CSA Frequently Asked Questions:
What is a CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, is a great way for small farmers to directly market their produce to their surrounding community. The community, directly supports its local farmers by purchasing an annual share of the farm´s produce. This money early in the season is crucial to help support the farm by providing revenue when the costs of production are high, and the returns from produce sales are low. When you join Needle-Lane Farms CSA, you are investing in a local small-scale farm that is producing food in an environmentally sound manner.
Membership in a CSA is about sharing the risks, rewards, and responsibilities of growing delicious, sustainably-grown produce. In terms of risks, we never know what Mother Nature will do. We plant over 200 varieties of vegetables, fruits, and herbs, so that we can have a back up if a crop doesn´t produce as well as you or we would have liked. We also plant some crops successively (carrots, beans, corn, lettuce, greens, etc.) when possible, so that throughout the growing season, even if a crop fails due to some natural disaster, you may receive that crop a few weeks later or later in the season, although sometimes you just may not receive it at all. We also cultivate plant diversity and practice companion plantings, crop rotation, mulching, etc. We use row covers and encourage beneficial insects and pollinators. Our hoophouses help us to have crops earlier and later in the year. They also help our warm season vegetables grow better when we have cool summers.
One of the returns of your investment will be in the taste, nutrition, and freshness of your weekly box of produce. Which hopefully will translate over to better health for you and your family. We also aim to provide to you a 10% value bonus for your share! This means that if your share cost $300, we would return to you $330 worth of produce to you over the season. There aren't very many investments today (i.e cd's, stocks, mutual funds) that are performing that well over a 6-month period! Other things you may gain from a membership are learning to eat seasonally, trying new vegetables, finding new ways to cook an “old favorite”, or learning to like a “least favorite” by trying a new way of preparing it.
As a member, you basically have 3 responsibilities:
1. You agree to make a financial contribution to the farm in the spring or the previous fall/winter for that season´s share of vegetables.
2.You agree to pick up your share each week for 16 weeks at the location, day, and times specified, unless prior arrangements have been made. (See “Distribution”)
3.You agree to return your clean box from the previous week. We have a limited number of boxes, and we like to reuse them, so it is important that we get them back each week. (See “Distribution”)
Share Box Amount
Single-sized shares are packed in 1/2 bushel sized boxes (about the size of a brown paper grocery bag) with the possibility of an 3/4 bushel sized box if there is an exceptionally large item that needs more space (i.e. watermelon, pumpkin, cabbage, etc)
Family-sized shares are packed in 1 1/9 bushel sized boxes with the possibility of additional items on the side (i.e. watermelon, pumpkin, cabbage, etc).
Each week our goal is to share with you the best of what is available from our farm. Please see our harvest calendar on the CSA page for a list of crops we grown and when they are typically available. Early in the season the share will be predominately leafy greens and then will transition into heavier summer crops (broccoli, cabbage, s squash, etc). By fall the boxes will be heavy with potatoes, winter squash, tomatoes, peppers, etc. We try to mix it up the variety of vegetables each week and also to include at least one herb.
Keep in mind, that being part of a CSA means sharing in the risks and bounties of farming. If we suffer crop failure due to weather, insects, or who-knows what, then there may be less of some items. Or in a worst-case scenario; none at all. If it´s a good year for something, you may get way more than you like. Our goal is to provide you with a variety of quality produce each week in amounts that are good for your share size and/or recipes.
Flexible CSA Shares/Gift Cards
Our form of the "non-traditional" CSA share was developed over the years for people who don't find the traditional CSA a good fit for their lifestyle. And now with new technology we are able to offer membership/gift cards that keep track of the balance automatically!
This CSA share is basically a farmers market gift card that can be used at any of the farmers markets we attend or at the farm on any of our products that we sell there. By paying up front for these purchases you are still financially supporting the farm at a time when we need capital the most. And in return for your investment we will credit you 5% above your investment to spend at market. An investment of $1000 or more will yield an 10% bonus. We can add any dollar amount you choose on the card, and it is re-loadable at any time! There is also no expiration date on them. These cards also make GREAT gifts!
