barkingcatfarm

CSA stands for “Community Supported Agriculture”.  While there are many different definitions, here are some that best represent what we are trying to do that we’ve “borrowed” from other places:

From <www.sustainableag.net/glossary_a-d.htm>: A nationwide movement linking local consumers and farmers into communities. Typical CSA's consist of a group of consumer shareholders that pay a sum in advance in exchange for a regular selection (weekly, biweekly) of in-season crops produced by a farm.

From <http://www.liveearthfarm.com/> : CSA creates a direct relationship between you and our farm – a partnership, if you will. In essence, it is a mutually beneficial arrangement, where in exchange for your commitment to buy a share in our farm's harvest, we commit to grow exceptionally high quality vegetables and herbs, and deliver a bountiful portion of it to you every week of the subscription term. Become a member of our CSA program and every week throughout the subscription term you will receive a share of fresh, naturally grown, in-season produce and herbs.

Our current Food CSA cost is $10/week and we offer 12 week terms. That means the total cost for the term is $120. We also offer egg shares when they are available. Egg shares are currently $3.75/week or $45 for the term. 

You may mix and match any of the share options.  For instance, if your family eats a lot of produce, you can buy two Full Food Shares for $120+$120=$240 total.  In that example, you will get two, identical boxes of food every week to meet your veggie needs.  Or you can buy a food share and an egg share, which would provide you a package of produce and a dozen eggs each week.  All of the eggs we sell are all true free range, all natural, farm fresh eggs. 

Additionally, Bee Charmer Raw Honey and extra cartons of eggs are available for purchase at the drop location each week. 

Our current subscription term is 12 weeks. We send out renewals to CSA members near the end of each 12 week term.

The contents of your Food or Flower CSA share will vary by season, by time of the year, and by what the weather is doing at the time.  Our crops are all naturally grown. We don't use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. We grow using only organic &   sustainable methods. And we never knowingly use genetically modified seed.  We believe in growing crops in season because they are of better quality, taste better, look prettier, last longer and allow us to properly tend the farm in a  sustainable fashion.

We do plan our crops based primarily on what you tell us you like.  This is part of what owning a subscription share means.  Your input is balanced with what will grow well in our area. 

The volume of food you receive for a food share will vary weekly in accordance with the season. With our current box size, you can expect to receive 4 to 6 different types of vegetables and herbs each week. The volume will be higher in the prime part of the season when the plants are better established than, for instance, in the beginning of the season when the plants are just beginning to produce.  We will offer larger weekly volume subscription shares for future subscription terms as we gain CSA experience.

Your flower CSA share will consist of a seasonally changing bouquet of beautiful flowers. The value of your bouquet will be at least 10% more than your weekly subscription cost.

We are always trying to grow new & interesting crops, and sometimes we will have crop failures, a fact of life with farming.  We will, however, do our best to grow the freshest, naturally grown crops possible as outlined in our seasonal plan.  

We will bring as much extra food and bouquets to sell to the drop spot as possible.  Occasionally we will bring additional food to the drop for you to choose from as an “extra bonus” to your share if you want it.  This will be available at no extra charge to our subscribers. 

For example, you might receive a bunch of radishes in your share.  During the weeks when the radishes are producing heavily, we will bring extra bunches and give you the option of taking a certain amount of extra radishes at no extra charge.

The CSA drop is in Rockwall in the Rockwall County Extension Office parking lot on Friday afternoons.  The drop-off starts at 2:00 PM. We start selling off the truck at 2:00 PM as well. We recommend arriving closer to 2 PM if you want to buy additional food or eggs off the truck. Please call us if you are running late so that we don't sell your CSA share off the truck. 

To get to the drop-off location, you have two options. First, you can take FM549 North from I-30. Immediately after you cross the railroad tracks is a sign pointing to the left for the airport. Turn left on Airport Road. Proceed about 1.5 miles down that road, passing the airport, until you reach the Extension Office. It is on the left (south) & just before a small community garden. Note there are two 90-degree twists in the road with other roads off of them; stay on the main road.  Coming from downtown Rockwall, you can take Washington eastward towards Harry Myers Park. Continue down Washington (which turns into various other roads including Aluminum Plant and Airport Road). Pass Harry Myers Park. The office will be about 1 mile from downtown Rockwall on the right. It's easy to find. Click here for a map as well. The office address is 1350 East Washington and is at the Soroptimist House.  It is a one-story red brick building with a parking lot in the front. The parking spaces are directional, so the easiest way to park is to pull in to the eastmost entrance, the one furthest away from downtown Rockwall.  Also, sometimes parking spaces can be a bit scarce depending on customer volume and the speed with which Laurie checks them out, so please continue to be respectful of your fellow customers when parking. 

If you know in advance you are going to be unable to pick up your share a certain week, for instance you are out of town that week, please let us know that via email or phone no later than Tuesday at 5:00 PM on the week so we can plan our harvest accordingly and minimize waste.  In such cases, you have 3 options.  You can arrange for somebody else to pick up your share, you can ask us to donate it to Rockwall Helping Hands, or you can ask for a credit on your account.

We hope that you will find our crops and the whole CSA experience to be so enjoyable that you will not want to cancel.  And if you find yourself unhappy with the CSA for any reason, we respectfully ask that you call or email us and give us the chance to address your concerns before you make your final decision.  However, if in the end you still wish to cancel your subscription, we will refund the remainder of your unused share.  In this case, please notify us no later than Tuesday at 5:00 PM on the week you wish to cancel in order for the refund to cover that week.  Otherwise, you will receive credit for the remainder of the term beginning the next week.

Prior to the end of the current subscription term, we will publish specifics for the next CSA term to our CSA subscribers.  Current subscribers will be given first option to renew their subscription for the next term.  Then people on the waiting list will be contacted and given the opportunity to subscribe if shares are available.

The waiting list for the Food CSA is very long. We appreciate your support, enthusiasm and patience. We are growing as quickly as we can without sacrificing sustainability and the quality of the food we grow.

Due to our current size and production volume, we are not be able to do additional drops other than the Rockwall drop.  However, as we continue to grow, we will be adding drop locations. 

In order to keep current with the status of the farm, please join our mailing list for news and announcements.  That sign-up form asks for your city as well as your preferred CSA drop off location.  Please be sure to complete these fields when you join the mailing list.  This is very important information that will help us decide on the location of future drop-off points.  You can unsubscribe from the mailing list at any time, and we do not share any of your information with anybody else.

Yes, we will bring extra flowers, produce, eggs, and honey to the CSA drops to sell, first come first served.  But we are not able to take pre-orders.