Notes from the Field: Spring CSA 2020 – Week 1

by | Apr 1, 2020 | Notes from the Field

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NOTES FROM THE FIELD

Hello Finca Family!

Thanks for (re)joining our CSA share program for the season. 

For those of you who are returning to our program, welcome back and pardon my explaining again what a CSA is all about.

For those that are new to the concept, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. A model that really started to gain traction in the farming scene in the 90s and early 00s has become a staple of small farm operations ever since.

Basically, members of a community commit to financially support “their” farm for a season. They do so by investing money up front (or monthly) for a share of the season’s harvest. This is such a vital gesture for a number of reasons:

  1. The commitment up front means we as a farm have money in our pockets to purchase seeds, soil amendments, tool upgrades/replacements and support our labor on the front end of our season before our product hits your kitchens and other markets

  2. It gives us a secure outlet for our produce before the season even begins. 1/2-2/3 of our produce each season goes out through our CSA. 

  3. Our customers share the risk/benefit of the season (a good year means fuller bags, a tough year means slimmer bags). This commitment from our community has helped us survive through tough rain/drought/freeze events that have severely hampered our production

  4. It creates a relationship that’s different than just producer and consumer. We are tied to each other and each other’s success/failure in such real ways. If you’re new to our CSA, I hope you’ll introduce yourselves to me and the staff. Even if just through the window of your car, we really enjoy that.

I think part of the success of this model is how it’s name really speaks to what actually happens. Our farm is not a non-profit. We’re one of the only urban farms that functions as a small business which means everyday our farm exists because people want it to and choose to support it.

In response to Covid19, we’re doing something different for the season ahead. Basically every share for the last five years has only contained products grown on our farm, but due to an increased demand and an increased desire to provide more for our customers you’ll be receiving items in the bag that aren’t just from our farm. I hope you’ll get to hear more about the other farms helping us fill and diversify our bags each week and how supporting our farm is also supporting other farms.

Thanks for being a part of our CSA!

Tommy

WHAT’S IN THIS WEEK’S SHARE

  • Arugula: This large leaf arugula is a great addition for your salad.

  • Carrots: Fresh and flavorful orange carrots.

  • Cilantro: This variety is incredibly fragrant and has larger leaves.

  • Beets: Large deep red beetroots; perfect for slicing and pickling or roasting!

  • Curly Kale: Delicious crisp kale great for a stir fry or fresh in salad.

  • Chard: Unbelievably vibrant chard – cook up the stems first, then the leaves.

  • Lettuce: This romaine is quite delicate and crisp.

  • Sweet Potatoes: These sweet potatoes are white. They are dense, starchy, and full of flavor.

  • Cabbage: These cabbage are gorgeous. Pickle them or make cabbage slaw!

  • Celery: Flavorful Tango celery with dark green stalks.

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