Slow Food® Utah

East Farms Community Supported Agriculture

East Farms CSA 2007 Update

• Message from Jeremy and Shay East, East Farms. (January, 2007.)

  "I hope that you have all had a good Winter. I can’t believe that another year has come and gone. We are already in the planning stages of yet another season. The East Farms Website has been updated for the 2007 season. You can get more information about the program this year as well as sign up sheets. We will also be mailing out signups for everyone [who previously is on our list]. We are only taking 500 signups this year and we anticipate they will fill up fast. So order early and take advantage of the discounted rate. Our website address is www.eastfarms.net. Thank you very much."

• What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?

  "CSA is a partnership of mutual commitment between a farm and a community of supporters which provides a direct link between the production and consumption of food. Supporters cover a farm’s yearly operation budget by purchasing a share of the season’s harvest. CSA members make a commitment to support the farm throughout the season, and assume the costs, risks and bounty of growing food along with the farmer or grower. Members help pay for seeds, fertilizer, water, equipment maintenance, labor, etc. In return the farmer provides, to the best of its ability, a healthy supply of seasonal fresh produce throughout the growing season.

  East Farms LLC is a family owned and operated farm. We are currently farming over two hundred acres. Thirty acres is used for the CSA and is grown to meet organic standards. We also grow for wholesalers and farmers markets. When you get your CSA box every week, the variety may vary from what you see at the farmer’s market since the CSA is a separate farm. Our CSA is composed mainly of vegetables but we will be farming my grandma’s orchard this year and we should have fruit 1–2 times a month. We will also grow potted herbs again this year for fresh use or planting in your gardens. Last year we lost most of your herbs due to heat so this winter we have built a shade structure to help with growing the herbs. Last season we had more than 400 families join the program and are looking forward to even more this year.

  Once again our program will run for twenty weeks. We will start the first part of June and run through October (whether permitting it could be earlier or later ). Members will receive a weekly assortment of produce and some fruits that are available throughout the summer. To ensure the highest quality possible, the produce will be harvested the same morning as the delivery. When the season gets closer we will send out letters with an exact pick up locations and exact start dates.

  East Farm offers half shares as well as full shares. Typically we see families of 1–3 subscribing to half shares and families greater than three using full shares. Shares will generally contain four or more types of produce. A half share typically is a half bushel in volume or weight. Full shares are double a half and may contain more types of produce than a half. We strive to offer an ever–changing mix of produce from week to week and try not to over do it on one product or another. One change this year is that Monday pickups will be changed to Tuesday pickups. We will also be adding a few new vegetables to the mix so watch out for those. We will be offering an early order discount to those who sign up before March 1st. Details will follow on the next page. We also will have a pumpkin patch again for everyone to come out and harvest their own pumpkin. We had a lot of families come out and take advantage of this despite the rain and mud last fall. This will be included in your share at no additional cost. We will however probably not do the transplanting activity because of our hectic schedule that part of the season.

• Early Order Discount: In order to run a vegetable farm efficiently much planning is needed. So to get a better feel of what I need to grow and purchase for supplies I am encouraging early orders. So for all of our members who sign up and pay before March 1st we will offer a discount. Our early order prices will be as follows:
• Half Share Early Price: $185.00 After March 1st: $195.00
• Whole Share Early Price: $365.00 After March 1st $380.00

• So, if it is possible, please sign up early to help us run our farm as efficiently as possible.

  Thank You very much for your interest in East Farms CSA.

  Jeremy and Shay East

  (801)525-2219

  4910 W Canvasback Lane, West Point, Utah 84015