Holiday Break

Greetings!

 

The CSA Team will be out of the office from December 23rd, 2011 through January 3rd, 2012.

We are still accepting application for our upcoming CSA seasons.  If you have not seen what excitement is in store for 2012 check out our posts:

WINTER CSA

SPRING/SUMMER CSA

 

See you in 2012!

 

 

 

Spring/Summer CSA Shares – Early Signup Now Open

A Shared Health: Certified Organic vegetables, fruit, flowers and medicinal herbs – good for the environment, good for you.

It might be hard to imagine but our famers are already gearing up for the upcoming year of growing.  Reserve your share in their harvest by selecting one or more of our delicious produce packages.  It’s easy to maintain your healthy diet with our remarkably fresh, organic vegetables, available in two sizes: full and half.  Berries, tree fruits and melons, if the weather is cooperative, will be plentiful and are planned as the tasty accents to weekly deliveries when you participate in the Fruit Share.   For the nose and eyes the Flower Share brings you a bouquet of captivating scents and colors.  With the Community Supported Medicine (CSM) share, LFFC member farm, Lancaster Farmacy will supplement your well being – from herbs and teas to salves and tinctures – this small share packs a wealth of health.

The bounty of the summer growing season lasts for 25 weeks.  During this time you will likely come across varieties of produce that are common and strange.  Some of the familiar items will taste like new because of the care with which they are raised.  Once a month a member farm (75 small family farms and growing!) will host a picnic open to all CSA shareholders.  These picnics are a core element of our mission, to maintain the bond between farm and consumer.

When you choose to eat locally and organically you choose to live mindfully – sharing the health.

 FULL VEGETABLE SHARE:

$700.00 for 25 weeks ($25.00 Early Sign-up Discount Before 2/3/2011)

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HALF VEGETABLE SHARE:

$425.00 for 25 weeks ($25.00 Early Sign-up Discount Before 2/3/2011)

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FRUIT SHARE:

$200.00 for 22 weeks

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FLOWER SHARE:

$260.00 for 20 weeks of:

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COMMUNITY SUPPORTED

MEDICINE (CSM) SHARE:

$180.00 for 12 weeks

Full Vegetable Share – Weekly

(May – October, 25 Deliveries)

 

If you want to experience the great diversity of vegetables available in the Mid-Atlantic region this is the share type for you.  We love growing and experimenting with the more unique varieties and we hope that you are equally as enthusiastic.  But don’t be mistaken, the cooking staples like onions, garlic, zucchini and tomatoes are just as exciting to us.  Furthermore, our produce is more delicious than you can find in the store for two reasons – the Certified Organic methods we practice, and the quickness in which we deliver the produce to you.  Why is organic more flavorful?  Because when plants defend themselves from pests and climate (rather than depend on chemicals) they develop strong immunities – which translate into a robust array of vitamins and minerals.  Those nutrients, once a plant is harvested, slowly diminish.  Since we deliver the produce within a day or so of harvest, the nutrients will be at their peak availability.

Suitable for families and culinary enthusiasts.

$700.00 ($25.00 Early Sign-up Discount Before 2/3/2011)

25 weeks, 7 – 12 items

(subject to seasonal availability)

Half Vegetable Share – Weekly

(May – October, 25 Deliveries)

The Half Vegetable share was created to strike a balance for those who typically cook two or three times a week and those who prefer the traditional kitchen staples.  These items are the same size and quality as what is included in the Full Share.  There’s only one difference: the quantity.  Each week brings 4 – 9 types of produce including Lettuce, Cabbage, Onions, Beets, Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Potatoes.

Suitable for small households and students

$425.00 ($25.00 Early Sign-up Discount Before 2/3/2011)

25 weeks, 4 – 9 items

(subject to seasonal availability)

Fruit Share – Weekly 

(June – October, 22 Deliveries)

Every month has its fruit and you will discover all the many varieties summer conjures.   Early season favorites include strawberries, blueberries and cherries.  As the summer turns hot and dry the climate is primed for watermelons and cantaloupes.  When we approach autumn, pears and apples will be coming in by the bushel.   We source the fruit from our member farms, as well as local and regional partners.  All fruit is either Certified Organic or raised using the environmentally sensitive IPM (Integrated Pest Management) standard.  Occasionally, when production is low, the fruit share includes jams, ciders and fruit butters – all crafted locally.

