FAQs

How does our CSA work?

At Earth Spring we offer a simple way for people to receive fresh organically-grown produce while supporting a small local family farm.  Members who buy a share of the harvest will receive a weekly box of seasonally available vegetables.  When the produce is ready to pick on our farm then you will see it in your basket that week!  Starting in June we harvest, pack and deliver your boxes to drop of points close to your home or work.  

Fruit can be purchased as an extra option when you sign up for your CSA box. Fruit must be purchased for the entire season (i.e., not on a weekly basis like the cheese, meat, eggs, and milk options).

Cheese and meat, and potentially eggs and milk will also be options that can be purchased as "extras". While fruit is an option that must be purchased for the season, cheese, meat, and potentially eggs and milk, are options that must be purchased weekly.  Your order will have to be made 2 weeks prior to when you want it delivered with your box of produce, and it must be ordered through this website (no phone or email orders, please).  To place an order go to the "Order Cheese" and "Order Meat" under  the CSA link.

The 2011 season runs for 20 weeks starting in June and will end in late October.

Delivery

We deliver the boxes each week on the same day to specific delivery points near to your home or work.  Drop points can be someone's home, place of work, or a safe public space like a church, yoga center or community meeting place. Each drop point will have a time window in which the produce must be picked up.  You must arrive at your drop point on the right day and within the right time frame and then pick up your correct size box, go home and start eating!

The boxes are pre-sorted and everything is in there!  Sometimes you will have to pick your fruit out of a bin or other box if it is too large to fit in your standard size box - like watermelons or possibly winter squash. So be sure to read the newsletters each week explaining what is coming to you. Cheese, meat, eggs, and milk will be a cooler at the drop points.

In order to determine where the drop off points are located we look at where the membership is concentrated and look for places that we can drop off the boxes in a weather -protected space that members can pick it up. As we approach spring we will notify members about where the delivery points are located for their boxes.   In new areas we may look for members who will be willing to host their front porch, garage or car-port as a drop-point.  Members who work with us to provide a space for the box drop-off will benefit from a discounted membership.

Fresh!

      

All of the produce is picked within a day or two of your delivery day so you can be sure it is fresh! 

Why do we grow organic?

The answer is simple - it's the best for all of us!  There is no better food source than that which is grown using growing practices that minimize our impact on the planet while maximizing output from the farm.  

We are Certified Naturally Grown and are in the process of becoming Certified Organic. With the Naturally Grown program the participating farmers inspect each others' farms and hold each other accountable for keeping up the high standards of Organic farming. Earth Spring is featured on the Certified Naturally Grown website...check it out at http://www.naturallygrown.org/farms/2265!

At Earth Spring, as with so many other organic  farms, we are keenly interested in good soil health.  Healthy soils are the backbone of the farm and from them we can expect healthy plants that are free from pests and disease.  The healthier the soils the less work we have to do in the season dealing with harmful bugs and disease.  

Our food system in this country is a wreck!  We have become used to and dependent on a few crops to provide us with most of the staples in our diets as well as the diets of our animals and even our fish! (Ahem, corn) 

Large corporate farms and big business have tried to monopolize our food choices and reduce the diversity of crops that we eat.  Corn, soy & wheat dominate our diets.  Supporting local farms that grow a diversity of crops helps us all to improve our diets while expanding the multitude of food choices available in the world.

What can I expect in the box each week?

Each weekly box will have seasonably fresh vegetables. In other words, when the produce is ready to harvest on the farm then it will be in your box that week. You ride the harvest with us.  We'll give you a heads up each week with a note that will tell you what you can expect the following week.  Because we grow a wide variety of crops we always have a nice choice for you in the box each week.  If one crop does poorly in the field then we know we can rely on another to do replace it.  Diversity at it's best.

Early in the season (mid to late May) you will have a lot of fresh greens like salad mix, braising mix, lettuce heads, kale, onions, spinach, radishes and herbs. As the season progresses you can expect beans, collards, squash, cukes, tomatoes, eggplant, basil, peppers, carrots, beets, garlic, swiss chard, potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, zucchini and winter squash like butternut, acorn and pumpkins.

Each week you will receive a "Harvest Note" telling you what to expect in the box, as well as some recipes you might want to try!

Fruit!

Fruit such as berries and trees take 2 to 4 years to establish. Therefore, until our fruit is established on the farm, we will be working with Beechwood Orchards to provide fruit as an option (this is not included in your share price- it is extra). 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 1 quart of fruit (with the exception of blueberries which are in pints) per week. Each quart 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 again be buying our fruit from Beechwood Orchards here in PA. Please see our Prices page for more information on how to sign up, prices, and how fruit deliveries work. 

Cheese, Meat, Eggs, & Milk... OH MY!!!

Cheese, meat, eggs, and milk may also be purchased as "extras". Please see our Prices and Product Description pages for more information on how to sign up, prices, what is included, and how deliveries will work.