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Post by steev on Jan 16, 2014 20:57:36 GMT -5
OX; I will cite you as having suggested that I can shoot the elk that trash my trees; I'm sure that will weigh heavily with the county/state; I should be so lucky as to have to worry only about raccoons.
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Post by steev on Jan 17, 2014 23:19:20 GMT -5
Actually, I've yet to see any evidence of either raccoons or possums, on the farm. I sort of miss them, as they're as ubiquitous as pigeons in Oakland, although nocturnal, unlike those flying rats.
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Post by littleminnie on Jan 18, 2014 14:50:16 GMT -5
I think the benefit of a CSA is that you can concentrate on what grows well and not worry about what someone would choose over something else- for cultivars I mean. With a CSA you are able to say 'try it, you'll like it' to your customers but at market you don't have that authority as much I guess. I want my shareholders to be happy but I think they are happier if I grow what will grow well and fill their box. For example, at market I have to bring lettuce varieties that hold up well and are the right size and shape but for CSA I don't have to worry about that. They get the lettuce that has grown well and withstands the heat. Summer crisp/iceberg do that but are sometimes too round to bring to market. When it comes to heirloom tomatoes you could never guess which will be someone's favorite. Everyone would choose a different one. I think most taste good so I concentrate on what will produce best. For storage, I would suggest growing more watermelons and honeydew rather than muskmelon. Grow a mix of potatoes and onions for storage and for fresh eating. I give out all the red skinned taters and Walla Walla onions first and store the rest longer. Production bush beans will store longer than the better tasting pole beans or haricot vert. Snap peas are much more popular than shelling peas.
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Post by 12540dumont on Jan 20, 2014 21:30:25 GMT -5
In my CSA, no one has ever said they are getting too many melons. However, there are many who said, too many squash. Herbs are popular in my CSA, I also grow all the familiar grocery store crops, but never the same varieties. For example, I grow asparagus, but I grow purple asparagus. I grow artichokes, but I grow little purple baby artichokes. There is actually no comparison at all between my tomatoes and anything that you can buy in a store. I'm with Joseph and I'll say, EVERYTHING I grow is better, as long as I have customers who actually eat the stuff in the order I tell them too. Sweet corn kept in your fridge for a week, whether it's from my farm or the grocery store is about the same.
To make it easy for my CSA customers, I post a blog. It's a PITA, but I do it anyway. Then you can tell them what they're getting, what you think they should use first and give them recipes. Really work on extending your season, not just getting things early, but having them later. I also tell my customers what we're about to be out of and what's coming. This way they don't buy corn the week I'm picking corn.
I spent about 2 years working on crops that store. Storage Melons, tomatoes and dried corn are all big hits in my CSA. Yeah, I have to shuck and grind, but the taste of freshly ground corn is so superior, they just keep coming back. I also dry tomatoes for my CSA.
About 50% of my customers never ever complain and will take what I give them. However, then there are those who signed up without realizing that they don't cook. It's really better to weed them out before letting them sign up.
There will ALWAYS be complainers. This year people complained that there was no more Zukes! Yeah, go figure.
Unlike Ferdzy, since I'm in California so absolutely everyone complains that there is not enough greens. Regardless of the fact that at the beginning of each season I remind folks that I'm not in Salinas. There is no lettuce or greens once the mercury hits 80 degrees, unless you like bitter. So I never have lettuce and tomatoes at the same time.
I'll tell you right now, my best varieties are the ones I saved seed from and grew again. Good luck to you. Let us know how you prosper. My best spinach is Merlo Nero and Matador. I live in an area where Italian and French veges are very popular. Franchi Seeds has been good for me. Johnny's always treats me right. Adaptive Seeds is great, I wouldn't buy anything from Territorial. Make friends with your seed company.
My absolute best Zuke came from Oxbow & Raymundo. Just don't tell Oxbow, because he'll have to say I told you so. My best crookneck, garlic and medium hot pepper came from Joseph. My best tomato & corn from Dar. My best okras from Ferdzy. My best parsnips from Templeton. My best peas from Raymundo. Carrots from Cesar...etc. etc.
And my mentor, Dan Grunt.
And Steev, you can get a depredation permit in CA for critters eating your crops. They tried to issue me one for a mountain lion, but I was not about to shoot a mountain lion. I will shoot a pig though.....
