What is a CSA?
I like to compare the CSA (community shared agriculture) to a magazine subscription. When you order a magazine you expect to receive it every month or the frequency that you signed up for.
We sell
our CSA shares for 18 weeks over the main growing season, normally
starting the end of June and finishing the end of October. Every
week during that 18 week season we deliver a box full of freshly
picked organic produce to a central drop off location in
Charlottetown and Summerside.
Members
are sharing the risks and the rewards of the growing season. They
commit financially upfront in the spring which allows us to have
working capital early in the season at a time when funds can be low.
Part of the risk is accepting that some seasons weather or pest
pressure may have an affect on the crop resulting in lower yields or
less variety in the shares.
We grow over forty different types of vegetables and usually one or two of those crops suffer from some weather or pest related issue but seeing as we offer so much variety its hardly even noticeable when one crop fails. We also plant every 2-3 weeks to try and offer as many variety throughout the whole season as possible. Sometimes an early crop may not do well to cooler temperatures but by having multiple plantings we are still able to offer those crops a bit later in the season.
We grow over forty different types of vegetables and usually one or two of those crops suffer from some weather or pest related issue but seeing as we offer so much variety its hardly even noticeable when one crop fails. We also plant every 2-3 weeks to try and offer as many variety throughout the whole season as possible. Sometimes an early crop may not do well to cooler temperatures but by having multiple plantings we are still able to offer those crops a bit later in the season.
When we
have an excellent growing season we have bumper crops which members
are able to take advantage of. Canning, freezing and dehydrating a
just a few ways members use these bumper crops to be able to enjoy
the bounty of the season during the winter.
Grab
box system:
We grow
a wide variety of vegetables and we try and satisfy all of our
members culinary favorites but sometimes there are vegetables in the
shares that may be new or maybe just something your family does not
enjoy. Our popular grab box system allows members to customize their
shares each week by leaving behind vegetables that they don't want
and taking those that they know they will enjoy. We really want to
have our members leave each week knowing they are getting great value
for their money and we want them to have vegetables that they will
use and enjoy cooking with. It also give members an opportunity to
take extra vegetables home if they have a particular recipe in mind.
Sometimes we do not have enough of a certain type of vegetable so it
goes into the grab box system and then members can choose if they
would like that particular vegetable that week.
Herb Bin:
We have a herb bin every week in the grab box system so that those folks which enjoy cooking with fresh herbs can take what they want. We do put fresh herbs in the actual shares once or twice during the season but we know that many members only want or need fresh herbs periodically during the season so the grab box system works perfect.
The
nuts and bolts:
Our 18
week CSA costs $30/week and can be paid up front or through an
installment program. We also offer a biweekly share which is
perfect for folks sharing with another family or for those that know
they would not be able to consume the large share on their own. We
currently have a waiting list, but we always
encourage people to sign up in case a spot opens up.
Crop Availability Chart:
