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Fresh, sustainable p=
roduce grown locally. |
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Cane Creek Farm |
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Newsl=
etter |
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You are participating in the Cane Creek Farm Commun=
ity Supported Agriculture or CSA. Some of you are very clear on what this means and others are still try=
ing to figure it out, so I thought I would devote a little space to explain=
ing our CSA model. CSAs started in Japan as housewives hired a farmer =
to grow the food they wanted the way they wanted it grown. The movement spread to Europe and to the US i=
n 1986. It has changed along =
the way and now there are all sorts of variations on the idea of a communit=
y supporting a farmer growing the community’s food. Our model, common in this area, is more like a=
subscription to the farm. Yo=
u pay for the produce ahead of time and get weekly shares of the produce. T=
he farmer gets the money ahead of time, when it is needed to buy seed and i=
nputs, and plans the crops for the number of people who sign up. The shareholders get the best fresh, nutritious food the farm has to=
offer. Both farmers and shar=
eholders take the risk of what will be produced that season. A variety of crops are grown to minimize ri=
sk and so there is a diversity of food in the share each week. Plants have season in which they are best adapted t=
o grow, so eating from a CSA is eating in season. Some times the bugs attack, the rains come or don̵=
7;t come, and the heat rises. Some crops respond well to the environment, others do not, and this change=
s from year to year. CSA members realize there is no guarantee that a certa=
in crop will be in their share or look like the perfectly waxed cucumbers f=
rom the grocery store, but what they get will be fresh and tasty. This CSA model allows the farmer to know the people=
eating the food they grow, and there is great satisfaction in that relatio=
nship. The shareholder is able to support a local farmer, keeping money and=
food production in the local community, feeding their family with the fres=
hest local food, and encouraging good eating habits.. The CSA model is labo=
r intensive, so though the share prices may seem high, the cost of producti=
on is high also. Farmers do n=
ot get rich for all their labor, but most days it is a joy to be working th=
e soil! |
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Farm News |
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Vol. 3 Number 14, June 2, 2009 , April 14, 2009 |
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Holding babies while their moms load their bags wit=
h good food is one of my favorite jobs (as long as the babies are amenable)=
! |
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Questions or comments? E-mail us at lynn@canecreekfarm.net or call (770) 889-3793 |
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Herb Corner Please try some of the herbs from our h=
erb beds located near the greenhouse. =
; This could be one of the best features of our CSA, if you learn to=
use herbs in your cooking to enhance flavor and decrease your need to use =
as much salt and oils. You ar=
e welcome to pick all the herbs you need from what we have available. Some are just coming up, but other=
s can be harvested now. I wil=
l be glad to talk to you about what is available and how you might use it.<=
span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> I also have several cook book=
s with suggestions on how to use herbs in your cooking, that you are welcom=
e to look at. The easiest way to use herbs is to chop=
the leaves and sprinkle them on a salad.&=
nbsp; They are also delicious in soups, added at the end for maximum=
flavor. Blending chopped her=
bs with butter and storing it in the freezer gives you a quick way to seaso=
n vegetables. Harvest some herbs this week! |
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What’s in the bo=
x? Butter crunch lettuce Hakurei turnips Strawberries Green garlic Swiss Chard Spring onions Pac Choi PLEASE WASH YOUR PRODUCE BEFORE PREPARING—WE ONLY FIELD WASH. On Farm Market Green garlic &=
nbsp; =
; Organic, fair trad=
e coffee Basil plants &=
nbsp; =
; Pepper transplants=
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; Herbs Green onions |
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Produce and recipes The Hakurei turnips a=
re sweeter than the more common purple topped turnips and can be sliced and=
used in a salad like a radish, without bite. They are also good roasted or cooked with their greens. This is probably the =
last week of strawberries, so enjoy them!&=
nbsp; Blueberries are next! |
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