Here is what we anticipate being in the share this coming week, subject to change. If you have gotten Chef items in jars – please bring them back or leave them in your delivery bin for us to retrieve so Chef can make more. Thanks.
PRODUCE * indicates small share. Produce is from Flores Family Farm (George, Omar and family) Hague, Va.
malabar spinach* – this green does very well in hot humid weather and you will find a lot of recipes for it in Indian, Indonesian and Asian cooking. Try Shawarma greens
Farm to Family/The FarmBus’ role as local food providers is critical, and is likely to become more so during the next few months. Promoting access to local and quality produce is what we do best. In this time of re-localization, and as more Americans are quarantined or practice the recommended social distancing, supply chains will get under stress, people will still need food, and you all are helping fulfill that need. We believe local food is more important than ever with the global threat currently facing our country especially in light of current shortages many of us are experiencing with key items in grocery and big box stores. We are working closely with our farmers and will to continue to provide you with the quality and convenience of local food.
As many of you know, I studied Disaster Science/ Emergency Management at the University of Richmond 2007-09. The key course I took was called “Hazards and Threats of the Future.” We had to pick a topic (mine was famine and severe hunger in the US and western developed countries) and do a 20 year forecast. From all the info I gathered, I predicted a deliberate pandemic to control the world’s growing/over population. I read lots of material on Thomas Malthus and his Malthusian catastrophe mode – it’s worth a look if this kind of stuff interest you. This was the catalyst that led me to start a new business – Farm to Family and the Farmbus. I wanted to create a sustainable food model in case our food supply chain was disrupted or halted all together. Whether a pandemic is deliberate or not, I felt it of the utmost importance to focus on local food supply chains and food security.
We ask you to remain patient, fluid and agile as the landscape is changing very quickly. Our produce and fruit farmers are continuing to plant spring crops, the weather is perfect for strawberries and the bees are busy. Our meat and dairy farmers are occupied with stewarding newborn animals and the herds are enjoying outdoor grazing and sunshine. Luckily local food is not dependent on complex over stressed delivery chains.
After speaking with all our farmers and vendors we are not anticipating any disruptions, it’s business as usual, but as we know, things are very different today than earlier in the week. We are keeping a close eye on the rest of the world as well as what is happening in the US. Our farmers practice, and are certified Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Handling Practices (GHP) by the USDA. These are voluntary audits that verify that fruits and vegetables are produced, packed, handled, and stored as safely as possible to minimize risks of microbial food safety hazards. GAP & GHP audits verify adherence to the recommendations made in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (pdf) and industry recognized food safety practices. Our dairy and meat farmers are subject to USDA testing, inspection and sanitation practices and our vendors are certified thru VDAC and adhere to those regulations. We and all of our farmers are keeping your health our priority by practicing additional sanitation action.
We recommend that you wash down any fruits and vegetables – here is an easy DIY solution to use – and practice good sanitation with any other foods and containers you may be receiving from us.
As of now we are going forward with next week’s shares, and if there are any changes/modifications. we will let you know. We recommend social distancing like you would anywhere else in public at our group pickups.
At this time we are not anticipating delays to our March 31st start. We are in contact with Eastern Market and our drop sites. If you want to switch over to home delivery, let Suzi know. We will continue to do our best to get your food to you in a timely manner. If you have questions, concerns or would like to brainstorm with Mark, please email or call him directly at 804-397-7337. We would encourage more than ever share our services with friends/family, strangers, neighbors and co-workers!
We will get thru this together. If we need to modify things or any sudden changes come about we will let you know as quickly as possible and again we ask for your patience as we navigate this together.
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 Today — Don’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)
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
Hi members, We are so excited to start our Fall CSA next week. Below is a preview for what’s in the share this week. Remember this is what we think you will get, it may switch around, and I will post any changes on our Facebook page.
Polyface turkeys – Its time to reserve your turkey for the holidays. Turkeys are $5.75/lb and are available in 12-14 lbs, 14-16 lbs, 16-18 lbs and 18-22 lbs. You can order your turkey and pay $20 deposit thru your dashboards. After ordering,email what size range you want, and if you want it Thanksgiving week or before the winter holidays, and we will do our best to match you up. Balance will be due upon delivery (we will email you with balance due amount.) I will also have other holiday meats available: pork, lamb, beef and bison roasts/lamb/leg etc. We can also get oysters/clams. Email me with your interest.
Let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Happy Cooking!
Joel Salatin from Polyface Farms
Produce
watermelon radish – These are so pretty! watermelon radishes are an heirloom variety of the daikon radish. Packing vitamin C, fiber and potassium, watermelon radishes infuse any boring green salad with their hot pink hue. Here are some recipes.
Meats
2 bison steaks – Here’s a primer on how to cook grass-fed primer – read this before you cook it, especially if you haven’t cooked grass-fed bison before. Make balsamic and herb bison steak salad.
Cheese – hard aged Goat – double goat cheese salad with tomatoes and cukes- you’ll need soft goat cheese also (or just omit), so if in DC, visit Mr Peachy, our Amish farmer friend down the Farmer line at Eastern Market.
Yogurt – How to make Greek style. Here’s a video on how easy it is. I usually line a strainer with a clean tea towel, put it in a saucepan and put the lid on it. You can strain it for a long time, and make yogurt cheese, which you can use in place of cream cheese. Use your left over whey in smoothies, or to ferment veggies with. Pets love it. It is also great to cook with yogurt – I use it to replace sour cream and ricotta cheese in my recipes.
