Community Supported Agriculture

CSA~ The community supported agriculture system began in the early 1960s in Germany, Switzerland, and Japan as a response to concerns about food safety and the urbanization of agricultural land. Groups of consumers and farmers in Europe formed cooperative partnerships to fund farming and pay the costs of ecologically sound, socially equitable agriculture. In Europe many of the CSA style farms were inspired by the economic ideas of Rudolf Steiner and experiments with community agriculture took place on farms using biodynamic agriculture and organic growing methods. In 1965, mothers in Japan concerned about the rise of imported food and the loss of arable land started the first CSA projects, called teikei 

The CSA system~ is based on a partnership between the farmer and their local community. CSA's provides for a simple, yet innovative method of gathering community support and financing of small, locally operated farms. Committed consumers who want organic high quality, locally grown, fresh produce provide the much needed operating capital up-front by purchasing shares in the farm's seasonal bounty  with the guarantee of a regular, sustained share of the farms produce during the growing season.

How the program works

Local consumers that want the freshest organic grown produce subscribe to receive a weekly or bi-weekly share of produce and farm products that the farm produces during it's growing season. The shareholder pays for their share in advance insuring the farmer has the much needed working capital to purchase seeds and supplies they need to produce the crops the shareholder will receive. Think of it as your own personal garden only you don't have to do the work...we pull the weeds, you just reap the rewards.    

  If you are new to a CSA program you may be wondering what you can expect from being a shareholder? The beginning of the season is always filled with excitement and expectations run high. CSA’s in general are developed around social interaction and love of healthy, fresh, great tasting locally grown food. There are risks involved, weather, crop failures and so on, and of course we will pledge to do our very best whatever mother nature throws our way.  We thought we would walk you through our CSA season through this page to help prepare you for the up coming weeks. The concept of CSA’s is unique in that the relationship between the shareholders and the farm is one of direct contact and exchange. CSA’s are not a one-stop shopping nor is it meant to meet your complete weekly dietary needs, but rather to subsidize your seasonal produce and farm product shopping needs. A CSA program is not for everyone and although the product is great some folks can get overwhelmed by so much fresh food as well as eggplant in your baskets week after week it seems during late summer. Your basket contains what we produce and that is just part of it. Now I will add those wonderful heirloom tomatoes can ease a lot of the eggplant again issue. Also our CSA Cookbook can give you some great ideas on what to do with all that fresh produce.

The benefits of joining a CSA program are many and the disadvantages are few. Ask yourself these questions and determine for yourself if joining a CSA is right for you and your family. 

• Do you like to prepare meals at home for you and your family at least 3 to 4 times a week? 
• Do you want high quality fresh ingredients for your meals
• Are you environmentally conscious and have the desire to live a more health lifestyle?
• Are you aware of how important protecting Tennessee's family farms are to our own states local food source?
• Do you enjoy knowing where and who grows your families food and want to feel good about how your are spending your food dollars?
• Do you feel good about keeping you dollars in your local community, neighbors doing business with neighbors?   
• You are looking to experience the whole farm concept. Coming to farm, cutting your own flowers, being apart of the farm csa community.  

Joining a CSA program may not be the right choice for you if:

• You travel a lot during the growing seasons
• You don't enjoy cooking
• You have a distaste for many types of vegetables and only would like certain kinds in your basket. 
• You are under time restraints and won't be able to spend time at the farm during your pickup days.   

What to expect in your CSA basket Share.

Everybody wants to know what will be in their CSA baskets...I have listed just a few crops you should find in your basket and when to expect them. Now what I have listed is not even close to a complete list...but that's the fun part, there is always a surprise when you pickup your CSA share basket. One CSA members told us its like Christmas every Saturday!

