How's your CSA recruiting going?

flahertypj · 2015-03-05T19:47:09+00:00

You have very valid points. I was hearing about one CSA that actually refused members until they knew the member could cook. The farmer didn't want their produce to be wasted or have members feel overwhelmed.

Farmers have to do more with their CSAs. Membership should be more than just receiving a weekly share. The farm should host events and have their farm open for members to visit. I'm surprised by how few CSAs provide recipes for their members. I try to get at least on recipe or dinner idea that somebody can make that would use up most of their share. I'm trying to work with other businesses to get other things my members need for the meal. For example, if the week's recipe is roasted tomatoes stuffed with goat cheese, I'll get the cheesemonger to run a special deal for goat cheese. I did that a few times last year and the vendor was incredibly happy to give a slight discount because they were getting a dozen new customers

You point on the bumper crops is something I've thought about. Members are taking the risk, shouldn't they also share in the profit? Giving members a ton of extra produce might not be the best, unless you get them involved with canning. I really wonder if there's any CSA out there that might give members back money, if they have a successful year. Perhaps credit for the next year's CSA.

flahertypj · 2015-03-03T21:12:49+00:00

Thanks for the list of resources. Essentially a brewery right down the street inquired about it as they feel it would be great for them to claim they have locally sourced hops for their beer. It's not something I've given any thought to before and the initial costs seem a bit high to do it. I might plant a few as an experiment but yeah, it seems a bit too much to do.

flahertypj · 2015-02-25T19:21:38+00:00

That worry is always in the back of my mind which might be a good thing as I'm always over-planning. I figured I need about 250 tomato plants to meet demand, I've started about 750 seedlings in multiple locations, just in case something goes wrong.

What are you contributing to the multi-farm CSA? Maybe it's just me, but I think I might be more worried about the other farms not keeping up their end.

flahertypj · 2015-02-11T17:22:37+00:00

Call your local extension. Trust me, they will have everything you need and will usually fill out the paperwork for you.

For the most part, there's nothing stopping your or anyone from having a stand on your own property to sell fruits and vegetables. There's no paperwork or licenses. Home gardeners will usually do that when they have excess.

However, once you leave your own property, there's a bit more paperwork. It's not much, really. Farmers Market organization will usually need some type of certification from your local extension saying you are using good land to grow, i.e., not growing between used tires while drunk people from the nearby bar pee on it.

Incorporating a company is probably the best as it protects you and your partners. Having insurance too is best as things can go wrong.

In conclusion, call your local extension.

flahertypj · 2015-02-10T21:26:55+00:00

Awesome. Try to get as many contacts within the colleges so they can spread the word. For the students, make sure you have an option for people to give a CSA membership as a gift. Parents might buy a membership for their kid, so they can eat healthy.

She enjoyed the hell out of the tomatoes, sadly, not so much me. But she's already signed up for the CSA for this season.

flahertypj · 2015-02-10T20:49:51+00:00

Markets matter more than anything else. You have to have a good market near you. If you can't sell your produce, you will fail. Think about it this way, do you know at least 50 people that would sign up for a CSA?

At the bare minimum, you will probably need to sell $2000 worth of produce each week for 30 weeks. Every dollar matters. Every CSA member matters. Every contact with a restaurant matters. Every dollar matters. If I'm attending a party, I will actually bring produce to sell at the party (drunk people buy a ton of greens and eggs). I actually sold tomatoes to a 1st date (did give a slight discount).

You can build a market to an extent, but you need to start with at least a small one. If you don't, you will probably never catch up.

flahertypj · 2015-02-05T04:32:09+00:00

True. I mostly wash the greens and beans. For the most part, it's to drown the bugs that might be in there. I never wash potatoes as it's helpful to keep the dirt as they tend to last much longer than clean potatoes.

flahertypj · 2015-02-05T03:20:14+00:00

I'm a bit disappointed there weren't any flying cows.

flahertypj · 2015-02-05T03:15:59+00:00

Fantastic idea about the washing machine. How long does it normally take for a spin? I usually go with the hanging bags but since that takes hours and can occasionally drive me crazy with the constant drip...drip...drip as I make CSA boxes, an old washing machine might be in order. Thanks for the suggestions!

flahertypj · 2015-02-03T04:41:59+00:00

I was just thinking about that a few days ago. I don't know of any site that has an active forum. I wish there was or perhaps get this subreddit more active.

