Frequently Asked Questions
What is a CSA?
What if, instead of getting a news magazine every week, you got a big box of produce from a farmer down the road, a box of fruits and vegetables picked that very morning, bursting with flavor and nutrition? That's what you get when you subscribe to a CSA.
Community-Supported or Community-Shared Agriculture (CSA) is also known as "subscription farming." You buy a subscription from a local farmer just like you buy a subscription to Time or Newsweek. But instead of receiving a magazine each week, you receive a "share" of fresh, locally grown or raised fruit and/or vegetables. Some farmers also offer CSA subscriptions for farm-fresh eggs, and/or meats.
While new in name, Community Supported Agriculture hearkens back to an earlier time-a time when people knew where their food came from, ate in harmony with the seasons, and enjoyed a delicious, healthy diet of pure, fresh foods.
"In season" is what CSAs are all about. The grocery store knows no seasons. It is disconnected from Nature and so are the people who must shop there. Sure, you can buy tomatoes in January-but who wants to eat cardboard tomatoes? That sorry tomato was picked green 2000 miles away and weeks ago, then blasted with ethylene gas to make it turn red just before it landed in the produce section of your store. What we have gained in convenience, we have lost in flavor, freshness, nutritional value, and human connection-to each other and to the land.
When you subscribe to a CSA, however, you remake all those connections.
Of course, you may not get tomatoes in May. In May, your vegetable CSA share will be full of luscious lettuce, spinach, and other spring delights. When August comes, then you will experience an explosion of true tomato flavor with your first bite of a juicy, just-picked, sun-ripened tomato- proving once again that some things are worth waiting for!
A subscribers don't so much "buy" food from particular farms as become "members" of those farms. CSAs provide more than just food, they offer ways for eaters to become involved in the ecological and human community that supports the farm. Join one today!
Retrieved from http://www.illinoisfarmdirect.org/Learn_More/csa.html
How much do I get in a share of veggies or fruit?
A family share feeds about 4-6 people (approximately 1 1/2-2 grocery bags full)
A couple share feeds about 1-3 people (approximately 1grocery bag full)
The fruit share will vary in amounts depending on what fruit is in season at the time and if it is abundant or sparce. It will be a good amount to last throughout the week some weeks possibly enough to preserve. Fruit is not always organic, but is local as possible. We will add a fruit to the veggie basket occasionally for a nice treat.
What happens if I can't pick up my share?
You can always make arrangements to have someone else pick up your basket that week, or we can hold onto it or donate it if you will be gone too long to consume it.
What can I expect to see in the vegetable share?
In early spring you can expect to see lots of greens, spinach, kale, lettuce, asian greens, mustard greens and more, some tubers like carrots, beets, radish and herbs. We will also add produce that has been overwintered like potatoes, onions, and winter squash.
In the summer basket you will see greens to start off the season lettuce, arugula, kale, beet greens, spinach, mustard greens, herbs, kohlrabi, carrots and more, all great for smoothies and salads. We are hoping for apricots and cherries early in the summer. As we move further into the summer season more traditional crops will be available such as beans, peas, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, radishes, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, basil, onions, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, summer squash, winter squash, swiss chard and more. The summer share is very much ruled by the natural flow of our Utah growing season starting off with smaller variety of produce in June and July, peaking with the heaviest harvest and variety in August and September then backing down again as we move into October.
Fall baskets pick up in October where summer leaves off. We still see tomato, cucumber, bell peppers, eggplant, herbs, and more summer produce, but then move into winter squash, potatoes, onions and greens. Fall seems to have the biggest variety of produce in a short amount of time, as we leave the hot weather and move into cooler weather, the produce is fabulous.
How do you grow your produce? Is it organic? Pesticide-free? GMO-free?
YES!! We are not certified organic by the USDA, the reason for this, is that we are so busy planting, harvesting, experimenting with new methods of growing and marketing our products, that we have not have time to go through the lengthy certification process. That being said, we do NOT use any chemical fertilizers, chemical pesticides (even those approved for organic growers), and use heirloom, organic and non-GMO seeds when planting. We use a variety of techniques to grow our products including: drip irrigation, back to eden gardening, hugelkultur, raised bed gardens, low-hoop houses and high-hoop houses. We strive to provide you with a variety of quality products that we ourselves are comfortable eating and sharing with our family. Once you taste the difference in our produce versus store-bought products, you will never want to go back to the store!
