- What is does CSA stand for?
- What does CSA mean?
- What exactly is a "share"?
- How will I know what produce to expect each week?
- Isn't this a lot of food for smaller families?
- Do I have to pay the entire amount up front?
- How does the cost compare to produce available at my grocery store?
- I
am not a vegetarian! Is this really for me?
- Where
is your farm located?
- How
do I get my share each week?
- What happens when I am on vacation?
- CSA Pickup Locations:
A. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It got its start in Japan in the 1960's when women wanted healthier food grown without chemicals and they wanted to put a face on their food, the farmer's face. In the 1980's, Robyn Van En started one of the first CSA's in the United States in Massachusetts. Her program has grown into a grassroots effort to inspire others to join the CSA movement across the country.
A. The farmer produces a harvest each week & you as a subscriber gets a share of the harvest. The program pays you in vegetables just as you would get paid dividends at the end of the year on your stocks.
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Q. What
exactly is a "share"?
A. A share consists of fresh, locally grown produce that is harvested each week for subscribers of Tree & Leaf CSA. All produce is freshly harvested.
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Q. How will I know what produce to expect each week?
A. Tree and Leaf CSA will provide you with a Schedule of Harvest, to give you an approximate idea of what produce will be grown and when it is normally harvested. Keep in mind that Mother Nature can affect the maturity of certain crops. You will also receive a newsletter every other week that will keep you appraised of what is happening on the farm and what produce to expect in the coming weeks.
Q. Isn't this a lot of food for smaller families?
A. The share is designed with your family in mind. We grow a variety of vegetables and design our newsletter and recipe sheets so that the produce can easily be incorporated into your weekly meals. We do have available a smaller BAG share available.
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Q. Do I have to pay the entire amount up front?
A. This typical of most CSA's, as you are investing in our farm and ensuring that we grow enough food for all subscribers all season long. This helps us pay for seeds, equipment and other items necessary to get the garden started. Most farmers put out 75% of their expenses in the beginning of the season but most farmers don't get paid until the end of the season when they harvest. A CSA ensures the harvest and helps defray the upfront costs of farming.
HARVEST SHARE TOTAL: $644.00 $600.00 (for 25 weeks of harvest) + $24.00 (4% sales tax) $20.00 (processing free).
INSTALLMENT PLAN:
Deposit due by: Dec. 20th, 2005 - $200.00
2nd installment due: Feb. 20th, 2006:$222.00
3rd installment due: Apr. 20th, 2006 - $222.00
However, we do not want to make this a prohibitive factor for anyone,
so we have an installment contract** that divides the cost over three
payments. We
do charge a service charge for the installment plan which is reflected in
the first payment. The installment plan is as follows:
**The installment agreement divides payment of the full subscription; it is not a shortened or partial subscription. Late installment payments may result in missed harvest deliveries. We reserve the right to terminate contracts that are delinquent in payment.
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Q. How does the cost compare to produce available at my grocery
store?
A. It is not easy to make a straight cost comparison, as many of the varieties of produce that we grow are not easily found in local stores or farm stands. However, here are a few points of comparison:
- Our produce is grown organically
- Our produce is freshly harvested and grown in your community by people you know
- Our produce is cleaned before packing and our salad mixes and greens are ready to eat
If you were to take a typical spring harvest of a bunch of arugula ($8/lb), bunch of beets ($4/bunch), pound of braising greens ($4/lb), pound of broccoli ($4/lb), bunch of onions ($2.50/bunch), head of cauliflower ($2/head), bunches of herbs ($8/lb), bunch of leeks ($5/bunch), bunch of radishes ($3/bunch), salad mix ($8/lb), pound of spinach ($4/lb). Total spent at grocery store: $52. Total spent with CSA: $30 and you didn't have to spend the three hours searching for all these great vegetables and herbs.
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Q. I am not a vegetarian! Is this really for me?
A. Again, our CSA is designed with your family in mind. Our newsletter and recipe sheets will introduce you to some new varieties of produce and make sure you know how to incorporate it into your family meals. Each week you will receive several recipes using the ingredients in the harvest for that week. Most of our subscribers are not vegetarians --- they simply want fresh, quality produce for their families.
Q. Where is your farm located?
A. We live and farm in the community of Waterford. That is why we are primarily marketing our CSA to families in the Lovettsville-Waterford-Taylortown area -- the closer we are to you the fresher your produce will be!!
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Q. How
do I get my share each week?
A. We establish a drop-off location where subscribers pickup their harvest boxes each week. Subscribers will come to a certain location at a designated time each week. They will find a harvest box with their name on it. Subscribers will pickup a full box and return their empty box from the previous week.
Q. What happens when I am on vacation?
A. You may choose to have your weekly harvest donated to a local food bank or introduce a friend or neighbor to our CSA as a gift for the week!! Please let us know in advance when you will be gone so we may make arrangements otherwise.
A.
Thursday:
Waterford at the Weigh Station across from the Old Mill and Purcellville
Farmers Market.
Saturday:
The Mount Pleasant Farmers Market
Washington D.C.
How the pick-up at the Farmers Market works!
At the beginning of the season we supply members with a Tree and Leaf
market bag and a weekly shopping list of available harvest, the members
will then fill the bag with fresh produce.