This share is especially nice for people who are:
-out of town frequently
-living alone
-more selective in the vegetables they like
Cut-Flower Shares
As part of our bio-diversity plan and attraction for beneficial insects we grow a lot of different types of cut-flowers on the farm. This share is a beautiful way to enjoy that! Each week for 16-weeks we will provide a bouquet of fresh-cut arranged flowers for your enjoyment. At times during the season there may also be a dried bouquet or supplemental flowers. We grow both annual and perennial flowers and also utilize native plants that are beautiful as well. Some of the flowers you will get are: lilies, larkspur, zinnia, celosia, gladiolus, sunflowers, statice, aster, queens anne lace, foxtail grass, snapdragons, etc.
Distribution – How It Works
You will pick up your share once a week for 16 weeks on your chosen pick up day only during the hours that are listed below. Basically there are two Distribution Harvests during the week. For the first distribution we harvest produce on Mondays and Tuesdays for the Tuesday Distribution. Then we harvest for the second distribution on Thursdays and Fridays for the Friday/Saturday Distribution. Our Packing Days (when we pack up your share box) are on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Tuesdays OR Fridays 12pm to 5:30pm Needle-Lane Farms
Please go to our white canopy tent near our main greenhouse. Someone will greet you there and help you pick out your weekly share.
Saturdays 9am to 2pm at Needle-Lane Farms
Please go to our white canopy tent near our main greenhouse. Someone will greet you there and help you pick out your weekly share.
Saturdays 8am to 1pm Madison Farmers Market in Adrian (Behind Kohl's) (not an option for 2021 yet!)
Please come to our booth and ask for your share! We should be in the same place every week once it gets going. Also don't forget: a perk for farmers market pickup is the ability to trade your share contents with anything on the sales table of equal value.
Saturdays 9am to 1pm Tecumseh's Farmers Market (not an option for 2021 yet!)
Please come to our booth and ask for your share! We should be in the same place every week once it gets going. Also don't forget: a perk for farmers market pickup is the ability to trade your share contents with anything on the sales table of equal value.
Produce Quality
We do our very best to provide you with top of the line quality vegetables, but we are an organically based no-spray farm! So it is possible that you may find
worms or insects in your produce unintentionally. Sometimes these creatures may slip by our staff's discriminating eye. Please don´t throw the produce away! There are many good parts to an ear of corn, even if you have to break off the tip to remove a corn earworm. You may need to soak something like broccoli in salt water to encourage the caterpillars to float to the top, and remove them. A bok choy with lots of little holes caused by flea beetles is still highly delicious, and nutritious even if it is not aesthetically appealing. Please try to keep an open mind and cut off offensive parts, if needed, and remember this produce is still edible, tasty, and nutritious.
Do I Have To Bring Back My Box From The Previous Week?
Yes, because we reuse the boxes. If you find that remembering to bring the box back is difficult, then just bring some reusable cloth grocery bags, a cooler, a box, or your own paper or plastic grocery bags to transfer your produce into, leaving the box behind. This is a great solution, especially so you don´t have to store the box for an entire week before the next distribution. Keep in mind, your produce will stay freshest and last longer if you transport it in a cooler, especially if you are not going directly home after picking up your box.
What Do I Do, If I Know I Am Going To Be Out Of Town On My Pick-Up Day?
You have 3 options:
1.Someone else picks up. If someone else is picking up your share, you don´t need to let us know, just tell them to check the contact person´s name off the list.
It would be very helpful though to give them our phone number or e-mail, so that they may contact us if they are not picking up for some reason.
2.Reschedule for a different Distribution Day. Please reschedule only on regular Distribution Days. Please give us a week´s advance notice.
3.Tell us not to harvest your share, but please give us a at least two days notice.
What If I´m Going To Be Late Or Find Suddenly That I Cannot Pick-Up My Share?
The shares need to be picked up by the designated times, especially at the farmers market distribution sites. If at the last minute you can´t pick up (or you forget) on your scheduled day, please call/text/email us sometime during that day, so that we know what happened. You may try to reschedule for pick up at the Farm later that day or in the next two days. Please DO NOT expect to pick up your box after the third day, since the share will have been taken apart by then and/or donated.
