1. Is Farmer Dave's organic?
Farmer Dave's is not certified organic, but does grow a majority of its vegetables using organic methods. We are committed to providing our community with delicious and healthy food, using practices that are environmentally sustainable. Please see Growing Practices for more information.
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2. How many people can the shares feed?
The vegetable share starts out lighter at the beginning with more leafy greens, and becomes more varied and abundant as the season progresses. Throughout the season, your share will be between 5-20 pounds. Depending on your diet, the vegetable shares can feed anywhere between 1 vegetarian and a household of 6 people that supplement their meals with vegetables. We offer three sizes (Small, Regular, and Super Family) to fit different needs.
The winter share comes in one size only, and like our regular vegetable shares, will likely feed 2-4 typical adults or more. Smaller households - take note that many of the winter vegetables can store very well. With proper storage, a smaller household might be able to enjoy well into January their potatoes, carrots, onions, celeriac, winter squash, and more!
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3. When does the fruit share begin?
Our fruit share will begin in early-mid August (or perhaps earlier, depending on the fruit crop harvest conditions).
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4. How does the CSA pickup work?
In 2010, we are implementing a "Choose Your Own" model at our CSA pickup sites in Lanesville, Lawrence, Dracut, Tewksbury, and Somerville. Members are greeted by a CSA site volunteer where they check in, but instead of dropping off and picking up a crate or box, members bring their own bags to transport their shares. Members then proceed to our line up of vegetables where all the week's produce is set up in like a farmers market in rows of big green crates. Above each crate is a sign telling members how many of each item to take. For some of the vegetables, members will have a choice between two or more items. The signs will denote which vegetables to choose from and how many total items you are allowed to take. It's up to you the combination of vegetables you want to take home.
Check out our instructional video to fully understand the "Choose Your Own" model.
Members can still opt to have their share boxed up for quick pickup. For our CSA site in Gloucester, Beverly, and Boston Medical Center, we will still be boxing the shares. We want to provide a pickup option that works for as many of our members as possible.
*If you arrive to the CSA before the start time, you are more than welcome to help unload and set up shares, but we ask that you have patience and wait until the distribution officially begins to ask for your share. Our crew works hard to get things organized for the CSA, and it is much easier for them to get everything ready, before they start giving out shares.
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5. Oops, I forgot my empty crate.
If you don't have your empty crate at CSA pickup, we strongly encourage you bring a bag to transfer your share into. We have a limited number of crates per person, and if just a few members don't bring their empty crate back, we will start running short on crates and have to use cardboard boxes and that ends up getting expensive.
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6. What happens if I can't pick up my share?
If you are unable to pick up your CSA share, you may have a friend or family member pick up your share; just have them say that they are picking it up for you. If you are unable to get someone else to pick up your share, we cannot keep the shares past the distribution time, and will donate the produce to our hunger relief partners. Check out our partners on our website.
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7. Can I split a share?
You are welcome to split your share with someone else, but must coordinate that on your own. Some suggestions if you are splitting a share are:
- Alternate every week who picks up the share.
- Split the weekly share at the CSA pickup; if you choose this option, we encourage you to remember bringing a few extra bags. We do not reliably have extra bags on hand.
- If your share partner lives near you, save on gas and alternate who picks up, then stop by their house and divvy up the share.
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8. Can I choose the vegetables in my share?
With our new "Choose Your Own" model, we hope to provide more choice in your CSA (see our video for more information). For those sites that are boxed, the shares come pre-packed in a container. Each share has the same variety of vegetables. We do offer a Swap Box at each CSA pickup that we stock with a few vegetables at the beginning of the CSA. Members may swap a produce item in their share for one in the Swap Box. We do not guarantee that there will be vegetables in the swap box that you want to trade for, but recommend that you pick up your share at the beginning of the CSA for the best swap box selection.
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9. Can I switch from a choice-style share to a boxed share, or vice versa?
If you pick up in Lanesville, Dracut, Somerville, Tewksbury or Lawrence, you can choose between a choice style share or a boxed share. If your initial choice is not working out for you, you can change your preference for the remainder of the season by e-mailing us. However, you may not change your preference from week-to-week (i.e., "some weeks I'd like a boxed share and some weeks I'd like choice style"), because such requests can slow down our harvest planning significantly. If a boxed share would work out better for you on certain weeks, please choose a boxed share for the duration of the season.
