victory acres csa

Thanks for all of you that were able to make it to last week’s informational meeting with the folks from Victory Acres. I thought I would post some information for those of you who weren’t able to make it. We need TEN full shares signed up in order to make it worthwhile for Victory Acres to add a drop-off at Grace + for Victory Acres to donate a full share to the Grace Choice Food Pantry. Check out their website for all of the information about the farm: http://www.victoryacres.org.

Here are the specifics for the Grace drop-off:

• $600 for a full share of 20-22 weeks (end of May through the end of October) of organic, local produce (averages out to about $1.50-$2 a pound)
• Pickup on Tuesday evenings at Grace
• A full share feeds approximately 4-5 adults

*You can split a share with another family. If you have another family that might be interested, you can sign up together and split the shares each week (a half share feeds about 2-3 adults). Or you could take alternating weeks with the other family. If you don’t have another family in mind, email the farm (victoryacrescsa@gmail.com), and they will match you with another family interested in splitting a share.

CSA members also have access to other farm benefits, such as:

• farm visits
• farm special events
• you-pick berries
• you-pick herbs
• you-pick flowers
• first-choice on pastured beef, pork, and eggs at the farm

Some questions I’ve heard lately below…add any additional questions in the comments. We’ve been in CSAs for the past 5+ years, so we might be able to answer some questions.

What is community-supported agriculture? Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a mutually beneficial relationship between a farmer and her community. CSA members purchase farm shares. These shares ensure that the farmer will have a stable income and also allow her to develop an appropriate crop plan. In return, the farmer provides the CSA members with fresh, nutritious produce each week throughout the growing season–usually the end of May through October. Together, the farmer and CSA members share the risk and the reward of the harvest. When the crops are bountiful, members receive extra produce. When uncontrollable circumstances, such as drought or plant disease, deplete the harvest, then everyone shares the loss. Fortunately, with over 35 varieties of organically-grown fruits and vegetables, the harvest is usually plentiful.

What does a share include? Members receive 20-22 weeks of fresh, seasonal produce, including lettuce, spinach, turnips, radishes, scallions, onions, cabbage, broccoli, peas, swiss chard, kale, collards, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, okra, green beans, carrots, cucumbers, summer and winter squash, eggplant, pumpkins, beets, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, celery, garlic, and raspberries. In addition, the farm provides seasonal pick-your-own opportunities with our most abundant crops, such as green beans and tomatoes. Members also have access to the farm’s herb and flower gardens, special events, workshops, and regular farm updates and recipes through email, Facebook, and Twitter.

Who is in charge? Leslie Gottschalk is the farm’s CSA manager. She brings with her multiple years of hands-on CSA experience and an extensive knowledge of the field, including a B.S. in biology/education and a pending master’s degree in environmental science.

What do I do with the food? Check back here! I do a weekly post on what we do with our CSA, as well as post tons of recipes. Victory Acres also sends along recipes every week with your share. We are participating, so there will be plenty more recipes here throughout the summer. We grow our own in our garden and participate in the CSA. That way, we have plenty of garden-fresh, local produce all summer and winter long. I’ll share my preserving methods/tricks as we go too.

What if we don’t get ten shares for the Grace drop-off? All you have to do now is sign and email the membership agreement form to the farm. Write GRACE at the top, as well as who (if applicable) you’re splitting your share with. If you want to split a share but don’t have anyone in mind, just write on the top of your application that you’re looking for someone to split with. If we don’t get to ten full shares, there won’t be a Grace drop-off, and you won’t be committed to anything. You won’t need to pay until June, and you can also pay in two installments if necessary. (the drop-off sites offered on the membership application are less expensive due to the decreased transportation costs)

SOOO what next?

If you’re interested in participating, send in your membership application right this minute, so that the farm can plan accordingly, and we can find out as soon as possible if we hit our ten shares.