Posted: 9:57 AM - Mar 20, 2009
From The Winchester Star dated Wednesday 18 March 2009.
Winchester -- Love farm-fresh produce?
Hate gardening, have a black thumb, or just no space to grow your fruits and veggies?
Enjoy the idea of supporting local farmers?
Then Community Supported Agriculture might be for you.
A CSA farm sells shares to customers early in the year in order to pay for the seed and materials necessary for the growing season.
In return, the share buyer receives a bounty of produce once a week during the late spring, summer, and even early fall.
Several CSAs serve the Winchester area, and most, while they do not have organic certifications, use organic farming methods.
Although a CSA requires an initial investment, it can be a frugal option for buyers. They will have a set price for their vegetables and will not be subject to price fluctuations that occur through retailers, according to Kevin Rooney of the Cleaner Greener Foundation CSA.
Also, the food is fresh -- not picked before ripeness and shipped to a store, he said. In terms of quality, "You just cant compare it."
And buying from a CSA helps to keep farming alive. Rooney said that by purchasing CSA shares, you can "create your own local stimulus package by supporting your local farmers."
Local CSAs
Cleaner Greener America CSA. This multiple-farm CSA had 100 shares at the beginning of the year, and about 80 are still available.
Share buyers will receive a box of produce each week from June through the third week of October. A full share costs $572, while a half share is $330.
A full share box, which measures about 9 by 12 by 14 inches, should feed a family, while a half share would be good for a couple and small child, Rooney said.
The farm also expects to have broiler chickens for sale, as well as eggs, with hopes of 75 chickens and 60 dozen eggs being available weekly by June. The chickens and eggs will be sold separately from the CSA shares, he said.
Share pickups will be available at farm locations at 1727 Laurel Grove Road and Agape Christian Church at 199 Agape Way in Stephens City, and Hedgebrook Farm at 688 Shady Elm Road, which is working with the foundation to provide a CSA program at the farm.
Other local delivery locations are available. Call 866-238-0337, or 540-678-1246, or visit www.cleanergreeneramericafoundation.org.
Hedgebrook Farm, a certified grade A dairy at 688 Shady Elm Road, also offers a cow boarding program, in which a customer buys part of the cow and receives the product from the cow (raw milk).
The farm takes care of the cow, too. A one-time fee of $80 is assessed and the customer is charged $84 every three months for one gallon a week. The farms Jersey cows produce high-quality, high-butterfat, high-protein milk, farmer Kitty Hockman-Nicholas said.
Contact the farm at 540-869-4100 or visit www.hedgebrook.com.
At Lei-Kei Farm in Clear Brook, farmer Matthew Burch said the CSA started the year with about 90 shares and has around 20 still available.
The CSA offers only full shares for $500, which will provide buyers with produce for each of 18 weeks from the third week of May until the end of September.
Lei-Kei provides home delivery in the Winchester and Front Royal areas, he said. Call 540-539-1124 or visit www.lei-keifarm.com.
Smallwoods Veggieporium of Berryville offers a full share for $400. About 50 shares are available, said farm representative Mike Burner.
A share buys food for 16 weeks, starting in mid-May. The season will continue longer, if possible, he said.
A share will easily feed a family of four, Burner added.
Pickup will be available at the farm at 11 Lindey Lane in Berryville and a still-to-be-determined location in Winchester.
Contact Burner at 540-664-7524 or his partner Suzanne Smallwood at 540-327-7144.
Shallowbrook Farm in Boyce offers full and half shares for $600 and $400, respectively, for the 20-week season, which will begin in the last week of May or first week of June.
Pickup will be available at the 773 Old Winchester Road farm, and other Winchester-area pickup locations will be designated when share sales are complete.
Shareholders will also be able to separately purchase oriental lilies, farm-raised beef, and brown eggs.
For more information, contact Susan or Eric Keene at 540-837-2381 or visit www.shallowbrookfarmfresh.com.
Echo Ridge Farm near Middletown has eight to 10 shares available for its CSA program.
Echo Ridge, at 620 Chapel Road, will provide produce for 16 weeks from June through October.
Farmer Amanda Rezba said the cost is $500 for people who pick up at the farm and $550 for those who pick up in Winchester. Weekly shares are equal to one-half to one full paper grocery bag of produce, and can feed two adults or a small family, according to the farms Web site.
