What to Expect as a CSA Member:
As a member of Freedom Organix CSA you will receive the best vegetables we can grow all season long.
If you are new to Freedom Organix CSA or have never been part of any CSA you may not know exactly what to expect. Below are some things for you to consider based on inputs from our members. It should give you a better idea of what your membership experience will be like and help you to decide if a CSA is for you. CSA's serve many different needs for people; a desire to support a small family farm, environmental benefits of food grown nearby in a sustainable manner, knowing where your food comes from, enjoying cooking at home, trying new foods, and many other things you may not even have thought about just yet.
Here are some things to think about as you make your decision to join a CSA:
How often do you cook at home?
Our boxes contain vegetables you can eat raw, but there are always a few things that have to be cooked, so using everything in your box means some extra time preparing and planning.
Do you have time to pick up vegetables every week?
Our season runs from June through October which means a stop to pick up every week during that time. Geography and schedules are important considerations when selecting a CSA.
How do you feel about vegetables you've never tried?
Some members have been delighted with vegetables they have never tried and some have just declared them 'weird'. We grow the standards, but have come to find out that produce we think of as run-of-the-mill can still be unfamiliar to people (Tongue of fire beans, 'black' heirloom tomatoes, and frisee are some examples.) The vegetable world is full of interesting and delicious foods that will never appear in the grocery store, so we say 'enjoy the ride'! Our weekly newsletters will help guide you by including recipes and storage information.
How much will you get each week?
When we survey our members, there are some that think it is too much food each week and some that think it is too little. There are 5-8 different items each week, usually enough for 3-4 servings for each item. You know your family best, so check out our growing list to decide if our CSA is a good fit.
What kind of variety is in your share?
We plant 40 different kinds of vegetables which is a lot of variety, but you should also know that many vegetables are in season for several weeks or even months, so your shares will be similar from week to week with a one or two new things each time as the season continues. While most everyone wants an 8 week season of tomatoes, not so much with, say rutabagas. Here is a link that shows when various crops come into season in our climate so you know what to expect: http://www.pickyourown.org/ILharvestcalendar.htm
How will you know if you will like what's in your share?
Only you know what you like to eat, so we publish our growing plan so you can decide for yourself. While our climate drives what shows up in your box, different CSA's will have different share contents based on their preferences and specialties so look around a little for one that you might like. For local CSA's that are actually growing the food they put into your boxes you will see a lot of similarities because climate and soil drives what farmers can grow well.
What happens if I go on vacation?
We are not able make adjustments for vacations. Most of our members ask a friend or neighbor to pick up on the week(s) they will be gone. If it is only for a few days, our vegetables, if refrigerated properly, will keep until you come back.
What happens if forget to pick up my box?
It's up to you to put your pick up dates on the calendar, but we will send out an email each pick up day that tells you what's in the box, how to store it, some recipes, and some information about what we're doing on the farm.
Other things you should know about our growing philosophy:
We manage our growing to provide specific things for our members and use these goals to judge our success for the season. Here is the short-list of our objectives:
Salad greens in every box.
Here's our thought on this: We grow salad greens of excellent quality when the weather is right, and darn good even when the weather isn't perfect. We handle them carefully so they will have a long shelf life in your refrigerator which means you'll get to use them before the next delivery. We include them in every box because putting together a salad is an easy way to get a serving of vegetables into your diet every day. Oh, and because greens are very nutritious, which is part of the reason to buy a full season of really fresh produce in the first place. We grow lots of different kinds so if you are a salad lover we are the CSA for you!
Include herbs or flowers in every box.
We don't always succeed, but it is a target for us because herbs and flowers delight the senses. And we like growing them too.
Quantity
Include 6-10 items in enough quantity for 3-4 servings.
Variety
One new item each week. Which means something that wasn't in last weeks box, but it could be fall cabbages even though you may have seen early summer ones as well.
