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Birdsong Farm Ohio: CSA Information

2013 CSA Shares

In 2013 Birdsong Farm will offer a 21 week C.S.A. season, which will begin the week of May 19th, and will run through the end of October. There will be a three week hiatus to the CSA season during the first three weeks of July. In addition there will be a 7 week "post season" C.S.A. offering to run weekly in November and December, until Christmas. A limited number of these shares are available.

Birdsong Farm is USDA certified organic through OEFFA, certification #1754. Birdsong Farm is owned and farmed by Matt Herbruck.

Small Share ($365)--The family share is designed for an individual or a family of two or three and will include approximately $17-$20 worth of fresh, seasonal organic produce each week.

Large Share ($585)--The standard share is designed for families of three or more, and will include approximately $28-$30 of fresh, seasonal organic produce each week.

Post Season C.S.A. ($110)--In the post season your share is likely to include such cool weather and storage crops as kale, chard, spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, potatoes, onions, garlic, winter squash, turnips, carrots, dry beans, and others. You are, of course, invited to sign up for both an in season share and the post season. However, there will be fewer post season shares available overall.

The dollar value examples for the weekly shares are simply meant to give you a rough idea of how much produce you get. During times of bounty in the season the shares are considerably larger than these estimates. However, in farming there are risks, and inevitably there will be a very few slim weeks. I am confident that you will find at the end of the season that your share was money well spent.

Picking Up Your Shares

There are four ways to receive your weekly C.S.A. share. Part of the fun of a C.S.A. is getting to know the farm and the farmer that produces your food pickup. For this reason, we encourage you to pick up your weekly share at our farm in Hiram Twp on Wednesdays from 1:00pm - 6:00 PM. However, many people have busy schedules that might prohibit an on farm pickup. To accommodate for this, you may choose to pick your share up at the Haymaker Market, a farmer's market in Kent on Saturdays from 9:00 A.M.--1:00 P.M., at the Birdsong Farm produce booth.

Also, you may pick up at the Chagrin Falls Farmer's Market on Sundays from 10:00 A.M.--1:00 P.M. at the Birdsong Farm booth.

In addition we will provide a delivery service to Hudson on Wednesdays at 5:00 PM. This pick up will be at the parking lot of Christ Church Episcopal on Aurora St.

Please understand that you'll need to choose just one of these options.

The pick up options for the post season C.S.A. are here at the farm on Saturday afternoons or at the Kent Winter Market at the Junction, 211 Cherry St. in Kent, on Saturday mornings from 10:00 A.M.- 1:00 P.M.

How to Reserve a CSA Share

Membership spots will be filled on a first come, first serve basis, so sign up early by returning the enclosed Member Registration page. Current members have an exclusive period in which to renew membership, until February 11th.

After February 11th, new members may sign up for any shares that may still be available. Come to this page to find the CSA application form.

Thank you everyone! Our 2013 season memberships have sold out completely. As always, I appreciate your continued support. CSA members please contact Matt to get on the CSA email list, if you are a new member or your email address has changed.

CSA Produce for 2012

The following is a partial list of produce which might be included in your share, as well approximate seasonal dates. 

	lettuce (eight varieties)                  May-Nov.
	salad mix                                  May-Dec.
	greens (arugula, kale, chard, etc.)        May-Dec.
	peas (shell, snap and snow)                May,June
	spinach,                                   May, June, Oct-Dec.
	potatoes (six varieties)                   June-Dec.
	misc. root crops (radish, beets, turnip)   June-Dec.
	cucumbers                                  June-Sept
	tomatoes(heirloom, hybrid, cherry)         July-Oct
	peppers (hot and sweet)                    July-Oct
	Eggplant                                   July-Sept.
	zucchini & summer squash                   July-Oct.
	beans                                      July, Aug., Sept.
	herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage)     July-Oct
	herbs (basil, parsley, cilantro, dill)     July-Nov.
	onions (green and storage)                 July-Dec.
	garlic (six varieties)                     July-Dec.
	cut flowers                                July-Oct.
	cabbage (red and green)                    Sept.-Nov.
	dry beans                                  Sept.-Dec.
	winter squash                              Oct.-Dec.

This is not meant to be a complete list of produce, only the ones that come to mind. You may likely find some other more exotic things in your weekly shares, possibly including shiitake mushrooms, escarole, radicchio, specialty eggplants, melons, and more. Absolutely 100% of the items in your share are grown by me and my small crew on my farm In Hiram Twp. It is all USDA certified organic. We buy nothing from other farms to supplement our shares.

A Note about Reusable Boxes And Bags

Those of you who know me most likely know that I am passionate about environmental issues. One way we seek to lessen our impact on the planet is to utilize reusable produce boxes and cotton produce bags to package the CSA shares. Last season, this system really came into its own, and I was able to reduce the overall plastic bag use of my farm business by almost 60%. Reusing boxes and bags takes a bit of a commitment. You will need to return the bags and boxes regularly and care for them while they are in your possession. I will wash the bags as needed, but many of my regular customers pitch in and wash them as well. At the pickup, many people choose to transfer their share from the box I provide into their own cloth type shopping bags so that they don't have to worry about returning it the following week. You are welcome to take the box with you, just make sure to bring it back the following week.

I am very thankful that so many people are willing to make this effort to reduce waste and conserve resources. We will always be on the lookout for ways in which we can preserve and protect the environment.

A Note about the Hiatus

Last year, 2012, was the hottest year on record. The warming of the planet is affecting many aspects of our lives. I have found over the last few seasons that reliable production of a wide variety of food crops is very difficult in midsummer at this latitude. In an effort to keep your weekly shares interesting and bountiful I feel the need to begin to shift away from midsummer production. Thus we'll begin a few weeks earlier than usual, in May, which has become a very nice month for growing. And we'll take a break for three weeks in July, resuming again the week of July 21st and continuing weekly until the last week of October.

Weekly Contact

Last season due to the tremendous assistance of a CSA member, we began weekly e-mail contacts for the membership. These were simply brief farming updates and information about what might be in the shares that week, some nice recipes, and the occasional photo. We will be doing more of that this year, and I encourage your participation in the exchange of recipes and other food-related ideas. Much of the weekly updates will be on our new website, birdsongfarmohio.com.

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