Monday, August 16, 2010

Next Year’s CSA

A recent article on Richmond.com listed our CSA as one of the many community supported agriculture options in town. They posted details from this year’s CSA, and we are changing a few things next year. We just wanted to let our followers know.

Next year our CSA will, for the most part, be closed to new members. Members from the first two years will be eligible to join. Depending on demand, we may make a few exceptions, so if you were not a member in the past two years, but are particularly interested in Edible Old Dominion, please contact Farmer Russell directly.

Instead of our past style of giving all members an equal amount of what’s in season each week, next year we will operate on a debit system, meaning you’ll be able to get as little or as much as you want each week.

Don’t like greens? Skip ‘em. Love blackberries? Stock up on some extra pints. Going on vacation? Don’t worry about it. You can use your shares later in the season. Want to come to one market one week and another the next? That’s fine. You can use your shares anywhere we are.

It will work like this. You’ll get your investment plus 20 percent to spend on veggies throughout the season. So, if you buy a full share for $500, you’ll get $600 to spend, and if you get a half share for $275 you’ll get $330 to spend. Each week you can pick what you want, and we’ll deduct the cost from your total amount. If you use up your shares, you’ll receive 20 percent off your produce for the rest of the season.

Because we are moving to a debit system, we will no longer offer office deliveries. Members will need to be present at the market to choose their produce.

The CSA will run for 29 weeks again, from the first of May through the third week of November, making this one of the longest running CSAs around.

We’ll share more information as we get farther into next year.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

We love our members!

Check out this post from CSA member Green Shutter's blog. She took a way cool canning class at Lavender Fields Farm, whipped up some tomato sauce with our fresh tomatoes, and canned some delicious sauce. What a cool use for our produce!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

It's been a rough year.

Over the past few weeks a few CSA members have expressed discontent with the size and contents of their shares. We just wanted to take a moment to address these concerns.

As we've said throughout the season, we are sorry about the limited sizes and varieties in the CSA this year. Unfortunately, there has been extreme weather, both in terms of heat and lack of rain, and no expert farming can control the elements. In addition, by choosing to be a member of Edible Old Dominion, you made the decision to support a new farm in the area. It takes years of work and a lot of money to create dependable soil that always gives perfect, plentiful crops. We appreciate every member who chooses to support us as we grow, but it won't happen overnight.

In addition, we at Edible Old Dominion strive to create completely organic produce for your eating pleasure. We don't use any additives that are even slightly questionable in their pure organic nature. Sure, we could spray our fields with pesticides and create tons of beautiful, perfect vegetables, but that's not what we're about.

Again, we truly appreciate the members who have supported us during this tough season, and we are working hard to get more produce ready for you in late summer and fall. And to those who have expressed their dissatisfaction, we apologize. We're doing the best we can.