2023 CSA PLAN

  We're taking sign-ups for the 2023 Vegetable CSA now. 
  A CSA is the next best thing to growing your own food, so if you'd like to eat the kind of food you'd grow for yourself but you aren't in a position to do so, consider joining our CSA! 

  Below is the plan for our CSA customers that will be picking up their shares at our farm, mostly on Tuesdays.  And here is a link to the Statesville CSA plan.

THE CSA PLAN

  2023 will be our 19th year offering CSA shares.  A CSA is a partnership with a local farm that provides you a weekly share of produce items and helps make it possible for us to grow a radically homegrown alternative to supermarket-style food/agriculture defined by big corporations, chemicals, genetically modified crops... (For more information about how we farm see what we wrote here and other things on our blog.) 
  The CSA plan consists of 23 weekly shares each with a value of $22 spread out over an approximately 6 month season (from, depending on the weather, roughly early or mid- May and continuing through approximately early November, minus possibly a week sometime during the year that we'll need to take a bye week on our end, leaving 3 bye weeks for you.) 
  The cost of the CSA for returning CSA members is $506 (23 weeks times $22.00/week), but for first-time members our beginning offer is a half season share for $242 for 11 weekly shares (covering the first 12 weeks of the season with one bye week and renewable for the second half) so that new members can try out the CSA without needing to commit to the full season.

WHAT'S INCLUDED IN CSA SHARES
  A standard share contains a full assortment of several dozen different seasonal fresh vegetables (tomatoes, onions, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, peas, beans, lettuce, okra...), shitake mushrooms, and other garden and specialty field crops (like peanuts, strawberries...), all from open-pollinated seed and grown without chemical pesticides or fertilizers.  Here is a link to photos of sample CSA shares.  

  We're glad to pack your share with an assortment of whatever we think is at its best each week with maximum variety from week to week.  But we also offer the option to marginally customize your share, depending on what we have available.

  Every Saturday, we'll send out an e-mail with a list of most of the items we expect to harvest for the coming pick-up day.  If you see anything on the e-mail list that you'd especially like included in your share, just e-mail us what you would like by our Monday deadline.

   If we're not able to meet requests we'll substitute other items so that in any case you should receive a full $22 share.

  If we expect to have more demand for an item than we'll be able to accommodate, we'll typically not list that item and instead include such limited items in the shares of members whose requests were minimal enough to leave us room to include those things, so not everything that goes into CSA shares will be on the e-mail list and available for requests.

  

LOGISTICS

  In response to the Saturday e-mail, you'll need to let us know by noon on Monday if you would like a share that week or if you are taking a bye week.  You'll also let us know what time to set your share out for you (anytime that afternoon or evening but not before 2:00.)  A little before the time you tell us, we'll set a paper bag with your name on it out on the pick-up table.  If you don't see us outside and would like to talk to us about anything, just honk your horn.

  For the first several weeks of the CSA season, in order to fit with our spring harvesting schedule, Wednesday will be the pick-up day.  Then sometime around early June we switch to Tuesday pick-ups for the rest of the season.

  

WHAT IF YOU'RE OUT OF TOWN OR CAN'T COME TO THE PICK-UP ONE WEEK? WHAT ABOUT EXTRA WEEKS?
  Our CSA season should run 26 weeks, so full season members should have 3 bye weeks. If you're out of town or want to skip getting a share one week for any other reason, just let us know that you're taking a bye week by the order deadline, 12pm Monday.  If you take more than 3 bye weeks (or more than 1 bye week if you bought a half season membership), you will forfeit the extra pre-paid shares, but you can always give your share away to a friend.  Just let us know to whom you're giving your share that week and have that person e-mail us before the order deadline just like a regular CSA member would.

HOW TO PROCEED IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN JOINING THE CSA

  If you have more questions about our CSA, please send us an e-mail or call us (704-546-5074) or make plans to visit the farm.

