[vegetarian_groOT: CSA/ mysteries of the csa box this week

[Guest guest]

Is there a website that lists csa organizations throughout the u.s.? I would

love something like this for my daughter to grow up participating in (and for

me, too).

 

Cassie

" life's a garden, dig it! "

 

Sent from my iPhone

 

On Jun 28, 2008, at 12:40 PM, " Melissa " <mapalicka wrote:

 

this week our produce box has beets (which I now like), yellow squash, potatoes,

herbs, baby

broccoli, radishes and some kind of bright orange zucchini type vegetable. What

is this? Can

I use it like zucchini, like in breads and everything ? Also, what do you all do

with radishes?

I thought I was fairly well versed in veggies but apparently I am only well

versed in grocery

store veggies. This box of surprises is fun!

thanks,

Melissa P

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

There are any number of them, most of them seem to be regional.  Your best bet

might be to google " Community Supported Agriculture "   and then do a 'search

within results' for your region.

Each CSA will be set up differently so talk to several (if you have a number to

choose from in your area) and see which one will fit your needs best.  It's

probably too late to join one this year but that will give you time to do your

homework.  See if the farmer has any members who are willing to talk to you

about their experiences.

This is a relatively new concept and is definitely growing so each year will

probably bring more choices.

Some things to ask:

Are they organic?  Some are; many are not.  If they aren't, what kinds of

herbicides and pesticides do they use?  How often?  Ours uses moderate

herbicides and minimal pesticides which, depending on the type of crop, are

discontinued for varying periods of time before picking begins.

Price?  Do they allow half or quarter shares?  Size(s) of boxes?  We can pick up

every week or every other week and we had a choice of 3 sizes of boxes. 

Payments could be made in several installments but they had to be paid in full

by June 1st.

Any special perks for members?  Ours has festivals (Strawberry Festival, Sweet

Corn Festival, Melon Festival, Customer Appreciation Weekend, Old Tyme Fall

Festival, Scarecrow Contest, Giant Pumpkin Festival, Pumpkin Cannon, and Haunted

Corn Maze) spaced throughout the season.  Members get free admission and free

food.  Our CSA also operates a produce stand for the general public and they

have developed a nice petting zoo, playground, and picnic area along with it. 

That entire area is free to us any time we would like to use it (when they are

open).

Any special offers or quantity purchases?  Ours notifies us if they have extras

of any crop and we get to take advantage of it for a members only price.  Last

week we were able to buy already picked strawberries for almost 1/2 price and if

we wanted to pick them ourselves, it was even cheaper.

Are any substitutions allowed?  If you get something in your box that you know

you won't use, can it be switched?  Ours allows this with limits.  It can only

be done if you pick up at the farm and the things that can be substituted are

limited as far as how many of another thing you can take.  In other words, you

can't trade a zucchini for several pounds of snow peas - it needs to be a

somewhat equal trade.

How many pick up locations are there?  Our CSA has 5.

How many pick up days will there be?  We can choose to pick up on either

Wednesday or Saturday, but we can't keep switching days.  We must pick a day and

stick with it.  If special circumstances arise, they will work out an

alternative time for us if we give them enough notice.

How will they communicate with you?  Our communication is e-mail and it has

worked out very well.

We have had a very positive experience so far this year in spite of the

miserable growing season in our area.  But it took 3 years to find one that we

felt met our needs.  Our farmer just started his CSA last year and it is evident

that he has put a lot of thought and effort into it.  Although he grows a very

diverse group of produce, he can't grow everything.  To enlarge what he can

offer us, he has contracted with other local farmers for several things.  He

doesn't grow potatoes because he can't justify the cost of the machinery for the

amount of potatoes he would grow so he partnered with a nearby friend of his

that grows just potatoes and we've been getting potatoes in our boxes from the

beginning.  He doesn't grow tomatoes but he contracts with a hydroponic grower a

few miles away and we've had tomatoes in each of our boxes. 

 

 

 

Cassie Dixon <roxy87cabriolet

 

Is there a website that lists csa organizations throughout the u.s.?  I would

love something like this for my daughter to grow up participating in (and for

me, too).

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

WOW!!!

That sounds even better than I would have thought.

Thank you for the list of questions and the information. I was under the

impression it was not begun by a farmer, but a group of individuals that pay and

work for the produce. But, I can see how this might work in other

circumstances..

I have some heavy research to do.

 

Cassie

" life's a garden, dig it! "

 

Sent from my iPhone

 

On Jun 28, 2008, at 7:29 PM, WAC <misty1451tory wrote:

 

There are any number of them, most of them seem to be regional. Your best bet

might be to google " Community Supported Agriculture " and then do a 'search

within results' for your region.

Each CSA will be set up differently so talk to several (if you have a number to

choose from in your area) and see which one will fit your needs best. It's

probably too late to join one this year but that will give you time to do your

homework. See if the farmer has any members who are willing to talk to you

about their experiences.

This is a relatively new concept and is definitely growing so each year will

probably bring more choices.

Some things to ask:

Are they organic? Some are; many are not. If they aren't, what kinds of

herbicides and pesticides do they use? How often? Ours uses moderate

herbicides and minimal pesticides which, depending on the type of crop, are

discontinued for varying periods of time before picking begins.

Price? Do they allow half or quarter shares? Size(s) of boxes? We can pick up

every week or every other week and we had a choice of 3 sizes of boxes.