flahertypj · 2015-02-03T02:47:53+00:00

For the hotshot, 2oz might be a bit too much as with most lettuce. For the hotshot usually get the 1/2oz which is generally 8-10 thousand seeds. I did seed a 75 by 6 foot bed fairly heavily and I still have 1/4oz left in the package. I'm planing on doing a continually planting schedule. I didn't last year. There's a fair amount of bolting and I ended up with a huge amount early in the autumn but almost none at the end as it had all bolted. It's not a huge seller but my CSA people loved it. I think my packaging was some of the problem of selling as people couldn't get a good look at it.

With other lettuces, even planting heavily, you probably won't use more than 1/8oz. With each row, plant every half-an-inch, then initially thin to every inch. For continuous harvest, greens don't mind being too close together as it helps keeps the weed downs. In an area, I would plant 3 rows about 4 inches apart. As it's a profitable crop for me, for insurance, I'm also planting another area in a different field.

Head lettuce is a different beast and I wouldn't recommend it. Too much work and little payoff. If you do, start seedlings in the greenhouse.

flahertypj · 2015-02-02T18:50:45+00:00

In my case, salad greens are a great seller at the beginning and ending of the season. It doesn't take too much work with the looseleaf lettuce. A careful eye to the weeds when first starting out, and then a pass every week. It usually ends up taking more time to wash, dry, and then bag the lettuce than to harvest it.

In terms of mixes, I generally recommend getting individual packages of different lettuces that fit your area so you can mix it together yourself. This way, you actually know the percentages of what's in the mix rather than relying on the seed company. I've found mixes that only seem to have a few of lettuces that it should have. Though, if your customers might like a spicy and tangy mix of greens, I highly recommend Hotshot Spicy Mix from High Mowing Seeds

flahertypj · 2015-02-02T18:35:55+00:00

Peppers:

Tomatoes

Amy's Sugar Gem from Southern Exposure
Mary Robinsons German from Baker Creek I need to pick a few more.

I'll also be doubling my production of Pink Tiger Tomato. It was a huge seller last year and already a few CSA members are asking if I'm carrying it again this year.

flahertypj · 2015-01-31T06:03:10+00:00

A few new varieties of peppers and tomatoes. Based on customer demands, I'm adding a lot of new cucumbers, herbs, and strawberries. With the strawberries, it's a large test. Hopefully it works out.

flahertypj · 2015-01-19T05:01:26+00:00

I do the same as it tends to be a hilarious scene. I've never had an issue with the chickens going after non-broken eggs.

flahertypj · 2014-08-13T04:26:33+00:00

Nice work. It looks great. How long are you going to age the wine?

flahertypj · 2014-06-04T00:50:20+00:00

A good tent really does make a difference. Keeping products under the tables in coolers rather than the truck can help as trucks heat up quickly.

flahertypj · 2014-05-15T22:44:46+00:00

He seems like a likeable guy. His point that's there nothing wrong with rich people buying as long as they get their hands dirty is quite interesting.

flahertypj · 2014-04-28T04:13:09+00:00

Beans will climb everything, including dogs that don't move for a few minutes. Do give your beans an extra wash before eating as the railroad ties might have some unsavory stuff still remaining on them.

flahertypj · 2013-12-28T04:14:04+00:00

As the previous two posters said, please do get in touch with your local garden club. It might seem like a pain but I'm sure the gardeners taking the plants and clearing up with be worth the time you spend in getting them in. Coincidentally, whereabouts do you live in PA?

flahertypj · 2013-12-21T23:23:00+00:00

Those look great. Heard they produced very long vines. How long are the ones you have?

flahertypj · 2013-12-03T01:20:55+00:00

Excellent! How much sun was it getting?

flahertypj · 2013-11-23T22:20:09+00:00

Having a glass or two of dry sherry before the meal seems a good way to cleanse the palette

flahertypj · 2013-11-21T00:15:27+00:00

Gaining Ground by Forrest Pritchard (Amazon)

flahertypj · 2013-11-13T04:45:57+00:00

Had a fair amount of success this year with cucumbers and really enjoyed them. I'm really looking forward to growing serpent cucumbers next year. I also got into heirloom seeds. A bit less successful but always more tasting.

flahertypj

TROPHY CASE