CSA produce sign-up now available
You can now sign up for 2008 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) produce boxes through Black River Organic Farm. Pay by Feb. 15 and get a $20 discount. Check it out at the following link (click on “CSA Brochure” on the homepage to sign up):
Thanks for the heads up Ranald. We did a CSA with another guy 2 years ago and it worked out great. We can’t wait to try this one out.
Is CSA a banner under which other organic farmers operate, or is this just Black River’s?
When R & I split a box one year with Craig & Diana, I wasn’t aware of it as being anything but “the black river box”. Plus I gather they’ve been going through some changes in the last couple of years (?)
Scott - Roger the box-splitting. Depending on the time of year and the fortune of the growers, that can be a lot of squash! (or whatever)
My understanding is that CSA is an umbrella term for the whole industry, and Black River Organic Farm is just one of hundreds, maybe thousands, of practitioners. In 3 years we’ve tried 3 different CSA farms, but we’ll stick with BROF in 2008.
Incidentally, I asked Stefan of Black River if the drought has hurt him, and he said not much because they have irrigation. He said a wet year is worse. Also, there are several fruits and vegetables he doesn’t list on his website that usually come in his boxes — namely, strawberries and sweet corn. I have eaten his corn straight off the grill and straight out of the pot. No butter, salt, lime, whatever needed as accompaniment. It’s difficult to eat supermarket corn once you’ve had the real thing.
Box splitting is probably a good idea, although our experience is that an abundance of great produce forces you try new recipes, many of which are on Black River’s website. Turnip french fries anyone?
And here’s another great tip from the website:
When there’s just way too much squash, and you’ve roasted, sautéed, baked, steamed, and grilled way past full, remember that you can freeze summer squash for later use. Just slice or grate zucchini or yellow squash for use in casseroles or sweet breads for a special “straight-from-the-garden” treat during the winter months. Then thaw, drain and use as you would fresh, increasing the amount of flour or dry ingredients slightly to account for extra moisture.
CSAs are not limited to organic farms. The main idea of a farm-share system is to provide some up-front income for the farmer to buy seeds, inputs, etc. It also provides a guaranteed outlet for their produce, direct to the folks that will be using the food.
Many farms also sell low income shares and working shares where CSA members trade a certain amount of labor during the season for their box.
In regards to Black River, Stefan is certainly the longest running CSA in our area. Their experience shows in the variety that comes in the box.
Ranald, I’m curious as to the other two CSAs you tried? Grassy Ridge and Peachtree Gardens? Just curious.
Trace — You are correct. The other two CSAs we tried were Grassy Ridge and Peachtree. All CSAs, however, are better than the supermarket alternative.