General
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What
Is CSA? Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a unique collaboration connecting people to a local farm and farmer. When you become a CSA member, you agree to support the costs of running the farm in exchange for a share of the harvest. By contributing a membership fee in advance, you become a partner with the farmer in sharing some of the risk as well as the bounty of agricultural production.Why
CSA? The
problems with our industrialized food system are many. From
pesticide residues in our food, soil, and water, to the
shrinking number of family farms, there are many reasons to look
at alternative food systems such as CSA. The CSA concept first
took hold in Japan, where it was called
“food with the farmer’s face”, emphasizing that
food does not have to be a generic commodity transported many
miles and produced under factory-like conditions.
From
my perspective as the farmer, CSA succeeds because it allows me
to focus on my passion for working with the land to produce the
most wholesome, life-giving, best tasting food possible, while
building a strong bond with the members I am feeding. |
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Who
Are We? We
are family farmers - Brian and Justine Denison, our children
Suzanna and Maggie. We have been in NY State for seven years,
having moved here from How
and Where Is It Grown? Denison
Farm is fully committed to organic agriculture. We follow the
national organic standards and are certified by “Certified
Naturally Grown”. Our Schaghticoke, NY farm is 164 acres of
rich bottomland, wooded ridges, pasture/hayfields, marsh, and
streams. The farm has a 21-year history of organic management
and CSA marketing started by our much-loved predecessor, Janet
Britt. How
Does It Work Shareholders
receive a weekly delivery of freshly harvested, seasonal
vegetables for approximately 22 weeks, starting early June and
finishing early November. The weekly share will average 8-9
items with one share generally providing vegetables enough for
two adults with two children. Farm newsletters will keep you in
touch with farm activities and recipes. We do not offer half
shares for those wanting less produce, but two households may
buy a share together under one name and split it on their own. We
will deliver the weekly vegetable share to a drop-off site in All
Shares will be pre-packed into boxes. Please remember that pick-up will be once a week at the site you have chosen. |
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What
Do You Get Click to view a sample of shares from previous seasons. Members
will receive a wide variety of vegetables including most or all
of the following: Baby
Lettuce Mix, Braising Greens, Arugula, Mesclun, Spinach, Kale,
Swiss Chard, Lettuce (Redleaf, Greenleaf, Boston, Romaine),
Scallions, Red and Yellow Onions, Leeks, Garlic, Sweet
Potato, Turnip, Radish, Beets, Carrots, Rutabaga, Celeriac,
Potatoes |
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(Red, Fingerling, Yellow, and White Flesh), Cabbage, Broccoli, Bok Choi, Chinese Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts, Green and Yellow Beans, Edamame, Peas, Cucumbers, Summer Squash, Zucchini, Winter Squash (Acorn, Buttercup, Butternut, Delicata, Sweet Dumpling), Tomato, Tomatillos, Eggplant, Sweet Peppers, Fennel, Sweet Corn, as well as Herbs, Melons, and Strawberries. Participation Any
CSA shareholder wishing to volunteer at the farm is very welcome
on any Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and some Saturdays. We also
offer a limited number of working shares that give a $40
discount in exchange for a total of 8 hours of work both at the
farm and in other capacities such as working at the distribution
sites or at the Farmers’ Markets. Please call us in advance of
completing your membership agreement form for availability. Eggs
and Fruit We
will be offering an egg share (1 dozen each week for the entire
22 week season). The eggs are from a local farm where the hens
are fed organic or a natural feed without hormones or
antibiotics and are kept on pasture where they can eat grass and
bugs, take dust baths, and strut! The
fruit share will come from a number of local farmers and where
possible will be organic, but the majority of the fruit will be
conventionally grown. The share will run for 15 weeks, beginning
the first week of July and ending the second week of October. We
hope to start with cherries, followed by raspberries and then
blueberries. Stone
fruit (plums, apricots, peaches, and nectarines) will follow and
we will finish with apples and pears. The
egg and fruit shares will not be available at the Winter
Vegetable Box We likely will offer to both CSA and non-CSA members a winter vegetable box this year for four pick-up times – two in November and two in December. Each box will contain root crops (potatoes, celeriac, sweet potatoes, carrots, and beets), winter squash, along with leeks, kale, and onions. The box will weigh approximately 35 lbs. and the cost will be approximately $50 per box. The order forms will be available on our website in the Fall and pick-ups will be at the farm and at the Troy Farmers’ Market. Denison
Farm
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