This is the time of year that many veggie farmers are offering sign-ups for CSAs. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture (read more here), and this membership structure offers a win-win situation for both the farmer and the member. The farmer receives income at a traditionally low-income time of year from membership fees—money that can be used to purchase seeds or pay a greenhouse heating bill, or just keep the lights on and everyone fed and clothed until the next paycheck comes. And the member is assured that all summer long he/she will eat well, usually at a lower cost than he/she would have paid to buy all those veggies individually.
Our farm is quite different from most market farms. We don’t raise veggies, and what we do raise is available off and on for much of the year. We continue to go to the markets all winter, as weather and our energy levels allow. So we aren’t so much in need of a CSA model for timely income. But we look at our veggie farmer friends and wonder how to build the close relationships that they have with their members. These relationships can mean the difference between a farmer making a living income or throwing in the towel.
We have good relationships with many of you. People who drive up from Illinois to Holland to visit their adult kids and who make a point of coming to the market to buy 16# of beans to take home with them because these are “the best beans ever!” People who grab us by the elbow when we’re out and about and ask, “When is Shearing Day again? We come every year and just love it!” People who send us unsolicited emails telling us that their hands have been warm while snow blowing during the Polar Vortex because our wool sweater mittens “are the best!” (All true stories in the last few weeks.) And we are grateful for this.
But we feel like we should be doing more to cultivate these good relationships. Those of you who come and buy beans week after week—is there a loyalty rewards program that we could offer a gift or a discount once you’ve filled a punch card? Those of you who buy our bulk grass-fed freezer lamb or beef and tell your friends how good it is—is there something we could do as a thank you for sharing the love? We're thinking about this right now, and if you have any great ideas, shoot us an email.
And, honestly, you could also help. We are a small family farm. We are endeavoring to farm in a manner that produces good quality and good tasting food while being careful stewards of the land and other natural resources. When you see that we have beef or lamb on hand, consider buying it when it’s available. The supply of our meat ebbs and flows and is somewhat seasonal—we are not Walmart, and we are not able to keep our shelves and freezers stocked at 100% variety 100% of the time. If you have a chest freezer, save up your money and buy in bulk (which is cheaper in the long run). Pretend it’s a CSA box of meat that you pick up just once. Never cooked a chuck roast or made bone broth? No worries! There are so many recipes and tutorials on the internet that you just have to be bold enough to pull something out of the freezer, search the internet, and give it a try.
When you see us at the market, you can buy from us. We often hear, “Oh! I have beans/corn meal/grits at home that I haven’t used yet.” Great. Go home and make a plan that involves using produce (from our farm and from other market farmers, too) during your week so that you use up that good food you bought. Cook extra on weekends, when you have time, so that you can eat well during your busy week. Beans freeze well once they are cooked—1.5 cups in some kind of freezable container is like having a can of beans in your freezer, but without the BPA lining in the can or the extra sodium or even the high fructose corn syrup. The beans can then be incorporated into future meals with ease.
We know it is easier to go to the grocery store weekly (or more often) for your food. We prize convenience, too. We know it’s even easier to eat out at restaurants. But if you can purchase from us and other small farms when the food is available and in season and put it up yourself, either by freezing, drying, or canning it, you will find that work now equals convenience later.
And you may find that your actions help keep small farms in business in your community. If that’s important to you, please show us and our other farmer friends in the way you shop, cook, and eat.
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