Product Descriptions
Quick Links to Products:
CSA Share (Boxes of Veggies)
Fruit Share
Cheese
Meat
Eggs
CSA Share (Boxes of Veggies)
Produce from Earth Spring Farm- this is what is included with your CSA payment.
The 2 boxes are mostly differentiated by quantity of produce and sometimes more items per box. The produce that arrives in the box each week is a diverse sampling of what we are producing on the farm at that time of year.
For example:
Spring: lettuces, kales, collards, carrots, radish, beets, broccoli, arugula
Summer: tomatoes, beans, squash, peppers, onions, garlic, eggplants, corn, potatoes, cucumbers
Fall: winter squash, sweet potatoes, spinach, carrots, greens, cabbage, cauliflower, turnips
Small Box (Medium from 2010)
The Small box will suit most people's needs. This box will be a great choice for a single vegetarian or very healthy eater - or a family of 3 or 4. It is also a great choice for 2 people who want to share a box to see how much they will eat and give the CSA a test run. The Small box will have 6-9 items.
Large Box
The Large box is truly large. It is great for people who cook almost daily and love lots of fresh food. Typically there are 8-11 items per box and often there is more quantity of certain items.
Below are a few examples of what was in a small vs large box in 2011. Note that large boxes often have larger quantities of a some of the items (though not specified below). If you would like more of this info, please feel free to visit our Newsletter Archives to see what was in the boxes each week! Don't know what something is (kohlrabi, anyone?)?... Don't worry! We are constantly updating our Recipe page to give you lots of ideas!
EXAMPLE 1: Boxes from week 3 of 2011 CSA, June 29
Small: lettuce, kale, swiss chard, onions, leeks, basil
Large: lettuce, kale swiss chard, onions, leeks, basil, cabbage, kohlrabi
EXAMPLE 2: Boxes from week 6 of 2011 CSA, July 20
Small: basil, tomatoes, onions, kale, cucumbers, sweet corn, watermelon
Large: lbasil, tomatoes, onions, kale, cucumbers, sweet corn, watermelon, eggplant zucchini
EXAMPLE 3: Boxes from week 12 of 2011 CSA, August 31
Small: onions, carrots, sweet peppers, jalapeno peppers, kale, lettuce, basil
Large: onions, carrots, sweet peppers, jalapeno peppers, kale, lettuce, basil, eggplant, swiss chard, dumpling (winter squash)
EXAMPLE 4: Boxes from week 15 of 2011 CSA, September 21
Small: radishes, sweet potatoes, onions, arugula, lettuce, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, sweet peppers
Large: radishes, sweet potatoes, onions, arugula, lettuce, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, potatoes, carrots
EXAMPLE 5: Boxes from week 19 of 2011 CSA, October 19
Small: broccoli, sweet potatoes, rutabaga, arugula, broccoli raab, turnips, potatoes
Large: broccoli, sweet potatoes, rutabaga, arugula, broccoli raab, radishes, carrots, lettuce
Fruit Share
Fruit from local PA orchards- not included with your CSA payment. A fruit share is an extra $100 for the 20-week season.
Fruit can be purchased as an extra option when you sign up for your CSA box (i.e., fruit must be purchased for the entire season, not on a weekly basis). The fruit share price includes getting equivalent of approximately one quart of fruit (with the exception of blueberries which are in pints) per week. Each week the fruit share will be one type of fruit (i.e., it will not be a quart of mixed fruit). See the approximate schedule below for an idea of what you may be getting throughout the season. This year we will likely again be buying our fruit from Beechwood Orchards here in PA.
New for 2012! Buy 2 Fruit Shares, get 25% off a 3rd Fruit Share! That's equivalent to 5 free weeks of fruit for that 3rd Fruit Share! See our Prices page for more info!
* Fruit Schedule (approximate)
Strawberries: End of May - End of June/Early July
Cherries: Mid to late June - July
Apricots: June - August
Plums/Pluots: June - October
Peaches: End June - September
Apples: End of June - October
Pears: Early September - October
Nectarines: July - September
* Fruit Delivery
Your fruit will be set aside at your drop point with a group of fruit that other members have also ordered. It will be separate from the CSA boxes with a sign that lets you know how much to take per fruit share. Be sure to take only what you have ordered. This is all on the honor system. Please see the page concerning drop points and how they work.
Cheese
Cheese from Hillside Farm/Farmstead Fresh Creamery- not included with your CSA payment. Cheese is extra and must be purchased weekly through our website.
New in 2011! You can order cheese to be delivered with your weekly box!
