How Does This Work?

Every week, we visit local farms, talk with the farmers, and purchase the freshest, yummiest food. We support farmers who nurture their soil, strive for sustainable farming practices, and don't use harmful or questionable products. Each week, you choose a la carte from the list of available food and pay for what you choose. We pack your share into reusable containers and you get your food. You, in turn, leave us the empty containers from last week's order and arrange payment. It's that simple!

To assist in your enjoyment of local produce, we will share storage information, preparation tips, recipes and ways to use new foods via this blog.

Sometimes, customers will have the option of adding eggs, honey, meat, cheese, mushrooms, bulk fruits, and other foods to their orders. Monthly, we order dry goods and food staples from Neshaminy Valley Natural Foods (based in Philidelphia, PA). These additional options are called Special Orders.

Is the food organic? Organic is such a key word these days. We go for local first, choosing farms that are as close as possible to the LaPlata area. Whenever there is an organic option, we will go with that. After that, we look for farmers who use IPM (integrated pest management), composting, and other sustainable practices. If you would like your food to be strictly organic, just let us know when you become a customer!

There are three membership options:
I) Weekly delivery to your home - cost $12/month + mileage charges
II) Weekly pickup at my home - cost $12/month
III) Special Orders Only - cost $5/order


Thursday, June 25, 2009

This week's Food (6/26/09)

This week orders are due by friday at noon.

From Next Step Produce ...
The following are all certified organic

** Important Note ** All Next Step Produce Orders are now requested to be by the piece. So we order 1 bag of salad mix or 2 bunches of kale or (here's the new one) 4 onions - even though they are priced by the pound. So for all items which are priced by the pound, just type in the number of pieces you want not the weight you want to take home. The pricing on the google order sheet will not be correct until I pick up the produce and get the weight of your pieces.

* asian cucumbers @ $3.40/lb
* slicing cucumbers @ $2.40/lb
* summer squash - yellow straight neck or green zucchini @ $4/lb
* parsley bunch @ $2.50
* basil bunch @ $3
* salad mix bag @ $3
* raddichio head @ $6.40/lb
* herba stella bunch @ $3
* dandelion bunch (red rib or white rib) @ $3
* swiss chard (white, yellow or rainbow rib) bunch @ $3
* kale (red russian, curly, or lacinato) bunch @ $3
* collards bunch @ $3
* green cabbage @ $2.40/lb
* kohlrabi @ $2/lb
* fennel bulb @ $4/lb
* sweet onions @ $3/lb

From Fresh Start Farm:
* free range, organically fed medium eggs @ $2.50/dz

From Me:
* kombucha starter and instructions @ $3 (ask for a taste if you've never had this fermented beverage)


Please remember that between nature and labor, sometimes not everything on the list is actually harvested according to plan.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Upcoming Vacation

I wanted to let you know that there will be two weeks in June where I will not be available for delivering food to you. Specifically, we will miss the orders due on 6/12 and 6/19. So order this week and then order again in 3 weeks!

This week's Food (6/5/09)

This week orders are due by friday at 9 am.

From Next Step Produce ...
The following are all certified organic

* strawberries pint @ $4, quart @ $8
* salad mix bag @ $3
* mesclun mix bag @ $3
* head lettuce (boston green) @ $3/head
* dandelion bunch (red rib or green rib) @ $3
* herba stella bunch @ $3
* swiss chard (white or rainbow rib) bunch @ $3
* mustard greens (mizuna or green wave) bunch @ $3
* collards bunch @ $3
* kale (red russian, curly, or lacinato) bunch @ $3
* Asian green: mei quing choi head @ $3.60/lb
* leeks @ $3.60/lb (last week for leeks!)
* spring onions @ $3.60/lb
* beet greens w/ baby beets bunch @ $3
* hakurei turnips w/ greens bunch @ $3

From Fresh Start Farm:
* free range, organically fed medium eggs @ $2.50/dz
* orders for half/whole hogs for fall delivery

From Me:
* kombucha starter and instructions @ $3 (ask for a taste if you've never had this fermented beverage)
* 2 c of whey @ $1 - from local milk, created during cheese making process, great for bread, pancakes, and other baked goods


Please remember that between nature and labor, sometimes not everything on the list is actually harvested according to plan.