$200.00

22 weeks, 2 – 3 items

(subject to seasonal availability)

Flower Share – Weekly

(June – October, 20 deliveries)

The beauty of summer blooms in bright colors and delightful scents.  Bouquets are assembled at several of our member farms using fresh cut flowers.  Varieties include but are not limited to: Echinacea, Zinnia, Celosia, Mexican Sage and Golden Rod.  A perfect addition to your living environment.

$260.00

20 weeks, 1 Bouquet

(subject to seasonal availability)

Community Supported Medicine (CSM) – Bi-Weekly

(May – October, 12 Deliveries)

Each share will contain two to three fresh herbs and/or prepared products. Shares will also include information about the plants, along with medicinal usages and remedies for keeping you and your family healthy throughout the year. Items in shares will vary with the seasons. In the summer, shares will include several bunches of fresh herbs with recipes for making beneficial teas with herbs like chamomile for calming, lemon balm for energy, and hyssop for colds. Later in the fall when our harvest is slowing down, you will receive prepared medicinal products to expand your herbal medicine cabinet with things like tinctures for boosting immunity, tonics for aiding digestion, salves and oils for all purpose skin healing and herb infused bath salts for relaxing aching muscles.

$180.00

12 weeks, 2-3 items

(subject to seasonal availability)

The Winter Share – Full Details

Even in the winter: Supporting Local, Sustainable and Organic is possible.

Introducing – Our first ever Winter Share!

Beginning the week of January 16th we will deliver 10 weeks of our Winter Pantry Share to your nearby pick-up location.  Not only will you continue to receive our fresh and nutritious vegetables (5-9 in-season items) but you will also have a weekly or bi-weekly installment of Dairy, Eggs, Pantry and Vegan options.  Additionally, shares of Grass Fed Beef and Pork, Chicken and Bread may be reserved for an added value.  Not to be forgotten, our full array of Buying Club products will also be available.

Eating locally is now more accessible in the winter than ever!

WINTER PANTRY SHARE:

$350.00 for 10 weeks of:

Vegetables  –  Dairy – Eggs  –  Vegan Products

FURTHER INFORMATION:

 All categories are either subject to the seasonal availability OR a la carte.  Seasonal availability means you will receive items that are the most fresh and also most plentiful to us.  A la carte means you will have the choice to select your item.

Produce – Weekly

(subject to availability)

 As temperatures drop so does the variety of vegetables available in our climate zone. But, rest assured, the earth still has plenty of bounty.  Some crops are hardy enough to survive without any assistance.  Others are sheltered in passive solar greenhouses which have been winterized to insulate them better.  Here are some items from the local, seasonal harvest that you can expect.

• Micro Greens
• Baby Greens – Kale, Spinach, Lettuce, Collards and Mustard
• Root – Carrots, Turnips, Beets, Radishes
• Potatoes – Yukon Gold and Sweet
• Jerusalem Artichokes

Dairy – Weekly

             (select one item each week)

Featuring a wide variety of dairy (and Non-dairy) items, this category has a selection for everyone.  The milk is coming from grass-fed cows and goats.  For those in Pennsylvania we offer the unpasteurized goodness of raw milk.  If you love the rich complexity of yogurt you will surely enjoy the offering from Seven Stars Farm in Plain or Vanilla flavors.  Butter made the old-fashioned way can sometimes put a welcomed emphasis on a dish and that’s exactly what you can expect from Natural by Nature.   Our animal products are sourced locally from our trusted producers while we have selected the best nationally recognized vegan options available.

 Dairy

Product:	Size:	Source:
Whole Milk, Cow, Raw, Certified Organic (Pennsylvania only)	64oz	Dutch Meadow
Whole Milk, Cow, Pasteurized, Certified Organic	64oz	Natural by Nature
2% Milk, Cow, Pasteurized, Certified Organic	64oz	Natural by Nature
Whole Milk, Goat, Raw  (Pennsylvania only)	64oz	Dove Song Dairy
See below for Non-Dairy Milk
Yogurt, Cow, Plain, Certified Organic	32oz	Seven Stars Farm
Yogurt, Cow, Vanilla, Certified Organic	32oz	Seven Stars Farm
See below for Non-Dairy Yogurt
Butter, Cow, Salted, Certified Organic	1lb	Natural by Nature
See below for Non-Dairy Butter
Cheese, Cow (styles subject to availability)	8oz	Hope Spring, PA Noble, Green Acres
Cheese, Goat  (styles subject to availability)	8oz	Dove Song Dairy, Misty Creek, Apple Tree
See below for Non-Dairy Cheese

