Q & A

How does this work?

As a shareholder, you’re making an initial investment of “seed” funding for the infrastructure, labor, and supplies necessary to grow a productive crop of nutritious, diverse produce in 2024- one that will nourish your family for the growing season. The farmer promises to coordinate the production and direct distribution and the shareholder promises to fund their share of the operation, in exchange of course for their share of the production. A farm share membership is intended for those consumers mindful of the convolution of our national food supply chains, ambitious to secure access to regular nutritious sustenance directly & responsibly. For this symbiotic relationship to be successful and sustainable, both parties are asked to assume the risks inherent in organic food production including unavoidable disease, pests, or any of Mother Nature’s other unpredictable impulses.

Why should my family participate?

Upon initial exposure to the idea of “community supported agriculture,” the concept may seem inefficient, complicated, inconvenient, or idealistic. We find that it is quite the opposite and want to encourage folks to arrive at that same conclusion. While its convenience and pragmatism to the consumer is obvious and really cannot be overstated, the conventional, commodity-based, capitalistic way about how we have been sourcing our food as a society is hardly efficient, from our perspective. At its simplest, as you know, the conventional supply chain is clunky, roundabout, and as was painfully obvious throughout the COVID pandemic: vulnerable. We believe that if you have the means to separate your family’s demand at all from the collective one, doing so will contribute practically, ethically, and responsibly to the betterment of those human lives with fewer opportunities.

What produce can I expect in my box each week?

There are plenty of reasons to join a farm share like what we offer, but your interest generally implies a desire to be intimately involved in the ebb & flow of a traditional small-scale homestead. This can mean bountiful harvests beyond all expectations and utterly disheartening crop failures. The produce we provide is seasonal, based on the crops’ ideal growing conditions, our means as a small farm, and the will of Mother Nature. During May & June, your family can expect cool season crops including broccoli, peas, carrots, beets, & greens of all sorts. By August, we anticipate warm season crops like cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and squashes. Visit our “Vegetables & Herbs” page to see a complete list of our expected harvests by month.

Do you only provide vegetables?

“Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”

-Michael Pollan

Our intention has always been to design a homestead that provides what we consider to be healthy nutrition. Though we were initially motivated altruistically by vegetarianism and its consideration of animal welfare, our motives, values, and personal diets are omnivorous, with a strong preference to consume only vegetables and meat that we’ve harvested ourselves. Though we feel confident in our ethical conclusions about the traditional diet and lifestyle we pursue, we genuinely appreciate those who have arrived at different strategies for consciously structuring their diets and want to fully support their efforts. Our goal is to provide this mindful, whole food, classic nutrition to our shareholders, becoming more balanced by incorporating pastured protein for those interested over time. For now, we can promise consistent vegetables, herbs, and eggs with occasional berries, flowers, grains, and mushrooms as available. As we grow, we hope to offer consistent access to meat shares for our members with that shared interest.

Are you “certified organic?”

We do not have a formal/official organic certification, though we approach each operation of the farm sincerely considering sustainability and local fertility, in compliance with the principles of organic production. Our goal is to become ethically sustainable by keeping our garden soil thriving, protected, and minimally disturbed, incorporating livestock benevolently, and working toward the goal of creating a regenerative, interconnected loop of our garden’s natural supply chains.

When will my box be delivered?

We will be delivering our produce on Wednesdays and Sunday afternoons/evenings. As our membership begins to take shape at the end of 2023 and beginning of 2024 and we start to get a picture of our most efficient delivery route options, we will have a better idea of our ideal delivery schedule. At this time, we will communicate with shareholders to confirm that food will be delivered at a mutually convenient time.

Do you offer smaller share sizes, or weekly boxes?

We plan to harvest and pack 40 equally-sized CSA boxes each week in 2024. If you’re an individual interested in our program but are concerned about gathering a family-sized harvest each week, we will do everything we can to work with you to coordinate your interest with a like-minded and similarly-positioned shareholder to determine a mutually beneficial arrangement. We’ve had many shareholders split shares with friends and family and it seems to have worked out well.

Why are eggs & flowers no longer included in all shares?

While it has always been, and continues to be, our ambition to successfully manage a sustainable, natural, ethical, scalable chicken flock, supplying consistent dozens for such a large group has been one of our more challenging farm projects. At our current scale and with our current resources, we feel comfortable with our farm’s carrying capacity settling at around 100 birds- enough layers for around 30 families including our own, with a probable surplus for breathing room.

We’ve all been feeling the impact of inflation during recent times, and chicken farmers are famously sensitive. For this reason, to give ourselves some relief, we’ve decided to make our egg and flower shares optional and scalable for 2024.