CSA/ Farm sharing anyone??

[Calista]

Interesting, Calista. Did they have a reason for their stance? I would have given you more of something else but, I can see that it would possibly create a discord with other members if they also wanted specialized boxes.

Most CSA work with a set amount of $$ for which you get a set amount of product, generally produce, at certain times. I would think that things would be different with each CSA, as each farm would be different.

How much & often did you get produce? Were there specified types being grown? Some offer a couple layers of buy, so you might get larger OR you might buy into another product -- fresh eggs, or fruit, for example. I suspect that some of the variances are from farmer experience, time in business, product available and such other things...... Just curious, not asking cost, only an idea of what was offered by this producer. You are the first person I have ever heard say they were a member of a CSA, so interested in how it worked for you. OK, obviously you stopped due to Kale but, otherwise, would you have continued? Personally, I would go to a market if a good one there...you buy, you choose.

You're right -- their position was that, if we make an exception for you, then we'd have to do it for everybody. (Hello, not everybody is going to ask for an exception!)

My opinion now is that the CSA providers could save themselves a lot of grief by just saying NO SUBSTITUTIONS before they take the customer's money. Then the customer could ask well, hey, what KIND of produce will my weekly box have? After all, the CSA providers know what they're going to be offering ahead of time. They did not provide that information to us. It was a crapshoot.

Except for the detested kale, most of the produce provided was tasty and introduced us to some new veggies we hadn't tried: fava beans, kohlrabi, daikon radish, etc. However, I could have cruised my local farmer's market and ASKED the vendors about unusual veggies myself, to try them out, and definitely would have paid less.

We spent about $350 for a full summer share (18 - 20 apple-sized boxes, I forget the exact number), which is actually pretty spendy. At that time, we were in a housing situation where we couldn't garden and there were no nearby farmers markets. NOW we have our own garden and two farmers markets in the area so no, I wouldn't go the CSA route again.

My best advice for offering CSA shares to the public (and most of your customers probably don't grow their own produce) is to COMMUNICATE before you sign them up. And plan for and allow substitutions, within reason.

 

[Hinotori]

Smoke that salmon! That's the food of the gods! I dont care for most white fish, give me a nice oily one any day. Salmon, trout, sturgeon, kokanee. Catfish, bass, ling cod, and halibut are eh ok. Most others I cant stand. I'll go hungry rather than eat tilapia. Can't stand the taste. If your luck catching sucks, we've bought salmon directly from the Indians down at the Puyallup river. Can't get fresher bought that just hauled in.


I looked into a CSA here. I didn't feel it was worth the cost for us. The food list and price didn't match that well with just going to the farmers market and getting what we wanted for the week. Yes kale seems to be a heavy feature around this area. Which actually isn't good because you shouldn't eat it every day. Can cause thyroid issues and if I remember correctly that is because it prevents proper absorption of iodine. Cooking however does help with that. So like anything, some is good and too much is too much.

There are 4 farmers markets within a reasonable distance from us or where we do our once a month shopping. We hit the Yelm one at least twice a month when it's running since it's by the meat market. It's the smallest of them but I've found I like the produce from certain farms better. Probably it's how they handle it.

We go to the farm down in the valley to buy berries. It's not very far and they have a stand on this side of town at one of their fields as well.

 

[Calista]

Smoke that salmon! That's the food of the gods! If your luck catching sucks, we've bought salmon directly from the Indians down at the Puyallup river. Can't get fresher bought that just hauled in.

Yes kale seems to be a heavy feature around this area. Which actually isn't good because you shouldn't eat it every day. Can cause thyroid issues and if I remember correctly that is because it prevents proper absorption of iodine. Cooking however does help with that. So like anything, some is good and too much is too much.

Ha, great minds think alike! We, too, have an Indian connection on the Nisqually River for our fresh-caught salmon, 20 to 30 pounds at a time for only $4 a pound. I could eat salmon every day.

And thank you so much for pointing out the thyroid connection with kale, as I am hypothyroid and my spidey sense must have realized that nasty stuff wouldn't be good for me.

 

[Hinotori]

There are sellers on the corner at intersections here fairly regularly. There are many spots that have a large public right of way big enough to fit several cars. Some talk to small businesses and set up in their parking lot by the road.

Usually people who only have one or two big harvests of something. Cherries are a big example. Also tree saplings.

 

[tortoise]

That would be awesome! I'm sure hoping for a good garden this year. Do you mind me asking how big is your cold room? I'd love to have one. Somewhere I saw online directions for building one using a regular room air conditioner. I need to look that up again!

Its like 10×12 feet approximately? Maybe a bit larger. We used a mini-split so it can be used to raise the temperature when its below freezing here. An AC unit should work in your climate. The device to make the AC run colder is called CoolBot.

 

[Calista]

Just wanted to weigh in from a CSA customer's point of view: maybe it was just our bad luck, but the CSA we signed up for was extremely rigid in not allowing substitutions (within reason) for items provided that were not wanted or caused allergies for the purchaser. They were really unpleasant about it (probably from bad experiences in the past), and we ended up paying for freaking KALE in nearly every week's box during the harvest, and both of us LOATHE kale. They could have substituted lettuce or any other green veggie, and we'd have been fine with that.

So that was the end of our CSA experience and now we either grow our own or hit the farmer's market.

 

[Mini Horses]

Interesting, Calista. Did they have a reason for their stance? I would have given you more of something else but, I can see that it would possibly create a discord with other members if they also wanted specialized boxes.

Most CSA work with a set amount of $$ for which you get a set amount of product, generally produce, at certain times. I would think that things would be different with each CSA, as each farm would be different.

How much & often did you get produce? Were there specified types being grown? Some offer a couple layers of buy, so you might get larger OR you might buy into another product -- fresh eggs, or fruit, for example. I suspect that some of the variances are from farmer experience, time in business, product available and such other things...... Just curious, not asking cost, only an idea of what was offered by this producer. You are the first person I have ever heard say they were a member of a CSA, so interested in how it worked for you. OK, obviously you stopped due to Kale but, otherwise, would you have continued? Personally, I would go to a market if a good one there...you buy, you choose.

 

[Mini Horses]

Thanks for your input!

Did you get the "usual" -- squash, green beans, tomatoes, and such? Shame you don't like kale as I'm sure you know it is quite healthy for you. But, so is fish & I don't eat that! I would think this person was fairly new at this because most that I've heard do explain the "basic plants" they intend to grow & send seasonally, before you sign up. One I saw (in a magazine) set up a couple long tables with veggies in share sized packages....then let the members walk thru & get "one of" what was available up to a certain # of pkgs. I thought that was nice as you could skip one & opt for another, given there were like 10 choices for 8 packages per box, as an example.

I still like the idea of a truck going into neighborhoods on a given schedule, laden with fresh garden produce. A few flyers and a steady time/day/site, they will sell.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I think we could sell assorted produce boxes quickly through FB Marketplace or Craigslist. Trouble is finding time, energy, and good health to keep a garden going

That would be awesome! I'm sure hoping for a good garden this year. Do you mind me asking how big is your cold room? I'd love to have one. Somewhere I saw online directions for building one using a regular room air conditioner. I need to look that up again!