Announcing our First CSA Season

     I've been asked many times if I would be interested in selling our veggies via a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) model.  In a traditional CSA, customers pay up front for a weekly share of the farms' output - often with no real say in what is included in the weekly box.  The farmer, in return, gets to defray many production expenses upfront.  Both take a risk however...the customers put a lot of trust in the farmer and risk getting less than what they expected, and the farmer's risks are the same as they've always been--too much rain, not enough rain, crop failure, pestilence...and in the case of a CSA farmer...possibly unhappy and disappointed customers.

   After weighing all the pros and cons of the various ways to sell our products, we have settled on a hybrid type of CSA --one that has an upside for both the customer and the farmer.  We are going to start selling our produce using a "buy-down" type of CSA.  Here's how it works, and why we are excited for what this year brings!

     When signing up for our CSA, customers will decide how much they want to spend, and what they spend it on.  There are 3 different funding levels -- $25, $50, and $100.  When joining and paying for a "share", an account will be credited that amount, plus 10%.  For example if paying $50, the initial account balance will be $55.  We are going to be using a website hosted by Small Farm Central to manage accounts and it will provide our customers an online store to place their orders.  Customers will be able to shop online, manage or check their account balance, shop at the farm on designated days, and at the farmers market using their account.  Online order pickups will be on the farm or at the farmers market.

     Here is where the upside for the customer is....if a they do not use all of their credit by the end of September, we will refund, by request, any remaining account balance.  Any unused funds not refunded by October 1st will be put toward next years seed purchases.

     We will also have a small egg CSA.  One in the Spring, and one in the Summer, each running for 10 weeks.  Those participating in the egg CSA will also receive a 10% discount on eggs.  We are limiting the Spring season to only 5 members.  Once we get an idea of how our egg production is going, we may increase this in the summer.  We don't want to over commit the ladies to more than they can produce!

     Here is some of the produce that you can expect from us this year:

Spring:  Sugar snap peas (my favorite!), radishes, lettuces, cabbage, spinach, swiss chard, cilantro, arugula, green garlic, scallions, and a spicy spring salad mix.

Summer:  Tomatoes, eggplant, cucumber, beans (many many types!), herbs, strawberries, sweet potatoes, peppers--hot and sweet varieties, summer squash, onions, garlic and shallots.

Plants:  Seedlings such as tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and companion plants for your home garden.

We will also have farm crafts for sale:  hand made planters, potted herbs and flowers, and hand sewn items.

Anyone interested in joining our CSA this year will need to either keep an eye on our Facebook page for announcements, or join our mailing list by clicking our logo on the right side of the blog main page.  We have 4 spots left in our egg CSA for spring, and we expect to begin selling our farm shares for produce by mid-March, with spring harvesting beginning in early to mid-April.  Seedlings, companion plants, and herb plants will be available beginning in mid April until July.

As a farm that is new to selling in this manner, we are hoping that folks will take a leap of faith with us and reap the rewards of a wonderful, productive and fun harvest.