Product Descriptions
NOW ACCEPTING MEMBERS FOR OUR 2013 CSA SEASON!
Do you have questions, such as how the CSA works, when your delivery will be, how often you will get produce, when the deliveries will begin, how long you have to pick up your produce, what to expect in your box each week, etc? Visit our FAQs page! If you can't find your answer there, please send us an email.
CSA Share (Boxes of Veggies)
Produce from Earth Spring Farm- this is what is included with your CSA payment.
At Earth Spring Farm we strive to provide the freshest, best-tasting produce that includes staples such as tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini, but also specialty items such as bok choy, fennel, and napa cabbage.
What are we growing this year?? Everything from broccoli & cabbage to beets & turnips, carrots & radishes to beans & kohlrabi, kale & collards to okra & onions, swiss chard & broccoli raab to potatoes & arugula, mizuna & other asian greens to canteloupe & watermelon, lettuce & leeks to cucumbers & zucchini. Is you mouth watering yet? Wait until you try some of the 18+ varieties of tomatoes, 10 varieties of peppers (sweet AND hot), 5 types of eggplant, and 6 different kinds of winter squash! We are also going to try our hand at organic (non-certified) sweet corn this year. And don't forget the herbs... basil, parsley, cilantro, lemongrass, and much more!
The 2 share options- Small and Large- are mostly differentiated by quantity of produce and sometimes more items per box. The produce that arrives in the box each week is a diverse sampling of what we are producing on the farm at that time of year. Note that every year is slightly different depending on how certain crops do with the growing conditions (temperature, precipitation, etc).
For example:
Spring: lettuces, kales, collards, swiss chard, radish, beets, broccoli, cabbage, spring onions, kohlrabi, peas
Summer: tomatoes, beans, squash, peppers, onions, eggplants, cucumbers, basil & other herbs, potatoes
Fall: winter squash, sweet potatoes, spinach, carrots, greens, cabbage, cauliflower, turnips, arugula, broccoli
* NEW FOR 2013! In our 2012 End-of-Season Survey (click HERE for results and click HERE for a summary), members suggested we give more produce per item, with less diversity in a box (not less diversity throughout the season!). For example, instead of getting 3 beets, you'd get 6 so you can make a nice little side dish with them. Or instead of getting 2 sweet peppers for two weeks in a row, get 4 or 5 one week so you can make a recipe liked stuffed peppers, and don't get any the following week. Because of this change, you'll notice we modified the # of items per box for each size below. You'll still be getting the same amount of produce overall, but you'll have more of certain items, and less different types of produce. If this is unclear let us know!
Small Share
The Small Share will suit most people's needs. This weekly box will be a great choice for a single vegetarian or very healthy eater - or a family of 3 or 4. It is also a great choice for 2 people who want to share a box to see how much they will eat and give the CSA a test run. The Small box will have 5-7 items.
Large Share
The Large Share is truly large. It is great for people who cook almost daily and love lots of fresh food. Typically there are 8-10 items per box and often there is more quantity of certain items.
Examples from previous years...
Below are a few examples of what was in a small vs large box in 2011 and 2012. Note that large boxes often have larger quantities of a some of the items (though not specified in the text portion below). If you would like more of this info, please feel free to visit our Newsletter Archives to see what was in the boxes each week! Don't know what something is (kohlrabi, anyone?)?... Don't worry! We are constantly updating our Recipe page to give you lots of ideas!
