Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of questions that come about more often, as well as their answers:
Q. Est-ce que je peux obtenir l’information en français?
A. J’avais auparavent l’information en français, mais la tâche de traduction m’est devenue trop difficile. Je n’ai donc pas d’information courrante en français. Voiçi une excellente façon pour un membre fancophone de s’impliquer dans la communauté!
Q. How much food do I get?
A. One harvest-share costs $550, which works out to an average of $32 per week. You can imagine how many vegetables you can buy at the farmer’s market or the natural foods grocery store for $30 to $35. I will try to give you at least that much, plus a little more. Most people fit their vegetables into two good-sized grocery bags, a small bin, or a large backpack. Bi-weekly harvest-shares entitle you to the same amount of food, but once every two weeks.
How many people can be satisfied with this amount of food varies greatly, and depends on your own eating habits. Are you vegetarian? Do you eat vegetables as a main course or as a side dish? Do you eat three meals per day at home, or just one? Do you like to have extra so you can preserve for the winter?
Q. What kinds of vegetables will I get?
A. I grow a large variety of organic garden vegetables. Spring sees a variety of spinach, lettuce and oriental greens. Small root crops like radish, beets and turnips follow quickly, along with garden peas and fresh herbs. The crops get larger, bulkier and more varied as the season progresses, leading into things like chard, summer onions, scallions, broccoli, etc. Tomatoes, summer squash and beans take the spotlight later in the summer and into the fall. You will then start seeing potatoes, winter squash, kale and cabbages.
You can expect to see several different varieties of about 30 types of vegetables and herbs over the summer. They are all grown from certified organic seeds, most of them are open-pollinated varieties, and some of them are heirloom.
Q. Can I customize my harvest-share for by tastes and preferences?
A. The ideal candidate for CSA is someone who enjoys working with a large variety of vegetables. You should be open to try vegetables you may have traditionally shied away from, or never even seen before. I do my best to provide storage and cooking instructions, and members are encouraged to share their favorite recipes so others can learn. This is a great opportunity to expand your culinary horizons and expose your body and tastebuds to a wide spectrum of essential vitamins and minerals. Also, keep in mind that these vegetables are fresh! Our crisp, tender turnips do not stand in the same league as those stale, bitter tasting spherical objects you have grown to avoid like the plague in grocery stores.
With all this being said, you may have serious allergies to certain foods. If this is the case, please contact me and we will see how we can accommodate this. Because of the way CSA is organized, it may or may not be possible to accommodate all your needs, but we may able to develop a better system over time.