Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a mutually beneficial relationship between a local farm and the community of people who receive the food the farm produces. Members purchase a share of the harvest in the spring and in return receive a weekly supply of fresh seasonal vegetables picked at their peak of ripeness and flavor. The members agree to share in the inherent benefits and risks of the agricultural season. The arrangement guarantees the farmer financial support and enables many smaller sustainable farms to stay in business, or in a growing number of instances, provides a way for young adults to consider a career in farming.
History of CSA
The CSA concept was first developed in Japan in 1965. The idea blossomed from a group of women concerned with pesticide use, the increase in processed and imported foods, and the corresponding decrease in the local farm population. They called it “Teikei” which translates literally as partnership or cooperation, and philosophically as “food with the farmers face on it”, or face to face agriculture. The first CSA’s appeared in the U.S. in New England in 1986. Now there are over 1,200 CSA’s in North America.
Why CSA?
With only 2% of Americans actually producing food for the other 98%, people are increasingly separated from the source of their food. Community Supported Agriculture is a creative response to this crisis. It is a model that emphasizes locally grown, which promotes a local economy, and a safe food system. Participation in a CSA leads to a deeper understanding of our interdependence on one another and the land. The farm supplies not only nutritious chemical-free food, but an opportunity for a community to come together to develop a sense of place, to reconnect with one another and the rhythms of the seasons, and to preserve open space as working farms.
CSA Shares
As a member of Blooming Glen Farm CSA you will receive an assortment of vegetables from late May to mid- November. Our farm share feeds approximately one family and consists of seasonal, freshly harvested vegetables, including familiar as well as more unusual heirloom varieties. Your share will also include special pick-your-own crops as available: herbs, flowers, green beans, peas, strawberries and cherry tomatoes. You will pick up your vegetables once a week, either on a Tuesday or Thursday from 1 to 8 pm. In anticipation of the harvest, we ask that you choose a designated pick up day for the duration of the season. Shares may be split between people but the logistics are up to the sharer. We do ask that the entire share is picked up at one time. It is important that everyone who will be regularly picking up at the farm be registered and receives our newsletter. This is essential for us to be able to communicate necessary information and keep things running smoothly. Members who live a distance may consider organizing themselves into a small group and alternate picking up for one another. Please click here to download the Blooming Glen Farm brochure.
Share Pricing
Our harvest season begins at the end of May and runs until early-November, for a total of 24 weeks long. A full share costs about $33 a week. That amount brings you a lot of fresh produce of incomparable quality (as well as 3 months of beautiful pick-your-own flowers), but it also brings you a lot more: a meaningful connection to your food, the land where it grows, and the community of people who help grow it.
The cost of a 2012 full share is $795. If you have found a split partner, it is $415 per partner. You will have the option of making a full payment (Full share: $795; Split share $415 per partner), or making a down payment (Full share: $250; Split share: $125 per partner). If you make a down payment, the full balance is due by May 1st. (Payment plans are always available upon individual request.) Note: You save $5 if you make one payment instead of two. Paying in full saves us time and you some money!
The share price reflects the real costs of growing high quality vegetables. By eliminating the costs of packaging, shipping and marketing, the farmer receives a fair share of the profit. The average produce at the supermarket travels 1500 miles. Comparatively, we can offer you delicious flavor, picked at the peak of ripeness, as well as varieties rarely found at the store. You will have the benefit of personally knowing the farmers who grow your food and the land it comes from. We believe this adds up to a better value for your food dollar.
Harvest Expectations
Late Spring/ Early Summer
Arugula, beans, beets, bok choy, broccoli, carrots, celery, cucumbers, escarole, fennel, garlic scapes, green garlic, herbs, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, napa cabbage, pea shoots, radicchio, radishes, spring onions, strawberries, sugar snap peas, summer squash, swiss chard, tatsoi, turnips
Mid-Summer
Beans, beets, blackberries, celery, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, edamame, eggplant, fennel, garlic, hot peppers, lettuce, melons (cantaloupe and watermelon), okra, onions, peppers, potatoes, summer squash, sweet corn, swiss chard, tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, tomatillos, herbs and flowers
Late Summer/Fall
Arugula, beets, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, eggplant, escarole, garlic, hot peppers, kale, leeks, lettuce, melons, onions, peppers, potatoes, radicchio, raspberries, shallots, spinach, summer squash, sweet potatoes, swiss chard, tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, tomatillos, turnips, winter radish, winter squash (butternut, delicata, blue hubbard, cheese pumpkin), herbs and flowers
- For photographs of a typical share, click here.
- Click here to
download the Blooming Glen brochure.