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The start date for the 2009 CSA is weather dependent. We are aiming for the first pick up of spring greens in mid April. You will be notified of the start date by email.
The pick up will be on Thursdays from 3:00 PM -7:00 PM. We know that life gets crazy for all of us, so if you are running late you can call ahead and we will make our best effort to pack your weekly bag for you and leave it in a designated location you can pick it up later that day.
You may designate someone else to come and pick up your share for the week. All they have to do is go to the check in table and tell us whom they are picking up for. If you do not have someone who can get your share, please let us know. It helps us plan our harvesting more effectively.
Weekly pick up keeps the CSA manageable, allowing Chip & Rennie, the growers, maximum time in the fields to assure the quality.
On a dollar per week basis our CSA is about the same as most others in the region. What is different is that you will be getting food distributions for 36-40 weeks (depending on the weather) rather than 18-20 weeks. Along with the basics of corn, tomatoes beans and squash your baskets will have restaurant quality gourmet greens, naturally grown blackberries, Asian pears, celeriac, kohlrabi, lemon cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes and much more. You will also be getting farm fresh food for your freezers and pantries for the winter. It is about eating well, eating locally, and building a community as we share new ways to eat new foods and old favorites.
The work commitment is for 4-5 work parties between June and November. These work events are three hours long and a schedule will be posted at the beginning of the season. Most work parties will involve food prep: making pesto, tomato sauce, freezing corn etc. There will also be some work parties that involve work in the fields such as digging sweet potatoes. These work parties are family friendly and an important part of the "community building" that happens in the CSA. "Many hands make light work & yummy stores for your winter pantry."
There will be a limited number of "opt out" memberships for those folks who simply can not commit to the 15 hours of work. The "opt out" fee is $125.
If you are not sure about being able to use a full share we will help match up folks who want to "split a share." How the split is done is up to the shareholding team: it can be 1/2 of each week’s basket, alternating weeks. It is up to you to divide the produce, frozen goods and the work commitment.
There will be a very limited number of single shares for Seniors/Singles. The cost will be $675.
This is always a difficult question to answer because every family is different in terms of the amt of fresh fruit and vegetables they eat in a week. And the quantity of food you receive varies with the growing season. Your baskets will be smaller in the spring, large in late summer, and full of greens and root crops in the fall. We can tell you that being a member of the CSA will give you a significant boost in your efforts to eat local, but it will not keep you out of the grocery store. The CSA will be providing in-season foods. If you want snow peas at the end of August, they will not be available at the farm, but they will be in the grocery store. Our past members say that the CSA helps cut other food costs as the need to go to the grocery is less therefore reducing impulse or convenience purchases.
A flower share comprises 10 bouquets over the season. Some of the weeks it will be a composed arrangement and other weeks you will have the opportunity to create your own arrangements from a lovely selection of precut and conditioned flowers.
No, membership is for the full growing season. However, memberships can be shared. One year two families shared a single membership. One family was away all summer and the other family lived out of state during the school year. It worked for them and for us.
This will be available for both members and nonmembers by preorder only. Email us at forbiddenfruitfarm@comcast.net to find out more about this.
At this time we are anticipating including eggs.
Yes, we plan to have specialty items and additional produce and flowers that can be purchased in addition to your share. Also, if you are going to need extra for a party, visitors etc, let us know and we will try to accommodate you. Members can also buy more than one share.
Jams, jellies, honey, pastries, cider, and other specialty items from local growers.