CSA

Blue Heron Farm 2016 CSA Shares
18 weeks of Fresh, Local, Organic Food at an Affordable Price!

Download 2017 Blue Heron Farm CSA Brochure

How does a CSA work?

In a CSA, community members pay for their season’s produce (a share) upfront in the spring, and receive fresh, seasonal, certified organic produce throughout the harvest. In farming, most of our costs of production are incurred in the spring, with seed purchases, seedling production, and soil preparation. In a CSA, members of the farm help out by helping the farm pay for some of these upfront costs.
This is a mutually beneficial relationship between you, the member, and us, the farmers. In return for your help, we provide you with great organic produce at a lower than market price, as well as the opportunity to know where your food comes from, to know the people who are raising your food, and the opportunity to be able to ask questions about your food and see where it is grown. While a share entitles you to the bounty of the harvest, it also means a share of the risk. On occasion a crop may fail due to weather, pests, disease, or other conditions beyond our control. As a CSA member, you share the risks of farming with us, your farmers, the way it should be in a local food economy.

When does it happen?

The CSA will run for 18 weeks, from early June until October. Members pick up their weekly share on Monday nights from 4-6:30 PM at BHF in Grand Isle.

Dropoff/pickup sites  can be arranged in Colchester at Fort Ethan Allen, Burlington, UVM Med Ctr,  or Plattsburgh, NY area. You would need to find 10 or more members that were full/indiv shares to make it work. Instead of us deciding where to drop off, we are putting it out to you.  There would be a nominal fee for delivery along with the share cost. Please call us for more information on possibly delivering to your home/workplace.

What can you expect?

This is just a sampling of the veggies we grow – many of the veggies are heirloom and open pollinated varieties.
Here is a sample list:
June: The first fruits of the season, such as carrots, beets, beet greens, spinach, sugar snap peas, arugulas, lettuce, chard, kale, salad greens, pac choi, bunching onions, & garlic scapes.
July: As the summer heat comes on favorites will arrive, such as squash, zucchini, tomatoes, sungold cherry tomatoes, eggplant, onions, potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, kale, chard, green beans, herbs, red cabbage, broccoli, and limited pick your own flowers & veggies.
August: All tomato varieties, sweet and hot peppers, more potatoes, beans, pears, salad goodies, sweet corn, cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash,ground cherries and onions, cantaloupe and watermelon; garlic, PYO veggies & more!
Some of our Heirloom tomatoes we grow – ready for CSA pickup on  a sunny Monday afternoon.
Sept. & Oct.: Onions, tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, green beans, pumpkins, salad greens, cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, winter squash, and hopefully a second harvest of peas and spinach.  And plenty of other veggies, PYO herbs, veggies, and  flowers throughout the season.

How much is a share?

Our membership prices are based on a sliding scale honor system. We believe people of modest means should have access to wholesome organic food. We also have to make a living ourselves. So, we have three prices for the Full & Individual Share offerings. If you can pay the highest price, please do. If you cannot, then choose a lower option. You also receive a newsletter each week full of recipes and BHF happenings.
*Full Share. This share provides an average of $40 worth of produce per week at market prices (That’s more than $700 worth  over 18 weeks.)
Full Share:  $575/$625/$650
*Individual Share. This share provides an average of $25 worth of produce per week at market prices. (That’s more about $450 worth over 18 weeks.) Individual: $375/$425/$450 
*Salad  Share. This share provides an average of $12 of produce per week at market prices.  This share is perfect for those who want some salad greens, some quick snacking veggies or simple veggies/fruit  that have little fuss.  Salad: $200 
*Prorated Summer Resident Share.  Here for the summer and still want to be part of our farm this is the share for you.  The number of weeks you are here are multiplied by full share cost ($40) or individual share cost ($25) equals the amount you owe.
*During the growing season there are times of adequate and then over the top production – that is just the way the season goes – so there maybe times you maybe going over the average  –  it is not unheard of  to have the option of filling your basket with heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, etc or go pick cherry tomatoes, ground cherries & green beans to your heart’s content. That’s the beauty of being part of our farm -you get to share in the bounty just as much as we do.  There are working shares available for a reduction of $50 per share (work 5 hours a month June, July, August, September).  Limited payment plans are also available. There are supported shares available for folks who financially need help in obtaining a share.  Supported share members pay half the cost and BHF fundraises the other half from the community and NOFA-VT. If you can, please think about contributing to the supported share program.
Blue Heron Farm’s Certified Organic Pastured Chickens & Egg SHARES.
These chickens are a heritage breed from France  (not the Cornish crosses that many producers use) hatched at a small family farm in Pennsylvania. There is more meat all around the bird and the birds are great foragers on pasture and fed only certified organic feed. They taste like what real chickens should taste like. There is a deposit of $50 and then the chickens will be $5.75 lb when they are finished. Shares are 5 or 10 birds or as many as you like – fresh or frozen. The chickens range from 3.5 to 5lbs. Available July-September. Order as many shares as you like. Egg shares are: $90for 18 weeks for 1 dozen a week or 1/2 dozen for $45 for 18 weeks. 
Also available BHF Farm Fresh Milk
Farm Fresh Milk is available from our two sweet pastured family cows Annie and Maggi . $5 per half gallon.
Add some bread to your share:
This year we have partnered again with Wally’s Place to offer weekly deliveries of fresh artisan bread with your share. Wally’s Place is a small bakery in South Hero that specializes in New York Style Bagels, fresh yeast and sourdough breads, desserts and flatbread pizza.  They currently make many different varieties of bagels, bread,  and French baguettes. A share would consist of one of their sliced bread loaves, a ½ dozen baguettes, 8 bagels, or 2 pizza dough.  Matt has been working all winter perfecting some new breads for you.
Add some salad and dessert:
Our Heirloom veggies have been gracing the yummy creations of Michael Byrne, The Accidental Farmer, for a few years now. The Savory Salad Share: You will receive a savory vegetarian salad made from local and/or organic products each week. Allow your taste buds to savor his Asian Coleslaw, Mediterranean Chickpea or Cold Noodles with Sesame Dressing and other delicious salads. Salad & Dessert Share: In addition to your salads, you will receive fresh baked dessert. Enjoy desserts like his Double Lemon or Strawberry Oatmeal Bar, Lemon Poppy Seed or Blueberry-Lemon bread.

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