CSA Details

We picked up our first CSA box of the season last night, and by 'we' I mean me and Rockford. Boxes started one week earlier and our farmer anticipates this season will last a few weeks longer than last year. Last year we picked up our last box the first week of December.

Last night, Scott mentioned that he still had boxes available for this season and that I should spread the word. So this is me doing that.

Up and Down CSA Farm
Scott Buttinghausen 541-434-9127 scottb1[at]efn.org

Our CSA farmer is unique in that he offers pay as you go billing. Most CSA's make you pay for the year up front...that's a lot of mullah all at once for vegetables! The farmer is still asking you to commit to purchasing the box all season, but the financial investment isn't so much up front. I think it's a win win.

Last year we ended up throwing stuff into our compost bin almost every week. But that was our fault. Poor planning and poor use of our abundant salad greens contributed to that. I will say though, if you're not into salad at all, this may not be the farm for you. Every week there's a large bag of mixed greens and potentially a head of lettuce or a bag of spinach too.

But, as the season went on we learned to eat salad every day, and to have yummy new dressings or things to top them with. And I also started blanching items that would freeze, like tomatoes, peas, squash, and beets.

It's definitely an adjustment at first to cook or eat what you're given instead of what you pick out, but in the long run, we actually liked it much better. Every week when we'd get home and open the box it was an enjoyable surprise. Plus for $16/week it's way cheaper than going to Farmer's Market every week.

Pick ups are available Monday, Wednesday or Friday - either at the farm or at Monroe and Broadway Alley
Harvest Boxes come in two sizes: $16/week gets you 7-9 items, $26/week gets you the 7-9 plus 2-4 additional items not found in the smaller box

Scott, the farmer, has a brochure that lists specifics about this year's crops and more info about him and the farm. I'm trying to get a digital copy of it so I can post it here. If it comes I'll pass it along. But if you're really interested, don't be shy, just give him a call. He's a real nice guy.