We're changing things up, so be sure to read below before you sign up.
2022 UPDATES!
We've been thinking a ton about what it means to be sustainable farmers, and have come to realize that what we do must be sustainable for us, the farmers, as well as the Earth. No one benefits from our cycles of over-extension and burnout that have become commonplace among small farms. We, the farmers, you the eaters, and the ground all benefit from us being able to do this for many years to come. We've decided to factor ourselves, our labor, vitality, and personhood into the equation of what sustainability means, alongside the needs of the ground we tend, and the people we feed. And so, as the center-point of our balance shifts to include us, we've made some pretty significant changes to our CSA program for the 2022 season. Some of these choices were not easy choices to make, but we are very excited for big picture that these changes create.
We've been thinking a ton about what it means to be sustainable farmers, and have come to realize that what we do must be sustainable for us, the farmers, as well as the Earth. No one benefits from our cycles of over-extension and burnout that have become commonplace among small farms. We, the farmers, you the eaters, and the ground all benefit from us being able to do this for many years to come. We've decided to factor ourselves, our labor, vitality, and personhood into the equation of what sustainability means, alongside the needs of the ground we tend, and the people we feed. And so, as the center-point of our balance shifts to include us, we've made some pretty significant changes to our CSA program for the 2022 season. Some of these choices were not easy choices to make, but we are very excited for big picture that these changes create.
- Pickup locations: We will not be offering multiple pickup locations this season. All CSA shares will be picked up at the farm. We recognize that this is the most impactful change we're making this season, positively for our energy and sustainability, and challenging for our beloved and valued members. If the drive out to the farm from the Twin Cities (about an hour each way) is prohibitive, we suggest signing up with buddies to share the burden. For the St. Cloud area folks, we're just 20 minutes from pretty much everywhere. And I will also say, that one of the main reasons we're making this change is because we're hoping to deepen our relationship with our members. We want you to know these fields, for us to know each other, for our members to see and understand the hows and the whys of our growing practices, to fully understand what is on their plates and ours, and we can't do that if we're ships passing in the night at a drop-site. No matter how descriptive my newsletters are. We've realized the trade-off of seeking convenience for our customers was hampering our ability to form meaningful relationships with our members. This shift will give us hundreds of hours back in administration and drive times to put toward doing the work of farming, and to start including a bit of regular rest into our weeks--revolutionary! As a bonus, we're in the process of opening an on-site Farm Store that will be plump with all the veggies, flowers, herbs, meats, eggs, and fibers that we grow, along with all the felted and woven rugs, medicinal herbs, teas, salves, and other things that we love to make around here, including all the books from our publishing company!--this store will be where y'all will come to pick up your shares. Pick-up days can be as quick and easy, or as chatty and browsy as you like. We're hoping pick-up days become a fun day spent with the comings and goings of our community.
- Share Size: There will be ONE size box this year for everyone. If you are a returning member, it'll be what you've known as our Half-share, or Basket-sized share, with a little extra oomph. For all you folks who typically order a Full-share or Bushel, and don't think that'll be enough produce for you, (I feel you!), we suggest ordering two shares, or making it a point to shop for just what you need at our Farm Store to supplement your CSA.
- Sliding scale: We will still be offering our sliding scale for those whose access to healthy, beautiful food will be improved by such a service. As always, the ability to offer a sliding scale is made possible by those who are able to pay a little more. So those who have an abundance of financial resources, please consider making it easier for a family with fewer resources to eat well this season. No pressure, no judgement--just kindness and community. This has always been a heart-warming and beautiful aspect of what we do. In addition to our sliding scale, I am also working on getting an EBT machine for our farm store, so once we have that folks will be able to purchase their shares with their EBT benefits. And we can certainly break up the payments to work into your monthly food budget.
- Duration: We'll be decreasing the length of our CSA from 16 to 14 weeks this season. For the last four years our season's start has been delayed by both droughts and flooding, and we haven't been able to hit our target start date of mid-June once in those four years, despite meticulous planning, which pushes our end-date well past the frosts and into territory that can make it hard to guarantee abundance. This is climate change in action, and it is our duty to listen and respond. Springs have become tumultuous, and navigating the start date of our CSA has caused much frustration for our customers, and an unnecessary amount of stress for us as we try to fit the will of the Natural World into the narrow scope of our human expectation. So, we'll be leaving room for the spring to be whatever it is, and we'll be starting our CSA in early July and running to mid-October, with a yet-to-be-determined week off around mid season for us to catch our breath (what?!).
- Add-ons: We will not be offering any add-ons this season. No bread, no eggs, no meat. However, your shares will be available for pickup in our Farm Store where you will be able to purchase all of those things, plus lots more, as you need them, when you pick up your boxes.
- Flowers: We will not be offering our Flower CSA this year, nor our Flower Punchcard for farmers' markets. I know this is also a big change and that many of you will be disappointed, I'm so sorry! I've loved flowering you all each week, but we had to make some hard choices this year, and while some stung, we're so excited for the bigger picture. We will still have beautiful bouquets at farmers' markets, and we will have a wide variety of lush bouquets and arrangements for sale and regularly stocked in our Farm Store.
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We LOVE to grow colorful, vibrant, vital foods. We love growing rare heirlooms and unique, organically grown, always GMO-free, delicious, varieties of produce you'd be hard-bet to find anywhere else, (and we grow all the old favorites, too).
Wait, what's a CSA? |
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a farm-business model where folks invest in a farm early in the season, (when we farmers have a lot of expenses in seeds, compost, tools, etc.) and then share in the harvests all season long with a fresh box of produce every week that customers can pick up right here on the farm. Being a CSA member is an investment in your health, our farm, all our local communities, this ecosystem we rely on, and the local economy that keeps our communities thriving. It says you're willing to stand with us as we do our very best by you, our lands, our water supply, and our future generations. And in return for your faith in us, we share the best of our harvests with you. And, farming is part science and part relationship with the ground, we can do our very best and still lose crops to pests, drought, flooding, and more, though the organic, notill/lowtill farming practices that we employ give us much more resiliency than conventional farming practices. Participating in a CSA means you're willing to stand with us through those downs as well as during the bumper-crop seasons. That support is crucial for a small farm's sustainability. We don't get crop insurance, it's not offered to us little guys. We get communities, folks like you, and I think we're stronger, and more accountable, and more capable of feeding people as a result. We give our CSA members a share of our harvests each week, through bounty and through trials--we go through the season together. Your boxes will represent what's ripening in our fields each week, right here, in Clearwater, Minnesota. All food should be this beautiful.
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