Hello Heron Pond Farmers!

It's a big week for the start of our 2010 season. Two CSA fairs are taking place and we could use your help. Who better to reflect what its like to be a Heron Pond Farm CSA member then our very own shareholders. If you can find some time to join us at either of the fairs please let us know. Saturdays fair will be at the Wentworth Greenhouses in Rollingsford NH. Sundays fair will be at the Tannery in Newburyport MA. Many people new to CSA will find your help crucial in making a decision as to which program will fit them best. We know that our program is more complicated then the simple “box CSA,” so help explaining how it works for you would be great.

For those of you wishing to dance your booty off and help out farms to boot, there is the second annual “Funk the Farm” event. Funk the Farm will take place at Mission Oak Grill on Friday Feb. 26th 8:00 pm! Come dance the winter chills away!

If you are looking to check on the status of your membership you can do so through our new member status page. By putting in your e-mail address in the status page you can find out if you are registered, your pick up day and location, the type of membership, and your balance.

We have two partnerships to announce. Eastmans Local Catch CSF and Lasting Legacy Farm will both be working with Heron Pond Farm. You can now get your seafood shares at any of our pick up locations. Just register with Eastmans on there website and let them know you are a Heron Pond Farm Member. We will make sure that your food makes it to your pick up location. Lasting Legacy offers meat shares and we will be able to offer them to our Dover, Portsmouth, and of course now at Lasting Legacy Farm in Barington. Register at their site and let them know you are a member of Heron Pond Farm. Folks at the farm stand will still be able to get meat from our partnership with Kelly Brook Farm.

As we gear up for our spring membership drive we would like to remind those with us in the past that it is time to resister for the 2010 program. There are about 20 families from past years that we thought we might hear from by now. Because we believe in the CSA, we want you to have the experience that you are looking for. To that end we would like to hear from you if you will not be joining us again. First so we can grow and change to be a better CSA for more folks. But just as importantly, if we know of a program that is more along the lines of something your looking for, we would like to point you in that direction. Many of our farmer friends run their CSA's different then we do. If we can match you up with one of them we would rather you do that then give up on CSA's. Of course we think that the community has done a great job turning us in to the best program around and we are very excited about the coming year. Our members have given us a lot of great feedback to work with. The 2010 program looks to be the most complete fruit and vegetable share that is out there and you are the reason why.

Here is to a new season!

Andre

I know it is the last moment but Heron Pond Farm is headed over to the Rye Winter Market today. We will be bringing all the great winter foods that you have come to expect from us so come on out to the market. The Market is located at the Rye Junior High, 501 Washington Road in Rye NH. (See map bellow). We hope to see you there as we will be bringing all our CSA registration information for the 2010 summer season.

3/4 lb spinach

1/3 lb mesclun mix

1 bunch Hakurei turnips

2 lbs carrots

1 rutabaga

1 celeriac

4 lbs potatoes or 2 lbs fingerlings

2 lbs onions

1 package italian herbs (From the Herb Farmacy!)

 Enjoy!

The Dover Pick Up Now Has a Location! Caroline George has offered her home at 125 Mast Rd for our weekly share pick up on Mondays from 3:00pm to 7:00pm. We are looking forward to our new home in Dover.

Andre

View Larger Map

Share

"We specifically sought out a farm that promised us local foods throughout the year and Heron Pond Farm
 has done that and promises to do more.  We're excited for next year and the possibility of an even more
 locally sourced diet."----------Tim Fukawa-Connelly

"Heron Pond Farm provides a share you can truly live on!"-------Jerry & Marcy Monkman

"The variety available from Heron Pond Farm is outstanding....our family looks forward to the different 
food each week."----Kim Englehardt

The Summer 2010 CSA has been greatly expanded and shares are available now.  We will update this 
post and the main page banner when the CSA is closed.  To obtain a 2010 CSA registration form follow
 this link: 

CSA Brochure

Or you can register on line using our Member Assembler.  Our Member Assembler allows you to fully 
register for the 2010 CSA including pick up day at the farm stand or pick up location such as Portsmouth 
or Dover.  You can use Google Check Out to take advantage of your credit card or check out without
 using Google and receive an e-mail invoice.  Please pay the deposit to assure your spot in the CSA upon 
receipt of invoice.  While in the Member Assembler be sure to take advantage of adding as many e-mail 
address as you like to receive our updates and share information.