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10. What is that vegetable in my share?
Can't identify a vegetable? Check out our Vegetable ID Guide online And look on our Recipe Blog for a good way to serve it.
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11. Will I know ahead of time what veggies I am getting in my share? I'd like to plan my meals ahead of time.
Usually the morning of the CSA you will receive an email-newsletter letting you know several vegetables you can expect in your share. Because farming can be really unpredictable, we are not able to know too far in advance what we will harvest for you. (i.e. It may have down-poured the night before and it's too muddy to get in to harvest the beans; or a hard frost may have wiped out the lettuce.) For these reasons, we encourage members to not rely too much on knowing ahead of time what will be in the share, and to plan for meals using your share once you get home and unpack your veggies. You usually can't go wrong planning to have a stir fry for dinner on CSA day!
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12. I picked up my share and didn't see all the items that were listed in the newsletter. Why is that?
Often when a crop is "ready to harvest," all of it isn't ready to harvest at the same time. Even in a perfect season (with ideal temperatures and water conditions, and no weeds), the harvest tends to come on like a wave. If we imagine a corn or tomato harvest as a wave, it is easy to visualize: for the first few weeks of the harvest there might be only a little bit, here and there. Then over the subsequent weeks, as the harvest peaks, we may have more than enough for everyone. After that, there is a gradual trailing-off of the harvest-able quantities as the season comes to a close. In a less-than-perfect growing season, when crop yields are affected by sunshine, water or weed conditions, even the peak of the harvest season can sometimes be unpredictable.
Our policy is to send the vegetables out to you when they are freshest (as opposed to holding vegetables in the coolers for a week until everyone can have some, or letting a few heads of lettuce go to waste because we don't have enough for everyone), even if this means that everyone doesn't get all the items listed in the newsletter, or that some locations get a particular item and others don't in a given week. We keep track of what each pick-up location gets each week so we can even these things out in subsequent weeks. Since you've signed up for an entire season of produce from our farm, we believe that it will all even out in the end.
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13. My friends pick up at a different location, and when we compare notes, sometimes I notice that they receive items that I didn't, or vice versa. Why is that?
Often when a crop is "ready to harvest," all of it isn't ready to harvest at the same time. Even in a perfect season (with ideal temperatures and water conditions, and no weeds), the harvest tends to come on like a wave. If we imagine a corn or tomato harvest as a wave, it is easy to visualize: for the first few weeks of the harvest there might be only a little bit, here and there. Then over the subsequent weeks, as the harvest peaks, we may have more than enough for everyone. After that, there is a gradual trailing-off of the harvest-able quantities as the season comes to a close. In a less-than-perfect growing season, when crop yields are affected by sunshine, water or weed conditions, even the peak of the harvest season can sometimes be unpredictable.
Our policy is to send the vegetables out to you when they are freshest (as opposed to holding vegetables in the coolers for a week until everyone can have some, or letting a few heads of lettuce go to waste because we don't have enough for everyone), even if this means that everyone doesn't get all the items listed in the newsletter, or that some locations get a particular item and others don't in a given week. We keep track of what each pick-up location gets each week so we can even these things out in subsequent weeks. Since you've signed up for an entire season of produce from our farm, we believe that it will all even out in the end.
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14. How can I sign up to get the e-newsletter?
During the CSA season, the farm sends out a e-newsletter to CSA members that lets you know what's going on at the farm, gives you some recipe ideas for using your CSA share, and lets you know what vegetables you are going to get in your share. If you are not getting the newsletter, sign up on our website. Currently the newsletter is only available via email.
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15. I have too much food. Help!
The last thing we want is for those delicious veggies to end up in your compost pile! To avoid wasting your produce, it is important to plan ahead and know that you will at times get more food than you can eat in a week. Getting an abundance of great produce in the summer gives the great opportunity to be able to eat your share when nothing is growing in the ground in the dead of winter. If time doesn't permit an abundant share can also give you the chance to make some new friends! Here are some ideas when you can't eat all your vegetables:
- Can it
- Freeze it
- Dehydrate it
- Ferment it
- Don't have enough time to preserve your share this week? Knock on your neighbor's door. I bet they would appreciate that farm fresh kale or eggplant!
