Here at "by the bridge" farm we are excited to be preparing for the 2016 CSA growing season. We are accepting new and returning members for our CSA/Farm Shares.
We have several options available for our CSA/Farm Shares- a full share or a half share. All shares will include fresh produce, flowers and herbs. The CSA season will begin on Thursday, June 2 for full shares, and either Thursday, June 2 or 9 for half shares, and extend into October. The shares will vary in size and variety of produce depending on the time of the season, but we will work hard to make sure that while you are sharing in the risks of agriculture (poor weather, hail, flooding or disease) we are sharing the bounty of our plentiful crops with your family.
This is our seventh year of growing vegetables for CSA shares at "by the bridge". When you purchase a Farm Share from our family's farm, you are purchasing a share of the crops that our family grows right here. We don't buy vegetables from outside sources and none of our crops are GMO. While we are not strictly organic, we use primarily organic techniques, making exceptions in cases such as potential significant crop loss. Everything we grow receives little or no chemical input; we will treat for pests or diseases when we have to, if we need to. If you have any questions during the growing season we would be more than willing to show you any of our crops, and how and where they are grown. You will receive fresh, flavorful and healthy produce in your CSA box that is grown by our family for your family. We will do our best to provide you with abundant and varied shares throughout the growing season. You can enjoy the benefits of fresh, local produce all summer even if you don't have the time, space or desire to have a garden of your own!
A full season, weekly CSA/Farm Share costs $550. A $100 deposit holds your share, and the balance is due in full by April 1. A full season, half-share costs $325, and can be picked up bi-weekly. A $100 deposit holds your share, and the balance is due in full by April 1. Shares can be picked up on the farm on Thursdays, from 11AM-12PM or from 5PM-7PM. Additionally, we have a drop off site in Athens, PA, scheduled for Friday mornings after 9AM. Again this year we are looking for additional drop off points in surrounding communities. If you have at least 4 people, we will do a drop off at your chosen location. (Please keep in mind that the drawback to this is that you will miss out on some of the weekly u-pick opportunities like herbs, flowers and some extra vegetables.) We would love to deliver our CSA boxes in the communities of Canton, Troy, Sayre, Dushore or Wysox. There will be an additional $50 fee if you choose the added convenience of any drop-off point. (There is no extra charge for the host/hostess of any drop off point)
How to save money on your CSA share: if you pay in full by April 1, the cost for a full (weekly) share will be $500. If you pay in full by April 1, the cost for a half (bi-weekly) share will be $275. This price for our CSA has remained the same for 7 years, and we are the most bountiful CSA that you can join in this area! We also accept SNAP benefits- you can now pay for your CSA membership with SNAP. Please contact us for more information, and to make payments with your SNAP benefits card.
Again this year we are offering work shares: in exchange for approximately 4 hours of weekly work May through September (April and October as needed) you will receive a full, weekly share. Our work shares are available Monday - Thursday morning from 8AM - NOON. At this time there is only one work share left for the 2016 growing season. Contact us for more information.
We are glad to be offering a Flock Share for chicken eggs again this year. Our Red Production Sex Link chickens lay brown eggs that are farm fresh and delicious. Our hens are raised right here on our farm from the time they are 1 day old. We feed them garden scraps and weeds and our own conventional corn (nonGMO) that we grow. We rotate the happy hens to fresh pasture regularly. You can pre-purchase 18 dozen eggs to be included in your weekly box (or two dozen bi-weekly for the half-share members). Our eggs are $3.50/dozen, but if you purchase a Flock Share, you will receive 18 dozen eggs for the discounted price of $3.25/dozen. The cost for a Flock Share is $58.50. The flock shares are totally customizable: you may purchase as many flock shares (dozen eggs per week) as you need for your family.
We are still raising the pastured chickens and turkeys. Please reserve your White Cornish Cross (chickens) early, in order to give us an idea of how many birds we'll need to raise. The meat from these young and tasty chickens is some of the best you'll ever eat! The Cornish Cross roos are raised right here on our farm and are fed a healthy diet that includes our own conventional (nonGMO) corn that we grow ourselves. Last year's price for the chickens and turkeys was $3.50/lb. We expect the price to remain in that price range, depending on the cost of feed. There will be 2 separate butcher/pickup dates for the chickens; one in July and one in September. The Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys will be available for pick-up on Tuesday, November 24, 2016. Please indicate on your order form how many chickens/turkeys you would like, and your preferred pick-up date/s. All our poultry are sold live, but we will process them for you for free. If you'd like us to process the birds for you, please indicate that on your order form. There is no additional charge for the processing.
We continue to raise the pastured pork, available in (approximately) July and December. Currently we have pigs available in both July and December; please contact us to reserve your pastured pork. The pork is sold by the half or whole for $2.25/lb. The butcher fee is extra. (We send our pigs to be butchered at either Leona's Meat Market in Troy or Bryan's Meat in East Smithfield.)
Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns; we'll be happy to talk with you! You are welcome to come visit our farm, and see your vegetables and herbs as they are growing. For more information and reviews from some of our satisfied customers you can find us on www. localharvest.org. For more regular updates, (especially in the growing season) like our facebook page "by the bridge". There you'll see daily pictures of the crops as they progress, the family that grows your food, snapshots of our past year's growing seasons, and other interesting happenings on our "tiny farm".
We look forward to growing for you this season. Let our family grow for your family!
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