Non-Dairy

Product:	Size:	Source:
Almond Milk, Plain, Certified Organic	64oz	Blue Diamond
Almond Milk, Vanilla, Certified Organic	64oz	Blue Diamond
Rice Milk, Plain, Whole Grain, Certified Organic	32oz	Good Karma
Coconut Yogurt, Plain	16oz	SoDelicious
Buttery Spread (contains soy)	15oz	Earth Balance
Shredded Cheese, Cheddar (soy-free)	8oz	Daiya

Egg or Tofu – Bi-Weekly

(select one item every other week)

In the cold of winter nothing quite surpasses the simple pleasure of an egg -  fried, scrambled or hardboiled – from a pasture-raised chicken.   These eggs are especially nutrient dense because they come from hens that are allowed to forage on several acres of our member farms.

If eggs aren’t your thing then opt for the tofu which is locally produced by Fresh Tofu, Inc. in small batches and, as the name states, very fresh!

Product:	Size:	Source:
Egg, Chicken, Pastured	1 doz	LFFC member farm
Tofu, Certified Organic	15.5oz	Fresh Tofu, Inc.

Pantry – Bi-Weekly

(subject to availability)

Created by our in-house processing facilities these staples of the cupboard are the perfect additions to your meal.  Using family recipes, all these products utilize the local and sometimes regional surplus of the summer growing season.  * All Pantry Items Are Vegan

Product:	Size:	Source:
Jam, Blueberry / Red Raspberry / Strawberry	8oz	Oakview Acres – LFFC member farm
Applesauce, Certified Organic	32oz	Bowman Mountain Applesauce Company – LFFC member farm
Applesauce, Cinnamon, Certified Organic	32oz	Bowman Mountain Applesauce Company – LFFC member farm
Apple Butter	8oz	Oakview Acres – LFFC member farm
Sauerkraut, Certified Organic	32oz	Oakview Acres – LFFC member farm
Relish, Hot Pepper, Certified Organic	8 oz	Oakview Acres – LFFC member farm
Horseradish, Certified Organic	8oz	Oakview Acres – LFFC member farm

ADDITIONAL PACKAGES:

While the standard share is a great foundation for pulling through the winter, there are more local products to round-out your one-of-a-kind CSA.  Whether its non-GMO fed Beef, Pork and Chicken or hand-made breads – these shares will complete your meal.  All packages are available for an additional cost

 Beef & Pork – Once Monthly

(subject to availability)

When it comes to meat we take the same care in raising our cows and pigs as we do for our vegetables.  The beef will be from Angus breed cows that have been grass-fed and grass finished.  They graze on local pastures and have not been given any hormones or antibiotics.   Our pork comes from heritage breed hogs and will  include chops, sausages and kielbasa which are sure to impress your tongue and your nose.  During the season you may anticipate 3 deliveries of 4-5 select cuts of Beef and Pork.   All charcuterie items are free from: artificial preservatives, artificial additives, nitrates and nitrites. Examples of meat share items and weights, listed below.  * A Pork-Free option is available

• 2 Packages Ground Beef – 2 lbs.
• 1 Package Beef Cubes – 1 lb.
• 1 Package Pork or Beef Sausage – 1.1 lbs.
• 1 Package Beef or Pork Roast – 3-5 lbs.

$150

To be delivered weeks 3, 6 & 9

Grass-Fed Steak  – Once Monthly

(subject to availability)

The Grass-Fed Steak share is a premium array of cuts.  It will be delivered the same frequency as the other meat shares (once a month) but will include just steaks.  An example of one delivery would be:

• Delmonico – 2 pack (Average weight: 1.2 lbs.)
• NY Strip – 2 pack (Average weight: 1 lb.)
• T-Bone OR Porterhouse – 2 pack (Average weight: .75 – 1.25 lbs.)
• Sirloin – 1 pack (Average weight: 1 lb.).

