Farms, shoppers team up
Most people who shop at local farms say they buy weekly amounts of fresh produce because it tastes great.
Valencia resident Gretchen DeLucia is the only one who said a groundhog was a motivating factor.
After the critter got into her garden, DeLucia had a need for fresh veggies. That and a high school paper her daughter wrote about locally grown food convinced her to start subscribing to a community supported agriculture program.
Community supported agriculture, or CSA, is a practice in which people pay farms directly for a share of crop. Either through delivery or pickup, subscribers get a mixture of fruits and vegetables on a weekly basis.
The programs are gaining popularity, something farmers and customers attribute to a growing concern for local agriculture and a desire to introduce farm life into hectic family schedules.
Nicki McGee of Pine Township, Allegheny County, got her CSA orientation last week at Harvest Valley Farm in Middlesex Township.She signed up to support local farmers, but also for her family."I wanted to introduce the kids to the farm. They're here now somewhere, running around," McGee said."You get produce that's absolutely fresh, nutritious. It hasn't been covered with (chemicals) and it hasn't been sitting somewhere for days," said Joan Perquin of Seven Fields, who also recently joined the CSA program at Harvest Valley.She and about 70 others subscribe to the farm's CSA program, which has been running for five years. It is one of two CSA farms in Butler County, the other being the Silver Wheel Farm in Marion Township.There is also a program at Kretschmann Farm outside of Zelienople, in New Sewickley Township, Beaver County. And although it is not a CSA program, Frankferd Farms in Clinton Township delivers farm products to customers.
A CSA requires more planning than a trip to the supermarket, and can average more than $400 for 20 to 25 weeks of vegetables.It can require working with neighbors to figure out a drop-off site, or volunteering to work on a farm.At the Harvest Valley Farm, two or three people would pay $410 for a tray of mixed produce each week for 24 weeks, from mid-May to mid-October.There are usually two required crops to pick up each week, then a choice of five from more than 20 varieties.There are larger and smaller subscriptions depending on how many people are being fed.A week's supply in June might include a head of lettuce, a pound of sugar snap peas, a bunch of radishes, a quart of strawberries, a bunch of broccoli, a head of cabbage, a bag of spinach and a pound of shell peas.Customers say although it seems like a lot of money, it is also a lot of food."The second year I did this, I wrote down everything I got for what I paid. It's surprising, but financially it's a good deal," said Karen Fabian of Ross Township, Allegheny County, who has been going to Harvest Valley Farm for three years.At the Silver Wheel Farm, a subscription appropriate for two people is $260 for 20 weeks and includes half of a grocery bag of produce. A full subscription is $410.But Silver Wheel requires more than money. This year, each able subscriber puts in three hours of work each month.
That might include pulling a row of weeds or picking vegetables, said Lori Sands, who owns the farm with her husband, Ben Shaevitz."It's not really that much, but it gives you a sense of being part of it," she said, admitting she lost a couple subscribers because of the rule.Kretschmann Farm customers pick their produce up at an agreed-upon drop-off site, such as a business or a customer's garage.The farm offers about 35 types of produce for 25 weeks between June and November, and customers get what is available.The produce is packed and delivered each morning four days a week.At Frankferd Farms, a food supplier and flour mill in Clinton Township, consumers can pick up or even have delivered a myriad of products coming from about 120 food suppliers — most of them in the tri-state area.Food for pickup from the warehouse on Saxonburg Boulevard is ordered by e-mail, phone or fax a day in advance. There is no minimum order for pickup."You can send us an e-mail looking for two jars of peanut butter, a loaf of bread or some items like that, and come and pick it up," said T. Lyle Ferderber, who has been in the milling and farming business for 28 years.Although it is usually for people outside the county, home delivery is an option. There is a $225 minimum order before food is delivered. Sometimes large families or groups of neighbors go in on a delivery, said Ferderber."It's the creation of a community. The farmers and the plants and the eaters — this pulls it all together," said Sands.
For farmers, coordinating a CSA takes time.Each method of contact comes with its own challenges, producers say."(Farmer's markets) can be tough, because it could be hot, or rainy, and the kids want to leave, or there just isn't enough time to get out there," said Don Kretschmann, co-owner of Kretschmann Farm. "People today are busy.""Instead of picking everything, putting it in the truck and taking it all down to market, you have to do weighing, bagging, labeling and writing the newsletter," Sands said of running her CSA.CSA customers typically get a newsletter, which lists the produce available that week and can contain recipes and other news.Some farms also offer special products from time to time, where everything from poultry to eggs to flowers are available each week.One of the key things to starting a CSA is variety, said Art King, co-owner of Harvest Valley."People want a lot of different things. That's what I've talked about with other farmers who want to start one up," King said.Harvest Valley has about 70 people who pick up food at the farm, and another 50 who subscribe to two drop-off points in Pittsburgh.Variety is also key for Sands, because if one crop fails she still needs to provide something for subscribers.
Her farm is in its second year and serves about 20 subscribers."There is a risk there," Sands said."If we have a drought, like last season, you might not get any eggplant or you might get beans later than you thought," she said.Her customers understand they only get what grows successfully that season, she said.Kretschmann said he was skeptical at first. "My customers talked me into it. I thought there was no way it would work," he said.Now the CSA program has completely replaced his practice of selling at farmer's markets.
Kretschmann did not say exactly how many CSA customers his 80-acre farm provides for, but he said it was more than 200."I thought farmer's markets were way more convenient for customers, because they got to pick out exactly what they wanted," he said."But I'm surprised how many people like not having (as many) choices. … They say it's like Christmas in summertime.""Plus, they can cook with items they usually would not buy," he added.
