Community Supported Agriculture
Photo by Katura Cleland
Photo by Will Cleland
- to provide people with fresh, safe food from a nearby farm
- to sustain and support local agriculture
- to strengthen our communities
- to nurture the health of our environment
(for example, weekly delivery of local organically grown products avoids unnecessary packaging, avoids transcontinental trucking fuel waste, and is environmentally sound)
Conventional direct produce marketing, such as at Farmers' Markets and farmstands, requires a farmer to spend about one third of his/her time selling. With a CSA association, the consumers agree to purchase a portion of the season’s harvest from the farm in advance, allowing the farmer to concentrate on growing the crop. This arrangement helps to reduce the level of risk for the farm.
The Products
All of the Four Springs Farm CSA products are certified organic.
VEGETABLES • A wide variety of vegetables, principally familiar popular types, with a sampling of lesser known things come to you in season with the greatest abundance around Labor Day. No two seasons are alike.
FRUIT • A sampling of Four Springs Farm fruits will be included as many weeks as possible when they are in season. Included are rhubarb, berries, melons and misc. other small fruits.
EGGS • One dozen of our delicious pastured chicken eggs will come on alternate weeks.
FLOWERS • A small bunch of cut flowers will be included some weeks.
Each week an email note will be sent on Tuesday to keep you abreast of the farming season, send farm news, identify items in the crate and pass along cooking information and recipe suggestions.
The Share Size • A regular share in the CSA is designed for a family of two adults who eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. A jumbo share, half again as much, is available for larger families, group eating situations, or for those who like to put up food for the winter. We strive to send the right amount of produce per week though we are directly guided by the ripening of each crop. Produce will come with minimal preparation and packaging, much the same as if you went out and picked them yourself.
The Delivery • Each week during the harvest season a basket of vegetables is delivered to families at home or work, while others pick up their vegetables from the Upper Valley Co-op, or the farm. Some CSA members deliver to families in their home communities, enabling many areas to be served. The season is about twenty weeks long, from mid-June through October. Each member has two crates so we swap an empty for a full each Tuesday.
The Cost • The cost of the Four Springs Farm CSA share is based on the actual cost of production and distribution. The price for the full season is $450 for the regular share. $550 is the total cost including pack and delivery. (Some work shares are available for people who need to reduce costs.) A scholarship fund is available to lend a hand.
Membership • At least twenty families are members of the Four Springs Farm CSA and share some of the same values:
- they like a wide variety of fresh organic products
- they like to cook with “what’s on hand”
- they have a social, economic, and/or environmental interest in supporting local agriculture
- they like to have connections with the source of their food and they are a valued source of information steering production decisions for the farm
Join us in the Four Springs Farm CSA and celebrate the miracle of growing food.
| Good for people! | |||
| Good for the community! | |||
| Good for the land! | |||
To become a CSA member, call to have an application mailed to you or download our brochure and sign-up form (PDF, 172KB) to print for mailing.
Questions? Please call Jinny at (802) 763-7296, or email fourspringsfarm@gmail.com