Payments could be made in several installments but they had to be paid in full

by June 1st.

Any special perks for members? Ours has festivals (Strawberry Festival, Sweet

Corn Festival, Melon Festival, Customer Appreciation Weekend, Old Tyme Fall

Festival, Scarecrow Contest, Giant Pumpkin Festival, Pumpkin Cannon, and Haunted

Corn Maze) spaced throughout the season. Members get free admission and free

food. Our CSA also operates a produce stand for the general public and they

have developed a nice petting zoo, playground, and picnic area along with it.

That entire area is free to us any time we would like to use it (when they are

open).

Any special offers or quantity purchases? Ours notifies us if they have extras

of any crop and we get to take advantage of it for a members only price. Last

week we were able to buy already picked strawberries for almost 1/2 price and if

we wanted to pick them ourselves, it was even cheaper.

Are any substitutions allowed? If you get something in your box that you know

you won't use, can it be switched? Ours allows this with limits. It can only

be done if you pick up at the farm and the things that can be substituted are

limited as far as how many of another thing you can take. In other words, you

can't trade a zucchini for several pounds of snow peas - it needs to be a

somewhat equal trade.

How many pick up locations are there? Our CSA has 5.

How many pick up days will there be? We can choose to pick up on either

Wednesday or Saturday, but we can't keep switching days. We must pick a day and

stick with it. If special circumstances arise, they will work out an

alternative time for us if we give them enough notice.

How will they communicate with you? Our communication is e-mail and it has

worked out very well.

We have had a very positive experience so far this year in spite of the

miserable growing season in our area. But it took 3 years to find one that we

felt met our needs. Our farmer just started his CSA last year and it is evident

that he has put a lot of thought and effort into it. Although he grows a very

diverse group of produce, he can't grow everything. To enlarge what he can

offer us, he has contracted with other local farmers for several things. He

doesn't grow potatoes because he can't justify the cost of the machinery for the

amount of potatoes he would grow so he partnered with a nearby friend of his

that grows just potatoes and we've been getting potatoes in our boxes from the

beginning. He doesn't grow tomatoes but he contracts with a hydroponic grower a

few miles away and we've had tomatoes in each of our boxes.

 

 

Cassie Dixon <roxy87cabriolet

 

Is there a website that lists csa organizations throughout the u.s.? I would

love something like this for my daughter to grow up participating in (and for

me, too).

 

 

[Guest guest]

It sounds like you might be thinking about communal gardens.  Public land is

divided up into individual plots for people to garden when they have no land of

their own to use.  That concept is more prevalent in large city areas; we're in

a rural/small town area.  It's a very good idea to pursue if you can find one

near you and have the time and energy to do the gardening yourself.

In CSAs, you buy a 'share' in a farmer's crop for an entire growing season.  You

take a chance, right along with the farmer, on how good the crop will be.  You

provide the farmer with cash at the beginning of the growing season when he

needs it most and he provides you with the produce as he harvests it throughout

the season.  You're not only supporting local agriculture, you're decreasing the

amount of fuel and pollution needed to truck produce to you from across the

country.  Granted, it only makes a small impact on the total problem but the

more people that do it, the larger that impact will be.

We've patronized the farmers' markets in this area for years.  The reason is

twofold.  We believe in supporting local producers as much as possible and we

find that, in many (but not all) instances, we can tell a definite difference in

the quality of the produce we eat.  CSAs are just another step along that

continum.

 

 

 

Cassie Dixon <roxy87cabriolet

 

WOW!!!

That sounds even better than I would have thought.

Thank you for the list of questions and the information.  I was under the

impression it was not begun by a farmer, but a group of individuals that pay and

work for the produce.  But, I can see how this might work in other

circumstances..

I have some heavy research to do.

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

> Is there a website that lists csa organizations throughout the u.s.?

> I would love something like this for my daughter to grow up

> participating in (and for me, too).

 

http://www.localharvest.org

 

Alex

[Guest guest]

Thank you so much for this info. There are 4 different farms in my area. I

had never heard of this before and I'm thrilled to find out about It now.

All of the summer slots are full but there are a couple farms with winter

openings. I'll be reading up a bit more and then I'll sign up. And I'm a

member of one of the insurance companies that reimburse you for joining. How

cool is that!

  

Tami

210.8/ 178.0/ 135 (32.8 pounds gone forever)

 

----

 

 

> Is there a website that lists csa organizations throughout the u.s.?

> I would love something like this for my daughter to grow up

> participating in (and for me, too).

 

http://www.localharvest.org

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Is that a health insurance company? I need to look into that.

 

Cassie

" life's a garden, dig it! "

 

Sent from my iPhone

 

On Jun 29, 2008, at 7:50 PM, " Tami " <windswept.serenity.528 wrote:

 

Thank you so much for this info. There are 4 different farms in my area. I

had never heard of this before and I'm thrilled to find out about It now.

All of the summer slots are full but there are a couple farms with winter

openings. I'll be reading up a bit more and then I'll sign up. And I'm a

member of one of the insurance companies that reimburse you for joining. How

cool is that!

  

Tami

210.8/ 178.0/ 135 (32.8 pounds gone forever)

 

----

 

 

> Is there a website that lists csa organizations throughout the u.s.?

> I would love something like this for my daughter to grow up

> participating in (and for me, too).

 

http://www.localharvest.org