CSA stands for Community-Supported Agriculture and refers to a unique farmer-consumer relationship that is created when members invest in a farm for an entire season, thereby allowing that farm to count on their support, while in return the farm provides them with its glorious bounty. It is one of the most proven small farm models and its benefits are far reaching. Consumers build relationships with both those growing their food as well as with others in their community supporting their farm, and it allows farmers to be directly tied to the people eating their goods. Consumers can trust that their food is safe and fresh unlike food shipped from far away and grown on a larger scale, and farmers are not subject to the volatile world market and are even buffered slightly from the variables of the local market. CSA members enjoy a wide range of produce and know that for each week they are participating, they are guaranteed delicious and healthy food to feed themselves or their family.
2012 will be our 6th year offering CSA subscriptions! Although we are constantly learning and re-adapting, we confidently offer high quality produce and a user friendly CSA experience!
Growing Wild Farm’s CSA Program
CSA members receive a harvest of what is ripe and ready from the fields. Each week’s harvest is slightly different, although they remain similar through each given season. The shares are designed to be a well rounded representation of what is in season, and the share size ranges in value from $20-$23, based on our farmer’s market prices. This amount is sometimes enough for two adults who really enjoy eating vegetables and sometimes enough for a larger family, all depending on eating and cooking styles. Some folks supplement with their own gardens, while others find it necessary to split their share with another family. We have realized over the years that this is quite variable, so we aim for somewhere in the middle with our share size and find that our members usually find the size just right. Please look at the sample harvest page to see what this looks like throughout the year. CSA members also receive a 25% discount when shopping from our farmer’s markets booths, Saturday’s year round and Thursdays in the summer. This allows our members to receive delicious produce from our farm for less during the weeks that we are not harvesting full CSA shares.
Included with each week’s vegetable harvest is a newsletter that includes farm news, musings about life on the farm, and local or national issues that relate to farming or our community, as well as in depth vegetable descriptions, growing information, and most importantly, plenty of cooking ideas and recipes to try with your fresh produce.
We offer two convenient options for picking up your weekly harvest for the bulk of the year. When members sign up they can choose to pick up vegetables on either Thursdays from 1:30-6:00 downtown at the McMinnville Farmer’s Market or on Saturdays from 10:00-3:00 at The Market in McMinnville’s Granary District. However, from mid-October through mid- December, when the Thursday market is not open, all shares will be picked up on Saturday.
And for fun, we offer at least two open farm/potluck events during the season so that members can visit the farm and see where their veggies are grown and enjoy community and the country with us and each other.
2012 DETAILS
Now taking sign-ups for our short, summer season CSA option!!!
We are offering a 13 week, summer only CSA option now. Running July-September. Loads of beautiful, delicious, and healthy produce each week as well as all of the other benefits of being a CSA member. $260. Members can either pay in full upon sign-up or make three monthly payments of $86.75, the first due with sign up (then at the 1st of August and September. Contact us at market or by e-mail to get your spot today!
Our main season is full for 2012!
The 2012 CSA season is 29 weeks long, with harvests from May 31st- December 17th. The total cost for the season is $580 (our share cost is $20/week for $20-$23 worth of produce). We offer three payment options, all of which are based on spreading the payments out over the entire 12 months of the year. In this way,the CSA provides the farm with stable and secure income even in the months before harvest so that we can continue to grow and enhance our program, planning the coming year, adding infrastructure, and keeping things going.
If you are interested in becoming a member of Growing Wild Farm, please e-mail
growingwild@french.toast.net
