summitspringsfarm.net

What is a CSA?

CSA is Community Supported Agriculture. It is an approach to farm marketing in which customers (or shareholders) buy a farm share in advance and then receive a weekly supply of produce during the growing season. Our seasons here in Poland are typically about 20 weeks long, from June through October. Our shareholders pick up their shares either here at the farm or at our drop-off location in Portland at the U. U. Church on Allen Ave.  Market customers can buy a market share and use their credit at our stands at the Wednesday farmers’ market in Portland’s Monument Square or at the Saturday farmers’ market in Bridgton next to Reny’s.  More info. about market shares can be found below.

What are the advantages of the CSA model?

With the CSA model, the growers and customers provide each other with mutual support and share the risks and benefits of food production. For the shareholder, advance payment ensures that you have a fresh supply of prepaid veggies all season long. It’s a great way to try new and unusual veggies and to get your creative juices flowing in the kitchen. Our members love the quantity and quality of veggies they receive each week!  A CSA share is also a great value. For the 2008 season, our shareholders saved around $80 per share (as compared with prices that we would charge for our veggies at market). There is also the satisfaction of knowing exactly where your food is coming from, knowing your farmers, and supporting local agriculture and economies. For the farmers, the CSA model provides some financial security and ensures that money will be flowing into the farm during the off-season, when seed and other supplies need to be purchased. Once the farm season begins, the farmers can focus all of their attention on growing their wares rather than marketing.

How many people does a Summit Springs Farm CSA share feed?

It all depends, of course, on your eating habits, but we generally estimate that a full share provides enough weekly produce for two people or a small family.  Share sizes will vary some from year to year and within the season itself (spring and late fall shares often being a bit smaller than mid-summer shares). A half share might be the best option for a single person or for a couple whose veggie consumption is more moderate.

Can I split my share with someone else?

This season, we are offering both full shares (pick-up every week) and half shares (a full share amount picked up every other week). You are still free to share a share. However, the entire share must be picked up at once! We suggest that you trade weeks with your share partner or pick up the entire share and split it up away from the farm or pick-up location.

What happens when I forget to pick up my share?

If you are unable to pick up your share, you must make arrangements in advance concerning your veggies. You can call or e-mail us here at the farm to let us know about a vacation or other planned absence (this way, we can adjust our harvest totals) or you can arrange for a friend or family member to pick up the share in your place. If you simply forget your share (and this seems to happen once or twice to just about everyone during the season), then your veggies will either be sold at one of our farmers’ market stands or donated to the food bank (we donate any unsold produce to either the Poland Community Church’s food bank here in Poland or to the Wayside Soup Kitchen in Portland). The summertime can be hectic for everyone, but please try to remember to pick up your share!!

Are eggs included as part of the share?

We currently have around 110 laying hens here at the farm, divided into two groups and housed in portable chicken coops so we can move them around as needed.  Our hens are free-ranging, and we supplement their diet with organic feed.  The eggs from “our girls” are not included as part of a CSA share but are available for sale here at the farm and at our farmers’ markets in Portland and Bridgton. In addition to eggs, other items such as seedlings, flower bouquets, and tomatoes for canning will be for sale at certain pick-ups during the season.

What is a market share, and how does it work?

Beginning with the 2010 season, we will not be offering “traditional”, boxed CSA shares for our market customers in Portland and Bridgton.  Instead, we are offering market shares.  A market share works like a credit line.  Customers pay $100 in advance and then have a credit line with us worth $110; that’s a 10% discount on anything we have for sale at market:  veggies, eggs, seedlings, and more. These shares can be used at the Portland Farmers‘ Market in Monument Square every Wednesday between 7 AM - 2 PM and at the Bridgton Farmers‘ Market every Saturday between 8 AM - 1 PM.  This type of set-up makes market life a little easier for us and gives our market customers more flexibility.

Are the vegetables grown at Summit Springs Farm organic?

Yes!  As of June 2010, our vegetables, fruit, and seedlings have been certified organic by MOFGA (the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association).  At Summit Springs Farm, we are committed to sustainable, pesticide-free farming. We follow organic standards and practices in the operation of the farm:  We use absolutely no chemical fertilizers, fungicides or pesticides on the fields, and give no hormones, antibiotics or conventional feed to our laying hens.

Can I come volunteer at the farm?  Can I bring my kids?

Helping out here at Summit Springs Farm certainly isn’t required for our CSA members, but we highly encourage volunteers!  With a CSA arrangement, we really feel like we share the farm with our members, so we think it’s great when folks want to pitch in, get their hands dirty, and participate in the production of their own food.  It’s obviously a huge help, too!  Let us know whenever you’d like to come and help out, and occasionally we’ll send out a call, too, for volunteers if we have a special project that requires extra manpower.  We love kids, too, and want them to feel comfortable here as well.  Keep in mind, however, that a lot of the work we do is pretty tedious and detail-oriented.  In our experience, we’ve found that weeding and kids under 7 or 8 don’t mix very well!  So, bring the kids, but keep their limits and attention spans in mind, and please make sure to keep them under your supervision at all times.  An overly eager child with a hoe can wipe out months of work with a few swipes, so be vigilant!  There are also some very real dangers here, like tractors, sharp tools, and several electric fences, so please keep an eye on your child.

How do I sign up for the CSA?

Information on signing up and a printable sign-up form are available here.