  Any of our customers is welcome to come for a farm visit/tour, but we require a farm visit of new CSA members.  This gives you a chance to better understand what our farm is all about, what your partnership with us is about, and what it means for what you'll be receiving in your CSA shares. It also helps us better explain the logistics of our system to first time CSA members and to answer any questions you have.  And, of course, it gives you a chance to see how long it will take you to get to our farm.

PAYMENT

  For new members purchasing half season shares we ask for a $100 non-refundable deposit to hold your spot (or you can pay the $242 in full).  The remainder of the $242 is due when you pick up your first share.  

  For returning members purchasing full season shares we normally ask for a $100 non-refundable deposit to hold your spot (or you can pay the $506 in full).  The remainder of the $506 is due when you pick up your first share.  

STATESVILLE CSA PLAN

  Below is the plan for our CSA customers that will be getting their shares through home delivery in Statesville.  If you will be picking up shares at our farm in Yadkinville, see this link.

CSA OVERVIEW
  If you'd be interested in making a weekly commitment to buying a $22 assortment of our vegetables, then our CSA might be for you.  In exchange for the commitment our CSA members make to us, we commit to growing a full assortment of weekly vegetables for them.  Most of the things we grow for our CSA members are available to our Statesville home delivery customers as well, but we give our CSA members priority so our CSA members get the greatest variety of things from our farm.  CSA members receive their shares either by taking part in our home delivery program or by picking up their shares at our farm.

WHAT'S INCLUDED IN CSA SHARES
  Our standard $22 CSA shares contain a full assortment of several dozen different seasonal fresh vegetables (tomatoes, onions, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, peas, beans, lettuce, okra...), shitake mushrooms, and other garden and specialty field crops (like peanuts, strawberries...), all from open-pollinated seed and grown without chemical pesticides or fertilizers.  Here is a link to photos of sample CSA shares. 
  We're glad to pack your share with an assortment of whatever we think is at its best each week with maximum variety from week to week.  But we also offer the option to marginally customize your share, depending on what we have available.

CSA COMMITMENT
  We expect to be able to offer CSA shares nearly every Saturday from May to October but also probably one or two weeks in April, two or three weeks in November, probably one week in December, maybe one week in March... We'll just let you know in the newsletter we send out before each drop-off whether CSA shares will be available to order that week.  On the weeks we make deliveries but don't have CSA shares available, mostly mid-winter, you are welcome to just order items off from the list, but we won't fill in or substitute to make a $22 share like we normally would.
  In order for us to continue our commitment to each of our CSA members, we expect our CSA members to order a CSA share at least 85% of the times we offer shares (but if you get at least 25 CSA shares per year, we'll count that as close enough, even if we make enough drop-offs that 25 winds up being less than 85% of the total number of weeks.)  So you should expect to spend at least $550.00 with us if you want to take part in the CSA.

ORDERING
  In response to the newsletter we send out announcing a delivery, you will need to e-mail us back to request a CSA share.  If you have specific requests for what you'd like us to include in your share, that's also the time to make those requests.

BALANCE AND RECEIPTS
  Just as for the home delivery program, you'll keep a balance with us from which we will deduct your weekly orders.  This makes it straightforward if you would like to order items beyond your weekly share.   For example, you could order a share plus a bouquet of flowers or plus an additional 20 lbs of sweet potatoes.  We'll simply deduct the amount of your total order from your balance.
  Within a few days of each drop-off we'll send you an e-mail with (1) the total cost of what you ordered at the last drop-off, (2) your remaining balance -- if your balance drops below $66, we'll ask you to go ahead and replenish your balance, (3) the number of CSA shares you've gotten and the number of weeks we've offered CSA shares so far that year (so that you can make sure you're ordering at least 85% of the time, assuming you want to continue receiving CSA privileges.)