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Post by steev on Jan 21, 2014 0:01:49 GMT -5
Oh, dear God, no, don't shoot a mountain lion! That cat could kill the damned deer that will eat your crops, or the neighbor's kids who will ditto, or want infrastructure to support them. Either way, a valuable member of the ecosystem, that cat!
So if I plant something from which I have no real chance of profiting, out where the elk can get at it, I can maybe shoot them? Sweet! Wait! I suspect I would have to prove an actual expectation of profit from the crop, not that I'd be unwilling to shoot an elk in any event. I doubt my neighbors would drop a dime on me, if they got a taste. The only question is: who gets the cut that contains the chip?
I agree, keep a tight lip about that Oxbow Jade Numbat; everyone will want it, if the word gets out.
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Post by flowerweaver on Jan 21, 2014 11:56:54 GMT -5
In Texas my experience has been the opposite--that CSAs don't provide enough food for the money.
Before I moved from the city to my farm I split a CSA share with the neighbor to make it affordable; it came in a bushel basket weekly and supplemented both households but I still had to buy produce at the store. The quality of the food was great, but I found the common selections very boring. I really craved a variety of greens which they didn't supply. This is a well-respected farm still in the CSA business.
When we first moved out to the country we visited the closest CSA (a two hour round trip). I could not believe how little produce they provided for the same amount. This farm weekly supplied only what could fit in a six-pack cooler! Then there was a weekly drive, making it even more cost prohibitive. It was a huge disappointment when I took a neighbor thinking we could share the cost. When we saw it we just looked at each other and thought, OK, which one of us gets the tomato, which one the squash? It bothered me that they supplied so little, yet took much of what they grew to an upscale farmer's market. After a couple of years their business failed and I'm not surprised.
Right after that visit I decided to invest the same amount of money in seeds and start my own farm, where I can grow exactly what I want to eat.
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Post by littleminnie on Jan 21, 2014 17:58:26 GMT -5
Generally there are more complaints about getting too much food than too little, statiscally I mean. It is better to watch the amount when running a CSA.
A lot of people I know say they want a CSA but can't afford it and that makes no sense to me. If they look at the grocery receipt for 5 months and add the produce up it would be a lot more money. My customers have from January to June to pay their fee.
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Post by flowerweaver on Jan 21, 2014 19:08:31 GMT -5
littleminnie It's good to know there exist CSAs that provide a decent amount--or even an abundance--of produce at an affordable cost. I've met Brad Stufflebeam out of Houston who runs a good one so I do know they exist in Texas, only not in my area. I only wish one had been available to me when I needed it. I didn't have to look at a receipt to know I could not justify $40/week for a couple of tomatoes and one crookneck squash. But the bad experience turned out to be motivational and I'm happy to be growing my own.
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Post by blackox on Jan 21, 2014 20:50:51 GMT -5
Thanks for the replies!
So it looks like this mostly lies in finding out what kind of produce people eat around here, what other local CSAs give out, and what does good for me. It was interesting to here how different your local CSAs are, Flowerweaver. Chances are that my customers are going to be complaining about an overabundance, as I am planning to expand the garden x4 when we move to our permanent location.
I'll make sure to keep my mouth shut about Oxbow's Jade Numbat Zucchini, that information is classified!
I can only with that they're were Mountain Lions left in Appalachia, Steev. The neighbor's brats like to run through my garden with their darn dog (which sometimes showers my plants with mud) and eat off of my maters! The worst part is that I'm unintentionally feeding them the healthy stuff, they should be feasting on twinkies and ice cream, not my produce. It also makes me fell downright old (no offense) when I yell at them to get off my lawn, I'm only sixteen!
I'd like to thank all of you HGers out there! You've been a great source of helpful information and tips!
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Post by steev on Jan 21, 2014 22:41:33 GMT -5
Only sixteen! Lord, to be sixteen again. 'Spect I'd make all the same mistakes, though; they all seemed like good ideas at the time.
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Post by raymondo on Jan 22, 2014 20:29:15 GMT -5
...My best peas from Raymundo... Which ones? I can't remember what I sent you now.
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Post by 12540dumont on Jan 24, 2014 17:45:41 GMT -5
Snow Queen!
I haven't planted any of the Stella Nova or Subfrufrum yet.
I need a year with rain for those!
Glad we could help with your list.
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