$225

To be delivered weeks 3, 6 & 9

Chicken – Once Monthly

(select one item for entire season)

Heritage Breed Chicken  -  Our featured whole chickens are the heritage breed, Freedom Ranger, which will come in 4.5 – 5.5 lb. weight.  The Freedom Ranger is known for its superior taste – a favorite of gourmet chefs, especially in France where the breed originated before being localized by Lancaster County farmers.  They are different from conventional chicken breeds because they were not bred to grow quickly.  For this reason they are well-adapted to natural, free-roaming foraging systems which are utilized on our farms.

$60

To be delivered weeks 3, 6 & 9

Bread –Weekly

(subject to availability)

Using organic, locally sourced and milled wheat, plus all organic ingredients, each week will feature a different style of bread hand-made nearby in the city of Lancaster by A Loaf of Bread Bakery.  Rustic French, Italian, Multi-Grain & Sour Dough are just some of their hearth-style varieties offered.  The dough is their specialty and it takes 2-3 days to mix, ferment and bake each loaf.  The final weight will be one pound.

$48

Weekly

Click Here to Sign-up!

It’s Spring!

Hey guys, guess what? It’s spring!

I’m admittedly terrible at keeping this blog updated, but I do believe it’s time I throw in another entry. The eve of our sign up deadline for the first CSA share of the season is upon us. I must first say how excited I am for our 2011 program! It’s gonna be friggen amazing! We’ve taken very seriously the feedback we received from our members last season, and I certainly think we’ve come up with some changes that should satisfy most every preference. While you can’t pick each item you’ll receive in your share each week (sorry, kids, that’s still up to me), I have thought alot about how I can make everyone happy. This year our half share will offer more basic and recognizable items…staple items is what I hear them referred to most often. Half shareholders will get plenty of green lettuce, yellow onions, red tomatoes, and orange carrots this year.  Full shareholders are in for the produce surprises of their lives. We’ll be delivering some unusual and heirloom varieties of all kinds of veggies in our full shares this season. If you purchase a full share, you might also be pleasantly surprised with some local organic fruit from time to time.

We’ve teamed up with our Buying Club Coordinator, Rick Shirk this season to make sure all of our shareholders have access to every kind of food one might need for a week of cooking. Look on our online store for all kinds of grass fed meat and poultry, raw and antibiotic free dairy items, pastured eggs, organic prepared items and tons and tons more. I freakin love our buying club, and order from it weekly. Before I discovered the buying club I was spending some major dough on organic food at the grocery store and I am cheap, something I consider a virtue, especially in this less than stellar economic climate. CSA is a great way to get super fresh food at a super affordable price. The buying club allows me to get everything else I need too, so I can save on gas and skip the grocery store. It’s a win-win deal, fo sho.

CSA folks can also expect a re-vamped newsletter that will include updates from both the CSA department and the buying club. Our dairy, meat and egg buyers will update us with new products they’ve found and inform our readers on the strict animal husbandry standards that all LFFC farmers adhere to. Our buyers do a great job ensuring that the animals are treated with dignity and allowed to live according to their natural tendencies, something I believe is so critical when considering the great sacrifice they [the animals] make in allowing us to feed our families.

I’m approaching my eighth month of employment with LFFC. The CSA team has been hard at work all winter promoting our CSA program and informing more people on the great food we have to offer. One of my proudest accomplishments has been to establish the LFFC Fresh Food Fund, something our farmers have wanted to do for quite some time. Contributions to the fund help to subsidize CSA shares for low income families. I truly believe that the food raised by LFFC farmers, free of chemicals and added hormones, is food that is a right, not privelage. Everyone is entitled. No one shoud see a family member suffer from the countless diseases that so much research now points to as food related. Cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity just name a few. By supporting LFFC and our mission to support local farmers, the local economy, increase fresh food access in low income neighborhoods and combat diseases that are so prevalent in our communities is a couragous act. From all of us here at LFFC, thank you to those who have chosen to do business with us and allow our cooperative to thrive. It’s true when I say we aren’t your typical business, or even your typical co-op. We’ve got bigger things to do than the same old thing everyone else is doing.

If you haven’t signed up for your 2011 CSA share, please do so! I’m looking forward to an amazing 2011 season.

Until next time!

