Day 32

CSA start-up Day! Which stands for Community Supported Agriculture, or let me give you my money and we're all going to hope for the best, fingers crossed.  

How it works is, a farmer plans out his season and anticipates what he will harvest. Then he figures out how many units of food he can supply a family or individual with each week during that season. Say it's 100. He opens up 100 CSA Shares for purchase before the season starts. 100 people pay that farmer upfront to get a share of the harvest for that whole season. What this does is gives the farmer capital to purchase seeds and supplies for the season without breaking the bank and provides the share holders with a bounty of the freshest, in season, produce every week.

Vidalia Onions

Some Farms operative and rely heavily on CSA's. Ours also sells to restaurants and at the farmer's market, but CSA is where it's at for Burge, muy importante. We had around 80 people sign up for shares, which is down from last year, I hear.

There is also a level of risk sharing in a CSA, and between you and me...I didn't think we'd make it. We've been selling a lot to restaurants and haven't left much for CSA. Right now we are in an in between stage when crops are thinning out and when the new ones are producing. Last year they didn't have enough so Cory bought from other local farmer's to supply the boxes, but you have to see that coming well before the day you deliver. Also an email goes out to the members telling them what's included in their box and recipes, so if you change something, they need to be notified.

And I'm low-key, chill, farmgirl ain't scared, until you tell me 5 people are on their way and we don't have their boxes together at all or enough turnips and kale to fill the ones tomorrow while murmuring it'll work out let's listen to some music. Music? Will the music magically make enough vegetables for 80 boxes of food? Will music help my pending heart attack? Will music...

What just happened I blacked out. Okay, so today was a little rough, but I'm going to trust that tomorrow will all work out and try this optimistic approach. Speaking of the up side, I'll be getting my veggies tomorrow as well!

Side story: these are some preserves chef Andrew (Burge's chef) canned last year with the interns.  They canned strawberry preserves, spicy catsup, sundried tomatoes and spicy pickles :)  Makes me one happy girl!