Extra veggies were offered for the taking at Simply Grande Gardens CSA. Photo by Jean Ann Pollard. By Jean Ann Pollard From 1995 to 2005, my husband, Peter Garrett, and I ran a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) garden in Winslow, Maine. Once a hayfield, our land was perfect for growing vegetables: It was flat, cleared
Weaving Direct Connections Between Producers and Consumers by Mary Dickinson Bird What wool producer wouldn’t rejoice at the thought of a secure source of cash up front to support production costs, a guaranteed market for fiber after shearing or processing, and even, perhaps, free labor during the farm’s busiest seasons? Such are the benefits of
by Elizabeth Henderson Elizabeth Henderson gave the keynote speech at MOFGA’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Conference on Feb. 21, 2009. Henderson is a CSA pioneer, farmer (at Peacework Organic Farm in Newark, New York) and author of Sharing the Harvest: a Citizen’s Guide to CSA. I am delighted to be in the People’s Republic of
New potatoes are featured in a Maine Nicoise Salad, which includes other CSA fare: fresh lettuce, marinated yellow beans, cherry tomatoes, eggs and tiny boiled Maine shrimp – all decorated with a few nasturtium flowers. Cheryl Wixson photo. by Cheryl Wixson As cool spring nights give way to longer, warmer days, my taste buds anticipate
Definitions Land trusts are non-profit organizations that protect land directly by buying it, accepting it as a donation or acquiring a partial interest called a conservation easement that allows the land trust to protect the conservation values of the land forever. Land trusts have taken up where government left off preserving land, largely in the
Elizabeth Henderson talked about the community organizing that goes along with CSA farms. She is shown here talking with MOFGA-certified organic farmer Allan Smith. By Jean English Variations on the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) theme were highlighted at MOFGA’s Spring Growth Conference in April. Community Supported Agriculture involves customers who buy shares in a farm,
Collective Advice Nathanial Thompson feels that, after three years, the Full Plate Farm Collective is becoming a solid venture. “There are so many things we learned along the way,” he says. Here is some of his best advice for those who might like to try a collective venture. • In a cooperative venture, growers have
by Alison LePage If you asked me five years ago where my food came from, I probably couldn’t even tell you what state it was grown in, much less the actual farm that produced it. But when my husband and I left “big city living” and moved to Maine in 2002, something changed in the
CSA Farms Grow Beyond Summer Veggies by Jean English Pete Johnson of Craftsbury, Vermont, and Jeff and Amy Burchstead of Wiscasset, Maine, described their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms at MOFGA and Cooperative Extension’s Farmer-to-Farmer Conference in November. Working with horses at Buckwheat Blossom Farm. Photo courtesy Jeff and Amy Burchstead. The Burchsteads of Buckwheat
Photo: Hope’s Edge Farm Almost 1% of Maine families are getting summer produce from Community Supported Agriculture farms (CSAs). “A lot more would like to but don’t know how to connect,” said Russell Libby at a MOFGA-sponsored talk at the Maine Agricultural Trades Show in January. To inspire others to start such farms, Tom Griffin
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