What Is The Procedure, If I Am Splitting My Share With Someone Else?
You and your share partner need to decide how this is done. You can come up with your own system or choose between these options that others have done:
1. You can both arrive at the distribution site at the same time and negotiate splitting up the share.
2. One of you picks up the share; then both meet at one of your houses, and split up the share.
3. Some share partners pick up the full share every other week, so they don´t split it. They just alternate weeks.
4. One of you can arrive whenever you want during designated times, and the first person there splits the share by placing the share partner´s produce in a separate grocery bag (bring one with, if you can). Then label the bag with the name of the share partner, who hasn´t arrived yet, and put in designated area.
This will NOT work if you leave your share partner´s produce in the half-empty share box, since this can get mixed up with the other full share boxes and causes lots of confusion.
Please remember to check off the share under the contact person´s name. The share partner who comes later can check to make sure that the share was checked off, but does not need to check off again. We´ll know if the split share was not picked up, because the absent person´s name will be on the grocery bag.
5. Also, if you or your share partner will be out of town, you need to work out what you want to do about pick-up with your share partner. It will NOT work for you to both pick up on separate days that week, since we can´t keep track of your split share.
Weekly Newsletter
Each week we hope to send a newsletter via "mailchimp" in conjunction with the share. It will contain share contents, farm news, and notices. Unfortunately the last few years we haven't been very reliable with this aspect of our program and hope to do a much better job of it this year.
Needle-Lane Farm Website & FACEBOOK
Now that we have switched our website to Weebly hosting we are now able to update it irregardless of how many computers fail at our house! It will always be a work in progress, so please be patient with us, since it may go through several changes as we continue to design, enhance, and improve it. We are open to your comments and suggestions of ways to make it more helpful and resourceful.
*Please “like” our Facebook page as well for farmers market updates, CSA notices, and fun pictures.
Recipe Resources
Good Recipe Websites: There are a number of websites that have recipes listed according to produce name and so are easy to use. Please let us know if you know of any other websites that you think others might find useful for recipes. Please note the following:
www.cooks.com,
www.epicurious.com
www.eatingwell.com
www.recipes.com
Produce Identification
Children Are Welcome
There are many “kid-friendly” activities on our farm. Children can play with the outside toys, swing, slide, and play in the sandbox or wading pools. Some children also like to take “edible farm walks” by following a farm worker around to various parts of the farm to sample produce, wild plants, or edible flowers.
Children must be supervised by an adult at all times. Even though, we have many “kid-friendly” activities on the farm, there are also safety hazards to be aware of, so please keep an eye on your child. Children may not enter any of the farm buildings (barns, greenhouses, cooler, farmhouse, etc.) unless accompanied by an adult. Hazards include equipment, sharp tools, and supplies such as oil, gas and paint. Please do not allow your child to touch or climb on any farm vehicles (tractors, side by side, trucks, wagons, etc.).
Visitors and Volunteers
We welcome visitors, and especially volunteers, most days of the week (except Sat. mornings, since we’re mostly at farmers´ markets). Please contact us ahead of time, so someone is around to show you what to do or where to go.
Our Packing Days are Tuesdays and Fridays. Those are days when we are finalizing harvest and packing up boxes, so we can always use volunteers especially on those days tentatively anytime between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Directions to the Farm and Parking
FROM ANN ARBOR, take US-12 west until you reach Tipton Hwy. Go South (or right), continue on Tipton Hwy past M-50 until you reach a set of s-curves. Farm is just past them on the right hand side. There are blue silos, christmas trees, lots of greenhouses, and a big white house.
FROM ADRIAN, take country club rd to Tipton Hwy. Drive north. Continue through stop-sign at hunt rd. Farm is three miles up the road just past shepherd rd. OR take M-52 north out of Adrian, go west (or left) onto shepherd rd. At stop sign (Tipton Hwy) take a right, farm is first place on left.
PARKING: Please park out in front near our red "salesbarn". There are ample parking spaces there that won't be in the way of farm traffic flows.
Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, is a great way for small farmers to directly market their produce to their surrounding community. The community, directly supports its local farmers by purchasing an annual share of the farm´s produce. This money early in the season is crucial to help support the farm by providing revenue when the costs of production are high, and the returns from produce sales are low. When you join Needle-Lane Farms CSA, you are investing in a local small-scale farm that is producing food in an environmentally sound manner.
Membership in a CSA is about sharing the risks, rewards, and responsibilities of growing delicious, sustainably-grown produce. In terms of risks, we never know what Mother Nature will do. We plant over 200 varieties of vegetables, fruits, and herbs, so that we can have a back up if a crop doesn´t produce as well as you or we would have liked. We also plant some crops successively (carrots, beans, corn, lettuce, greens, etc.) when possible, so that throughout the growing season, even if a crop fails due to some natural disaster, you may receive that crop a few weeks later or later in the season, although sometimes you just may not receive it at all. We also cultivate plant diversity and practice companion plantings, crop rotation, mulching, etc. We use row covers and encourage beneficial insects and pollinators. Our hoophouses help us to have crops earlier and later in the year. They also help our warm season vegetables grow better when we have cool summers.
One of the returns of your investment will be in the taste, nutrition, and freshness of your weekly box of produce. Which hopefully will translate over to better health for you and your family. We also aim to provide to you a 10% value bonus for your share! This means that if your share cost $300, we would return to you $330 worth of produce to you over the season. There aren't very many investments today (i.e cd's, stocks, mutual funds) that are performing that well over a 6-month period! Other things you may gain from a membership are learning to eat seasonally, trying new vegetables, finding new ways to cook an “old favorite”, or learning to like a “least favorite” by trying a new way of preparing it.
As a member, you basically have 3 responsibilities:
1. You agree to make a financial contribution to the farm in the spring or the previous fall/winter for that season´s share of vegetables.
2.You agree to pick up your share each week for 16 weeks at the location, day, and times specified, unless prior arrangements have been made. (See “Distribution”)
3.You agree to return your clean box from the previous week. We have a limited number of boxes, and we like to reuse them, so it is important that we get them back each week. (See “Distribution”)
Share Box Amount
Single-sized shares are packed in 1/2 bushel sized boxes (about the size of a brown paper grocery bag) with the possibility of an 3/4 bushel sized box if there is an exceptionally large item that needs more space (i.e. watermelon, pumpkin, cabbage, etc)
Family-sized shares are packed in 1 1/9 bushel sized boxes with the possibility of additional items on the side (i.e. watermelon, pumpkin, cabbage, etc).
Each week our goal is to share with you the best of what is available from our farm. Please see our harvest calendar on the CSA page for a list of crops we grown and when they are typically available. Early in the season the share will be predominately leafy greens and then will transition into heavier summer crops (broccoli, cabbage, s squash, etc). By fall the boxes will be heavy with potatoes, winter squash, tomatoes, peppers, etc. We try to mix it up the variety of vegetables each week and also to include at least one herb.
Keep in mind, that being part of a CSA means sharing in the risks and bounties of farming. If we suffer crop failure due to weather, insects, or who-knows what, then there may be less of some items. Or in a worst-case scenario; none at all. If it´s a good year for something, you may get way more than you like. Our goal is to provide you with a variety of quality produce each week in amounts that are good for your share size and/or recipes.
Flexible CSA Shares/Gift Cards
Our form of the "non-traditional" CSA share was developed over the years for people who don't find the traditional CSA a good fit for their lifestyle. And now with new technology we are able to offer membership/gift cards that keep track of the balance automatically!
This CSA share is basically a farmers market gift card that can be used at any of the farmers markets we attend or at the farm on any of our products that we sell there. By paying up front for these purchases you are still financially supporting the farm at a time when we need capital the most. And in return for your investment we will credit you 5% above your investment to spend at market. An investment of $1000 or more will yield an 10% bonus. We can add any dollar amount you choose on the card, and it is re-loadable at any time! There is also no expiration date on them. These cards also make GREAT gifts!