Evan Elizabeth Miller

Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative

Change

So, it’s been far too long since I’ve updated. If you’re like me, you were really enjoying that brief taste of spring we had last week. Now it’s back to a little bit of winter for another few weeks. The good news is we have only a hop, skip and jump until it really is spring and fresh veggies will be on the way again. I was thinking today how funny the seasons are, always changing and bringing new things. The same can be said for people too.

If you don’t know the face behind the LFFC blog, I’m Evan, and I began managing the Community Supported Agriculture program around Labor day of 2010.  I took this job, hoping to stop the change I saw in the rural community I grew up in in Chester County, PA. Since I graduted high school in 2003, I’ve seen at least 50% of the farmland in our little town disappear. In it’s place are housing developments, Wal-Mart and noise. Fortunately, the farm my family has owned since 1798, and the place I credit with giving me so many wonderful foundations for living a happy life survives. Until I started working at LFFC, I always had a slightly negative view of change. Change meant growing older (and looking it), people moving away, and places I love being altered forever. While these things still trouble me (the looks thing not so much anymore, I promise!), I’ve come to appreciate the positive aspects of change in these last few months. The most important change happening within myself.

Although I grew up on a farm and within a rural community, I still led a life disconnected to my food like so many others. I always knew how special farming is, to the livelihoods of everyday people, and because my farm connected me to the family members who sacrified to achieve the American dream, and make a better future for me and my four siblings. Ask any small farmer what farming means to them and I’ll bet 95% will tell you it means family. That’s the answer  I always receive when I interview LFFC farmers for our newsletters.

You might be thinking why I’d possibly feel disconnected to food if I grew up on a farm. Unfortunately, my family isn’t in the produce business, and I don’t think my parents thought much about local produce. Because of this, I will admit, I didn’t really think about or care where my food was coming from.  So like many of you who are/were new to CSA, I didn’t know what the heck a romanesco cauliflower or cherokee tomato was until I was 25 years old and decided to try my hand at growing food. Previous to this, I’d learned a lot about organic and sustainable agriculture through college classes, and the information opened my eyes and started me thinking about what I really wanted to do with my life.

Fast forward 2 years, and I’m back from college in my hometown. Around this time I’d been doing some outreach work for a local ag group and I’d been pretty committed to bringing local produce back to our area. I thought who better to do this than me? Someone who happens to have a farm! So last summer I sold my first years harvest at our new local farmers’ market. The discovery of new vegetables, and getting to watch the plants grow from seed to fruit was pretty awesome. I can’t say it’s exactly like what I’d imagine seeing a child born is like, but it had a similar effect (I think). I found myself the proud new mother of 100 heirloom tomato plants, 1/4 acre of red leaf lettuce, 6 rows of english peas, 2 rows of Seneca Red Indian Corn, 50′ of rhubarb, and tons of asparagus plants that will be ready for enjoyment in the next year or two. My customers at the farmers’ market were proud of my children too, as they faithfully reported each week how much they enjoyed trying my black krim and green zebra tomatoes and how my read leaf lettuce was their absolute favorite, EVER.

I was happy to discover this same experience when I came to LFFC. I heard from so many shareholders who wanted me to tell our farmers how much they enjoyed a particular item. I recognized the happiness the farmers felt when I delivered the positive messages. I also heard from others how sad they were that they didn’t know about all the diverse kinds of food that were out there before. Others said how special it was to be able to share such a precious experience with their children, who were now drawing pictures of the vegetables that showed up on the kitchen counter each week. You can’t get the produce grown with love by LFFC farmers at the grocery store. If you haven’t signed up for a 2011 LFFC CSA share, I’d encourage you to give us a try this year. Not only will you eat healthier, but you will be part a community movement that supports our neighbors and strengthens families.

CSA changes people. I’m proof.

Until next time!

