CSA Info
2024 CSA
Summer and Fall
What is a CSA?
CSA stands for 'Community Supported Agriculture". In essence, you are buying a share of the farm, and in return you receive a weekly box of the freshest produce we have available. Think of it like a subscription service: you pay an upfront cost and in return receive a weekly supply of vegetables all season long!
Why sign up for a CSA?
The best way to support a local farm is to sign up for their CSA program. You develop a close connection with the people who grow your food and receive fresh local vegetables all summer long. Plus stay in the loop with what's going on at the farm with our weekly newsletters complete with recipes, kitchen tips, and all the happenings on the farm that week. Let us help you keep your fridge constantly stocked with delicious, healthy, local produce.
How does the CSA program help the Farm?
Our growing season starts long before the Farmer's Markets do, and long before we've harvested a single vegetable to sell. During the Winter and Spring months, our expenses are high and revenue is low. Having upfront capital from our CSA is essential to getting our season started on the right foot. CSA revenue enables us to buy seeds, irrigation supplies, new high tunnels and deer fencing, potting soil, etc, as well as helping to pay our early season labor costs. All of those things and more help us start the season strong and set us up for success when the farm starts to produce in early Summer. The CSA also helps us pay our employees and ourselves a reasonable wage. Farming is hard work, and we are firm believers in paying people the true value of their work. Your support helps us do this!
The Details:
Summer '24 CSA: 12 Weeks of Veggies from June to late September
Total Cost: $450
Dates:
Wednesday Pickup Option: 6/19, 6/26/, 7/3, 7/10, 7/17, 7/24, 8/7, 8/14, 8/21, 8/28, 9/4, 9/11 - (7/31 Break Week - No CSA)
Farmer's Markets Pickup Option:
Steamboat - Saturdays 9 AM - 2 PM, June 8th to September 21st
Vail - Sundays 9:30 - 3:30 PM, June 16th to October 6th
Two Pickup Options:
Option 1) Wednesday Evenings 4:30-6:00 in Hayden (at the Granary) or Steamboat (at the Community Ag Alliance Market)
-Enjoy 6-8 items "farmer's choice"items from the farm each week, including a wide variety of leafy greens, root crops, and seasonal staples like squash, cucumbers, brassicas, alliums, herbs, tomatoes, peppers, and much more!
-Something in your share you don't care for? Swap it out for something else with our "Swap Box" at each pickup! Not interested in the beets one week? Swap them out for the any of the carrots, turnips, radishes, kale, or squash, etc in the swap box. Or if you absolutely love beets, swap out another item for a second (or third?!) bunch of beets. Items in the swap box will change weekly, limited to two swapped items each week. Swap box will only be available for Summer CSA shares, not the Fall CSA (details below)
Option 2) (NEW!) Farmer's Market Pickup at the Steamboat or Vail Farmer's Markets!
-Come any 12 of the 16 (Steamboat) or 17 (Vail) weeks of the Farmer's Market and pick out any seven items of your choosing from our booth
-Pick out exactly what you're looking for each week!
-Think you'll make it to every single market? Add on the extra 4 (SB) or 5 (Vail) weeks to increase the CSA to 16/17 weeks.
*Disclaimers*
-CSA members limited to (2) of any particular item each week
-The 7 items each week don't carry over if you take less than that one week. ie, if you only decide to take 6 items, you don't get 8 the next week.
*Please Note* CSA Shares are not interchangeable during the season. Wednesday pickup members cannot switch their pickup over to the Farmer's Market, and vice versa. CSA Shares and Deposits are also non-refundable!
Fall '24 CSA:
-8 Weeks of Produce with an XL Thanksgiving Share
-Total Cost $350
-Dates: Wednesday 10/2, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, 10/30, 11/6, 11/13, 11/20
-Pickup Options: Wednesday Evenings at the CAA Market or Hayden Granary 4:30 - 6:00 PM
Market Credit
Want to support the farm this winter/spring but don't think the CSA is right for you? Check out our new Farmer's Market Credit in our online store instead of the CSA. Available in increments of $50, this credit is good at any of our Farmer's Markets during the 2024 season. When you buy $50, you get $55 added to a credit log that we'll have at every market. Buy $100, and you get $110, $150 and you get $165, and so on. Market credit is good at our booth for anything we sell: produce, plant starts, flowers, and merch.
What can I expect in my weekly share of produce?
Hypothetical shares from each month:
June: Arugula, Radishes, Broccoli Raab, Cilantro, Bok Choy, Scallions, Garlic Scapes
July: Salad Mix, Kale, Basil, Summer Squash, Fresh Onions, Cucumbers, Broccolini
August: Lettuce, Cherry Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant, Cauliflower, Celery, Beets
September: Spinach, Tomatoes, Broccoli, Spaghetti Squash, Dill, Broccoli, Cabbage
October: Turnips, Spicy Greens, Chard, Acorn Squash, Fennel, Rutabaga, Radicchio
November: Butternut, Escarole, Watermelon Radish, Leeks, Celeriac, Garlic, Parsnips
Plus lots more not listed!
*Note: Shares listed above are just examples. Actual weekly shares are hard to predict and are based on weather conditions, prevalence of pests, and general ebbs and flows of the growing season*
Frequently Asked Questions:
1) Do I get to choose what's in my share each week?
Shares are considered to be "Farmer's Choice" ie, we pick the 7-8 items at their peak freshness/ripeness for the weekly boxes. However, often we have "either/or" items to give CSA members some choice each week.
Example Share)
Lettuce Mix
Beets
Dill or Basil
Carrots
Broccolini
Kale or Chard
Cherry Tomatoes
2) I like vegetables, but there are some things I don't like or don't know how to use. Is the CSA right for me?
A CSA isn't for everyone, and that's okay! If you can think of 5-7+ different vegetables you don't like, then it may not be the best option for you. The CSA is best for adventurous eaters who love any and all vegetables and love to experiment with new items they may never have tried. We grow a wide variety of produce to keep things interesting for our CSA members and for ourselves. Think: veggies with strong flavors like fennel and cilantro, things with bitter flavors like radicchio and escarole, and interesting varieties you might not have tried like celeriac, rutabaga, parsnips, and squash blossoms. For all those items, we will happily provide recipes and tips on how to prepare them.
And don't worry: we do grow tons and tons of everyone's favorites (ie carrots, lettuce, arugula, tomatoes, zucchini, and lots more), so expect to receive lots of those! We find that CSA members value being connected to a farm and making local produce a part of their daily lives. If you're not a big vegetable eater, don't cook often, are frequently out of town in the summer, or only want a few types of vegetables, then supporting us at the Steamboat Farmer's Market might be a better fit. We would love to see you there!
Can I split a CSA share with a friend?
Shares can be split between multiple households only if all members are picking up at their share at the same location each week. We generally don't recommend splitting shares, and think the experience is better for everyone if one household enjoys a full share all season long.
What happens if I miss a pickup? Can I arrange to pickup my share at a later time?
In short, No. We will do our part in sending out emails every week to remind members about the pickups. If you know you cannot make a certain pickup one week, you are more than welcome to send a neighbor or friend to pick up your share for you. If you forget to pickup your share for whatever reason, we kindly ask that you refrain from contacting us to arrange an alternate pickup. We devote Wednesday evenings to CSA pickups, and after pickups are over we switch our focus to a multitude of other things that we have to do on the farm each week. If you know you will be out of town or will miss a pickup, we will happily donate your share to Lift Up that week.
CSA Shares will go up for sale in February '24!
If you have any other questions, feel free to contact us at info@mountainbluebirdfarm.com
We would love to have you be a part of our CSA program this year!