Blog
Hello CSA Winter Share Members,
Thank you for joining us this season. We look forward to seeing you all and meeting our new members. Please come say hello and introduce yourself to us.
The greens in the field and in the greenhouses are all growing well. We've been harvesting lots of root crops and other hardy veggies and storing them away for you! This email contains all the info you need to enjoy a winter full of good food. Thanks for joining us, and making what we do at Village Acres truly Community Supported Agriculture. I suggest you save this email for future reference.
CSA Handbook - click here for our online handbook, ideal for printing out.
Splitting a Share? Please make sure your share partners received this email. If not, please send us an email with both parties names.
Dates: Winter share begins on Nov. 24 and continues EVERY OTHER Tuesday until May 4, with a three-week break over the holidays. Might be a good idea to mark the dates on your calendar now: Nov. 24, Dec. 8 and 22, Jan. 12 and 26, Feb. 9 and 23, March 9 and 23, April 6 and 20 and May 4. Click here for our calendar.
Times & Locations: see the end of this email for site specific details.
Prices and egg shares: The total cost for winter share is $350 (State College & Burnham) or $310 (local) - which is due by December 15. If you'd like an egg share ($36) - a dozen Village Acres eggs per distribution - please let us know as soon as possible.
CSA Boxes: Please return your CSA box, along with the tills and egg cartons, each distribution. One member has suggested putting it in your trunk after emptying it and then it's there when you come to distribution.
Balances: We will bring balance information to the CSA distribution. So just come ask us, if you're not sure. We'll also be sending out an email in the next few weeks with your balance information.
Payments: The farm appreciates check payments for CSA balances. If paying by cash, please get a receipt from us. Please write "Winter Share" or "Winter & Egg Share" in the memo field. Also, write the main party's name in the memo field, if it's not yours or there's a different last name. For splitting parties, the farm appreciates a single payer. It makes our bookkeeping easier.
Newsletter and handbook: Every week, you'll receive (paper or online) a "Veggie Voice," our newsletter with tips for cooking and storing your produce, recipes, a note from the farm and community news. You can find the Veggie Voice online at our website. Please take a newsletter only if you'd prefer not to view/print it online. Also on the website is our CSA members' handbook, including a "Frequently Asked Questions" section, so please take some time to review it.
Website: Check out our website. You can view slideshows of the farm, order extras (detailed below), search for recipes, check our calendar, get late pickup instructions, and more.
Emails: Generally, there are two (2) emails sent out per distribution. The first email is the Thursday prior to the distribution day. This email will include information for ordering extras. The second email is sent out the day of distribution, as a reminder and with a link to the day's Veggie Voice (our newsletter). If there is an update after Tuesday's distribution, e.g. something that members have inquired about, we'll send out another email (3rd). We've asked our members if they prefer receiving updates via email or on our website, and the overwhelming response was to send updates via email. If you prefer not to receive emails from the farm, please click here or at the bottom of this email. Note, that by unsubscribing, you will not receive any email from us.
Feedback/ Blog: We like when our members encourage us. Consider using the web to tell us how you're using your vegetables, what you like, what you thought about our farm note, etc. Each distribution, you'll also receive a link to a "Foodback Survey" where you can anonymously tell us how you liked your share.
Community fund: As a farm community, we want to ensure that local, organic produce is accessible to everyone, regardless of economic means. Contributions to the Community Fund are matched by the farm, and used to provide shares for those on limited budgets who want to be part of the CSA. If you are interested in donating to the Community Fund, please contact the farm for more information or write "Community Fund" on your check and drop it in the mail.
Ordering Extras: Frequently, during the winter season, we offer "extras" for sale. Many times, these extras are from fellow organic farmers, who are members of Tuscarora Organic Grower's Cooperative (TOG). TOG is about 90 minutes south of here. Hence, we like when our members pre-order items (such as organic oranges, grapefruits, olive oil) so that we know how much to order from TOG. To order extras, go to our website and click on our "Recipes & Extras" and then "extras for sale" and/or "poultry for sale." You no longer need a password to place an order. Just check out using your name and email address. You can just enter "-" in the mailing address fields. A confirmation email is sent to you. Payment is made at time of pickup, at distribution. If you have any difficulty with the online ordering - please let us know.
Olive Oil & Honey only available on 3 dates: These items can be pre-ordered (via the website) and picked up on the following dates: Dec. 8, Feb. 23, Apr. 6. You will receive an email on the Thursday prior with a reminder that these items can be ordered. The Olive Oil makes a great holiday gift.
Summer share 2010: We will begin signing up members for next season's summer share on January 15, 2010 - you'll receive lots of notice when that happens.
About us: Roy and Hope Brubaker have been farming at Village Acres since 1982, and their daughter Angie started the CSA twelve years ago. Their son Roy Dale and daughter-in-law Julie raise beef, lamb and pork on their farm, Blue Rooster, and sell their meat through the CSA. If you'd like to be on Julie's meat email list, click here or contact her at royjulie@pa.net.
Staff: A number of workers have contributed to the farm along the way, and this year, Dave Ruggiero (Harvest Manager) and Anna Mast (Greenhouse Manager) will be staying for the winter season, along with Donna Martin (Packing and Shipping Manager), Adam Raish (Field Production Manager) and me - Patrick Smith (CSA Manager). From the crew at Village Acres, we welcome you to Winter Share 2009-2010!
Thank you for choosing us to grow your vegetables!
Sincerely,
Patrick Smith
CSA Manager
Village Acres Farm
229 Cuba Mills Rd.
Mifflintown, PA 17059
(717) 436-9477
"How we eat determines to a considerable extent how the world is used." - Wendell Berry
Site Specific Locations and Times:
State College: Pickup is from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. (Note the change from summer share) at the Friends Meeting House, 611 E Prospect Ave., State College, PA 16801.
Your share box will be in our white box truck and any choices will be outside on a table or inside the meeting house, pending the weather. We'll be there to help you.
If you are splitting with someone, please make sure that you know their last name in order to check it off during pickup.
Late pick-up at State College: If you forget your box, it will be at CSA member Kevin Gombotz' house at 323 Keller St. - just turn left out of the Friends Meeting House driveway, take your next left and find the house with the purple shutters. Leftover boxes are available until midnight on Tuesday, and on Wednesday morning, they're donated to the Stormbreak Childrens Shelter. Please do not knock on Kevin's door.
Local (at the farm): Pickup is from 4:00 - 6:00 PM. Late pickup until 6:00 PM on Wednesday (the following day) unless prior arrangements are made.
Burnham: Pickup is from 3:30 - 6:30 PM at the Healthy Food Store, 135 Nolan Dr., Lewistown, PA 17044.