This share is especially nice for people who are:
-out of town frequently
-living alone
-more selective in the vegetables they like
Cut-Flower Shares
As part of our bio-diversity plan and attraction for beneficial insects we grow a lot of different types of cut-flowers on the farm. This share is a beautiful way to enjoy that! Each week for 16-weeks we will provide a bouquet of fresh-cut arranged flowers for your enjoyment. At times during the season there may also be a dried bouquet or supplemental flowers. We grow both annual and perennial flowers and also utilize native plants that are beautiful as well. Some of the flowers you will get are: lilies, larkspur, zinnia, celosia, gladiolus, sunflowers, statice, aster, queens anne lace, foxtail grass, snapdragons, etc.
Distribution – How It Works
You will pick up your share once a week for 16 weeks on your chosen pick up day only during the hours that are listed below. Basically there are two Distribution Harvests during the week. For the first distribution we harvest produce on Mondays and Tuesdays for the Tuesday Distribution. Then we harvest for the second distribution on Thursdays and Fridays for the Friday/Saturday Distribution. Our Packing Days (when we pack up your share box) are on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Tuesdays OR Fridays 12pm to 5:30pm Needle-Lane Farms
Please go to our white canopy tent near our main greenhouse. Someone will greet you there and help you pick out your weekly share.
Saturdays 9am to 2pm at Needle-Lane Farms
Please go to our white canopy tent near our main greenhouse. Someone will greet you there and help you pick out your weekly share.
Saturdays 8am to 1pm Madison Farmers Market in Adrian (Behind Kohl's) (not an option for 2021 yet!)
Please come to our booth and ask for your share! We should be in the same place every week once it gets going. Also don't forget: a perk for farmers market pickup is the ability to trade your share contents with anything on the sales table of equal value.
Saturdays 9am to 1pm Tecumseh's Farmers Market (not an option for 2021 yet!)
Please come to our booth and ask for your share! We should be in the same place every week once it gets going. Also don't forget: a perk for farmers market pickup is the ability to trade your share contents with anything on the sales table of equal value.
Produce Quality
We do our very best to provide you with top of the line quality vegetables, but we are an organically based no-spray farm! So it is possible that you may find
worms or insects in your produce unintentionally. Sometimes these creatures may slip by our staff's discriminating eye. Please don´t throw the produce away! There are many good parts to an ear of corn, even if you have to break off the tip to remove a corn earworm. You may need to soak something like broccoli in salt water to encourage the caterpillars to float to the top, and remove them. A bok choy with lots of little holes caused by flea beetles is still highly delicious, and nutritious even if it is not aesthetically appealing. Please try to keep an open mind and cut off offensive parts, if needed, and remember this produce is still edible, tasty, and nutritious.
Do I Have To Bring Back My Box From The Previous Week?
Yes, because we reuse the boxes. If you find that remembering to bring the box back is difficult, then just bring some reusable cloth grocery bags, a cooler, a box, or your own paper or plastic grocery bags to transfer your produce into, leaving the box behind. This is a great solution, especially so you don´t have to store the box for an entire week before the next distribution. Keep in mind, your produce will stay freshest and last longer if you transport it in a cooler, especially if you are not going directly home after picking up your box.
What Do I Do, If I Know I Am Going To Be Out Of Town On My Pick-Up Day?
You have 3 options:
1.Someone else picks up. If someone else is picking up your share, you don´t need to let us know, just tell them to check the contact person´s name off the list.
It would be very helpful though to give them our phone number or e-mail, so that they may contact us if they are not picking up for some reason.
2.Reschedule for a different Distribution Day. Please reschedule only on regular Distribution Days. Please give us a week´s advance notice.
3.Tell us not to harvest your share, but please give us a at least two days notice.
What If I´m Going To Be Late Or Find Suddenly That I Cannot Pick-Up My Share?
The shares need to be picked up by the designated times, especially at the farmers market distribution sites. If at the last minute you can´t pick up (or you forget) on your scheduled day, please call/text/email us sometime during that day, so that we know what happened. You may try to reschedule for pick up at the Farm later that day or in the next two days. Please DO NOT expect to pick up your box after the third day, since the share will have been taken apart by then and/or donated.
