2007 CSA open to a limited number of new customers

January 16th, 2007

We are please to open our Community Supported Agriculture program up to new customers begining today. At this time over 80% of the 2006 participating members have re-joined leaving only a hand full of spaces open for new applicants. If you are interested in joining please look over our CSA page on our regular web site and click on the application pdf for more details. Last year the open spaces were sold out quickly since space is limited to a total of 80 “shares”. Subscriptions are sold on a first come first serve basis with the exception of a small number of shares which are reserved for low income households in Montgomery County. (Group homes serving adults with developmental disabilities.) Follow this link to see what crops are grown over the season and when we project to harvest those crops. Also, on the left of this page is a history of previous posts in the “archives” that contain lists of actual harvests over the 2006 season which illustrates when crops came in week by week. Please note that every season is unique and we offer no guarantees with respect to variety and quantity to be harvested. We are grateful to our CSA customer base for sharing in the inherent risks of farming along with us. As always we strive to deliver high quality, chemical free vegetables at a value over our harvest season. Harvests begin the first week of June and this “core” season ends in the middle of October. There is also an option to subscribe to our extended 4 week fall season at an additional cost. Please note that we also take two weeks off during the season as well. One week off just prior to our Annual Farm Tour (Art Farm) and also the week leading up to our Annual Supper and Silent Auction. See our Events page for dates and details.

Our growers are excited about the upcoming season. We will begin planting in March and we are expecting a productive season. We hope that you will consider joining our Community Farm as a way to contribute to your own health and well being while supporting our unique program that seeks to serve the community through a multi-dimensional Mission. Our Mission is set up as a set of initiatives that advance our organization towards achieving our organizational Vision.

Red Wigglers Vision is this:
“We create fertile ground to nourish a healthy and inclusive community.”

Red Wigglers Mission
We are community farm that cultivates healthy food through:
• A Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that provides fresh, locally-grown produce.
• Meaningful employment for adults with developmental disabilities.
• Educational and service opportunities for youth and adults.
• Environmental stewardship.

Core Values
Red Wiggler Community Farm believes in:
1. Reconnecting people with the source of their food and the local community.
2. Creating an environment of respect, cooperation, integrity, and innovative thinking.
3. Ensuring purposeful work and equal treatment for all stakeholders.
4. Fostering opportunities for outreach and meaningful education of youth, adults, and employees.
5. Building local food security for our community.
6. Being a catalyst for community collaborations and volunteerism.
7. Practicing environmental stewardship through ecologically sensitive best practices.

Soon we will be updating the above set of organizational statements to include our “Farmers Pledge” which specifically articulates how we work with the land and our growers to grow healthy crops for our community. These statements are, when taken as a whole, are the nuts and bolts that show how we work each day to create fertile ground to nourish a healthy and inclusive community.