What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)? In basic terms, a CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the land becomes, either legally or spiritually, a community farm, with the producers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risk and benefits of food production. Members in the CSA farm pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation and farmer's salary. In return, they receive shares in the farm's bounty throughout the growing season, as well as satisfaction gained from reconnecting to the land.
Members also share in the risks faced by the grower such as a poor harvest due to unfavorable weather or pests. The CSA tradition of payment early in the year lets us know our production expenses are covered and that we have a community of members who support our efforts. We are a small farmstead, and we have a limited amount of memberships. Our CSA is not for everyone, so please take the time to read below. We welcome you to come out, by appointment, take a look around and ask lots of questions before you decide.
What we grow for our members!
Late Spring/Early Summer Mixed salad greens, head lettuce, romain lettuce, spinach, kale, collards, pac choi, spring onions, kohlrabi, red and golden beets, broccoli, carrots (orange, yellow, white purple and atomic red), snow peas, sugar snap peas, red or white radishes, shallots and baby carrots and baby leeks.
Herbs Rosemary, sage, thyme, oragano, mint, chive, cilantro, dill, and bay leaf.
Summer Over fourty types of tomatoes (cherry, slicing, paste and heirlooms in reds, oranges, pinks, striped, black and yes, BLUE), onions (red, white and yellow), scallions, garlic, shallots, leeks, turnips, red and golden beets, broccoli, carrots (orange, yellow, white purple and atomic red), sweet peppers (green, red, yellow and orange) Sweet banana peppers, hot peppers and super hot peppers, cucumbers, cantaloupe, watermelon, (red, orange, yellow and white flesh), beans (green, yellow and purple), mini potatoes (red white and purple), fingerling potatoes, Sweet potatoes, okra, summer squash, patty pan squash (white and yellow) zucchini (green and golden), and sweet corn.
Herbs Bay leaf, basil, oregano, parsley, garlic, celery, chive, thyme, rosemary, sage, garlic and lemon grass.
Fall Potatoes (red, white, purple and fingerling), sweet potatoes (red/orange and white), bunching onions, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, mesculin, spinach, pac choi, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, collards, spinach, mixed salad green, winter squash, small “pie type” pumpkins, turnips, red and golden beets, carrots, red & white radishes, swiss chard, summer squash, and turnips.
Herb Members sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley, dill, oragano, rosemary, cilantro, and lemon grass.
Benefits of Joining Practically Organic CSA More than just vegetables! All of our vegetables and eggs are grown right here on the property or within 11 miles on our leased property, using modern horticultural and agricultural techniques by using only organic certified chemicals/pesticides/fertilizers, NON GMO seed and NO artificial hormones for our chickens. Not only do our methods provide fresh vegetables and eggs pack full of flavor. Our methods are better for the environment then most commercial farms. We are not organic certified and in my humble opinion, Organic does not go far enough. By using sustainable, organic agriculture combined with some forward thinking, we can produce safe and healthy vegetables for both human consumption and imposing minimal impact our environment.
Our food has not travel hundreds of miles from the corporate fields, thus, reducing overall fuel consumption, traffic and pollution. By supporting a local CSA (ours or another); you support your local economy too. I know these are small steps when looking at the larger picture, but if we all do our part, we can make a difference.
Our members receive fresh vegetables and eggs (egg shares availble with veggie share only) every week once the season starts, reliable pick up times (even when the roadside stands and farmers markets are closed). Plus, you are able to “dig in our dirt” if you have the urge, then feeding the weeds, not so fresh veggies and bugs to the very happy hens.
We are dependable and deliver the same day each week Unlike roadside stands or the weekend farmers markets, we deliver even if it rains. We have some basic delivery times to Annapolis, Arnold, Bowie Crofton, Glenn Burnie and all areas of Washington DC. Please see the drop off tab above for more details.
You have a say in what we grow, maybe...NO PINEAPPLES, PLEASE When you sign up, there is an area to list some specialty items that you might like to have grown. I cannot guarantee any items, but I will do my very best to accommodate your requests. Factors will include if the vegetable grows in our area, if the seed is obtainable and the cultural requirements are manageable. If you have a special occasion this season and need (6) dozen ears of sweet corn or a large amount of pumpkins, let us know when you send in your membership, we can usually accommodate if within reason or a small fee may be required. We also have tomatoes and peppers by the bushel and an overflow cart for extra vegetables to our members at a very low cost or sometime even free.