What Is The Procedure, If I Am Splitting My Share With Someone Else?
You and your share partner need to decide how this is done. You can come up with your own system or choose between these options that others have done:
1. You can both arrive at the distribution site at the same time and negotiate splitting up the share.
2. One of you picks up the share; then both meet at one of your houses, and split up the share.
3. Some share partners pick up the full share every other week, so they don´t split it. They just alternate weeks.
4. One of you can arrive whenever you want during designated times, and the first person there splits the share by placing the share partner´s produce in a separate grocery bag (bring one with, if you can). Then label the bag with the name of the share partner, who hasn´t arrived yet, and put in designated area.
This will NOT work if you leave your share partner´s produce in the half-empty share box, since this can get mixed up with the other full share boxes and causes lots of confusion.
Please remember to check off the share under the contact person´s name. The share partner who comes later can check to make sure that the share was checked off, but does not need to check off again. We´ll know if the split share was not picked up, because the absent person´s name will be on the grocery bag.
5. Also, if you or your share partner will be out of town, you need to work out what you want to do about pick-up with your share partner. It will NOT work for you to both pick up on separate days that week, since we can´t keep track of your split share.
Weekly Newsletter
Each week we hope to send a newsletter via "mailchimp" in conjunction with the share. It will contain share contents, farm news, and notices. Unfortunately the last few years we haven't been very reliable with this aspect of our program and hope to do a much better job of it this year.
Needle-Lane Farm Website & FACEBOOK
Now that we have switched our website to Weebly hosting we are now able to update it irregardless of how many computers fail at our house! It will always be a work in progress, so please be patient with us, since it may go through several changes as we continue to design, enhance, and improve it. We are open to your comments and suggestions of ways to make it more helpful and resourceful.
*Please “like” our Facebook page as well for farmers market updates, CSA notices, and fun pictures.
Recipe Resources
Good Recipe Websites: There are a number of websites that have recipes listed according to produce name and so are easy to use. Please let us know if you know of any other websites that you think others might find useful for recipes. Please note the following:
www.cooks.com,
www.epicurious.com
www.eatingwell.com
www.recipes.com
Produce Identification
Children Are Welcome
There are many “kid-friendly” activities on our farm. Children can play with the outside toys, swing, slide, and play in the sandbox or wading pools. Some children also like to take “edible farm walks” by following a farm worker around to various parts of the farm to sample produce, wild plants, or edible flowers.
Children must be supervised by an adult at all times. Even though, we have many “kid-friendly” activities on the farm, there are also safety hazards to be aware of, so please keep an eye on your child. Children may not enter any of the farm buildings (barns, greenhouses, cooler, farmhouse, etc.) unless accompanied by an adult. Hazards include equipment, sharp tools, and supplies such as oil, gas and paint. Please do not allow your child to touch or climb on any farm vehicles (tractors, side by side, trucks, wagons, etc.).
Visitors and Volunteers
We welcome visitors, and especially volunteers, most days of the week (except Sat. mornings, since we’re mostly at farmers´ markets). Please contact us ahead of time, so someone is around to show you what to do or where to go.
Our Packing Days are Tuesdays and Fridays. Those are days when we are finalizing harvest and packing up boxes, so we can always use volunteers especially on those days tentatively anytime between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Directions to the Farm and Parking
FROM ANN ARBOR, take US-12 west until you reach Tipton Hwy. Go South (or right), continue on Tipton Hwy past M-50 until you reach a set of s-curves. Farm is just past them on the right hand side. There are blue silos, christmas trees, lots of greenhouses, and a big white house.
FROM ADRIAN, take country club rd to Tipton Hwy. Drive north. Continue through stop-sign at hunt rd. Farm is three miles up the road just past shepherd rd. OR take M-52 north out of Adrian, go west (or left) onto shepherd rd. At stop sign (Tipton Hwy) take a right, farm is first place on left.
PARKING: Please park out in front near our red "salesbarn". There are ample parking spaces there that won't be in the way of farm traffic flows.