Red Wagon Organic Farm LLC
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We are now taking memberships for our North Boulder
and
Please read this page
before joining the CSA!
What
is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?
The original CSAs started when members of a community partnered with a farmer. The members share in the risks of the farm by pre-paying for a share of what the farm produces. The farmer benefits by having money to pay for up-front expenses such as seeds, equipment, and labor. The crops are then harvested and divided among the CSA members.
Many CSAs are now a modified form of the original CSAs. The farmer still sells shares, but does not sell all of what the farm produces to CSA members. Red Wagon will sell about 30% of what we produce in 2009 to our CSA members. There is still some risk to the members, but we should be able to fulfill our commitment because only a portion of our annual production will be used for the CSA obligation. It would take a catastrophic event to prevent us from meeting our obligation.
How
does it work?
Our CSA will run for 22 weeks from May 24 through October 21. Each week you will get a selection of amazing certified organic vegetables grown on our farm. CSA members do not choose what they receive in their weekly shares, rather we will provide you with a mix of what is available each week on the farm.
We have two sizes for our CSA shares:
Regular Share $517 (sales tax included) (average of $23/week; feeds 2-4 people)
Large Share $724 (sales tax included) (average of $32/week; feeds 4-6 people)
This year we will have three pickups. You
should make sure that one of these locations will work for you before you sign
up for the CSA. We do not have a
pickup at the farmers’ market in
·
Mondays
in Lafayette from 4-7pm in the
·
Tuesdays
in North Boulder 4-7pm in the Boulder JCC parking lot at
·
SOLD OUT Thursdays in
You can only sign up to pick up from one location. You cannot alternate between pickup locations. You are responsible for picking up your share during this time each week. If you are not able to make it to the pickup, you can arrange to have a friend pick up your share for you. You are also welcome to coordinate with other CSA members to take turns picking up shares.
A number of people have asked if we
will have a CSA pickup at the Boulder Farmers’ Market. We do attend the
farmers’ market on Wednesday and Saturday, but for logistical reasons we will not have a pickup at the farmers’
market in
What
about fruit?
This year we will be offering a fruit share at all three of our pickup locations. The fruit share costs $125 (sales tax included) and runs for 12 weeks and begins in July and ends in October. The fruit share will consist of certified organic fruit mostly from farms on the Western Slope. We will provide delicious fruit grown by Ela Family Farms and First Fruits Organic Farms. Fruit may include: peaches, nectarines, apricots, apples, pears, plums and melons.
Click
below to see what the fruit share received last year:
What
are the benefits of joining the Red Wagon CSA?
When you join our CSA you will know
who is growing your food (us!) and where it is coming from (our farm on
What
should I expect?
CSA members should have a desire to eat and prepare foods they may not be accustomed to and also to change what they eat with the changing seasons. Eating seasonally can be a challenge, but can also provide incredible variety over the course of the year. Wilted greens sautéed with garlic become a staple of the CSA as do many various and wonderful salads. We will provide you with some recipes and we also encourage you to share your favorite recipes with us and other CSA members.
What
will I receive from the harvest?
We have an incredible diversity of produce at Red Wagon. Each season we grow over 100 varieties of vegetables and herbs. The season starts with cool weather crops such as greens, turnips, onions, and peas. Diversity gradually increases throughout the summer, reaching its peak in August and September when we harvest around 25 crops per week! We work hard to provide crops like beans tomatoes and melons that are easy to use and familiar to everyone. Our goal is to find a balance between diversity and familiar foods that make people happy.
These are some examples of what a share could contain at different times of the season:
Sharing
the Harvest
Red Wagon will make reduced-rate CSA shares available to lower-income households in our community. You can contribute towards one of these shares in any amount. You can also contact us if you or someone you know might qualify for one of these reduced-rate shares. Last year we collected $1,638 and were able to offer reduced-price shares to 6 families! A contribution of just a few dollars can go a long way towards helping families in our community. **(Unfortunately, all of our Sharing the Harvest funds for 2010 are already allocated to members who are receiving a reduced-price share.)
How
do I become a CSA member?
Fill out the application. Shares are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Red Wagon Organic Farm
