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CSA Farm Share Get Involved Local Food

Fall CSA Starts 10/1 DC and RVA – Help us Celebrate 10 Years of Local Food!

Our 2019 Fall/Winter CSA season is live for subscription and starts the first week of October running 22 weeks thru the 2nd week of March (includes 2 week Winter Holiday break). We are celebrating our 10 Year Anniversary!!. Sign Up TodayDon’t delay! And please share us with your friends!

Active military/veteran? Use our military discount vs the 10 Year anniversary code. Please email for the code.

THE DETAILS

Subscriptions (descriptions of each share/prices are on the website)

  • Produce/Fruit (will include a few pantry items as the season progresses)
  • Grass-fed Meats
  • Grass-fed Dairy/Eggs (Milk, Butter,Cheese, Eggs, Yogurt)
  • Full Share Package (Produce/Fruit, Meats, Dairy, Loaf of Bread)
  • Pantry – value added items like vinegar, jams, nut butters, krauts, popcorn, grains support our farmers year round as well as small artisan producers.
  • Add ons – eggs and all other dairy items, tofu, bread, certain pantry items, meats, holiday items, etc
  • 1 time shares available for those who can’t commit/have erratic schedules.
  • Partial seasons available for people who may be moving (email for info – don’t sign up online)
  • Holiday break-  no CSA weeks of 12/22 and 12/29, resuming week of 1/5. Your schedule may vary due to your location.
  • Memberships are modular, and flexible with payment plans and vacation holds. Credit rolls season to season.
  • Forms of payment include cash, checks (preferred made out to Farm to Family, LLC and can be mailed or given to Mark), and credit/debit.

DC

  • Starts Tuesday, 10/1 DC Eastern Market; weekly/biweekly; seasonal member fee $100/50*
  • Starts Tuesday,10/8 DC Home Delivery (Capitol Hill 20002, 20003 and Navy Yard); biweekly only, additional $15/time delivery fee charged separately; seasonal member fee $50*

RVA

  • Starts Wednesday, 10/2 Farm to Family/RVA 2817 Mechanicsville Turnpike, RVA 23223; weekly/biweekly; seasonal member fee $50/25*
  • Starts Wednesday,10/9 RVA Home Deliver (within 5 miles of Farm to Family includes Downtown, The Fan, Carytown, Church Hill, Forest Hill, Manchester, Northside, Old Mechanicsville, Ginter Park, Lakeside) biweekly only, additional $5/time delivery fee charged separately; seasonal member fee $25*

*seasonal member pro-rated if you join post-start. Member fee includes everything except cost of food. See Policies and FAQs for  more info. 

Shopping tips: When you get towards the end of the sign up process, you will be prompted to enter in the discount code in a field towards the top and the software will subtract it. In order to find out your price, go thru the process like you are purchasing – when you choose your frequency – weekly/biweekly in the drop down menu – your cost will also adjust. If you leave your cart and come back, make sure to clear your cart to avoid duplicate purcha

Questions? Email Suzi.

Sincerely,

Mark + Suzi

 

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CSA Farm Share CSA/Farm Market Get Educated Get Involved Local Food Recipes

What’s in the Share – Valentine’s Edition – Update on Spring CSA

We hold you dear to our hearts this coming Valentine’s Day, and we hope that eating our food is supporting your heart, and whole body health!  One of the biggest benefits we have heard from our members, is how much healthier they feel by eating local food, and committing to a CSA helps them stay on their food goal track. If you have any success stories you’d like to share with our public, please email them to me (pictures are good too!) Thank you! Don’t forget to sign up for Spring! It starts on Tuesday, March 28.  You can sign up online, or in person at Eastern Market on Tuesday nights 4-7pm.

f2fdelivery bikeWe are super excited about home delivery for our CSA this spring on the Schlep trikes, that he is cutting the delivery fee in half – from $8/time to $4/time.

