Our CSA Summer Share began two weeks ago. One of the new changes we have made is the market style CSA pick-up!

The Market Style pick up offers CSA members the chance to pick the bunch of carrots they want, choose the variety of cucumber they love, and sort through the zucchini searching for the ones that suit their recipes. As the season progresses, and rotating items are offered, members will be able to choose which week they want eggplant, pimientos de padron, tomatillos,etc. allowing for more flexibility within the CSA share.

Despite our incredibly dry Spring and early Summer, the farm looks wonderful - lush and healthy. The time that we have spent nurturing the soil is really noticed as we are using about 30% less water and have very little pest issues. Here are some harvest day photos...

The market style pick up is also offering us the chance to spend more time talking with our CSA members about the farm, growing biodynamically and what their favourite recipe from the week was. We really enjoy the relationship we are building with the people eating the food we grow. We love the commitment and support they offer our farm. We have looked at many growth opportunities this past year...but when we see this CSA model in action, when we see the interaction members have with their produce and where it was grown, when we are receiving a fair wage for our efforts and offering our community chemical free, sustainably grown vegetables at an affordable price, we think that the mutual commitment being made between members and ourselves, the farmers, is a really great way to sell and buy food. We love that our produce is being removed from the "market" value. And we love that our local community is being offered food security even through times of extreme weather.

When we mentioned to some of our CSA members that we still had some Summer CSA Shares available, they recommended that we offer a one-off weekly box for people who may be interested to try out our food before they commit to our seasonal CSA. We thought that was a great idea and have added the one-off box to our Farm Store. The one off box offers interested people the chance to come and see the farm, speak with us about our CSA and try the produce and the concept of eating from the box for a week to see what they think. Please pass the word on...there are a limited number on offer and they will only last until our CSA shares are sold out.

Van loaded for wednesday deliveries...from Mt Eliza to balnarring to portsea

We had a whole day of slow, soaking rain on Friday. The last day like that was in early September. The crops LOVED it...and so did we! It was a wet and very happy harvest day! The melons are growing, pumpkins are forming, we are days off of corn harvest and the first of the Autumn brassicas are being planted - the sun is heading north...even while we are sticky in summer.

To read more about our CSA and our weekly boxes, please use these links:
CSA Weekly Boxes
How Our CSA Works
How To Receive Our Produce