What to Expect when you Pick up your cSA Share, 2021
Hello everyone! I’m Erin, and along with my husband Adam, I am a long-time, full-share, CSA member. I am here to help everyone understand what to expect when you arrive at the farm for your first CSA pick-up.
The first things you should do to prepare yourself for your first CSA pick-up actually happen before you even arrive at the farm. Jen sends out an email (through the platform MailChimp) at the start of each week. While you won’t receive a list of every item of produce you’ll be receiving the upcoming Saturday (half the fun is discovering that when you get there!) the email is full of really important news, updates and even recipes. The recipes are always reflective of one or more veggies that were most recently picked up.
When you’ve familiarized yourself with news from the farm, your next step is to gather bags of varying sizes, to bring with you on Saturday morning. I love using large Blue Q market bags because they can be easily cleaned out and hold quite a lot, but any type of large tote bag or basket will work. I also bring several small produce bags for loose items like radishes and salad mix. As the season moves along, I add snips and a jar (for herbs and flowers) and small containers for pick-your-own items like beans and cherry tomatoes. I try and keep my CSA pick-up gear in a bag in my car all season, so I won’t forget anything. I would also suggest bringing a cooler if you’ll be running errands after your pick up, or if it’s a warm day and you want to enjoy a walk around the farm.
With your bags in hand, it’s time to head out to the farm. Enjoy the drive, and remember that Tyringham is a small town, so please respect the neighbors as you drive through the area. When you arrive at the farm you should park on the right side of the driveway. If there isn’t parking there, you can park on the side of the road, being sure to pull off the road as far as possible so other cars may safely pass.
When you walk into the CSA pickup area in the barn, someone will be waiting at the door to greet you and check you in. There will also likely be a large chalkboard at the entrance, and later in the season will offer information about what is in the fields for pick your own, and/or anything else that might be on offer (flowers, herbs, honey, etc).
You’ll move through the CSA site where everything will be displayed, and labeled with its name and how much you can take. Be sure to read all of the signs on the tables and if you have questions, it’s always good to ask, don’t be shy! Also, be sure to check out the Swap Table...here, you can leave a vegetable you don’t want, and/or take something left behind....sometimes, there are even fun swap items like cookbooks!
Lastly, be sure to stop and look around while visiting the farm. Take a walk into the fields, listen to the birds in the trees, experience the beautiful landscape around you. And as you do this, know that this landscape nurtures your soul and your body, and that it is tended by people who care about the land, both its history and its future, and know that to be a Woven Roots CSA member is to be a member of a true community... Welcome.