What is CSA?

CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a farmer-consumer partnership. CSA members make a commitment up front to a farm for an entire growing season by buying a *share* in the season's harvest. In return, farmers provide members with a weekly supply of fresh vegetables. CSA members share the risks and rewards of the harvest, acknowledging that production depends on weather and can be affected by unforeseen problems such as pests and diseases. However this relationship extends beyond a simple trade of money and food. In addition to receiving vegetables, members are encouraged to participate in the farm. Come, tour the gardens, get to know the farmers. We want you to be involved in how we do things.

Why CSA?

Heron Pond Farm aims for a 20% return on shareholder investment over the twenty weeks that vegetables are available.

1.   Locally grown food tastes better.

Food grown in your own community was probably picked within the past 24 hours.  It’s crisp, sweet and loaded with flavor.  Produce flown or trucked in from California, Florida, Chile, or Holland is quite understandably much older.  Several studies have shown that the average distance food travels is 1,500 miles in a week long (or more) delay from harvest to dinner table, sugars turn to starches, plant cells shrink and produce loses vitality.

2.   Local produce is better for you.

A recent study showed that fresh produce loses nutrients quickly.  Food that is frozen or canned soon after the harvest is actually more nutritious than some “fresh” produce that has been on the truck or supermarket shelf for a week.  Locally grown food, purchased soon after harvest retains it nutrients.

3.   Local food preserves genetic diversity.

In the modern industrial agriculture system, varieties are chosen for their ability to ripen simultaneously and withstand harvesting equipment; for a tough skin that can survive packing and shipping, and for an ability to have a long shelf life in the store.  Only a handful of hybrid varieties of fruits and vegetables meet these rigorous demands, so there is little genetic diversity in the plants grown.  Local farms, in contrast, grow a huge number of varieties to provide a long season of harvest; an array of eye-catching colors, and the best flavors.  Many are heirlooms, passed on from generation to generation, because they taste good.  These old varieties contain genetic material from hundreds or thousands of years of human selection; they may someday provide the genes needed to create varieties that will thrive in a changing climate.

4.   GMO free. 

Although biotechnology companies have been trying to commercialize genetically modified fruits and vegetables, they are currently licensing them only to large factory-style farms.  Local farmers don’t have access to genetically modified seed and most of them wouldn’t use it even if they could.  A June 2001 survey by ABC News showed that 93% of Americans want labels on genetically modified food-most so they can avoid it.  If you are opposed to eating bioengineered food, you can rest assured that locally grown produce was bred the old fashioned way, as nature intended.

5.   Local food supports local farm families.

With fewer than one million Americans now claiming farming as their primary occupation, farmers are a vanishing breed.  Commodity prices are at a historic low, often below the cost of production.  The farmer now gets less than 10 cents on the retailer food dollar.  Local farmers who sell direct to consumers cut out the middle man and get full retail prices for their food- which means families can afford to stay on the farm, doing the work they love. 

6.   Local food builds community.

When you buy direct from the farmer, you are re-establishing a time-honored connection between the eater and the grower.  Knowing the farmer gives you insight into the seasons, the weather, and the miracle of raising food.  In many cases, it gives you access to the farm where your children and grandparents can go and learn about nature and agriculture.

7.   Local food preserves open space.

As the value of direct marketed fruits & vegetables increases, selling farmland for development becomes less likely.  You have probably enjoyed driving out into the country and appreciate the lush fields of crop, the meadows full of wildflowers, and the picturesque red barns.  That landscape will survive only as long as farms are financially viable.  When you buy locally grown food, you are doing something proactive about preserving the agricultural landscape.

8.   Local food keeps your taxes in check.

Farms contribute more in taxes than they require in services, whereas urban development costs more than it generates in taxes, according to several studies.  On average, for every $1 in revenue raised by residential development, government must spend$1.17 on services, thus requiring higher taxes on all taxpayers.  For each dollar of revenue raised by farm, forest, or open space, government spends 34 cents on services.

9.   Local food supports a clean environment and benefits wildlife.

A well-managed family farm is a place where the resources of fertile soil and clean water are valued.    Good stewards of the land grow cover crops to prevent soil erosion and replace nutrients used by their crops.  Cover crops also capture carbon emissions and help control global warming.  According to some estimates, farmers who practice conservation tillage could sequester 12-14% of the carbon emitted by vehicles and industry.  In addition, the patchwork of fields, meadows, woods, ponds and buildings- is the perfect environment for many species of wildlife.