We also have a 10% discount on the FULL share (produce, meat, dairy, bread) that is paid in full, up front – discount code FULL17 at checkout. 10% discount for active military, or retired veterans (email for code).

We have added another neighborhood drop site, pending 10 members at 23rd Place, E St NE, near Kingman Park. If you have signed up and want to switch over, let me know.

Share with friends and family — if you refer someone and they sign up, it earns you $25 referral reward!

Sign up today!

Email me with questions or concerns.

Happy Cooking! Here is what’s in the share – I see some lovely Valentine’s meals here.

Produce

  • sunflower shoots
  • carrots with tops
  • Wade’s Mill white grits – these are phenomenal, and prized by chefs all over the region More about Wade’s Mill here.  How to make grits without recipe.
  • Romaine lettuce – apple carrot romaine juice
  • bibb lettuce
  • sunflower shoots
  • mushrooms
  • fresh horseradish – this is indeed a treat, and you have not had horseradish until you have had it fresh. It is terrifically aromatic, and it will clear out your sinuses and may make you cry (like chopping onons) so you might want to wear safety glasses and prep in a well ventilated area to avoid tears. (i had a restaurant job once where I wore swimming goggles when I chopped onions). Here are a ton of cool recipes. I like to use a plane zester and grate it into dishes. Fire Cider is also a great way to use it, easy, and not only makes a wonderfully spicy condiment and DIY on trend gift your friends will love,  it helps keeps the cooties at bay (here is another version, called Master Tonic  with video tutorial, that has a much more therapeutic spin on it.)  I try to keep some of this on hand at all times, not just for flavor, but for health. A shot a day.. Another easy favorite is horseradish preserved with vinegar. My dad had horseradish growing in the garden, and along the brook, and I remember he and my mom taking turns grinding it by hand, tears streaming down their face. Then they would put it in baby food jars, and freeze. Then we would have horseradish at every meal – its really good with potatoes, turnip mash, and with meats and eggs! You can easily grind it in a food processor or Vitamix type blender, put into your jars, and top with vinegar. it will stay fresh in your fridge for a long time, but also you can freeze, like my parents did. If you are a Bloody Mary person, this will really take your drinks to the next level. Here’s an easy recipe. Horseradish is, as my dad would say, “good for what ails ya” and just one of the weird folklore things I grew up with that I now find are REALLY good for you. Here’s more info on using it therapeutically from the late, great Dr. Christopher.
  • potatoes
  • leeks – potato leek soup with cheese rinds –  I hope you have been saving your Mt. View cheese rinds. I keep mine in a ziplock in the cheese drawer. They were made for recipes like this one.
  • bok choy
  • turnips – smashed turnips with horseradish

Meat

  • Smoked trout – this makes such a dramatic appetizer, and lovely on a bagel in the morning. Smoked trout and horseradish spread.
  • Sausage Craft Cerdito Sausage – Meant to emulate the flavors of roast Cuban pork shoulder; made from pork, cilantro, orange zest, garlic, cumin and other spices. Savory and warming like the Caribbean sun!  Cuban style sausage and beans
  • Chicken breast – here is an easy way to poach your chicken breast on stove top, perfectly. It calls for boneless, and to pound it, but I used this just fine earlier this week without doing either.
Categories
CSA Farm Share CSA/Farm Market Get Educated Get Involved Local Food Recipes

What’s in the Share: fresh ginger, maple syrup, Wade’s Mill Corncake Pancakes, local hyrdoponic tomatoes and Last week for Patriots Plaza Market

wreath-for-csawareHI Members —

We will have Christmas trees and wreaths this week – If you would like, please email me. Otherwise, it is luck of the draw!

Mark is looking to rent warehouse space in DC 500-1500 Sq feet. email him Mark@thefarmbus.com.

