Saturday 29 June 2013

Fenez Follies Farm CSA 101 - what to expect over the next three months

On the weekend before we launch into our 12 week CSA, I thought I would put together a bit of a primer for those newbies out there who have not reaped the rewards of our labors before. You may be wondering how this all works, what will we get in our box each week, etc!

First off, this is the place you want to look each week (or our FFF Facebook page - as I link our blog to there as well), as each week I produce a blog post that tells you what you are getting/or got in your veggie box. While I give a list of the general content, I will also typically focus on one particular item and give you some information on this item, some interesting facts, storage and cooking tips and perhaps a recipe or two. I try to get this up on Tuesday morning (hard to get it up earlier as we don't know for sure what's in the box until we pick!). I will send all the share holders an e-mail with links to the blog or Facebook - whichever you prefer to use.

Each week, we fill the box with whatever produce is ready to be picked that week. We supply the boxes.... you have to remember to bring your empty box back to us each week and we swap... a full one for an empty one. Given that this is fresh produce directly from the field, we recommend that you 1) take it home directly and refrigerate.... leaving it in your vehicle or out in the sun will cause things to wilt and shrivel. 2) wash/rinse before you consume - we do not use any chemicals but we do use organic fertilizer (aka manure) soooo.... we recommend washing :)

Half shares and full shares get the same variety of produce however half shares just get half as much. We have asked you to let us know if there is a particular item that you just don't eat... there is no sense food going to waste and if we can swap it out for something that you prefer we will try - no guarantees though as some things are not ready at the same time.

The produce that is in the box will be dictated by the growing season and what plants mature before others. So for those who are familiar with vegetable gardening - earlier on there will be greens, peas, beans, herbs, etc and in the fall you will be overloaded with tomatoes, squash and pumpkins. We do try to plant progressively so that some of the favorites will be available longer than typical - i.e. we plant beans and peas several times - several weeks apart so we have several pickings.

As shareholders you are always welcome to come and visit the farm (heck anyone is!) Drop us an e-mail or call and let us know when you want to drop by and we'll be happy to show you around.  The only times that you might not get our attention will be Tuesday/Wednesdays while we are harvesting and packing the boxes.

Many of our shareholders ask to add eggs or meat to their CSA box pick up. This is just fine - if we have it available, we'll bring it along as long as we get notice. Its really appreciated if you can drop us an e-mail or Facebook inbox message by the Monday of each week with your add-ons. This allows us to assess availability, organize coolers and space, etc.

If you are not available to pick up your box for some reason and are sending someone else, we appreciate a note telling us who to expect. We promise we won't ask for ID! Just helpful to know who we are looking for.

Our Wolseley pick up begins at 6 p.m. and given its location we can (and do) leave the boxes on the front porch and this allows people to come anytime after 6 p.m. for an extended time. Anything that is still there at midnight - our friends get to eat. :) Unfortunately, we don't have that luxury in St.Norbert so we ask that you come between 6-7 p.m. If for some reason that is not going to work for you, please connect with us and we will see what can be worked out. If you are planning on picking up at the farm, as oppose to the other two pick up points, we just need to know which day (Tuesday or Wednesday) so your box is picked.

So hoping this helps answer some of those questions you might have! Looking forward to feeding you all!

Leanne & Philip Fenez
Fenez Follies Farm