The farm also works with another local grower to offer a separate, 10-week share of fruit. For more information, contact Rezba at 540-327-6824 or visit www.echoridgefarm.org.
The Haskins Family Farm, of Middletown, is a bit different. Its shares are sold for a calendar year, and customers receive meat, rather than produce.
The farm hopes to sell 10 shares this year -- a regular share, which provides a buyer with one chicken and five pounds of pork each month, or an alternative share, two chickens each month.
A regular share is $567 in one yearly payment or $297 in two payments, Bob Haskins said. The two-chicken option costs $356, or $188 in two payments.
The farms CSA members also get first crack at the farms other products, which include cherries, pears, apples, and eggs.
CSA members can pick up their meats at the 370 Buffalo Marsh Road farm, or at one of the farmers markets the family frequents. Contact Bob or Mary Haskins at 540-869-3795.
Food film series, workshop
If you want to view food, as well as eat it, "The Future of Food" film series might be for you.
The series, to be presented at 4 p.m. April 26 and May 24 in Henkel Hall at Shenandoah University, will feature the films the "Future of Food," "King Korn," and "How to Save the World."
Admission is free and is sponsored by For the Greater Good Inc. Donations are accepted.
Representatives from local CSAs are scheduled to be on hand to talk about locally produced food. Contact Robert Hughes at 540-665-8989 or goinggreen4339@gmail.com.
A Sustainable Gardening Workshop will be offered from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 28, at the log building near Agape Christian Church at 199 Agape Way, through Ecology Action and the Cleaner Greener America Foundation. The free workshop will include seminars on sustainability, water, and weather; soil, compost, and compost crops; diet and grains; seed selection and propagation; and the year-round garden.
To register, contact Jeannette McClellan at 540-678-1246 or send e-mail to mcclellan117@yahoo.com.
Local groups offer frugal food options
By Stephanie M. Mangino
The Winchester Star
By Stephanie M. Mangino
The Winchester Star
Winchester -- Love farm-fresh produce?
 Farmer Matthew Burch waters his watermelon and bok choy plants grown from seeds at his Lei-Kei Farm in Clear Brook last year. His farm specializes in Community Supported Agriculture. He started this year with about 90 shares and has about 20 still available. (Photo by Jeff Taylor) |
Enjoy the idea of supporting local farmers?
Then Community Supported Agriculture might be for you.
A CSA farm sells shares to customers early in the year in order to pay for the seed and materials necessary for the growing season.
In return, the share buyer receives a bounty of produce once a week during the late spring, summer, and even early fall.
Several CSAs serve the Winchester area, and most, while they do not have organic certifications, use organic farming methods.
Although a CSA requires an initial investment, it can be a frugal option for buyers. They will have a set price for their vegetables and will not be subject to price fluctuations that occur through retailers, according to Kevin Rooney of the Cleaner Greener Foundation CSA.
Also, the food is fresh -- not picked before ripeness and shipped to a store, he said. In terms of quality, "You just cant compare it."
And buying from a CSA helps to keep farming alive. Rooney said that by purchasing CSA shares, you can "create your own local stimulus package by supporting your local farmers."
 |
ABOVE:Farmer Matthew Burch displays some of his organically grown snow peas last year on his Lei-Kei Farm in Clear Brook. BELOW: Burch specializes in community supported agriculture and last year delivered his organically grown harvest to some 60 clients. (Photos by Jeff Taylor) |
 |
Share buyers will receive a box of produce each week from June through the third week of October. A full share costs $572, while a half share is $330.
A full share box, which measures about 9 by 12 by 14 inches, should feed a family, while a half share would be good for a couple and small child, Rooney said.
The farm also expects to have broiler chickens for sale, as well as eggs, with hopes of 75 chickens and 60 dozen eggs being available weekly by June. The chickens and eggs will be sold separately from the CSA shares, he said.
Share pickups will be available at farm locations at 1727 Laurel Grove Road and Agape Christian Church at 199 Agape Way in Stephens City, and Hedgebrook Farm at 688 Shady Elm Road, which is working with the foundation to provide a CSA program at the farm.