Evan Elizabeth Miller – Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative

We Can Not Live on This Earth Alone

Check out  this video from LFFC board member and farmer, Aaron Zook of Riverview Organics. Everyone here at Lancaster Farm Fresh, including our farmers and staff, greatly appreciate your commitment to supporting our work to make organic foods available to all members of our community.

http://vimeo.com/17440024

A few comments from our General Manager, Casey Spacht…

“This is a prime example of a young farmer that has benefited from your support of our co-op. We hear this over and over again about how we are keeping our farmers on the farm with their families doing what they love. We really value the trust you have given us to grow food for you and your family. We look forward to the day when the children of our communities will not have to be raised in a toxic world….” –  Casey Spacht

4 Season Harvest Brings CSA Shareholders Fresh Food Year Round

We recently conducted our end of year 2010 CSA survey, and one big question we wanted an answer to was how many of our members knew about, and were using the 4 Season Harvest Buying Club to supplement their shares each week.

A summary of what the 4 Season Harvest buying club is…

4 Season Harvest is an online buying club, and is the sister program to the CSA program here at Lancaster Farm Fresh. The goal of our CSA program is to bring our shareholders the highest quality, certified organic produce to shareholders when it is locally available. One great service we can provide our shareholders is the opportunity to participate in our 4 Season Harvest buying club during the CSA season and during the off season throughout the winter. 4 Season Harvest allows customers to purchase other types of items they may not receive in their CSA share such as grass-fed meats, pastured eggs, hormone-free dairy, gluten-free bakery items, prepared items, juices, honey, syrup and lots of other items that one would need in addition to vegetables and fruits.

4 Season Harvest delivers to nearly all of our CSA pickup sites, and the items you order online through our website will be delivered weekly with your CSA share. For 2011, 4 Season Harvest will arrange standing orders, so you can arrange for regular 4 Season Harvest deliveries with your CSA share. If you don’t participate in our CSA program, fear not, 4 Season Harvest deliveries are available to anyone who’d like to place an order. If you have more questions on the program, please visit our 4 Season Harvest buying club page on our website, www.lancasterfarmfresh.com. Our 4 Season Harvest Manager, Rick Shirk, is also available to answer any questions at 4seasonharvest@lancasterfarmfresh.com.

CSA vs. Grocery Store

How does the price of a CSA compare to shopping for organic produce in the grocery store?

Our DC shareholders sent over this question, and I’ve turned to some help from the folks at the Sustainable Agriculture Research Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The full report is posted below. A note from me, though. We believe Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA shares include the highest quality, Certified Organic produce available. Our Full Share cost in 2011 is roughly $28.00 per week and will include, on average, 10 items per week. This works out to about $2.80 per item, per week. I’d encourage all of you to visit your local Organic Grocery Store and add the costs of ten vegetable items. You’ll probably be surprised to find that the cost is equal, and in some cases more. Not to mention, you’re not guaranteed local and extremely fresh produce in the average grocery store.  What’s worse is the markup on produce in a typical grocery store can range anywhere  from 50% to 150%.

We thank all of our Shareholders for their commitment to purchasing local, sustainable and Certified Organic produce through the Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative CSA Program.

CSA: More for your money than fresh vegetables (Research Brief #52)

Posted January 2001

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms provide their members with more than fresh produce. CSA farms engage their members in agriculture through newsletters, farm celebrations, and you-pick days. Some CSA members may realize significant financial savings, as well.

CSA farmers in Minnesota and Wisconsin wanted to find out how the cost of a CSA membership compares to retail prices for fresh produce. John Hendrickson and Marcy Ostrom, researchers at the UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS), compared CSA produce prices to those at several other retail outlets. Hendrickson and Ostrom also surveyed CSA members for two years.

CSA: one choice of many

The researchers collected price information on the vegetables delivered by the three CSA farms for 13 weeks of the 1996 growing season. Each week, they recorded the type and quantity of produce delivered by each farm. They then traveled to each retail market to collect and record the prices for those items.

The study compared similar, but not necessarily identical, foods. Hendrickson made a few substitutions, such as green leaf lettuce for red leaf lettuce. When an item was unavailable and a substitution could not be made, Hendrickson averaged the prices at those markets where it was available. Substitutions and averaged prices were used more frequently for the grocery store and supermarket because they carried a more limited variety of vegetables.

Not all produce in this study was local or organic.

• CSA produce was local and organic but it was not certified organic in all cases.
• Farmers market produce was local and certified organic.

All produce from the retail food cooperative and natural foods store was organic and approximately 75 percent was local.

• Grocery store produce was not local or organic.
• Supermarket produce was not organic and only occasionally local.