What if, instead of getting a news magazine every week, you got a big box of produce from a farmer down the road, a box of fruits and vegetables picked that very morning, bursting with flavor and nutrition? That's what you get when you subscribe to a CSA.
Community-Supported or Community-Shared Agriculture (CSA) is also known as "subscription farming." You buy a subscription from a local farmer just like you buy a subscription to Time or Newsweek. But instead of receiving a magazine each week, you receive a "share" of fresh, locally grown or raised fruit and/or vegetables. Some farmers also offer CSA subscriptions for farm-fresh eggs, and/or meats.
While new in name, Community Supported Agriculture hearkens back to an earlier time-a time when people knew where their food came from, ate in harmony with the seasons, and enjoyed a delicious, healthy diet of pure, fresh foods.
"In season" is what CSAs are all about. The grocery store knows no seasons. It is disconnected from Nature and so are the people who must shop there. Sure, you can buy tomatoes in January-but who wants to eat cardboard tomatoes? That sorry tomato was picked green 2000 miles away and weeks ago, then blasted with ethylene gas to make it turn red just before it landed in the produce section of your store. What we have gained in convenience, we have lost in flavor, freshness, nutritional value, and human connection-to each other and to the land.
When you subscribe to a CSA, however, you remake all those connections.
Of course, you may not get tomatoes in May. In May, your vegetable CSA share will be full of luscious lettuce, spinach, and other spring delights. When August comes, then you will experience an explosion of true tomato flavor with your first bite of a juicy, just-picked, sun-ripened tomato- proving once again that some things are worth waiting for!
A subscribers don't so much "buy" food from particular farms as become "members" of those farms. CSAs provide more than just food, they offer ways for eaters to become involved in the ecological and human community that supports the farm. Join one today!
Retrieved from http://www.illinoisfarmdirect.org/Learn_More/csa.html
How much do I get in a share of veggies or fruit?
A family share feeds about 4-6 people (approximately 1 1/2-2 grocery bags full)
A couple share feeds about 1-3 people (approximately 1grocery bag full)
The fruit share will vary in amounts depending on what fruit is in season at the time and if it is abundant or sparce. It will be a good amount to last throughout the week some weeks possibly enough to preserve. Fruit is not always organic, but is local as possible. We will add a fruit to the veggie basket occasionally for a nice treat.
What happens if I can't pick up my share?
You can always make arrangements to have someone else pick up your basket that week, or we can hold onto it or donate it if you will be gone too long to consume it.
What can I expect to see in the vegetable share?
In early spring you can expect to see lots of greens, spinach, kale, lettuce, asian greens, mustard greens and more, some tubers like carrots, beets, radish and herbs. We will also add produce that has been overwintered like potatoes, onions, and winter squash.
In the summer basket you will see greens to start off the season lettuce, arugula, kale, beet greens, spinach, mustard greens, herbs, kohlrabi, carrots and more, all great for smoothies and salads. We are hoping for apricots and cherries early in the summer. As we move further into the summer season more traditional crops will be available such as beans, peas, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, radishes, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, basil, onions, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, summer squash, winter squash, swiss chard and more. The summer share is very much ruled by the natural flow of our Utah growing season starting off with smaller variety of produce in June and July, peaking with the heaviest harvest and variety in August and September then backing down again as we move into October.
Fall baskets pick up in October where summer leaves off. We still see tomato, cucumber, bell peppers, eggplant, herbs, and more summer produce, but then move into winter squash, potatoes, onions and greens. Fall seems to have the biggest variety of produce in a short amount of time, as we leave the hot weather and move into cooler weather, the produce is fabulous.
How do you grow your produce? Is it organic? Pesticide-free? GMO-free?
YES!! We are not certified organic by the USDA, the reason for this, is that we are so busy planting, harvesting, experimenting with new methods of growing and marketing our products, that we have not have time to go through the lengthy certification process. That being said, we do NOT use any chemical fertilizers, chemical pesticides (even those approved for organic growers), and use heirloom, organic and non-GMO seeds when planting. We use a variety of techniques to grow our products including: drip irrigation, back to eden gardening, hugelkultur, raised bed gardens, low-hoop houses and high-hoop houses. We strive to provide you with a variety of quality products that we ourselves are comfortable eating and sharing with our family. Once you taste the difference in our produce versus store-bought products, you will never want to go back to the store!