This week will be the last week of our Wednesday Patriot’s Plaza Market and CSA drop. The building has new owners, and we have unsuccessfully been trying to negotiate an affordable rent from them.  We hope to return in the Spring. We will miss all of you, and are so grateful for your support and patronage. Patriots Plaza people will be shifted to the Tuesday, Eastern Market drop, 4-7pm. If you are unable to make this, and have not yet let me know, please do this right away. Thank you for your continued membership and flexibility with this unavoidable situation.

I will be starting a new job this week, my first corporate job in 20 years, so a HUGE life change for me. This means I will be checking emails during breaks on CSA day, and blocking work. If you have an urgent situation on CSA day, please text Mark at 804-397-7337 as I will not be able to check my phone during work except breaks.

This is the last drop of the year for many of you, and we wish you very Happy Holidays. We are grateful for your membership and have loved getting to know you and your family this winter. Next week, 12/20  will be the last drop for most of our weekly folks (put shares on hold if you are traveling!) and then we are on holiday, returning January 3 for all of you.  Everyone is welcome to come next week and shop. If you want to order an extra share of anything, please email me so I can make sure to add you in the count.

Mark will have a truck load of maple syrup, apple butter, Wade’s Mill speciality mixes, honey, our Love + Gratitude jams and other pantry items that make great gifts.

Happy Cooking!

Suzi Lilly

Here’s what is in the share:

Produce

  • young local ginger – I grate this into everything, including salad. 
  • broccoli
  • apples
  • hydroponic local tomatoes (treat!)
  • bibb lettuce
  • sunflower microgreens (treat!) – add them to a salad or sandwich, or just eat them as a snack.
  • Wade’s Mill corncake pancake mix – These are so good! Wade’s Mill, located in Raphine, VA, is 270 years old and was recently sold. We are so glad the new owners are carrying on the stone ground grains and are glad to be able to work with them. Here’s a news story on the new owners with pictures of the Mill. It is a super cool place, and has a neat store, so visit if you are in that area. 
  • Maple Syrup – Southernmost Maple (Mike Puffenberger and family) are in Bolar, VA and also do apple butter, maple sausage and that crazy good BBQ we send you. Mike and his family have been friends with Mark’s family for over 30 years and was one of our first farmers on board the Farm Bus when we started. We are grateful that they saw Mark’s vision and we LOVE what they do. 
  • Onions
  • cabbage
  • potatoes
MEAT
  • Edmonds Farm bison chuck roast – this is a treat. Cook it like you would a beef pot roast. This secret is to thoroughly brown the meat on all sides when you start your prep so it has a nice crust on it – that ensures your meat will be tender, juicy and flavorful.  Here is a beer braised version, with fresh rosemary and thyme.  Chuck roast, whether beef or bison, are one of the most economical cuts of meat, and super delicious. You can modify any beef recipe for your bison. I love to make bison bourgognone also!!! Good luck and enjoy! 
Categories
CSA Farm Share CSA/Farm Market Get Involved

2013 Spring / Summer CSA Farm Shares – Richmond, VA, and Washington, DC

Join Today! Applications now being accepted!

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Strawberries, spring onions, bibb lettuce, apples and more!

We are now accepting applications for the Spring/Summer CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Farm Shares in Richmond, VA, Washington, DC (Capitol Hill at Eastern Market/NW at Maret School) and surrounding areas to start the 2nd week of April running 24 weeks (6 months) through September.

Our CSA Farm Share program is a versatile, flexible program that includes locally produced food options, payment plans, and open enrollment/pro-rated join-anytime membership. Bi-weekly/weekly frequency will vary with location site and interest. Check out our dropsites on this map which include metro DC, Richmond, NoVa, Northern Neck, New Kent, Chesterfield and more. Note that not all sites are confirmed, as we need 10 members per site to make it work, so let us know your interest/commitment ASAP! For more info on our CSA Farm Shares, to download an application and join, visit our CSA page.