Additional Web resources:
- Ball Jar Website
- Pick Your Own Website
Books:
- Ball Blue Book
- Putting Food By
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16. How can I use my fruit share before it spoils?
As with your vegetable share, we suggest taking a quick inventory when you first bring your share home. Figure out which fruits need to be eaten ASAP, and which fruits could use a few days to ripen. If you have more "eat-it-now" fruit than you think you can handle, many fruits can be frozen for later use. Berries are prime candidates - simply freeze, unwashed. To freeze ripe peaches or nectarines - wash, slice away from the pit, and place slices in a freezer bag. The frozen fruit can be used in smoothies, ice creams or sorbets, or baked into cakes or pies later.
To ripen fruits such as peaches, plums, nectarines and apricots, we recommend placing them in a paper bag on the counter. Make sure to check them daily and transfer ripe fruits into the refrigerator or eat them as they ripen. If you notice any bruised spots, eat, freeze or cook that piece of fruit immediately, because these spots will spoil more quickly.
Much of our fruit is left on the tree until they are fully ripe. This affords the best flavor, but also makes it more perishable. Two quick ideas for rescuing ripe fruit (other than gobbling it up, of course!)
1. Popsicles! - Blend ripe fruit in the blender or food processor (add a little water if needed). Taste for sweetness. If you prefer a sweeter popsicle, add a bit of your sweetener or fruit juice of choice. For a "grown up" version, add a bit of fresh mint or even basil (sparingly!). Pour into popsicle molds, add popsicle sticks, and freeze.
2. Dice up the good parts, discarding any major bruises. Cook the diced fruit in a pot with a couple of tablespoons of sugar for just a few minutes, until it starts to soften up and release its juices. Let cool and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Serve by itself or spooned over yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream, pancakes or waffles. This method works well with stone fruits, berries, and, later in the season, apples and pears.
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17. Do you have any good recipes?
I am so glad you asked! Indeed, we have many recipes contributed by our CSA members, adapted from online recipes, and borrowed from some great CSA cookbooks. Check out our recipes blog! We always welcome your contributions. If you have created a scrumptious dish from your CSA share, email us the recipe with a title, your name, the ingredients and preparation instructions and we will put it on our recipe blog.
Here are also some cookbooks we recommend for all CSA member kitchens. Both are from CSA farms.
- From Asparagus to Zucchini
- Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables
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18. Is the CSA less expensive than getting my veggies elsewhere?
You can always find produce cheaper somewhere else, but we have found that for the same quality vegetables grown with similar growing methods, the CSA can save the shareholder a lot of money. Every year, the weather determines if there is an abundant crop or not. In the years that the harvest is bountiful, the CSA members benefit by receiving more veggies in their share, which increases the savings. The opposite is true in years when crops don't do well. This highlights the very unique relationship between the farmer and CSA member in that the CSA member shares the risks and also the rewards of farming that the farmer experiences.
By supporting Farmer Dave's CSA you not only receive the freshest produce around, but you are helping to sustain a small, local farm, in a food culture that favors large agribusinesses that utilize natural resources and land unsustainably. And that's not all; here's some more food for thought for how your action to support Farmer Dave's has a far-reaching positive impact: Why Join A CSA?
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19. What might I receive in my CSA share at different points in the season?
Here are some examples of shares at different points in the season. Remember that farming is inherently unpredictable and that shares will vary due to weather, pests and other factors that affect our production.
A share in June might include arugula, beets, chinese cabbage, carrots, pickling cucmber, garlic scapes, lettuce, radishes, scallions, kousa squash, hakurei turnip, and chives.
A share in July might include beans, carrots, corn, cucumber, daikon radish, endive, kohlrabi, lettuce, zucchini, kousa squash, summer squash, and basil.
A share in August might include carrots, chard, corn, cucumber, lettuce, eggplant, sweet peppers, hot peppers, potatoes, kousa squash, zucchini, summer squash, heirloom tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, basil, and dill.
A share in September might include cabbage, carrots, corn, lettuce, onions, sweet peppers, hot peppers, potatoes, radishes, cherry tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, cilantro, and basil.
A share in October might include beets, carrots, garlic, kale, lettuce, potato, radicchio, radish, winter squash, purple top turnips, and parsley.
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