All the cheese comes from organic pasture raised, grass fed animals and is made with vegetable rennet. This is a raw milk cheese meaning that it has not been pasteurized and thus retaining all of the good enzymes and vitamins A & D. The cheese has been aged 60 days minimum. The cows milk cheese comes from an Amish-Mennonite family in Juniata County, PA... Christ and Lizzie Esh milk 30 Holstein-Jersey cows at Hillside Farm in Juniata County and the cheese is made at Farmstead Fresh Creamery. The cheese comes in 1/2 lb (approx.) vacuum sealed blocks and is sold through our CSA by the block (not by weight) to make pre-ordering easy. Prices range from $6.15-$7.90 per block (see our Prices page for more details). Options may include:
Colby Mozzarella
Garlic'N Herb Ooh La La
Goat Cheddar Pepper Jack
Goat Garlic'N Herb Sharp Cheddar
Goat Harvarti Smoked Sharp Cheddar
Havarti Yogurt
Jack
* Cheese Delivery
Cheese will be delivered with your CSA share. Your cheese will be set aside in a cooler with cheese, meat (and possibly eggs and milk) that other members have also ordered. Be sure to take only what you have ordered. This is all on the honor system.
Meat
Meat from North Mountain Pastures- not included with your CSA payment. Meat is extra and must be purchased monthly through our website.
New in 2011! You can order meat to be delivered with your weekly box!
All the pasture-raised meat will come from North Mountain Pastures in Perry County, PA. Brooks and Anna raise pastured pork, pastured chicken, pastured turkeys, and grassfed lamb and beef. Their chickens receive a grain supplement that is balanced with biologically-available minerals. Their cows are rotated frequently for optimal animal and soil health. Their animals never receive hormones or antibiotics, and their farms are free of harmful chemicals.
Organic Grass-fed Beef
Their beef cattle are Herefords raised at Coulter Family Farm. The cows are pastured and 100% grass-fed and certified organic. The grass for the cattle is grown without the use of fertilizers, pesticides or other chemicals. The cattle are raised without hormones or antibiotics. Grass-fed beef tends to be leaner and needs to be cooked a little differently than typical corn-fed beef. See their recipes page for more information.
Pastured Chicken
They raise Corish Cross chickens on pasture. For the first two weeks they are carefully protected in a brooder area in the barn. This allows North Mountain Pastures to give the young, fragile birds optimal temperature and moisture conditions. Then they move them to portable pasture houses. These houses protect them from predators, such as foxes and hawks, and provide shade and shelter from wind and rain. Twice daily, they move the chickens to a fresh spot on pasture. The chickens enjoy constant access to new weeds, seeds and insects, which make up about 30% of their diet. The pasture diet is a valuable source of vitamins and minerals necessary for strong immune systems, which is evidenced in their bright orange feet and red combs. The rest of the chickens' diet is custom-mixed grain from a local mill. It consists of organically-grown corn, oats, and soybeans (all locally-grown) plus a balanced combination of natural minerals from Fertrell. North Mountain Pasture's chickens thrive on a varied diet and a healthy environment. Their meat is tender and flavorful, with yellow-tinted skin and fat due to the increased vitamin A content.A list of options coming soon!
Pastured Pork
North Mountain raises Tamworth and Tamworth-cross pigs on pasture. The Tamworth hog is a heritage breed of pig that has been selected over centuries for its foraging abilities. This means their pigs are constantly rooting and grazing, looking for their next meal. They feed their pigs whey from a local grass-fed cheese operation and supplement their diet with a ration of organically-grown grain from alocal feed mill. Raising pigs on pasture not only allows the animal to fully express its instincts to root and forage, but it also changes the fatty acid composition of the meat.
North Mountain Pastures has started making nitrate-free cured meats from both their pork and beef. They only use the meat, Himalayan sea salt, and spices to cure the meats. They are salted for a week or two, then transferred to a drying room where they hang for one month up to a year. This process creates new flavors, different for every locale where meats are cured. Traditionally, these meats were cured in winter for consumption throughout the year, with no need for refrigeration.
Options
As the season goes on we will adjust our ordering to try to meet the demand from our membership. Meat options may change, but this will give you an idea of what we plan to offer...
Chicken Pork Beef
Whole Broiler Chicken Chops Delmonico Steak
Boneless Breast Ham Steaks Porterhouse/T-bone Steak
Legs Ribs Sirloin Steak
Wings Shoulder Roast Chuck/Arm Roast
Sausage- Sweet Italian Round Roast
Sausage- Hot Italian Chip Steak
Sausage- Lincolnshire Stew Cubes
Sausage- Breakfast Links Ground Beef
Check out our Prices page for more details.
* Meat Delivery
Meat will be delivered with your CSA share. Your meat will be set aside in a cooler with cheese, meat (and possibly eggs and milk) that other members have also ordered. Be sure to take only what you have ordered. This is all on the honor system.