EXAMPLE 1: Boxes from week 3 of 2011 CSA, June 29
Small: lettuce, kale, swiss chard, onions, leeks, basil
Large: lettuce, kale swiss chard, onions, leeks, basil, cabbage, kohlrabi
EXAMPLE 2: Boxes from week 6 of 2011 CSA, July 20
Small: basil, tomatoes, onions, kale, cucumbers, sweet corn, watermelon
Large: lbasil, tomatoes, onions, kale, cucumbers, sweet corn, watermelon, eggplant zucchini
EXAMPLE 3: Boxes from week 12 of 2011 CSA, August 31
Small: onions, carrots, sweet peppers, jalapeno peppers, kale, lettuce, basil
Large: onions, carrots, sweet peppers, jalapeno peppers, kale, lettuce, basil, eggplant, swiss chard, dumpling (winter squash)
EXAMPLE 4: Boxes from week 15 of 2011 CSA, September 21
Small: radishes, sweet potatoes, onions, arugula, lettuce, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, sweet peppers
Large: radishes, sweet potatoes, onions, arugula, lettuce, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, potatoes, carrots
EXAMPLE 5: Boxes from week 19 of 2011 CSA, October 19
Small: broccoli, sweet potatoes, rutabaga, arugula, broccoli raab, turnips, potatoes
Large: broccoli, sweet potatoes, rutabaga, arugula, broccoli raab, radishes, carrots, lettuce
Small CSA box 7/17/12: Large CSA box 7/17/12:
(clockwise from top left: tomatoes, squash/zucchini, (clockwise from top left: tomatoes, squash/zucchini,
eggs (purchased separately), cherry tomatoes, leeks, eggs (purchased separate), cherry tomatoes, leeks,
hot peppers, sweet peppers, yellow plums (purchased yellow plums (purchased separately), hot peppers,
separately), cucumbers) sweet peppers, okra, white & purple eggplant, cucumbers)
Small CSA box 10/9/12: Large CSA box 10/9/12:
(clockwise from top left: fennel, radishes, beans, (clockwise from top left: napa cabbage, fennel,
broccoli raab, lettuce, arugula, eggplant, dill) radishes, eggplant, beans, broccoli raab, lettuce,
arugula, watermelon radishes, dill)
Fruit Share- can only be ordered for the entire season
Fruit from Peters Orchards & Rex Farms- not included with your CSA payment. A fruit share is an extra $100 for the 20-week season.
Fruit can be purchased as an extra option (i.e., fruit must be purchased for the entire season, not on a weekly basis). The fruit share price includes getting equivalent of approximately one quart of fruit (with the exception of blueberries which are in pints) per week. Each week the fruit share will be one type of fruit (i.e., it will not be a quart of mixed fruit). See the approximate schedule below for an idea of what you may be getting throughout the season. This year we will again be buying our fruit from Peters Orchards and Rex Farms. Both orchards are within 10 miles of our farm, and are not organic but both use IPM practices.
See our Prices page for more info!
* Fruit Schedule (approximate)
Strawberries: End of May - End of June/Early July
Cherries: Mid to late June - July
Apricots: June - August
Plums/Pluots: June - October
Peaches: End June - September
Apples: End of June - October
Pears: Early September - October
Nectarines: July - September
* Fruit Delivery
Your fruit will be set aside at your drop point with a group of fruit that other members have also ordered. It will be separate from the CSA boxes with a sign that lets you know how much to take per fruit share. Be sure to take only what you have ordered. This is all on the honor system. Please see the page concerning drop points and how they work.
Egg Share- can only be ordered for the entire season
Eggs from a farm in Newville, PA- not included with your CSA payment. Eggs are extra and can be purchased for the season with delivery options for weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.
Egg Shares were a new option in 2012 and are back by popular demand! Eggs are only sold by the dozen and are $5/dozen. Egg Shares must be purchased for the entire season; there are delivery options of weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Visit our Prices page for more info. The eggs will be supplied by a farm in Newville, PA (about 20 miles from our farm). They are pasture-raised, non-certified organic. The chickens are fed a no soy diet.
The nutritional aspects of pastured eggs are far more nutritional than their conventional cousins. Not only are the color and flavor of the yolk of pastured eggs better (the yolk is much more orange, thanks to the hens' diet, which is based on grass and insects instead of all corn and grains), but studies have shown that eggs from hens raised on pasture show 4 to 6 times as much vitamin D as typical supermarket eggs, as well as 1/3 less cholesterol, 1/4 less saturated fat, 2/3 more vitamin A, 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids, 2 times more vitamin E, and 7 times more beta carotene.
* Egg Delivery
Eggs will be delivered with your CSA share. Your eggs will be set aside in a cooler with cheese and eggs that other members have also ordered. Be sure to take only what you have ordered. This is all on the honor system.
The 2013 Egg Delivery Schedule is as follows:
Option #1: Weekly Egg Share:
Every week from June 11-Oct 24
Option #2: Bi-Weekly Egg Share
Every other week from June 11-Oct 24. These dates will be:
June 11-13
June 25-27
July 9-11
July 23-25
Aug 6-8
Aug 20-22
Sept 3-5
Sept 17-19
Oct 1-3
Oct 15-17
Option #3: Monthly Egg Share
Every 4 weeks from June 11-Oct 24. These dates will be:
June 11-13
July 9-11
Aug 6-8
Sept 3-5
Oct 1-3
Cheese- can be ordered on a weekly basis
Cheese from Hillside Farm/Farmstead Fresh Creamery- not included with your CSA payment. Cheese is extra and can be purchased weekly through our website.
