FAQ

What is a CSA?

CSA stands for community supported agriculture. At its most basic, this means that a group of members pay in advance (or through a payment plan or some other arrangement) for a share of what a farm produces throughout that season.  This way, the farmer has the capital at the beginning of the season to buy seeds, tools, or to meet any number of expenses that may crop up, and the members get to know where and who their produce is coming from, get to follow the crops from seedling to harvest, and it can help with budgeting as well.   Often, members get a say in what is grown and how they are cared for.  Often, the share pickups turn into social events with recipes and ideas being shared where everyone can come by and share their knowledge and company. Many times, non-members are welcome as well.   Sometimes, the farm will have extra produce or other interesting products like soaps and jams for sell as well.


Are you organic? 

Although we do follow organic and sustainable practices, we are not certified and have little interest in becoming so at the moment.  We would never spray our plants with synthetic herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides.  We prefer to let nature, healthy plants, soil, and a functional ecology do that for us or to get dirty doing it ourselves if weeds and insects need to be kept in check, rather than use a chemical that can have unknown or known negative consequences. However, if we became certified, we wouldn't be able to use the lovely plants bought from our local library's plant sale, traded with neighbors, or gifted to us, unless they were certified organic as well, so supporting the community is more important to us than a certification.  Also, there are some practices that are considered organic that we believe are unsustainable or negative in other ways, such as whole fields with just a single crop (mono-cultures) and covering the soil with black plastic mulch, which might control weeds without herbicides but also creates pollution and may damage soil life.  That's why it is so important to know how your farmer farms, because organic might not mean exactly what you think. Many small farms are not certified organic, but follow even stricter practices than organic standards require.

Do I have to be a Pagan/Wiccan/cat lover etc. to join? 

No way!  I'd like everyone to be welcome and comfortable becoming a member and coming to the pickup events.  There are hundreds of reasons why someone would want fresh herbs, veggies, and art, as well as get to know the changing of the seasons and support our local economy and ecology.  No one is here to judge you, your faith, animal preferences, or why you need a regular supply of chamomile, so come on by!

I want an herb that's been picked on a specific day at a specific time with a specific intention. Can you do that?

Yes!  One of the best parts of being a small farm is the personal service we can give and we'd love to help you out with whatever you need.  There might be a small fee for especially complicated requests, but in general there wouldn't be.  For example, having it harvested with an intention at 10am would require minimal extra time as, chances are, I'd already be at the farm and would just have to keep your harvest separate from the rest and take a few extra minutes with the harvest.  However, if you need it to be harvested at midnight during the full-moon in May with a long meditation on a specific intention for you, that would require a special trip, lighting, and possibly sitting out in the rain.  I'm happy to do it, but extra costs might be incurred for gas an equipment, plus I might catch a cold!


Anything else?

If you have anymore questions, please contact us! You can also leave a comment here. Others might be wondering the same thing and we'd love to add to our FAQ.