We’ve got a meat delivery happening this Saturday (Jan. 14). We’ll be in Stillwater at 9a.m., in Hudson at 10a.m., in St. Paul at 11a.m. and Blaine at noon. E-mail me if you’d like to order: eenermachine@gmail.com
Here is what’s left (thanks to everyone who bought our meat!):
Goat and lamb meat is $6.00 per pound.
Rack of Goat – about half a pound each
Goat Shanks – about half a pound each
Lamb Shanks – about a half pound each
Goat Chops – very small, about 8 will make a pound
Ground Beef – 1 pound packs - $4.50 each
Beef Liver – 1 pound packs - $3.50 each
2012 CSA Info When is winter going to start? It’s been real weird here weather-wise but we’ve been taking advantage of it by getting an amazing amount of outdoor maintenance projects completed. Yesterday I noticed a daffodil coming up in our front yard which reminded me that the 2012 CSA season is just around the corner.
I’ll start signing up brand spanking new CSA members on February 1. Alumni members are welcome to sign up any time (thanks to all who already have!). Last year we sold out in St. Paul early in March and in Hudson and Stillwater in early April. We have a new drop site this year in Menomonie, WI so I don’t know what to expect for a sell-out date there.
I’ll post new member sign-up forms for the 2012 season and where to send them in about a week.
Without further ado, here is some info about our farm and the 2012 CSA season:
Delivery Locations: We’ll be delivering to River Market Co-Op which is located in downtown Stillwater; Fresh and Natural Foods in Hudson; Hampden Park Co-Op in St. Paul (928 Raymond Ave., fairly near Midway Stadium); Menomonie Market Food Co-op in Menomonie and in Blaine for Aveda employees.
Delivery Days and Times: River Market Co-op in Stillwater: boxes are delivered on Mondays members pick them up between 1:30 and 9p.m.
Fresh and Natural Foods in Hudson: boxes are delivered on Mondays members pick them up between 2:30 and 9p.m.
Hampden Park Co-op in St. Paul: boxes are delivered on Wednesdays members pick them up between 2:00 and 9p.m.
Aveda: boxes are delivered on Wednesdays members pick up anytime after 2:30 p.m.
Menomonie Market Food Co-op: boxes are delivered on Fridays members pick up between 3 and 8p.m.
Box Size: I offer full and half shares, both are delivered on a weekly basis. Full shares come in 1 and 1/9 bushel boxes, half shares will be packed in 5/9 bushel boxes. If you are trying to picture the size of the boxes here are the dimensions: 1 and 1/9boxes are 17.9”X12”X12” and 5/9 boxes are 14.5”X11.6”X8.1”.
How Do Full and Half Shares Differ? Besides getting larger quantities of produce, full share members also receive sporadic eggs from our free-range chickens. Additionally we pick whatever berries we are able to grow for the full shares (last year we were able to do one delivery of strawberries and one delivery of raspberries. Also, if a crop does terribly, it’s almost a given the full shares will still receive it. For example, last year was a bad year for brussel sprouts but we were still able to eek enough of them out of the patch to supply the full shares.
What Size is Best for You? That is an excellent question…sorta depends on how much you eat and cook. The full shares are for roughly four people and the half shares are for right around two people. That being said, a pair of serious vegetarians could probably easily knock down a full share. On the flip side, a family of four with children may be just fine with a half share.
Pricing: Full shares sell for $515 and half shares sell for $275.
Box Contents: Here’s what’s on the list for this year: basil, beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, chard, cilantro, corn, cucumbers, dill, soybeans, eggplant, fennel, garlic, gourds, hot peppers, sweet peppers, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, head lettuce, mint, melons, onions, green onions, parsley, peas, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, rutabaga, rhubarb, spinach, parsnips, various summer squash, various winter squash, tomatillos, tomatoes, turnips and flowers.
Our Season Length: This year I’ll be doing 18 weeks starting the second week in June and going until the second week in October. This means that for Stillwater and Hudson folks their first box will be on June 11. St Paul and Blaine folks’ first box will be on June 13. Those picking up in Menomonie will have their first box on June 15.
What About Your Vacation(s)? If you leave town or just know you won’t be able to pick up your box we can skip you for that week(s) and double, triple or quadruple your delivery when you get back. Arrangements for this should be made at least 24 hours in advance.
This is all fine and good, but what the heck is a CSA anyway? Basically, a CSA (which stands for Community Supported Agriculture) is a type of direct market farm, meaning the farmer sells food directly to customers. There are a lot of advantages to this kind of farm. For one, customers/members know exactly where their food is coming from (we encourage our members to come visit the farm and we hold a big party at the end of the season for everyone). Secondly, produce from CSA farms doesn’t travel far. As a result it’s better for the environment and members enjoy much fresher produce. Another perk is that CSA farms tend to be really diversified (we grow about 40 varieties of veggies plus herbs) so members get a nice variety of in-season veggies.
Risk: Since farming is so completely tied to the weather, it’s risky business. My goal is to provide my members with an amount of produce that is equal to the money they paid for their share. Over the past three years I think I accomplished this goal. But I can’t promise that this will be true for this year. It’s helpful to think of CSA farms in terms of the stock market; when members buy a share they are making an investment. On a good year they will break even or get an amount of produce that is greater in value than their initial investment. On a bad year, they may end up with an amount of produce that is worth less than what they invested. Also, a well-placed tornado could wipe us clear off the map and put a serious bind on CSA deliveries. In buying a full season of produce, the members of CSA farms share the risk with their farmers.
Is Eener’s Farm Organic?: I’m not certified organic, so I can’t advertise myself as organic. I do advertise as “Chemical Free” which means I don’t use any chemical pesticides or herbicides in my farming operations. I looked into the process to become certified and it does involve an investment, which I’d be willing to make. It turns out that being certified also involves TONS of paperwork and record keeping… not my strong points. So at this point I am not pursuing a certification though I remain committed to organic gardening.