Cost savings to you The cost for 5 to 10 different types of vegetables each week starts at $30.00 per week (with discounts), per share. Seriously, you can’t beat that when a gallon of gasoline costs how much per gallon or a morning cup of cofffee? Ask yourself, how much does a dozen ears of corn or a watermelon cost July 4th weekend or a so called “fresh” bunch of carrot or radishes from California cost these days? Please remember, these are minimum amounts of vegetable per week and the larger the harvest, the better the value. Please compare, we know our prices are the best around and our qualit, service and communication, will keep you coming back year after year. We are not a huge farm thus, we are able to control/manage all aspect of our operation, keeping our overhead low and quality high.
You do not have to volunteer Most CSA have a “volunteer of time” requirement that makes it mandatory for its members to perform labor on the farm. We do not require this; however, we will have a signup sheets for those who really want to get connected with the food they eat. Gardening is a great way for us adults to relieve stress, stay in shape and get in a little bit of sunshine. It is also a great opportunity for our children (I have three daughters) to build self-confidence, build a lasting relationship with Mother Nature and learn by doing with hands on “digging in the dirt”. We have plenty of tools and a cooler full of cold drinks always on hand. In addition, our Happy Hens are very friendly an extremely entertaining. We also have a few mini horse along with few other farm animals on the property as well. Typically we have the first Saturday of the month reserved for our members to come out and get dirty.
Egg Shares for 2012 With the purchase of a vegetable share, you are also entitled to purchase our highly sought after egg shares. Each egg share is for one or 1/2 dozen of our fresh chicken eggs each week. Our Department of Agriculture License Number is MD995. Anyone selling eggs must have one, and if they dont have one, you could put you and your family at risk...Our eggs are truly free range; because our hens are pastured daily. Our old fashion methods keep our hens happy and healthy while keeping them safe from the local predators like the local fox and hawks. Our eggs come in a wide range of sizes and colors from white, all shades of brown and even a few bluish/green eggs. We give you a nice mix of colors and sizes (mediums to super jumbo/double yokes) of eggs each week with your egg share purchase.
Working with Mother Nature I want to reiterate that we use environmentally friendly horticultural practices for raising our vegetables and chickens. We rely on honey bees to ensure adequate pollination, earth worms turn the recycled organic matter into valuable nutrients that the plants can absorb, lady bugs and other beneficial insects eat the “bad” bugs so our organic insecticide use is reduced. This is more than just purchasing vegetables from a local farmer; it supports a global mindset with respect to our-selves, and what we put into our bodies. Our produce has been grown in an manner of with promotes utilization of recycled organic materials (primarily ground leaves, soy-based new print, coffee grounds, and others), dehydrated organic manures, and the use of beneficial insects and bacteria’s to combat insect pests and disease. The vegetable seeds that we use are primarily organic certified but some seed is not. We DO NOT plant any GMO or round-up ready seeds, tubers or plants. Again, we are NOT organic certified, nor do we claim to be. Again, our CSA is not for everyone. Come out and take a look around before you decide, please email to set up an appointment. We are practical and organic.
LOCATION & EXPERIENCE Conveniently located between Edgewater and Davidsonville Maryland on Route 2, between the two ends of Old Birdsville Road. I have made my living in the horticultural industry for the past 17 years. In addition, most of our land is capable of being fully irrigated with modern water saving practices and with proven horticultural methods that are unique to our CSA; we can consistently produce much more food per square foot then most commercial farmers.
WHAT IS IN IT FOR YOU The Practically Organic CSA 38 week season will run each year from early March to Mid-December, consisting of thirty-eight (38) weeks. Each week you will receive a hand-picked selection vegetables harvested at peak ripeness. As crops rotate throughout the season, weekly shares will vary by size and type of produce, reflecting the stage of the growing season and conditions Mother Nature sends our way. It is difficult to say exactly what is in a box each week since Mother Nature has the ultimate say. This season we will grow over 50 vegetable varieties, 50+ heirloom tomatoes, 15+ types of peppers and about a dozen herbs. We will include at least 5 to 10 different items each week in your share per week. We also have some cut flowers (sunflowers, gladiolus, cosmos, dahlia and more) for a very small fee, grown by my daughters.
Photographs by Mary Ann and Shawn Sizer.
