chard. The large share contained one bag of mixed leaf lettuce, one head of romaine lettuce, fennel, spinach, beets, and beet greens.
August 18th - The small share contained garlic, cabbage, tomato, cauliflower, hot peppers, and sweet corn. The large share contained garlic, tomato, leeks, pepper, beans, cauliflower, broccoli, sweet corn, and cabbage.
September 29th - The small share contained salad turnips, spinach, radishes, onions, carrots, and celery. The large share contained salad turnips, spinach, radishes, onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash, and head lettuce.
To give you a better idea of what the shares look like throughout the season, here are examples from the 2014 CSA:
June 16th - The small share contained one bag of mixed leaf lettuce, one head of romaine lettuce, garlic scapes, and swiss chard. The large share contained one bag of mixed leaf lettuce, one head of romaine lettuce, fennel, spinach, beets, and beet greens.
August 18th - The small share contained garlic, cabbage, tomato, cauliflower, hot peppers, and sweet corn. The large share contained garlic, tomato, leeks, pepper, beans, cauliflower, broccoli, sweet corn, and cabbage.
September 29th - The small share contained salad turnips, spinach, radishes, onions, carrots, and celery. The large share contained salad turnips, spinach, radishes, onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash, and head lettuce.
We make sure that our offering has value,
quality, and variety, not just abundance. After reading about our program, we’re
hoping that you’ll give it a try! You can find our membership form on our website, and read feedback from our members too! www.sweetpenelopefarms.com.