NEW CSA MEMBERS
  New members take part in the CSA as trial CSA members.  This gives you a chance to see if the amount and types of food work for you, if the amount of out-of-town traveling you do is compatible with the regularity of the CSA, if the drive to pick up your food (if you live outside our home delivery area) is manageable, etc.
  We ask trial CSA members to request CSA shares 11 out of 12 consecutive CSA deliveries.  You can begin any week we're offering CSA shares to regular CSA members. 
  We invite trial CSA members to order as if they were CSA members.  That means you can request a CSA share any week when we're offering CSA shares to our regular CSA members, and as with regular CSA shares we'll fill in whatever portion of the $22 CSA share for which you don't make requests and we'll make substitutions for any requests you make that we can't fill, sometimes including items that weren't part of the list in the preceding newsletter.  The one difference is we'll pack the shares of our regular CSA members first, so sometimes we may need to short you and you won't receive the same priority as regular CSA members. 
  After you've requested 11 CSA shares (within a period of 12 consecutive CSA deliveries) we'll count you as a regular CSA member so long as you keep ordering shares at least 85% of the time.
  If during this time you realize the CSA isn't working for you, you can simply drop back to the home delivery program.  This means you'll just start using your balance just like any home delivery customer, ordering as much or as little as you want as often as you want, skipping as many weeks as you want, and you'll no longer be able to order CSA shares except on the weeks when we offer sample CSA shares to everyone. 

HOW TO PROCEED IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN JOINING THE CSA
  (1)  Let us know you're interested in joining the CSA
  (2) Plan a visit to the farm.  Any of our customers is welcome to come for a farm visit/tour, but we require a farm visit of new CSA members.  This gives you a chance to better understand what our farm is all about, what the CSA partnership is about, and what it means for what you'll be receiving in your CSA shares. It also helps us better explain the logistics of our system to first time CSA members and to answer any questions you have.
  (3) Join the home delivery program (if you're not already a home delivery customer.)  To join the home delivery program, you'll need to give us a check for at least $150 and commit to spending a minimum of $150 over the course of the next 12 months -- the first $150 required for taking part in home deliveries is non-refundable regardless of whether you decide to continue with the CSA -- but your first 11 trial CSA shares will add up to more than that, so you'll need to plan to add to your balance soon into your CSA trial to continue unless you make a larger initial payment.  Any amount over $150 is fully refundable.

  If you have more questions about our CSA, please send us an e-mail or call us (704-546-5074) or make plans to visit the farm.

CARROT AND YACON SALAD

  This is a favorite winter salad of ours.  It keeps a couple days in the fridge so we often make a big batch. 
  Shred about equal amounts of carrots and yacons.  Add some finely chopped ginger root, a small amount of apple cider vinegar and honey, a pinch of salt and optionally some chopped dried figs (or raisins would probably fill a similar role) and walnuts.

Roasting sweet potatoes

 They are almost too pretty to eat!

Germination testing

It's seed germination testing time.

Any seed we want to carry over from last year or was saved by us last year, gets germ tested.

Seeds get laid on old cloth diapers in numbered rows, then another diaper is put on top. We keep them warm and moist.

Within 4-6 days the seeds have germinated enough for us to decide if they are healthy enough to use this growing season.

 

Eating local in the winter

  There's really nothing to even scavenge in the garden these days.  The extreme cold a couple weeks ago put an end to everything except for the remaining carrots that got a foot thick blanket of hay.  Some years we still have some fresh greens mid-winter, but some years, like this, there is nothing to be found.  

  Cold weather or not, one can still eat local all winter long.  It just takes some planning ahead.  Canning, freezing, dehydrating, and root cellaring can provide a constant supply of a wide variety of things to eat.

  Here's an okra dish we made recently with all dried vegetables: okra, tomatoes, onions and powdered garlic scapes.  We added some water then cooked it a short time in a pressure cooker.

 

Sweet potato tastings

 We've been doing some family sweet potato tastings now that the sweet potatoes have fully cured. If you'd like to do your own tastings, try our sweet potato sampler bag which includes at least 8 varieties. It's an easy way to explore the range of tastes, textures and colors sweet potatoes come in.