It's true. Our first garden was an utter failure, 5 short years ago.
By now you know our story, we knew we wanted to raise/grow our own food but had NO idea where to start, what would work, so we jumped right into it. Josh and I have always had an "all or nothing" type of mentality so after our first garden produced absolutely nothing - what did we do?
Community Supported Agriculture
Josh and I decided one sure way to not let our garden go to shambles once again was to start a CSA program. There are a lot of incredible, experienced market gardeners in our beautiful county which meant we had to come up with a way to make our program extra appealing. After all, they were putting trust into a young couple that was very transparent in having zero experience with this lifestyle.
Ultimately, we decided on a 20 week program (from June through October) & pickup was every Sunday from 12-4. To make our CSA stand out from others we did a spin on your traditional produce only program. We added our pasture raised whole chickens and eggs from our free range laying hens to equal 10 whole chickens and 10 dozen eggs over the span of our CSA.
CSA's originated in Japan in the 1960's - to help others have a better understanding of where their food came from. The United States adapted this concept in the 1980's.
Essentially members of a farmers local community purchase a share in order to guarantee farm fresh products on a pre-determined timeframe. Ours started with 6 families, many of which are still a part of our CSA. Which has been such a gratifying experience as they watch the farm grow year after year.
Each year we have steadily grown our gardens to expand around our property, which has also meant we increased the number of families we grow food for 20 weeks out of the year. This year we are at 25 families that pick up their baskets of local, ultra fresh, high quality produce, meats, and eggs from our farm.
Gardening Practices
Everything you see on our farm is grown as naturally as possible. With that, you may notice some insect damage on some of our crops. While it doesn't make for the most beautiful result, it means we are creating a healthy ecosystem for native wildlife. We refuse to use harmful pesticides that will do damage to everything it comes in contact with. Instead, you'll see us using insect netting which creates a barrier and will deter most of the critters drawn to it. Other times, it means having to "sacrifice" a crop and allow it to be eaten to mitigate the spread. It's all about finding that happy medium.
It's been trial and error, year after year to improve our processes. Josh and I will be the first to admit that gardening is by far the hardest aspect of this lifestyle. There's endless ways to grow produce & with no two properties being the same - it ultimately boils down to figuring out what works best for us. We sure have come a long way since that first year & are dedicated to continue learning.
What to Expect & How to Join?
It is a passion of ours to not only provide local families with high quality products, but also teach them how their food should be raised/grown.
Each week baskets can be filled with, but not limited to, the following:
Greens: Kale, Collards, Spinach, Lettuce, Swiss Chard, Sweet Potato Greens, Cabbage
Roots: Radishes, Turnips, Beets, Carrots, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes
Other Fruits/Vegetables: Variety of slicing/cherry Tomatoes, variety of Peppers, Eggplant, Squash, Okra, Sweet Corn, Cucumbers, Cucamelons, Lima Beans, Green Beans, Peas, Onion, Garlic, Broccoli, Cauliflower
Herbs: Basil, Dill, Thyme, Sage, Oregano, Cilantro, Mint
Whole Chicken
Eggs
We open our CSA program every January of the year, and always allow our returning families an opportunity to sign up first. You can sign up for our newsletter to be informed of availability, weekly bundles, farm-to-table preorders, and general farm updates. You can also see sign ups posted on our social media accounts: Facebook & Instagram.
It's not the easy way, but we feel as though it’s the best way. We believe your food deserves better. ♥️
-Josh, Dayna & Hadley
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