From the Farmer

[Rejaneration]

Loving this. It’s like a coop but easier and less commitment. Every Wednesday I get a bag of locally produced produce. Fun and easy. And not horrendously expensive!


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[BonitaApplebum]

Is that a CSA or some other model?

I love having the exposure and impetus to eat all that produce every week. It's a challenge to eat it all!

[Are_you_kitten_me]

Korts does this regularly. They usually do some baked goods as well. Eggs and bacon. It’s nice but I can’t think far enough ahead to do this. I need carrots on demand.

[diablita]

an adorable idea, Jan

[merigayle]

We do a 26 week farm share at a local farm, it is great but it does become a chore to go every week to pick up the food and almost every week there are U-pick items out in the farm (last week snap peas, raspberries and strawberries) but the price can't be beat. $450/half share and we easily get minimum 2 large reuable grocery bags full of food, often 4+.

[Rejaneration]

Is that a CSA or some other model?

I love having the exposure and impetus to eat all that produce every week. It's a challenge to eat it all!

Yep. When I said coop, I meant csa. Originally I wanted todo that but they are so spendy and most had waiting lists. This is much easier. Fromthefarmer.com. I don’t know if it is just a dc thing.


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[merigayle]

Ours is a CSA (community shared agriculture) where you pay a yearly fee to the farm in exchange for their yield of crops, the shared part is the shared risks, good weather years we get a lot of food, crappy summers with heat waves and droughts or severe storms, we get less.

[BonitaApplebum]

Yep. When I said coop, I meant csa. Originally I wanted todo that but they are so spendy and most had waiting lists. This is much easier. Fromthefarmer.com. I don’t know if it is just a dc thing.


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My CSA isn't much more difficult, we go to the farm once a week and pick out our vegetables (sometimes fruits) at the farmstand. There's usually additional produce available if we want to pick it, but it's primarily grab and go.

Does FTF deliver?

[radial]

I've done three or four CSAs over the years, and I was only 100% thrilled with the one that went out of business after that one year.  Man, their produce was flawless.  It was a husband and wife team.  She was the former produce manager at a MOM's Organic Market and did most of the work.  I think she must have stayed up nights grooming the produce and scrubbing off every particle of grit.  I would have paid twice as much for that kind of quality, but they fell out of love with each other and that was the end of that. 

[Rejaneration]

My CSA isn't much more difficult, we go to the farm once a week and pick out our vegetables (sometimes fruits) at the farmstand. There's usually additional produce available if we want to pick it, but it's primarily grab and go.

Does FTF deliver?

Yes. Every wed I wake to a large bag of goodies on my porch!


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[BonitaApplebum]

Yes. Every wed I wake to a large bag of goodies on my porch!


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That's pretty cool!!

I don't mind going to the farm - it's actually pretty nice. They have a store with local goods, you can pick flower stems and herbs, there's a guy there with a truck selling fresh fish. They have ready made food, too - an ice cream and smoothie stand, and this year they added salads and sandwiches. Plus there are goats.

All this stuff has been built up over the last decade - when we first started it was just veggies. It's been cool seeing her build up the farm as she has. She's also expanded the share over time from strictly summer to all year round.

I definitely can see the appeal/advantage of delivery, though. So easy! The farm is awesome but it's a time commitment to drive there (and make sure one of us is always available on farm day).

[diablita]

We have a number of farmer's markets in town where the various farms with CSAs have pick-up spots.  And I love the farms and there are many nearby.  So the appeal of a program like that one (for me)  wouldn't be the delivery aspect.  But from what I read on their website, the weekly curation implies that you'll have a more diverse package each week since the supplier has more than one farm to pick from.

[merigayle]

Yes, my friend gets a farm share box she picks up locally at a house near her and it is produce from farms in PA and NJ, so probably a little more diverse than mine, but I like that I know the farm I am getting my food from and I know the farmers and everyone there. It is at the "intentional community" many people I know live at http://www.camphillkimberton.org/

[BonitaApplebum]

Yes, my friend gets a farm share box she picks up locally at a house near her and it is produce from farms in PA and NJ, so probably a little more diverse than mine, but I like that I know the farm I am getting my food from and I know the farmers and everyone there. It is at the "intentional community" many people I know live at http://www.camphillkimberton.org/

The fresh stuff in my CSA is all from the one farm, but the stuff in the farm store and the fish truck is from other local places.

In the last three weeks we've gotten kale (regular and russian), kohlrabi, two kinds of radishes, a wide variety of lettuces, collards, bok choi, garlic scapes, tat soi, scallions, escarole, cabbage, swiss chard, beets, three kinds of summer squash, strawberries, and a bunch of different herbs (I picked basil, cilantro, mint, parsley, dill but there are others I didn't take). We get plenty of variety/diversity for sure!

[merigayle]

Pretty similar to what we have been getting

[Rejaneration]

Sounds great, you guys.  But with my work schedule, I am thrilled not to have to go to a farm.

[BonitaApplebum]

Sounds great, you guys.  But with my work schedule, I am thrilled not to have to go to a farm.

Oh, I'm not trying to sell you or anything. I just love talking about my farm! I'm glad you have an awesome veggie plan, too.

[merigayle]

Sounds great, you guys.  But with my work schedule, I am thrilled not to have to go to a farm.

It is a chore and it is just a few miles from home! I totally get it. It is open 12-8 on pickup day, but sometimes it is the last thing you want to do.

[diablita]

It just took me 45 minutes to pick up my Biltmore Wine Club package because the Biltmore is crowded 24/7 these days and some of their roads are being worked on.  Pick up is quarterly; I'd be suuuuper frustrated if I had to do that pickup route any more frequently.  (Though the wine club allows us a free glass of wine whenever we visit, I didn't take them up on it at 11 am.)

[Run Amok]

We have an amazing neighborhood farmers market. But, we never go.

I'm super thankful for our awesome local grocery store that supports local farmers-- even to the point of local flour and local dried beans and what not.