Monkshood Nursery and Gardens, Stuyvesant, New York CSA

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE

Community Supported Agriculture or CSA is a partnership between members and Farmers, a partnership in which everyone wins! In this arrangement the members receive the freshest, tastiest, and healthiest food available. Freshest because your share is often harvested the morning of your pick-up, tastiest because we grow varieties for their flavor not their durability in shipping and long shelf life (which the supermarkets require), and healthiest because as a certified organic farm we do not use harmful chemicals to produce your food. We see our farm as a living organism, where elements work together to build and maintain soil fertility.

This system of buying food provides much needed interest-free income in the winter to allow the farmers to plan for and purchase the supplies needed to produce your food. With members pre-buying, the farm budget has more stability, allowing the farmer to better take care of the land and earn a living wage. It allows the farmers to spend less time marketing during the growing season and more time doing what they do best – growing great food!

In the process, the membership community, realizes the important piece they play in keeping small-scale organic farms alive. They bring their families to the farm and develop a close connection to where their food comes from. Learning to cook and eat with the seasonal varieties they are given. Acknowledging the healthy goodness of feeding their family freshly harvested organic produce. They become conscious consumers that support what they believe in with their dollars.

Our CSA program begins in early June and lasts for 22 weeks till the end of October. Each week, you as a member, come to pick up your share, which is large enough to feed 2-4 people, depending on your diet. Some individuals have no trouble consuming a whole share, some couples struggle to keep up with the supply. If you learn to preserve your excess, and we can provide tips and sources for information on this, it will last you into the winter!

Due to the large number of requests for a smaller share, this year we are adding another option to our share size. Currently, you can purchase a Large Family Share which consists of 8-12 items each week. For those who find this overwhelming, now you have the option of a Small Family Share which will consist of 5-9 items each week.

For an idea of what we can grow and when you may receive it during the course of the season
see the chart here.
To Join our CSA in Stuyvesant,
print out a sign up form and mail it to us at:
Monkshood Nursery Gardens and CSA
1094 Route 9J, Stuyvesant, NY 12173

Distribution is on Fridays from 4pm to 7pm. ( A farmer will be available only from 4pm to 6pm!)