10.   Local food is about the future.

By supporting local farmers today, you can help ensure that there will be farms in your community tomorrow, and that future generations will have access to nourishing, flavorful and abundant food.

How does our CSA work?

Members sign up to purchase a share by completing the registration form. Your space is secured upon receipt of payment. There will be 200 shares offered for the 2010 season.

Members receive enough produce to feed 2-4 people over a 20 week period starting in late May or early June and continuing through mid October.

You pick up your share at Heron Pond Farm on RT 107a in South Hampton. Pick-up times are available seven days a week during normal stand hours. You'll pick your day when you fill out your membership form (our CSA has seven day pick up).  Or choose to Pick up your food  in Portsmouth, or Dover. Greg and I have split the CSA in two parts. The folks that pick up at the farm will have the option of checking a box and paying towards a share for a families in need. This family will come from the Our Neighbors Table program in Amesbury. They will remain anonymous and just get a share. Greg and I will match you in funds up to a certain amount to be determined by our bank account. The folks that pick up in Portsmouth will have the opportunity to have the same deal. The families in need will be pick by the St. Johns Church food program and will pick up in Portsmouth.

New for 2010!

Grains and Dry Beans

More food Choices

Bigger Winter program

Herbs and Greens

Expected Harvest

Unlike the grocery store our varieties are chosen from some of the tastiest around. We are always on the look out for new ones and attend conferences as well as talking with other growers to find the best seed possible. If you have a suggestion we would be glad to hear it. Another difference from the grocer is our seasons. We stretch things when we can but for the most part we grow food in season. Check out what was in the 2008 share under the CSA tab.

Hello Heron Pond Farmers

Well the hits keep coming as far as I'm concerned. This week the spinach harvest was a little better then expected, so one pound bags for all! We also have some nice mesclun mix and a real treat, Belgian endive. We grow these plants in the summer for there root stock. They were in cold storage till about 20 days ago. Then we set them up in a dark room for growth. Now they are ready for you to enjoy! Check out our favorite food site epicurious.com for recipes.

Important announcement for all Portsmouth pick up folks. Because of the cold we will have a limited pick hours in the barn Saturday 10:00am-2:00pm. The food will then be moved into the house for safe keeping. So if you show up and the food is not there don't fret, just go up to the house.

This weeks share:

Last of the apples split between us all.

1lb Spinach

1/2lb mesclun greens

1 bag of Belgian endive

1lb Beet

1lb Parsnips

2lbs Carrots

1 Rutabaga

4lbs Potatoes or 2 lbs of Fingerling

2lb Onions or ½ pint of Shallots

Enjoy the food, I know I will.

Andre

Heron Pond Farm is proud to offer a community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program to the people of Dover. For the last two years we have been able to have a location in Portsmouth for CSA members to pick up there food and meet the farmers. Now after the loss of three CSA's that were serving the Dover area, we will be offering the same great service that the folks of Portsmouth have been enjoying to your community. Because over the last five years the members of our CSA have been shaping the food in the share (quantity and variety), and how it is distributed, I think you will enjoy all the aspects of being a member of Heron Pond Farm, and being able to pick up your food in a Dover location.

Our CSA does not work like a lot of others. Your food is not boxed for you, you choose the food from the offerings. We find that folks like to pick “the” tomato they want so why not let them. Food is grouped into category and you pick the prescribed number of things from that group. We find that this gives flexibility for your menu each week. We are also a full discloser CSA. So if you want to know what past shares got each week, its on the web site. We do a financial discloser as well, aiming to get you a 20% return on your investment. Last year folks made 14.7%, the year before 44.9% so the weather does make a difference.

Fruit is included in the share. We have strawberries, blueberries, peaches, plums, apples, and melons throughout the year, each in it's real season. We are planting some raspberries this year so they should be a few years out.

I'm sure there are a lot more questions that you have and I would love to answer them. Call me any time at 603-591-8720 and I'll do my best to answer them. If you would like to become a member we offer you an on line option to sign up. Otherwise you can make a copy of our registration form and mail it in.

Looking forward to having you as a member.

Andre Cantelmo

Heron Pond Farm                                                          

Share