Nourse Farm CSA
Nourse Farm community members buy into the farm’s production at the start of the growing season and in exchange receive a share of the farm’s harvest. Shares (a box containing berries and vegetables) are distributed each week throughout the season. At Nourse Farm we offer a subscription CSA. We do the work (planting, weeding, harvesting) and you do the eating. Community Supported Agriculture is just one way that we market our products at the farm.

CSA Benefits
The share holder benefits from a constant supply of locally grown produce offered weekly, ripe and fresh, and a monthly newsletter with recipes, preserving information, and farm happenings. The farmer gets the benefit of a positive cash flow in March and April when there are a lot of expenses from buying seed, supplies and labor to begin the spring growing season.

Buy Local
Buying food locally keeps small farms economically viable, keeps land in agricultural production, and preserves open space. Why spend money on produce brought 3000 miles when it can be purchased at your local farm just 10 miles away from June to October? At Nourse Farm we research seed catalogues and companies to find the best tasting varieties for flavor, eating quality, yield and disease resistance. Because we pick fresh daily for your delivery and our farm stand, we do not grow “shipping” varieties that you would find in a supermarket. That’s what local farm-fresh is all about – tastier vegetables, juicier ripe fruit, and better quality food.
[See Time Magazine, Eating Better Than Organic]
[See Boston Globe, Going Native]

How We Grow
Most of Nourse Farm’s produce is naturally grown. For a few crops that is not feasible. For these particular crops we use an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. That means we utilize many strategies to avoid or solve a pest problem. In this program we scout the fields for insects and disease, we seek protection with beneficial insects and biological controls, we use disease resistant varieties, and bug-excluding row covers. If the problem reaches the economic injury level, where the pest problem would cause enough damage for us to lose money, then we use the safest pesticides. The farm soil is kept alive and fertile by plowing down soil building cover crops, compost, lime, and commercial fertilizer.

The Risks of a CSA Membership
CSA members share the risks and rewards of the growing season. In the last few years we’ve been through both extremely wet and dry years, and we had abundant harvests and happy customers. Of course, major weather related catastrophes could really set us back. Each year, certain crops do better than others. We overcome the variability of the weather by planting multiple plantings of different varieties of dozens of crops. We have 3 different soil types that behave differently in different weather conditions, and we are able to irrigate our fields, allowing us to have an approximately 20 week growing season beginning in June and ending in October.

However, all CSA Members must be aware that the weather, over which we have no control, plays a major part in our production. Therefore, we may not have available, at all times, the vegetables and/or fruit on the distribution list. We will substitute appropriate fruits and/or vegetables accordingly. Each CSA Member must realize that our farm and its staff will work as hard as possible to meet your expectations. Your investment as a CSA Member will provide for your family the freshest fruits and vegetables during our growing season, while at the same time, your investment will support local family farming, allowing us to survive and grow in our changing economy.

Share Options
The Standard Full Season Nourse Farm CSA Share option is 20 weeks long and is available at the Farm and other drop-off locations. It is suitable for two to four people who eat vegetables and berries on a regular basis. The standard share consists of berries and 12 pounds of vegetables. (See monthly crop list) Seasonal Price $600.00

The Small Share option is 20 weeks long just like the standard share. It can be picked up at the farm or at a drop off location. It consists of a smaller quantity of berries and has 8 pounds of vegetables. It is suitable for 2 people. Seasonal Price $450.00

The Pick Your Own Share option is 15 weeks long. It allows the share holder to personally pick strawberries, black raspberries, currants, cherry tomatoes, blueberries, blackberries, and fall raspberries at the farm. The share holder can come 15 times during the season and would be able to pick a choice of: 5 lbs of strawberries; 5 lbs of cherry tomatoes; 3 lbs of raspberries; 3 lbs blueberries; 3 lbs blackberries; 3 lbs of currants; or what ever crop is available. Check out the Pick-Your-Own schedule on the farm web site. Seasonal Price $150.00

The Value Added Products share option lasts for 20 weeks and is available at the farm or at drop-off locations. Each share consists of one fruit pie and either one 10oz jam, fruit sauce, or tomato product each week. These products are made from the fruit in production so they are fresh and seasonal. Seasonal Price $350.00

The Winter Product-of-the-Month Club is for our share holders and other customers who would like a once a month (January to April) delivery of value-added products. This would include a combination of a berry pie, jam, fruit sauce, heirloom tomato sauce, ketchup and pickles. Each customer would get a selection sheet ahead of time to determine what they wanted. The products would be delivered to your home or work place. Winter Price $160.00 due by Nov 1, 2008.

Crops
Every week, the share will consist of a variety of fruits and vegetables. While the exact produce will depend on the month, customers are assured a rich and healthy variety that will liven up weekly meals and snacks. For a full listing by month of the fresh fruits and vegetables provided in the CSA share, click here. Please note, Deliveries will begin the 2nd week of June and end the 3rd week in October

Pickup Locations
Shareholders close to the farm can pick up at the Nourse Farm Store on Thursdays 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Ten or more shareholders can organize a drop-off location in their neighborhood or place of work, and we will deliver your shares to that location once a week. The weekly scheduled delivery will be arranged at a mutually convenient day and time. If you are away on vacation, share the wealth, plan on having a friend pick up your share. Whatever is not picked up will be donated to a Food Pantry

Payment Options
Please include full payment with your application. If you wish to use a credit card, indicate that on the application and we can process that over the phone or put your card information on the application. We take Master Card or Visa. If you can’t pay the full amount all at once, please pay 50% down and the remaining 50% by May 1st 2009.

Application
Click here to download a PDF version of the application. Please note, to download the application your computer should have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. If it does not, click here to download it from the Adobe website.