The 2012 season will soon be underway! We are now taking reservations for available space. Most years we fill up by mid March so reserve early. Discount applies only to those reserved and paid by mid March.
lorij@sunshinemeadowsfarm.com
Shareholders take on the risk of the farming season with the farm. As a CSA shareholder, you agree to share the risks inherent in farming. There are many things out of our control such as a cold, wet spring or a hot fall. Diseases (such as blight brought in one year via a big box store) happen and can totally destroy a crop. We plan to provide our shareholders with their money’s worth of vegetables and herbs over the course of the season, valued at prices we think are fair and reasonable to our shareholders and our farm operation. In a good season, you will receive more produce; in a challenging year, you receive less.
The share content will vary with the season. We tend to grow multiple varieties of the same thing such as five different lettuces or three kinds of eggplant or squashes. We find this to work for our shareholders, especially those who are looking for more "gourmet" items. We cannot give an exact list of what we will grown until the growing season is upon us and our shareholders tell us what THEY want to eat!
Belonging to a CSA is a great way to better understand just when certain foods are available in our growing region. The early season consists of cool weather crops such as lettuces, kale, arugula, spinach, radishes and peas. The warmer weather brings in the main crops here in Michigan; beans, potatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini and summer squashes. As fall weather hits we go back to the leafy greens plus beets, rutabaga, and if space allows, winter squashes. When we can we do add limited fruits such as peaches, pears and apples to our shares.
The season runs for about 20 weeks, from approximately June to October. Last year we started a couple of weeks early(May) and the previous year we had produce into November. So, we don't really know until the season is upon us exactly how many weeks we will get.
Each week’s share will consist of what is seasonally growing, as indicated above. If you really dislike certain items we are growing, please realize that we cannot substitute. A farmer's market may be a better option for you.
We offer TWO basic shares: Standard Full Share and Half Share. Also, we have a limited amount of Care Shares available, which are free shares available to low-income families in the area of Ortonville. We are also happy to create a share for larger families. While we do NOT offer any working shares, we DO encourage you to come out to the gardens on your pick-up day when you can.
Veggie Shares~
Standard Full Share (2 adults/2-3 children) $550*
Half-Share, weekly (feeds 2) $375*
Care Share (must meet income criteria)*Ten percent discount when paid in full by March 15.
pastured raised, naturally fed chickens
Fresh eggs, a dozen every other week……………….$39
Fresh eggs, EVERY week…………………………….$78
Discounted fee for egg subscription vs. al la carte
While eggs are available to you at any time, takiing out an "egg share" guarantees we will have eggs for you each week and offers a slight price break over al la carte.
We also raise broilers (meat chicken), $4.25/lb, during the summer months, only. These birds are pastured and organically grain fed. If you are interested in reserving a bird just let us know!
A special thanks to my husband for all his support when I need "one more thing" and the back breaking labor he puts in to keep the garden going. And to my boys for hauling yet another load of compost and putting up and taking down fencing when I need to change things around! Thank you girls for helping me pick and prune, start new beds and plant new seeds. Oh, and chasing the turkeys out of the garden, too. And finally, thank you God for giving us the strength to get the work done!