CSA Pricing and Size info
** Please note that we will NOT be offering CSA shares for the season 2010. Please visit us at the Farmers markets and check back in 2011 for CSA availablity.
What is CSA/Community Supported Agriculture?
CSA is a way for people to directly connect with local farms and know where there food is coming from. It brings farms and people together. Members make a financial comittment that helps the farm pay for seeds, tools, supplies, labor etc. and the farm returns a weekly supply of fresh produce. This helps the farmer to stay focused on planting, growing and harvesting good food; and directly connects the members with their food and the farm.
Size
Our CSA shares are 1/2 to 1 bushel size. It will, of course, vary throughout the season.
You will receive 4-8 items on average in each share. We try to grow a nice variety to keep it diverse and exciting. We plant with the seasons, please see our map and chart to get more details on what is harvested when. We will also have Tomato Sauce, Pesto and Salsa weeks when tomatoes, herbs and peppers are most abundant! Those weeks you will find your shares overfilled.
At times when there is only 4-5 items ready, you will get larger quantities of each. A typical share, at this time, might contain {early in the year} a bag of garlic scapes, 3 heads of lettuce, 1 LB of spinach, 2-3 bunches of varietal dark greens, a large bunch of broccoli OR {late in the year} butternut squash, acorn squash, basket of large tomatoes, basket of cherry tomatoes, red bell peppers, cucumbers. During the most bountiful times of the season you can expect an average of 8 different items in your box. A share at this time might have 2 bunches of greens (Chard, Kale or Collards), a head of cabbage or lettuce, 2-4 cucumbers, 2-4 sweet peppers, a bunch or two of herbs (chives, dill, parsley or basil), a variety of heirloom slicing tomatoes, cherry or grape tomatoes, 2-4 summer squash, a bag of green beans or green peas and so on..(please visit our "what we grow").
Our shares cater to those who love to eat "in season" fresh, local vegetables and who understand everything does not come at once. With each share we will post a newsletter, discussing the items in that week's share and updating you on farm happenings. We will always offer an assortment of recipes in each newsletter to keep it interesting. Our "recipes" page of our website also has archives of all the recipes.
On the first week you pick up your share, it will be in a reusable plastic bin; it is helpful for picking up your share at the market each week after for the whole season. There is a refundable charge for the bin, that you will get back at the end of the season, when you return the bin. We found with using the cardboard produce boxes, last year, that they were not re-usable for long. By using the plastic bin, it is a more environmentally responsible choice, because it is much more sturdy and easy to clean. If you have your own basket or bin you want to use, thats fine too. We have found that using a hard basket or square "bin" type container is better than using "cloth bags" to cushion the produce.
We will be updating this page with more info on our shares as the season progresses. Please check back often.
Location
We are currently working on 2-3 location pick ups. Right now the choices are either Ann Arbor Farmers market on Wednesdays or Chelsea Farmers Market on Saturdays. We are considering adding an Oakland County area pick up (Livonia/Farmington area). If we have enough members to make this viable, we will offer it. Please email us if you are interested. Thanks!
Cost
Full Share- 3/4 bushel, 20 deliveries over a 23 week season, June-October, (there will be 3 weeks that are "skips" , we will notify in advance). We will announce the first share pick up date, by June 1st.
$400.00 + $15.00 refundable bin charge = $415.00
Volunteering
We encourage and enjoy volunteering. We understand that not everybody is able to do this and we want everyone to have access to delicious, local organic food, whether they can volunteer or not. If you can volunteer, our volunteer days are offered one day a week and you may choose which week(s) you would like to volunteer with a minimum of 2 hours per work day. Our farm is a working farm with tools and tractors abound. If you would like to bring your children with you on your volunteer day you must provide an additonal adult to supervise them while you work. All members are welcome, we have all kinds of work to share, and we appreciate the help.
Purchase Info
If you would like to purchase a share, please send your check to the address below. We have a limited number of shares available, so we encourage signing up early. Full payment is due with each registration. Please send your name, address, phone, email and desired share pick up location along with your check. Please note bin deposit included on memo.
Please make checks payable to:
Beautiful Earth Family Farm
14329 Strada Drive
Chelsea, MI 48118