What is Community Supported Agriculture?
It's a system that connects people to an environmentally responsible source of food from a local farm. Community Supported Agriculture is a way to bring fresh, high quality local produce and beef from our farm to you on a weekly basis. As a member in our farm subscription, you own a share of the harvest and by doing so, participate in growing your own food. Shares can be picked up at the farm or at a designated market on a scheduled day and time. Home or work delivery may also be an option - contact us for details on delivery.
CSA benefits you, the grower, and the environment.
You benefit by receiving a weekly share of just-picked, organically grown fruits, vegetables and herbs - quality rarely found in the supermarket. We start all of our plants from seed, in our greenhouse or right in the garden so you know where your food came from. You'll learn how to prepare and enjoy new foods. Delicious, healthy recipes and storage tips for some of the produce in your basket are included. As a member, you experience first hand how your food is grown, and learn about the risks involved.
We benefit because members pay for their share up front, which helps us determine how much to plant, and helps cover the costs of planting, labor, equipment and supplies. It also ensures that we'll have regular customers!
The environment benefits because we don't use any chemicals and only use untreated seed. We're good to our soil, and it's good to us! Did you know that on average, your food travels a distance of 1500 miles to get to the grocery store? With CSA, transportation costs are reduced to the distance we travel to the pick-up destination. Energy costs are also reduced because your produce is not refrigerated for long periods - in most cases it's picked the same day. Packaging costs and waste are reduced because your share comes in one reuseable tote (made by Mrs. Poplin, thank you very much!) that you return to us the next week. Wildlife also benefits from using organic practices - everyone's heard lately about the mystery of disappearing honeybees - this has been blamed on the overuse of pesticides and chemicals. By growing plants that attract beneficial insects, like ladybugs and bees, and also growing plants that discourage pests, we let nature do the work.
About our produce
The health of our land and food is important to us. We eat what we grow too! While we are not certified organic, we follow organic gardening practices. We use crop rotation and natural soil improvement methods to reduce pests. Composting and natural fertilizers grow healthy, vigorous plants - robust plants produce fruit and vegetables with more vitamins, minerals and micronutrients. Unlike grocery store produce, ours is picked when ripe so you can expect the best quality and flavor. Vine-ripened foods contain the living enzymes we need to help digest them. Did you know that most supermarket tomatoes are picked when completely green? Produce that is picked before it's ripe doesn't develop the live enzymes that we need for proper health. Most commercial fertilizers only contain nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus...and they're made from chemicals. But soil needs so much more than that! It needs organic matter, beneficial microorganisms, ladybugs...toads and worms! - all of these elements are destroyed by chemicals and pesticides. The nutrients, and micronutrients, we need from our food have to come from the soil. If they are not replenished, the soil and anything that grows in it becomes deficient.
All Natural Grass Fed Beef Subscription
You have the option of adding our all natural grass fed beef to your produce subscription. Our beef is pasture raised and humanely treated. Poplin Farms is Animal Welfare Approved. We do not use antibiotics or hormones. Our cattle are fed a forage-only diet - no grain - which keeps them healthy and happy, and produces healthier meat. See our Grass Fed Beef page for more information, or visit www.americangrassfed.org.
This summer we will also offer the option of adding home baked goods to your subscription. Details and prices for this will be posted soon.
Poplin Farms
2012 CSA Information
Produce Subscription Prices
Subscription is for 16 weeks of produce. Season starts around May through around the end of August.
Full Share (3-4 people) $400
Half Share (1-2 people) $240
Produce expected (subject to weather, and other growing conditions) this year includes:
Vegetables: variety of leaf & head lettuces, lettuce mixes & mesclun mix, arugula, spinach, red and green cabbages, chard, collards, kale, broccoli, fennel, turnips, a variety of asian greens, cucumbers, sugar snap & snow peas, green & yellow wax beans, shell beans, eggplant, green & bulb onions, beets, summer squash, carrots, white & sweet potatoes, sweet corn, edamame, garlic, variety of tomatoes including Brandywine, Giant Belgium and many other heirlooms & hybrid varieties, variety of sweet and hot peppers.
Fruits: variety of melons including Charentais, Sugar Baby and Crimson Seedless, blackberries, raspberries and peaches if they don't freeze this year!
We have a 3 year old orchard with apples, pears, plums, and peaches planted, so we expect a small harvest of some varieties in 2011.
Herbs: Dill, oregano, several varieties of basil, mint, chives, sage, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, parsley.
CSA pick-ups this year will be at Albemarle Nutrition (24/27 Byp in Albemarle) on Tuesday evenings between 5pm-6pm. Our produce CSA normally starts May, when there is enough variety ready to make a good share. It ends 16 weeks later. Check back here for CSA updates or subscribe to Moo's News (from the home page) for weekly farm updates.
2012 CSA info will be posted on February 6!