May Baskets

Greens ~ Lettuces ~Kale

Green Onions ~Cilantro~ Radishes~ asparagus

Spinach ~ fresh salad Mixes~ Straw Berries

June Baskets

Broccoli ~ Onions ~ Carrots ~ Radishes ~ Onions ~ Beets ~ Lettuces

Kale ~ Spinach ~Herbs~ Swiss chard

Fresh Flowers ~ New Potatoes~ Blue Berries

July Baskets

Tomatoes ~ Cucumbers ~ Squash ~ Sweet Corn ~ Okra ~Peppers ~Green Beans ~ Egg Plant ~

Herbs ~ Fresh Flowers ~ Leeks ~ Zucchini ~ Melons  

We expect another sold out season this year
Get the information you need to make a good decision has to if our CSA program is right for you. 

Download the 2010
     CSA Handbook

            Don't wait too long spring is just around the corner and shares are going fast. 

Sign up for your CSA Share 
on-line today! Its fast,
easy and safe. 

Select your Share size, pickup schedule 
you will receive a confirmation email that lets you
know your payment and share has been 
registered here and the farm.    

      Our Spring/summer CSA program begins mid to late April and ends late August-early September. The program is 15 weeks for weekly shares and 10 weeks for bi-weekly shares

Pickup Information

Shareholders can pickup their baskets here on the farm Saturday or Sundays 9-2pm here on the farm. Either day and anytime before 2pm you are welcome to pickup. 

Share Size and Schedule

1. Weekly (15 weeks) Farm Share ~ this is a 1/2 bushel basket of fresh produce, flowers, herbs and from time to time free range farm eggs, hand churned real sweet cream butter, artisan baked breads, muffins ect.. from our FarmHouse Kitchen.   

2. Bi Weekly (10 weeks) Farm Share~ your basket is the same as above but your pickup schedule is every other week. 

Price Structure 

Weekly Farm Share     $360.00    (15 )week Spring/Summer CSA  + $20.00 basket fee 
Payment of share is as followed: $180.00 due at signing + $20.00 basket fee
Payment of $180.00 due at your 1st. scheduled farm pickup of your share 

CSA Summer 2010 FULL  Sorry we have no open shares available.  

Bi Weekly Farm Share   $270.00  (10) week Spring/Summer CSA  + $20.00 basket fee 
Payment of share is as followed: $135.00 due at signing + $20.00 basket fee
Payment of $135.00 due at your 1st. scheduled farm pickup of your share. 

Click here to view our Try-A-Basket

If you have made a deposit for your CSA share please deduct that amount from your payment due on your 1st. scheduled pickup date.

Fall CSA Program

Our fall CSA is a (6 week) program beginning late September and ending in late October/early November.  This is a wonderful program and one of my favorite times of the year for the CSA. Your baskets contains most of the late summer crops like our heirloom tomatoes and Peppers than as the cooler weather starts moving in the greens start coming in again. Tender lettuces to collard greens, kale and cabbage, radishes, spinach, sweet potatoes and winter squash are in your baskets. This is also a great value for your food dollars for with a little preserving via freezing some of your spinach, kale and long keeping items like sweet potatoes and winter squash your fall CSA can last you though many of the winter weeks ahead. 

 

Fall CSA Price Structure 

Weekly Farm Share  $175.00 
( 6 week) Fall CSA program       +$20.00 basket fee 
Payment of share is as followed: Payment of share in full due upon signing.  We will only take a deposit of $30.00 to reserve your farm share until we open the fall program up for shareholder starting July 2010.  

Your Shares include fresh cut flowers . although we can't guarantee with the weather that time of year if you will be-able to cut flowers the whole 6 weeks of the fall CSA season it depends on first frost. 

Need more information on our CSA Shareholder program? Download our CSA Pdf Handbook by clicking here.

You can email us with any questions or give us a call. (615)855-0066

Contact the farm

A Full Season Of Fun…Learning and Experiencing “The Good Life”

Sustainable Organic agriculture -----rainwater catchments system----

Chicken tractor…Composting…Soil Conservation…Heirloom  Seed Saving…Honeybee Hives…Herb Garden…

Free Range Farm Eggs

Community Supported Agriculture  CSA  Program

 Church Groups…Tour Groups…School Outings…Mom's Play Groups…Private Parties…

Farm Weddings, floral designs

On-Farm Market

Weekly Workshops and Special Events