We’ve reached our capacity and are no longer accepting members for the 2009 season. To find other CSA listings, please go to www.goldenearthworm.com and www.justfood.org. We will be happy to add your name to our waiting list for next year (2010), or for the winter share (2009/2010). To sign-up for our waiting list, please click on the link here. Thank you for your interest in the Forest Hills CSA.
Add comment March 21st, 2009
Dear FHCSA Members and Prospective Members:
Attached is the contract and general information sheet for the 2009 Season. Our eighth season! Yay! We’ve certainly experienced our growing pains, and constantly learn from every season’s problems. Hopefully, this year will be better than ever.
There are vegetable shares available from Golden Earthworm Organic Farm [GEOF], and fruit shares from Briermere Farm. The prices and amount of produce per share are the same as last year: $530 for a vegetable share and $155 for a fruit share.
Vegetable shares will be allotted on a first come-first served basis, based on when signed contracts and checks are received. We are allotted approximately 95 vegetable shares, due to capacity of the Farm and the distribution site. Therefore, for the first two weeks, from Saturday 2/21/2009 – Saturday 3/7/2009, priority will be given to returning members in good standing (those who have fulfilled their obligation to volunteer during the 2008 season and/or the 2008/09 winter season.) We will try our best to keep you informed.
This year GEOF will also be offering a tomato share. This is not to be confused or to replace the wonderful variety of tomatoes that we get in the vegetable share. The tomato share is a one-time delivery of 20 pounds of plum tomatoes that will arrive sometime in September and will cost $26. **We must receive all orders for tomato shares by APRIL 10th so GEOF can plan their greenhouse tomato seeding.** GEOF indicates that there will probably be a range of delivery dates to choose from. Then, you can freeze or can your own tomato sauce for the winter, or do whatever one does with 20 pounds of tomatoes!!
We must receive all contracts and checks NO LATER THAN MAY 15TH, so that we may inform the farm of our final counts by their deadline. However, we recommend sending your contract in earlier. If we reach capacity before that date, checks will be returned and membership will be closed. (Note that tomato shares must be received by April 10th)
Contracts and checks should be mailed to Helen, as they were last year. Please remember to make your check out to GOLDEN EARTHWORM ORGANIC FARM and not the FHCSA, or Helen!!.
All members must work a minimum of 2 shifts at the distribution site during the winter share season, or the equivalent as approved by the Core Group. Alternatively, some members fulfill their volunteer obligation by delivering leftover produce to local charities, assisting with member communication (electronic, making telephone calls, etc.) or administrative work and organizing special events such as lectures, potluck dinners or other things appropriate and of interest to the members of the CSA. This season, all volunteering sign-up will be online. You will receive the link once your application is received and accepted. If you can think of other ways that you can help our CSA, please do let us know! For those members who do not have email, please contact Marina.
Every year a few people ask about the non-organic fruit from Briermere Farm. Although Briermere Farms is not certified organic, some of their crops, including raspberries, blueberries and blackberries are grown in a way that would fulfill the organic standards. Long Island is a difficult region for tree fruit production because of the high humidity levels which contribute to fungus disease pressure, and can decimate fruit quality (and sometimes the whole tree). At Briermere Farms, insecticides and fungicides are used only when needed to produce marketable fruit. The tree fruit is sprayed with 1 or 2 synthetic insecticides and fungicides at some point typically earlier in the season. No herbicides are used underneath the trees, and on-farm produced compost from leaves is the only fertilizer/nutrient source for their fruit crops.
As last year, there is also the option to order from Lewis Waite Farm. They organize with local farms to bring us free-range poultry and eggs; raw and pasteurized cheeses from grass-fed cows, sheep, and goats; meats of grass-fed cows, sheep and goats; local raw or pasteurized honey, maple syrup, freshly baked bread and jams on the designated delivery days. We will notify you of the dates as soon as we know them. You place your order by the Thursday before each delivery and pay Lewis Waite farm directly. You may also place a standard order for each delivery, such as 2 dozen eggs, if you know you will always want certain staples. For more information, see www.csalewiswaitefarm.com and our web site www.foresthillscsa.com. You may also call the Lewis Waite Farm at (518) 692-3120 or (518) 692-9208, or e-mail them at nkdbrown@LewisWaiteFarm.com.
In our efforts to improve the CSA, we are speaking with a NYS farm about arranging deliveries of local, organic, pastured, primarily grass-fed (some hay in winter), low temperature pasteurized, unhomogenized. cow’s milk, yogurt and butter, and another NYS farm about getting a larger variety of fruits. We hope thus to be expanding the variety of local produce and agricultural products for our CSA members and thus be supporting more local farmers. 2009 FHCSA members will receive more information this spring.
All current and prospective CSA members are invited to a Spring Walking Tour at GEOF on Sunday, May 3rd from 2 to 4PM. You will have an opportunity to meet the farmers, see our farm fields and busy greenhouse in action, learn how the food is grown, talk with other GEOF CSA members and visit with the beautiful rare breed animals. Bring comfortable clothes and shoes. It might be muddy in the back fields, so be prepared. The visit is rain or shine, so dress appropriately!
Remember, the FHCSA is a member run and supported organization. We’ve been successful due to all of our collective efforts. Please feel free to contact the Core Group with any concerns or suggestions you have.
We look forward to another delicious season!
Regards,
Betty, Helen, Marina, Roger and Vanessa
The FHCSA Core Group
Add comment February 19th, 2009
CSA member and Holistic Health Counselor Inna Shapkina shares her thoughts about agriculture, diet and wellness. Read her first article, Eating with the Seasons by clicking on the link below.
Add comment September 20th, 2008
Click here for a CSA Vegetable Guide prepared by Core Group member Betty Chen.
Add comment June 20th, 2007