Other local delivery locations are available. Call 866-238-0337, or 540-678-1246, or visit www.cleanergreeneramericafoundation.org.
Hedgebrook Farm, a certified grade A dairy at 688 Shady Elm Road, also offers a cow boarding program, in which a customer buys part of the cow and receives the product from the cow (raw milk).
The farm takes care of the cow, too. A one-time fee of $80 is assessed and the customer is charged $84 every three months for one gallon a week. The farms Jersey cows produce high-quality, high-butterfat, high-protein milk, farmer Kitty Hockman-Nicholas said.
Contact the farm at 540-869-4100 or visit www.hedgebrook.com.
At Lei-Kei Farm in Clear Brook, farmer Matthew Burch said the CSA started the year with about 90 shares and has around 20 still available.
The CSA offers only full shares for $500, which will provide buyers with produce for each of 18 weeks from the third week of May until the end of September.
Lei-Kei provides home delivery in the Winchester and Front Royal areas, he said. Call 540-539-1124 or visit www.lei-keifarm.com.
Smallwoods Veggieporium of Berryville offers a full share for $400. About 50 shares are available, said farm representative Mike Burner.
A share buys food for 16 weeks, starting in mid-May. The season will continue longer, if possible, he said.
A share will easily feed a family of four, Burner added.
Pickup will be available at the farm at 11 Lindey Lane in Berryville and a still-to-be-determined location in Winchester.
Contact Burner at 540-664-7524 or his partner Suzanne Smallwood at 540-327-7144.
Shallowbrook Farm in Boyce offers full and half shares for $600 and $400, respectively, for the 20-week season, which will begin in the last week of May or first week of June.
Pickup will be available at the 773 Old Winchester Road farm, and other Winchester-area pickup locations will be designated when share sales are complete.
Shareholders will also be able to separately purchase oriental lilies, farm-raised beef, and brown eggs.
For more information, contact Susan or Eric Keene at 540-837-2381 or visit www.shallowbrookfarmfresh.com.
Echo Ridge Farm near Middletown has eight to 10 shares available for its CSA program.
Echo Ridge, at 620 Chapel Road, will provide produce for 16 weeks from June through October.
Farmer Amanda Rezba said the cost is $500 for people who pick up at the farm and $550 for those who pick up in Winchester. Weekly shares are equal to one-half to one full paper grocery bag of produce, and can feed two adults or a small family, according to the farms Web site.
The farm also works with another local grower to offer a separate, 10-week share of fruit. For more information, contact Rezba at 540-327-6824 or visit www.echoridgefarm.org.
The Haskins Family Farm, of Middletown, is a bit different. Its shares are sold for a calendar year, and customers receive meat, rather than produce.
The farm hopes to sell 10 shares this year -- a regular share, which provides a buyer with one chicken and five pounds of pork each month, or an alternative share, two chickens each month.
A regular share is $567 in one yearly payment or $297 in two payments, Bob Haskins said. The two-chicken option costs $356, or $188 in two payments.
The farms CSA members also get first crack at the farms other products, which include cherries, pears, apples, and eggs.
CSA members can pick up their meats at the 370 Buffalo Marsh Road farm, or at one of the farmers markets the family frequents. Contact Bob or Mary Haskins at 540-869-3795.
Food film series, workshop
If you want to view food, as well as eat it, "The Future of Food" film series might be for you.
The series, to be presented at 4 p.m. April 26 and May 24 in Henkel Hall at Shenandoah University, will feature the films the "Future of Food," "King Korn," and "How to Save the World."
Admission is free and is sponsored by For the Greater Good Inc. Donations are accepted.
Representatives from local CSAs are scheduled to be on hand to talk about locally produced food. Contact Robert Hughes at 540-665-8989 or goinggreen4339@gmail.com.
A Sustainable Gardening Workshop will be offered from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 28, at the log building near Agape Christian Church at 199 Agape Way, through Ecology Action and the Cleaner Greener America Foundation. The free workshop will include seminars on sustainability, water, and weather; soil, compost, and compost crops; diet and grains; seed selection and propagation; and the year-round garden.
To register, contact Jeannette McClellan at 540-678-1246 or send e-mail to mcclellan117@yahoo.com.
- Contact Stephanie M. Mangino at
smangino@winchesterstar.com