While fruit and eggs are options that must be purchased for the season, cheese is an option that can be purchased weekly. Your order will have to be made one week prior to when you want it delivered with your box of produce, and it must be ordered through this website.
All the cheese comes from organic pasture raised, grass fed animals and is made with vegetable rennet. This is a raw milk cheese meaning that it has not been pasteurized and thus retaining all of the good enzymes and vitamins A & D. The cheese has been aged 60 days minimum. The cows milk cheese comes from an Amish-Mennonite family in Juniata County, PA... Christ and Lizzie Esh milk 30 Holstein-Jersey cows at Hillside Farm in Juniata County and the cheese is made at Farmstead Fresh Creamery. The cheese comes in 1/2 lb (approx.) vacuum sealed blocks and is sold through our CSA by the block (not by weight) to make pre-ordering easy. 2012 Prices ranged from $6-7 per block (see our Prices page for more details). Options MAY include:
Baby Swiss Garlic & Herb
Sharp Cheddar Chives & Dill
Havarti Pepper Jack
Monterey Jack Smoked Sharp Cheddar
Goat Cheeses
* Cheese Delivery
Cheese will be delivered with your CSA share weekly (if ordered). Your cheese will be set aside in a cooler with meat and and eggs that other members have also ordered. Be sure to take only what you have ordered. This is all on the honor system.
Meat- can be ordered on a bi-weekly basis
Meat from North Mountain Pastures & Landisdale Farm- not included with your CSA payment. Meat is extra and can be purchased bi-weekly through our website.
While fruit and eggs are options that must be purchased for the season, meat is an option that can be purchased bi-weekly. Your order will have to be made one week prior to when you want it delivered with your box of produce, and it must be ordered through this website.
CHICKEN & PORK:
As in the past, all chicken and pork is pastured-raised, non-certified organic and will come from North Mountain Pastures in Perry County, PA. Their animals are raised humanely with permanent access to pasture, and never receive hormones or antibiotics.
The chickens enjoy constant access to new weeds, seeds and insects, which make up about 30% of their diet. The rest of the chickens' diet is custom-mixed grain from a local mill. It consists of organically-grown corn, oats, and soybeans (all locally-grown) plus a balanced combination of natural minerals from Fertrell. Their meat is tender and flavorful, with yellow-tinted skin and fat due to the increased vitamin A content. 2013 Chicken Options will include: whole chickens, boneless breasts, & legs/thighs. CLICK HERE for prices.
NMP feeds their pigs whey from a local grass-fed cheese operation and supplement their diet with a ration of organically-grown grain from a local feed mill. Raising pigs on pasture not only allows the animal to fully express its instincts to root and forage, but it also changes the fatty acid composition of the meat. 2013 Pork Options will include: pork chops, ribs, shoulder roasts, bratwurst, & a variety of sausages (chorizo, Lincolnshire, sweet Italian, hot Italian). CLICK HERE for prices.
BEEF:
We will be ordering 100% grassfed beef from Landisdale Farm. Grassfed beef is lower in fat and lower LDL cholestrol levels, has fat levels as low as 1/3 as compared to grain-fed cattle, is our richest known source of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid... a cancer inhibitor), and has 2-4 times more omega-3 fatty acids than grain-fed cattle. Their cows do not growth hormones or antibiotics. 2013 Beef Options will include: delmonico steak, sirloin steak, New York strip steak, chuck roast, & ground beef. CLICK HERE for prices.
* Meat Delivery
Meat will be delivered with your CSA share bi-weekly (if ordered). Your meat will be set aside in a cooler with cheese and and eggs that other members have also ordered. Be sure to take only what you have ordered. This is all on the honor system.
Meat is delivered every other week. The 2013 Delivery Schedule is as follows:
June 18-20 (CSA week 2)
July 2-4 (CSA week 4)
July 16-18 (CSA week 6)
July 30-Aug 1 (CSA week 8)
Aug 13-15 (CSA week 10)
Aug 27-29 (CSA week 12)
Sept 10-12 (CSA week 14)
Sept 24-26 (CSA week 16)
Oct 8-10 (CSA week 18)
Oct 22-24 (CSA week 20)
See the Prices page for more information.
