First of all, I want to start with a HUGE THANK YOU to all who have been willing to "Respond to the Call," to help SAVE my families farm. I really have been feeling so good and backed by you all. WOW, Wow, WOWZA, I have been receiving a huge influx of interest and questions about our All Fruit Mt. View Orchards CSA that launches this Summer 2015l! In this blog, I decided it would be helpful to share with you all the frequently asked questions from the many emails I have been receiving in hopes that I can bring clarity and motivate you all to take the plunge. Feel free to share this post forward with your friends and neighbors who are also potentially interested in joining.
This past summer, I joined an all vegetable CSA(Community Supported Agriculture) in Parkdale, Oregon that my sweet farming friends Andrea and Taylor Bemis run through their farm, Tumbleweed. Each and every week, I would receive a generous box of veggies and at one point this summer I thought, "We should do that." Everybody loves the fruit of Summer and what could be more enjoyable but to receive an abundant, freshly harvested fruit box from our orchard each week with our finest cherries, apricots, nectarines, peaches, plums, blueberries, apples and pears.
1. What is a CSA?
It is a beautiful partnership that forms between us farmer/friends of the farm! Community Supported Agriculture consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the communities farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production(USDA). So if you make the decision to rally for our farm by investing in our CSA you invest now in the spring and early summer when the farm has no income coming in but you soon enjoy the abundant harvest each week July 16th through Nov 6th!
2. Why should I consider joining?
It really is a WIN/WIN. When you make the decision to make "Our farm, your farm" and choose me to be your farmer you then know where your food comes from and know that I am making the most mindful and careful decisions around pest management, environmental care for our land and rivers and providing you fruit at a most economical rate. You then get fruit priced below big box store prices and I get paid a livable income so I can sustain the farm for generations to come. We basically lose the middle man so its a WIN/WIN for us both economically. Also, you are making the right choice to friend a farmer and keep us going strong into the future!
3. How does it work exactly?
Starting July 16th, we provide for you a generous box of fresh fruit from our orchard at your location. You receive a box each week until November 6th. In the Hood River Valley, we welcome you to come pick up at our orchard on Fridays/Saturdays and bring a picnic and enjoy our farm. In The Dalles, you pick up on Thursdays at the Center for Living where I work. In Corbett, you pick up on thursday afternoon at my cousin Jesse's home. On the EAST side of Portland you pick up Thursdays from 330-7 at the Cully Farmers Market(NE 42nd) on Thursday Night. WEST Siders, My sweet friend Marla is the drop site and she lives off the SW Murray Exit in SW Portland on Thursday afternoons/early evenings.
4. What if I am out of town for a week?
If you are out of town one week on vacation you can have your neighbor come pick up and enjoy or let us know and we will donate to a local food bank that week.
5. I am a RESTAURANT/BREWERY/FRUIT-STAND and I want to buy whole sale?
please email me at thegratefulfarmer@gmail.com to discuss your whole sale needs. We love collaborating with small businesses and eateries.
6. I am IN, How do I sign up? HERE
7. Hey, I am IN too and I am not receiving the mail chimp updates?
Please check to see if they are in your spam folder. We are sending emails via mail chimp. Or email me at thegratefulfarmer@gmail.com if you want to ensure you have been added to our group email list.
6. How much fruit should I expect in my box each week?
This depends the the price range of the fruit. So cherries run between 4-5 dollars a pound depending on the crop so you will receive 25 dollars of fruit each week so roughly 5 pounds of cherries. Apples on the other hand range between 50cents to 2.50 for honey crisp so depending on what you are getting the amounts will vary but again I promise you will be given ample amounts of our harvest. You will have plenty for eating, sharing, baking, canning and pie making!
7. Where do I mail my deposit check($100) I am so so IN!!!!
at The Grateful Farmer at 6670 trout creek ridge rd, Mount Hood Parkdale OR 97041.
8. Can I recruit my neighbors?
Yes Please, we need 50 people to join for this to work. please forward this blog to them.
9. How much does it cost?
I worked with a business planner and we decided for this to be economically sustainable it would cost a total of $600. This includes generous amounts of fruit, growing the fruit, re-usable boxes, labor, milage, etc. It runs for 15 weeks and again it would an amazing way for you to invest in a legacy farm if you want to Rally for our small family orchard. I will include an email each week on the drop day of my favorite recipes for your eating, sharing, baking, jaming and pie making fruit goodness!
Thank you again for all the amazing support and if I have missed a question or if you have other concerns feel free to contact me at thegratefulfarmer@gmail.com Thank you again, friends of our farm who have sent in a deposit check and are IN!!!!! I am so so grateful that you are rooting and rallying for our orchard I cannot wait until summer and for the CSA to get started up!!!!! If you are on the fence, I whole heartedly invite you to join our CSA. It will be generous, sweet and abundant for sure. All my love, your grateful farmer, xoxo
Honey Crisps, you're almost too good!!!