BusFarm, our Urban Farm, supplies fresh food for our market and CSA Farm Shares

We work with notable farms/producers like Polyface FarmsMt Vernon FarmsProspect FarmEdmond’s FarmMt. View FarmGoats r UsOld Church CreameryGreen Fence FarmPampatike Organic FarmPromise Land PasturesTuckahoe Lamb and Cattle CompanySausage CraftAgriberry and Twin Oaks along with our own non-profit urban farm and agricultural educational center, BusFarm. Your CSA farm share directly supports BusFarm. See BusFarm in action!

We are EBT, vegan, gluten-free, paleo, WAPF and food allergy friendly. We offer payment plans. Got an issue? Ask us and we’ll see if we can accommodate you!  We donate missed pickups (without prior arrangements) to needy families. You can also sponsor a family for one time, or the whole season. Contact us for info on being a sponsor.

Options include:

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Produce, Dairy, Meats, Soy, Bread and other good foods are available.
  • Seasonal produce – locally grown on small farms with no to minimum sprays, pesticides. Some of our farms have organic certifications, but others choose to grow with organic methods, without certification.
  • Grass-fed/pastured meats like beef, pork, bison, trout, oysters/clams, lamb, sausage, chicken. No hormones, antibiotics and we work with small, humane family farms.
  • Grass-fed dairy with milk, butter, yogurt, cheeses from Mountain View, Goats R Us, Old Church Creamery. No hormones, antibiotics and we work with small, humane family farms.
  • Package — Fondly called “The Whole SheBang” by our long-time members, this includes produce, meat, dairy (including eggs) and bread. Purchase and pre-pay the package, and receive a discount.
  • Bread/Gluten Free Bread
  • Eggs
  • Pizza/Pasta
  • Dog Treats
  • Body Care
  • Soy
  • a la carte items like honey, jam, baked goods, and more are available

Want to see what you might get in your share? Check out these pictures!

Get Involved/Earn Free Food — Be a Drop Site

Farm to Family Farm Share drop on Capitol Hill at Eastern Market

Want to get involved and earn free food by hosting a drop-site at your home, worksite, church or community center? Contact us for more info. Recruit friends, family, neighbors, church members and co-workers to make it happen. Create community! Eat fresh, local, healthy food!

BE HAPPY! EAT LOCAL!

For more info on our CSA Farm Shares, or to download an application and join, visit our CSA page.

Categories
Get Educated Video

Change Comes to Dinner

Change Comes to Dinner is a new book about sustainable food by Katherine Gustafson which was released on May 8, 2012 by St. Martin’s Press. Mark and Farm to Family are featured in Chapter 1. Katherine is a DC based journalist who visited with us in 2010 a few months after we had started Farm to Family, and traveled to the farms we work with, including Polyface Farm. Katherine also did a YouTube video of her time with us, which illustrates the first chapter of the book including the Polyface bee swatting incident.

Change Comes to Dinner is a fascinating exploration of America’s food innovators, that gives us hopeful alternatives to the industrial food system described in works like Michael Pollan’s bestselling Omnivore’s Dilemma.

Change Comes to Dinner takes readers into the farms, markets, organizations, businesses and institutions across America that are pushing for a more sustainable food system in America.

Gustafson introduces food visionaries like Mark, who turned a school bus into a locally-sourced mobile grocery store in Richmond, Virginia; Gayla Brockman, who organized a program to double the value of food stamps used at Kansas City, Missouri, farmers’ markets; Myles Lewis and Josh Hottenstein, who started a business growing vegetables in shipping containers using little water and no soil; and Tony Geraci, who claimed unused land to create the Great Kids Farm, where Baltimore City public school students learn how to grow food and help Geraci decide what to order from local farmers for breakfast and lunch at the city schools.

Change Comes to Dinner is a smart and engaging look into America’s food revolution. Check out what critics and other writers of the food revolution are saying about Change Comes to Dinner.

You can purchase Change Comes to Dinner at your favorite local bookseller, or online at Amazon.

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