We've gotten some great questions lately, so we're launching a series: Three Frequently Asked Questions — straight from CSA members, the public, and folks in our educational programs.
Q: Why do you include certain items in a share, and how do you make those decisions? (e.g., asparagus and radishes for multiple weeks, frozen fruit through early June, etc)
A: Every winter, Jeff and Jen put their years of farming knowledge to work creating a crop selection plan — the seed orders, and then a master crop plan. This is a sprawling set of spreadsheets mapping the timing, volumes, successions, and field rotations for all 150 of our crop varieties. It evolves year over year based on how seeds performed, how our fields handled different crops (pest pressure, prior plantings, rainfall, and other weather conditions). Once that plan is set, the farm team takes it from seeding and planting through irrigation, weeding, and harvest.
In the midst of all that, it's Jen's job — with a lot of help from Jeff and the farm team — to select what's tasting best, looking great, and at peak readiness each week. We think about was in shares recently and what's coming up in the weeks ahead, always aiming for a box with a good mix of weights, colors, textures, and flavor profiles. We know what crops are going away soon (e.g., spinach, radishes) and what crops are coming up (e.g., broccolini, scallions), so we consider how to give you the best last flavors. As best we can, we balance every other week share holders to strive towards all shareholders receiving a portion of each harvest. We share crops at their most beautiful and bountiful, and make sure you get at least a taste of the ones that are less picture-perfect. Bonus points if everything can come together in one great dish!
Our farming partners, the Klugs, work similarly — but they manage more perennial crops that are much more sensitive to winter and early spring conditions. This year's cooler temperatures late into May kept soil temperatures low, slowing their strawberry crop. That's why we've leaned on frozen fruit longer than usual: the Klugs' fresh berries and rhubarb simply needed more time.
Bottom line: we put real care into each week's share. We think of it as a gift — and we want it to be a good one.
Q: What do longtime CSA members recommend for newer CSA members?
A: They have so much to offer! Here's a favorite tip from one of our longtime members:
Start by reading the CSA newsletter, then build your grocery list around what's coming in your share. Pick up those grocery items before your CSA pickup — so when you get home, you can put the share straight away and get organized. Right away, remove any green tops from roots and alliums (leeks, onions, etc.). Toss those greens in a zip-lock bag in the freezer — they're perfect for vegetable stock come winter. Then relax! You're ready to start cooking the next day.
Longtime members are incredibly generous at pickup, too — always trading tips on preservation, cooking, and making the most of every item in the box. If you'd love a space to share and learn together, email Jen about organizing a "CSA Secrets" meetup or Zoom call.
Q: How do you juggle all the needs of the farm — balancing crops for the farm store, CSA, summer camp, gleaning, educational experiences, and wholesale and restaurant orders?
A: From our own experience growing into farmers, we can attest: farmers are masterful planners and masterful adapters. Knowing that the only constant is change, we build yearly plans, monthly plans, daily plans, hourly plans, and plans for every outlet — and then we expect them to change.
To do that well, we consult forecasts, historical records, research, and our farm journals, and we do a gut check with the whole farm team. We build in contingency plans, redundancies, and the right tools for when problems arise. Then we work the plans, go with the flow, adapt, record, and learn!
Thank you for your questions — keep them coming!
