Fox Creek Farm CSA
- What is Community Supported Agriculture?
- The 2012 Fox Creek Farm CSA program
- About Fox Creek Farm's CSA shares and options
- Distribution sites
- Member responsibilities
- How to sign up
You may want to download our 2012 CSA brochure with the same information
Wh
"Customers
get whatever the farm successfully produces, which means that they assume
some risk if it’s a bad growing year. But [the farmers] try to limit that
risk by raising 40 different vegetables covering 100 varieties. (…)
Shareholders sign up for the fresh, locally grown vegetables, but in the
process they also get a little feel for the farmer’s life, the booms and
busts that come along with one of the few things humans haven’t completely
figured out how to control – nature. Customers pay for their shares of the
harvest up front, and then pick up fresh produce once a week during the
growing season”. This
is what Jennifer Gish, CSA member and staff writer for the Times Union wrote
about our CSA in the newspaper in July of 2007, and we think we couldn’t
phrase it any better.
CSA
membership is an excellent way to support local agriculture, reduce food
miles, and to provide healthy, fresh and wholesome vegetables for you and
your family or friends. It also gives you opportunities to connect with the place your food is
grown and with the people who grew it.
Community Supported Agriculture: eating fresh, locally grown, high quality produce made easy!
The
2012 Fox Creek Farm CSA program
For 2012, we will distribute our fresh and wholesome produce for 20 weeks, starting the middle of June and ending the last week of October. Those 20 deliveries will take place on Tuesday and Friday late afternoon/early evening (generally, between 4:00 and 6:00 PM), with exception for our East Greenbush site (3:00 - 5:00 PM) and the farm 3:00 - 6:00 PM).
For 2012, we are offering two share size options. The large, or full share, should be sufficient to meet the vegetable needs for an average size family of four, or two vegetarian adults. Our medium, or half share, is geared towards the smaller household – two people or one vegetarian adult.
Please note that at times the items that are part of the large share may not be part of the medium share – but we will always offer both share sizes the outstanding quality of produce our CSA members have grown to expect.
Shares
go on a first come-first served basis. For 2012, we are limiting the size of
the CSA to 250 full share equivalents.
About
Fox Creek Farm's CSA shares and share options
For the first time, we are now offering two different share sizes. Our large share (or full share) compares with the Fox Creek Farm CSA share you've grown accustomed to: it will feed an average family of four. The medium share (or half share) makes a better fit for smaller households.
In addition to the basic share, either 'Large' or 'Medium', we are offering two options. The first one is our winter storage share, which is approximately a bushel of winter storage crops (e.g., potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, beets, winter squash), to be delivered a week after the last share.
We are also offering a pastured poultry share option: Three pastured chickens throughout the season (one in July, one in August, and one in September), approximately 5 pounds each, to be picked up at the farm within one week of processing. More information about our pastured poultry can be found here.
What
kind of vegetables can I expect in my shares?
Eating fresh and locally grown food means also eating what
is in season. For example, our share will start with cold weather crops like
greens and peas in June, and end with long-season crops like winter squash,
onions and potatoes in October. To give you an indication of the diversity
and quantities in the shares, below are some examples from weekly CSA
distributions of one growing season.
[WHILE THE 2011 SEASON IS STILL GOING, THIS NEEDS TO BE UPDATED LATER (10/14/11)]
The June 18, 2010 share consisted of 1 bunch of spinach, 1 pint edible-podded snap peas, ½ lb mesclun salad mix, 1 butterhead lettuce, 1 bunch garlic scallions, and 1 bunch Easter egg radish.
The July 16, 2010 share had 1 bunch baby carrots, 3 summer squash, 2 cucumbers, 1 bunch of scallions, ¼ lb arugola, 1 bunch Italian heirloom beets, 1 head cauliflower, 1 lb green beans, and 1 bunch brocolli.
The August 20, 2010 share: 3 fresh onions, 6 ears of corn, 4 summer squash, 2 cucumber, ¾ lb green beans, 1/3 lb mesclun salad mix, 1 head lettuce, 2 eggplant, 1 sweet pepper, 4 red slicing tomatoes, 3 heirloom tomatoes, and 1 head of garlic.
The September
17, 2010 share: 6 ears of corn, 1 red onions, 2 yellow onions, 1
last summer squash, 1 bunch swiss chard, 2 lbs Adirondack blue potatoes, ½
lb green beans, ½ lb mesclun salad mix, 1 bunch radish, 1 bell pepper, 1
hot pepper, 1 head garlic, 1 bunch cilantro, 2 red slicing tomatoes, and 1
large heirloom tomato.