Price comparison

The three CSA farms delivered over 60 different types of vegetables, fruits and herbs averaging eight items each week. Membership fees for these farms ranged from $306 to $415 for 22 weeks.

Table 1 (below) shows the average price per delivery that members of each CSA would have paid for similar food at the other markets. The shares provided by the three farms had relatively similar market values. This table also shows the price differences between the various markets. The natural foods store was consistently the most expensive place to shop. The supermarket featured the lowest produce prices.

If the monetary value of optional produce had been included in these price calculations, the cost of CSA membership would compare even more favorably to produce prices at other sources. However, not all CSA members took advantage of special offers. Fruits and vegetables that were unique, seasonally abundant (like green beans), or appealing to a limited number of people (like hot peppers), were often delivered separately.

CSA 3, which appeared to provide the poorest dollar value, held free you-pick days almost every Saturday. The value of this additional produce was not included in this study. Given the high value of some of the items, the total value of the food was significantly higher than shown in the tables.

Table 2 (below) shows how the CSA membership fees compared with produce prices at the five other outlets. For each CSA, the average delivery value was multiplied by the total number of deliveries. This figure was subtracted from the membership fee. Positive values indicate how much more, and negative values how much less, a CSA member paid relative to the other options.

Without including extras and you-pick produce, CSA provided a better dollar value in six out of 15 cases. CSA 1 accounted for four of these six cases. The produce delivered by CSA 3 could have been purchased more cheaply at all of the other outlets. But members of all three CSA farms enjoyed benefits like convenient neighborhood delivery sites and informational newsletters.

Many benefits of a CSA membership cannot be quantified. The member survey indicated that CSA members highly value extras such as you-pick days, whether they take advantage of them or not. Other members place a high value on neighborhood delivery sites where they can walk to pick up their produce. People also look forward to the weekly newsletters describing life on the farm and providing vegetable recipes and information.

The value of food

“While many people base their food purchasing decisions firmly on price and appearance, some people are willing and able to pay more for food believed to be healthier and safer,” says Hendrickson. Many members feel that CSA produce is fresher and better tasting than what they find in supermarkets.

CSA members directly influence their food supply and contribute to the local economy. With a CSA membership, people are not just buying produce: they’re making a commitment to support a farm, farmer, and farm family. Members assume a portion of the risk of farming: in good years there will be bounty and in poor years smaller harvests.

Farm production costs, which are passed on to CSA members, influence the price of CSA membership. Larger, more mechanized farms often have lower production costs, and these savings can be passed on to members. But some CSA members think that it is easier to build close relationships as members of a smaller farm.

Long-distance produce

Hendrickson says that the modern food system tends to bypass local farmers and misleads consumers into believing all foods are naturally available throughout the year. At the supermarket in June (the peak season for peas in Wisconsin), he found shrink-wrapped snow peas flown in from Costa Rica. He also found tomatoes from Holland available at the grocery store through the summer.

Year-round availability of fresh produce is an important difference between CSA and the typical food shopping experience. Hendrickson observes that long-distance produce incurs hidden costs. Commercial fruits and vegetables are bred, grown, harvested, and packaged for long distance shipment and shelf life, not taste and nutritional value.

True costs and hidden costs

On a CSA farm, members share the full costs of food production and local, sustainable agriculture. The CSA movement aims to educate consumers that supermarket prices do not reflect the real costs of our industrial agricultural system. These costs include packaging waste disposal, soil erosion and groundwater contamination, pollution caused by long-distance transport, and fair farm labor wages.

Hendrickson points out that government subsidies for road and water systems favor the industrial food system. Such subsidies help keep food prices low, even as the real costs to produce, process, transport, and market food increase. Wisconsin fresh-market vegetable farms struggle to compete in this system and its tendency to offer competitive advantages to large-scale industrial-style farms.

Table 1: Average market value per CSA delivery*
	CSA 1	CSA 2	CSA 3
Farmers market	$14.95	$15.22	$14.75
Food cooperative	$17.24	$18.10	$15.94
Natural food store	$18.75	$19.04	$17.87
Chain grocery	$14.97	$16.76	$15.52
Warehouse supermkt.	$11.84	$10.87	$10.25
* These values do not include produce delivered as optional extras by any of the CSA farms or produce picked by members at regular you-pick days at CSA 3.

