CYA Join A CSA!

I work at Fernbrook Farm, a CSA located on the border of Bordentown and Chesterfield.  What the heck is a CSA you ask?  Well let me tell you about the wonderful world of Community Supported Agriculture which is a mutually beneficial relationship between a farmer and shareholders.  A shareholder pays to become a member of a local farm and receives a portion of each week's harvest!  Some CSA's members go to the farm and pick up their share, other CSA's box up shares and drop it off either at a central location for members to pick up from or deliver right to members houses.

Fernbrook Farm CSA's model is one where shareholders come to the farm and walk through the farm shop to gather their weekly share according to the distribution list written on the blackboard as well as go out into the fields and harvest their own herbs, flowers, and certain produce like tomatillos.  I like this model the best because as a consumer, you get to know your farmers, see the practices put in place to grow your food, and interact with other shareholders.  Recipes and recommendations are offered through the farm shop as shareholders weigh their week's carrots and bag their kale.  Last summer, a 5 year old little boy was bagging spinach and singing "Yummy yummy spinach, yummy yummy spinach!"  When kids get to see where their food is grown and gets to meet the super cool farmers who do the growing, they are more likely to eat vegetables because they love the farm and farmer!  I promise, it's true!  Not to mention the food from the farm tastes 1000 times better than anything you can buy in the supermarket!  Once you've picked your own strawberries from the vine, you will never want to bother eating strawberries bought at the store which were picked before they were ripe and then gassed to get that red color to shine through.  Yuck!  While out in the field picking string beans last year, two young brothers were in the next row when I heard one of them yell "Mom, he isn't bagging any string beans, he is just eating them!"  When was the last time you had to tell your child "Honey, stop eating string beans."  

Jeff the Farm Manager
scrounging up some pallets.

Benefits to the Farmer:

• Receiving money before the season starts allows farmers to know exactly how much money they are working with that year.  Projects can be started, extra fields can be planted, a greenhouse can be purchased, the list is really endless.  Non-CSA farmers have to take a leap of faith and fund their own projects and hope that their investment will pay off.  CSA farmers are able to use the income from shareholders dues to fund projects that will benefit the farm and the shareholders without putting themselves or the farm into debt.  
•  Get to know their shareholders, ask what they want, and have pride in being able to feed so many families fresh, local, and chemical-free produce (many CSA's follow organic practices but may not be certified.  Ask your farmer for more information).  

Benefits to the Shareholder:

• Meet your farmer and know how your food is grown.  
• Eat super delicious local and fresh produce which is better for you (retains more of the vitamins and minerals) and good for the planet (less chemicals, less traveling for your food).
• Your kids will be more willing to eat the vegetables that were grown on "their" farm or that they harvested themselves!  
• Feel good that your money is going to support a local farmer.  And actually save money as joining a CSA is typically cheaper than buying all that produce from the grocery store!  More info below.

  Shared Risk:

• Farming is risky business as we are at the mercy of Mother Nature and all that comes with Her (drought, too much rain, insects, frost, extremely hot days).  For example, the farm tomato crop was hit by a disease and severely reduced the number of tomatoes that shareholders got but the carrots grew beautifully and shareholders received an abundance.  The feeling between farmer and shareholder is "we are in this together" and everyone hopes for a better tomato harvest for the following year.  The reason CSA's are important is because something like a failed tomato crop from one season could be enough to put a small family farm out of business!  But with a CSA, the farmer has the security of already obtaining that years financial income and a crop gone bad does not result in bankruptcy.  

Save Money:

• Last year at Fernbrook, shareholders received 328.5 pounds of food for the 6 month season which cost $25 a week!  That is a lot of food for not that much money.  My friends went over their budget and figured they are spending $50/week on produce for their family of three.  A share is meant for a family of four and cost half as much! 

So CYA (Cover Your Ass) and Join A CSA!  Find a local farm near you by searching Local Harvest.  This year I especially recommend joining a CSA because the west coast had a huge drought and the price of produce may increase due to food shortages.  CSA's are not only for fruits and vegetables.  Some have meat, eggs, cheese, honey, and other products.  Do some research, visit a few local farms, and find the right one for you and your needs.  And have fun eating new foods, chatting with the farmer, and getting back to the land!

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day by using a green handkerchief.  I am so festive.

Trellising blackberries gets exhausting so I took a four minute nap in the sun and it was wonderful.

We took a road trip to Nolt's Produce Supplies near Lancaster, PA and picked up some farm goodies.

A lot of Amish people shop at Nolt's as well and I just have so many questions for them!
I really wish they would hold public Q&A's so I can learn more about their culture!

We needed more table space for seed trays.  Thankfully farms are full of pallets!  It's a perfect fit!

Pallets are not just for Pinterest projects!