The October 17,
2010 share: 1 Acorn
winter squash, 2 yellow onions, 2 red onions, 1 bunch Swiss chard, 1 bunch
spinach, 2 lbs potatoes, 1 head baby lettuce, 1 bunch broccoli side-shoots,
3 turning red slicer tomatoes, 1 head garlic, 1 bunch parsley.
What
else can I expect from Fox Creek Farm's CSA?
A
free member U-Pick garden with flowers, culinary herbs, and cherry tomatoes.
Over
the last years, the member U-Pick has become a destination for our CSA
members, their families and friends. It’s free with membership, and offers
yet another perk to come and visit your farm.
A
great getaway. Come out to the farm to take a walk through the
fields and woods, feed our chickens, and enjoy the fantastic views. Our farm
is open for visits, all season – and a great place for a picnic lunch!
The
Fox Creek Farm CSA newsletter. Our weekly publication with
information about the farm, cooking suggestions for familiar and sometimes
less known vegetables. We will also announce ‘expected harvests’ for the
weeks to come, helping you plan your culinary adventures. See our Newsletter
Archive for examples of our newsletters.
The
annual Garlic Harvest Festival. Our garlic harvest festival has
become a long standing tradition. Around the third week of July, the garlic
is ready for harvest, and we invite all to come out to the farm, help with
the harvest, and enjoy an outstanding potluck lunch!
Farm
potlucks. The
farm will host potlucks during the season – great occasions to meet your
farmers and other CSA members!
Off-grid
farming. By joining Fox Creek Farm, you’ll be part of the only CSA
of this size in
New York State that generates all the electricity it needs on-site, using
solar and wind power.
Fox Creek Farm has established six distribution sites, which helps you to pick-up our freshly harvested vegetables close to your neighborhood.
On Tuesday afternoon, our harvests will be available at:
-
the Honest Weight Food Coop (Central Avenue, Albany), from 4 - 6 PM;
-
the Delmar Reformed Church (Delaware Ave., Delmar), from 4 - 6 PM;
-
and at SUNY Albany (Washington Ave., Albany), also from 4 - 6 PM.
On Friday, you can pick up your vegetables in:
-
Altamont (Altamont Reformed Church, Lincoln Ave.), between 4 and 6 PM;
-
Schenectady (Parkwood Blvd.), 4:00 - 6:00 PM;
-
NEW SITE: Clifton Park, 4: - 6:00 PM;
-
NEW SITE: East Greenbush (Woodland Hill Montessori School), 3:00 - 5:00 PM;
-
and at the farm in Gallupville (Fox Creek Farm Road), 3:00 - 6:00 PM.
If none of our sites meet your need, we invite you to work with us starting a new CSA site. More information can be found on this website (How to start a new CSA site)
How
do our distribution sites work?
At the distribution site, you’ll find our fresh
vegetables and a list of how much to take. We expect you to pack your own
vegetables, so you’ll have to
bring a box or some bags to recycle, or use the bags provided by the farm.
One of the farmers or our volunteer workshare members will be at the distribution site to help.
Fox Creek Farm CSA does not have a work requirement – we
don’t ask you to come out to the farm to help weeding or harvesting (but
we invite you and your family and friends to our farm, our farm festivals
and events to meet other CSA members and to enjoy our farm and U-pick garden
with flowers, culinary herbs and cherry tomatoes).
As a member, you’ll be responsible for the weekly pick-up of your share within the time frame set for your pickup location. The exact pick-up times are between 4:00 and 6:00 PM, with exception of the farm (3:00 - 6:00 PM) and the East Greenbush site (3:00 - 5:00 PM)
If you cannot make the pick-up, you can always send a
friend or neighbor to get your share. We cannot hold shares. Shares that have not been picked up by
the closing time of the distribution site will be donated to local food
pantries.
How
do I sign up for Fox Creek Farm’s CSA?
In order to participate in Fox Creek farm’s 2012 CSA program, please complete the membership form (link to membership form) and mail it to us with the $ 100 down payment. The large 2012 CSA share costs $ 475, and the medium share is $ 300, both before discounts and options.
New CSA member
referral program.
To meet our 250
share goal, we are continuing our Membership Referral Program: for each
new member an existing member refers to the farm, we give you a credit towards the 2013 CSA
share ($ 75 for every “large” share, and $ 50 for every “medium”
share). Referred members should write you as a reference on their membership
form. We will send you a credit memo to submit with the 2013 share.
Workshares
available. We are looking for
CSA members that are willing to help us assisting other members during
distribution days. We offer a discount on the share price for this fun work,
depending on the commitment you are willing to make. Please indicate your
interest on the membership form so we can contact you to discuss this
option.
More
questions?
If you have any questions regarding the CSA and our farming operation, please do not hesitate to give us a call or drop us a line (contact us).
(c) Fox Creek Farm CSA, 01/26/2012 , foxcreekfarmcsa@earthlink.net