All About
Community Supported
Agriculture
What is a CSA?
sharing in the bounty, sharing in the risks
CSA stands for “Community Supported Agriculture”, and designed to build a meaningful relationship between the farmer and community. Members buy a share in the farm’s harvest before the season starts, then reap the abundant harvest each week as the season progresses. CSA members agree to share in the inherent risks of farming, and understand that their produce will be grown with certified organic, regenerative (soil stewardship) farming practices. Members become invested in the farm's successes and failures. This commitment and support helps the farmer with early season cashflow when they need it most and allows them to be in the field during the growing season instead of worrying about marketing and selling their produce.
There are other benefits to supporting local farms and CSA programs. As consumers, we have become accustomed to buying fruits and vegetables shipped from all over the world, regardless of the season. This also means that food is harvested well before it has ripened in order to make the journey. That long journey sacrifices the nutritional value and flavor of the produce. By choosing locally grown food, you ensure that you are eating the freshest, most nutrient dense and best tasting food possible, plus building local food economy, and being environmentally responsible at the same time.
What We Grow
Tons, Literally & flowers too
We grow over 30 different kinds of certified organic vegetables ranging from favorites like onions, carrots, and tomatoes to unique offerings like Persian cucumbers and bok choi. Part of sharing the risk with the farmer in a CSA means that we are all – farmers and members – subject to nature’s rhythms! So, while we cannot guarantee that a particular vegetable will appear in your share in a particular week, here’s a few ideas of what to look forward to in your 1/2 bushel cooler:
June – spinach, radishes, chives, kale, snap peas, lettuce/greens, turnips, garlic scapes and strawberries
July – kale, lettuce, onions, green beans, cucumber, carrots, beets, herbs, summer squash, peas and fresh-cut flowers
August – Tomatoes, peppers, swiss chard, zucchini/summer squash, eggplant, cucumbers, garlic, tomatillo, cantaloupe, herbs and fresh-cut flowers
September – tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, potatoes, garlic, onions, leeks, spinach, lettuce/greens, winter squash, pumpkin, herbs and celery
What really sets us apart is the 8 week of certified organic fresh cut flowers included with your share. These flowers often still have morning dew on their petals and cut only hours before you pick them up. This means they last for over a week, often two weeks in the vase. We typically have extra bouquets to sell for those special occasions. Just ask!
Details
The Nitty Gritty
Growing food in Northern Minnesota, near Lake Superior, can be challenging. Frost in mid-June? Or early September? How about a foot of snow the first week of October, followed by 80's and sun? In May 2021, we had 3 night of hard freezing at a key planting time, then a week of 90's. The plants don't know if they should go to seed or keep producing! As your farmer, we feel a great sense of responsibility and do all we can to provide the best produce to you each week. Certified organically grown produce does not look perfect, but it tastes soooo good! And that is what you are buying ~ amazing tasting, highly nutritious, straight from the plant to your plate, no stops, goodness.
You will need to provide two 28-quart coolers (same as 1/2 bushel box) for the season. These need to be clean in good working order and then cleaned each week. No exceptions. A dirty cooler cannot be sanitized. It's like using hand sanitizer on soiled hands. The dirt just gets pushed around into a sticky mess. A dirty cooler has a greater chance of spreading bacteria and molds between coolers as we work with them, shortening the life of your produce. Coolers save a tremendous amount of plastic and cardboard each week and have a long useful life. Farm packaging is expensive and a single-use deal ~ 1/2 bushel cardboard box, one large plastic bag to line it, and then filled with lots of little bags. Coolers allow us to skip almost all packaging with the exception of herbs, beans, and peas. It's a planet saver. We discovered over the years, using coolers in our walk-in, keeps your share super fresh until you pick it up ~ and fresher longer as you run errands!
Drop one cooler off on the porch of the tiny barn by June 1 with your last name on the lid and front. At the first CSA pick-up, you drop off the second cooler. Each week you bring a clean, empty cooler and pick-up your bursting cooler filled with the awesomeness of summer. It's a pretty neat system. Happy to answer questions about our process!
The past four years have been challenging with years of drought, followed by unseasonably cool, wet weather, freezing temps in summer, foot of snow in early fall and so on. Our members have been fabulously supportive, yet as your farmers, we have keenly felt disappointed and frustrated that harvests haven't been as plentiful as planted. In addition, we have observed families with school aged children (that's us too!) find it challenging to pick up their coolers each week when school begins. The calendar goes from 0 - 100 mph within a week!
So, we are doing CSA a little differently this year. We are still planting our fields as we always do, offering a 9-week Summer CSA and a 5-week Flower CSA during the height of summer, July-August, but limiting the number of shares available. This ensures coolers and bouquets are filled with generous shares from beginning to end. We fully anticipate a field of abundance and will be offering additional certified organic vegetable and flower shares each week through our online farm stand. These shares will differ, varying in produce, portion and availability; CSA's will be priority.
We will also be offering weekly shares in June, before the Summer CSA season begins, through our online store. Summer CSA members will pay their discounted rate. In August, we will offer a mini 6-week Fall CSA for September - October, based on how the growing season has progressed. Weekly Fall shares will be offered in our online farm stand with these shares varying in produce, portion and availability.
Purchasing a CSA membership is less expensive than by-the-week shares and ensures you will receive a weekly, bountiful share. Our goal is to offer the very best of the farm to you, respect the land's ability to produce (weather pending), and as the farmer, keep a healthy stress level to create a happy, beautiful farm for you to visit.
Summer CSA Offering:
9-week Certified Organic vegetable share begins Monday, June 26 ending August 28, 2023 for $325
No pick-up on July 3, 2023
Pickup is Mondays, 3:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Flower CSA Offering:
5-week Certified Organic flower share begins Monday, July 31 and ends August 28, 2023 for $125.
Pick up is Mondays, 3:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Fall CSA will open in August.
Our Certifications
Healthy Soil ~ Healthy Food
Near the Shores of Lake Superior
in Rice Lake, Minnesota 55803
Be A Farm Follower
fresh@theborealfarm.com