Table 2: CSA produce cost compared to other markets*
Based on a 13-week comparison. Positive values show how much more, and negative values show how much less, a CSA member paid for produce relative to the other outlets.
Farmers mkt.		Co-op	Nat. food store	Grocery	Supermarket
CSA 1	-$52.80	-$107.76	-$144.00	-$53.28	$21.84
CSA 2	$55.16	-$8.20	-$28.88	$21.28	$150.86
CSA 3	$90.50	$64.32	$21.86	$73.56	$189.50
*These values do not include produce delivered as optional extras by any of the CSA farms or produce picked by members at regular you-pick days at CSA 3.

Published as Research Brief #52
January, 2001

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College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Copyright © 2010 Board of Regents, University of Wisconsin.

Talking turkey.

Many of our CSA shareholders chose to purchase a Thanksgiving turkey through our online buying club, 4 Season Harvest. I thought I’d tell you a bit about LFFC turkeys, how they are raised and where they come from.

First, a bit about our 4 Season Harvest buying club. If you’re not aware of this program, you’re in for a pretty awesome surprise. 4 Season Harvest offers our CSA shareholders an opportunity to purchase supplemental items in addition to their regular CSA share delivery each week. This includes dairy, meat, egg and grain items as well as prepared foods. Your order will be packed and delivered on the same day your CSA share is delivered each week. If you’d like more information, visit the 4 Season Harvest section of our website, www.lancasterfarmfresh.com or e-mail our 4 Season Harvest Manager, Rick Shirk at 4seasonharvest@lancasterfarmfresh.com.

Kevin Tucker, Lancaster Farm Fresh Meat Buyer purchased all of the Certified Organic turkeys sold for our customers this Thanksgiving. The turkeys came from three farms, Springwood Organics, Spring Water Organics and Windy Hollow Organics. All of our Certified Organic turkeys are a breed called White Broad Brested and are raised without the use of hormones, and given only Certified Organic feed.  All of our Certified Organic turkeys spend their days on pasture and are confined only at night for protection against predators or in cases of inclement weather. In the future, Kevin hopes to be able to offer our customers more heritage breed turkey options, so look out for them around holiday time in December!

If you’ve chosen to purchase a turkey from Lancaster Farm Fresh I certainly hope you enjoy it! To all of our CSA Shareholders and loyal wholesale customers, we wish you and your families a peaceful and happy Thanksgiving!

As always, I thank you for your support of our cooperative!

- Evan Elizabeth Miller, Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative

How LFFC works (and what we want to do)…

We’ve had a lot of questions lately, in reference to how our Cooperative CSA works. We are certainly a unique CSA in that we are not distributing products off of one farm, but through a network of 75 farmers. So how does this network make decisions and operate effectively?

One of the main ways our farmers keep in contact is through yearly meetings where a variety of issues and topics are discussed. Recently, the 2011 farmer membership meeting was held where all of the member farmers, and those interested in becoming members, met to discuss current issues and make leadership decisions. During the meeting, the staff had a chance to introduce themselves and explain their roles at the cooperative as well as the things they hope to accomplish in the coming year. The board members also had a chance to explain the history of the co-op, when and where it began, to members interested in joining. The existing members also held an election, determining who new board members would be for the upcoming term. This meeting is truly held in a democratic spirit, and all of the staff were happy to be able to witness some of the action.

Lancaster Farm Fresh also holds several board meetings throughout the year, where board members make operating decisions and listen to the feedback of member farmers. Some of the more exciting meetings are the crop planning meetings. This is when decisions are made about what varieties of vegetables and fruit will be planted to serve our wholesale and CSA customers. The CSA team is planning many exciting suggestions for next years fruit shares, and the farmers are planning to plant a vast array of new and exciting heirloom vegetable varieties.

The upcoming 2011 season at Lancaster Farm Fresh promises to be one of great growth and exciting improvements. We want to make a difference in the world, improve our broken food system, and serve others in our community. We are so excited to be a part of the local foods movement, and  it is our hope that we will change the lives of our farmers by allowing them to be economically viable. By doing this, we can provide nutritionally dense, organic foods to the families who participate in our CSA program here at LFFC. For all of those who read my regular blog posts, thank you! Your support of our cooperative will make the change we want to see in the world a reality!

Until next time!

Evan Elizabeth Miller, Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative