2012 CSA Membership Is Open
It’s official our 2012 CSA program is open and accepting new members here in the Central Michigan area. I’ve tried to supply some information on CSA’s in general and our program in particular. I’ve settled on share prices and decided to offer 3 different options you can find those on the Join the CSA page. I’ve also just added a CSA FAQ page where you can learn more and even ask your own specific questions. I welcome all feedback and questions and you’ll find a comment section near the bottom of every page on this website.
Note: If you are one of the 15 people who have already joined the newsletter and have expressed interest in becoming a new member of the 2012 CSA I will be Calling you this week if you provided a phone number. If you didn’t then feel free to call me directly or email me. Thanks.
Does the CSA Serve Your Area?
Good question, after all this is the world wide web and we certainly aren’t attempting to feed the world. If you are familiar with our market along U.S. 27 in Clare Michigan that is one pick up location for sure. Another is going to Mt. Pleasant, probably either at the Farmers Market in Island Park or possibly Green-Tree Co-op. I still have to work out details and I’m open to member feedback (and potential member). We’ve had considerable interest from the Gladwin and Beaverton area along with Mt. Pleasant and Midland so those will all likely be pick up points. I recommend signing up for the CSA Newsletter right now if you have interest in the CSA program. You’ll automatically get a welcome email from me with my contact information. Feel free to call or email me with an questions you might have.
Available CSA Shares
We’ve decided to grow for 35 members, or really 35 full shares. The goal of the program is 20 weeks and it’s safe to expect it to last between 18-22 weeks based on previous years. One lady from gladwin expressed interest in a canning share and I’ve thought that was a great idea too. You won’t see that listed on the “Join The CSA” page but I will be doing a canning share. It will consist of: Beets, tomatoes, pickles, green beans, sweetcorn, etc. will include about 6-8 bushels of vegetables and cost around $150.00. Let me know if you are interested in the canning share. I also know of some really good canning spices for pickles and beets the brand is called “Mrs. Wages” and it’s good stuff. I’ll try to get a hold of those for the members as well.
Where is the Food Grown?
The vegetables for our Mid-Michigan CSA program are grown in Clare at our farm along the Tobacco river about 3 1/2 miles from our Market in Clare. We will schedule two days per month for those of you who want to come out and check on the progress of your vegetables or even help out. Some CSA’s require that the members work a set amount of hours at the farm, we Do Not. We will be growing the herbs for the CSA both here and at the Market. The market has a high-tunnel (unheated greenhouse) and we will have fresh herbs growing there for Market customers as well as our CSA members.
We also grow cantaloupe and watermelon here at the Farm. Most of the other fruit we get from local orchards and berry patches. Anderson’s and Girls orchard and Papa’s Pumpkin patch supply most of the fruits we don’t grow ourselves like: Strawberries, blueberries, apples, peaches, cherries, and raspberries. To learn more about the CSA shares you can visit the “Join the CSA” page.
How and When Do We Pay For a Share?
You can pay for your share on the “Join the CSA” page right here on this website with a debit or credit card. You’ll find a detailed description of each share and the cost on that page as well. We also accept cash and checks and provide payment information when you sign up for the CSA newsletter via the form on the side of this website. Also if you have any problems or questions you can just give us a call Phone: 989-284-8251 is the best way to reach me personally. We are opening the membership March 1st and accepting members throughout the Month. We are limiting the membership to 35 though and we expect membership will sell out by the middle of March.
Who Should Join the CSA?
I recommend reading the FAQ page and the “Join the CSA” page before you join especially if you’ve never participated in a CSA program before. Joining our CSA is a commitment, a 20 week commitment to pick up your share or arrange for someone else to pick it up. We realize not everyone will be able to pick up there share every week due to vacations and such, but we ask that you arrange for someone else to do it for you or let us know in advance. You will receive a CSA agreement form that when you sign up for the newsletter also. I like to let everyone know up front that June, especially early June is a little light as there aren’t many varieties of vegetables that will be ready for harvest then. July, August, September and October are filled with dozens of varieties of fruits and vegetables.
For more information on the CSA program or to purchase a Share you can visit this page: Michigan CSA Shares
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