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 scheduled pickup dates where they
receive a basket of produce and farm products that the farm produces
during our 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 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?
Are you looking to experience the whole farm concept. Coming to farm, cutting your own flowers and fresh herbs and being apart of the farm 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.
Everyone 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 Shareholder told us it feels like Christmas each pickup!
Spring CSA Baskets
Greens
~ Lettuces ~Kale
Beets
~ Green
Onions ~ Cilantro~ Radishes~ Asparagus
~
Fresh Salad Mixes~
Pea's and Sugar Snaps~ Strawberries
Early Summer
Broccoli
~ Onions ~ Carrots ~ Radishes ~ Onions ~ Beets ~ Lettuces
Kale
~ Cauliflower ~Herbs~ Swiss chard
Fresh
Flowers ~ New Potatoes~ Blueberries
Summer Baskets
Tomatoes
~ Cucumbers ~ Squash ~ Sweet Corn ~ Okra ~Peppers ~Green Beans ~ Egg
Plant ~
Herbs ~ Fresh Flowers ~ Leeks ~ Zucchini ~ Melons ~ Garlic ~Fennel~ Potatoes
Fall Baskets
Tomatoes~ Squash~ Peppers~ Okra ~Sweet Potatoes ~Turnip Green ~Mustard Greens ~ Collard Greens ~ Cucumbers ~Beans~ Flowers~ Herbs~ Broccoli and lettuce mixes...ect..
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.
Sign up for your CSA Share
on-line today! Its fast,
easy and safe.
Madison Creek Farms CSA Program
Our Spring/Early Summer CSA Program offers a very limited number of shares available. We fill up quickly each season, to reserve your share act now by following the registration information below.
Our Spring/Early Summer CSA
season is a 8 week program + freezer share which is scheduled to begin with our first
pickup in April 2012 running through late July or early August.. This is primarily a
bi-weekly pickup schedule but depending on the weather and other variables
ie.. crops ready to harvest you my find that during the early part of the season we may need
our shareholders to occasionally to pickup their share weekly. 
The month of May usually tends to be the month when the season begins to heat up and spring crops will need to be harvested quickly to ensure their highest quality. It is very important that as a CSA shareholder you sign up for the farms newsletter so you will know in advance any changes to our pickup schedule. You need to do this by clicking the email icon on the newsletter page of this website this will take you to "The Female Farmer" We keep this farm blog current so you can keep up with all the farm happenings as well as your pickup information. You will be sent an email each time we post news right in your email box. The Female Farmer
This is our only way to communicate with all our shareholders so be sure you are on the newsletter list when you sign up for the CSA program
The Freezer Share; This season we are adding a new element to our CSA shares we call the Freezer Share that is part of our Spring/Summer CSA program. Throughout the season we will be adding some extra produce to your already 1/2 bushel share that you can preserve for later use. This will not only help to stretch your food dollars and overall share value but allows for a wonderful addition to those months where local farm produce is non-existent. The farm offers several free workshops that are focused on demonstrating cooking, preserving and making the most out of your Madison Creek Farms CSA shares.
Summary of Spring CSA Program
-
8 week CSA program + Freezer share
-
1st. Pickup and Shareholder gathering beginning in April
-
Shareholder's are welcome to harvest fresh flowers & herbs throughout the season even during non-pickup weekends as part of their share. You have to feed your soul too:)
-
10% Pavilion Farm Market discount for shareholders
-
2 Flower Friend Cards shareholder's can gift to friends that are good for 1 free flower bouquet.
-
Free farm workshops geared toward using your CSA basket contents.
Family Farm Share Size: All shares are equal to 1/2 bushels of fresh, organic, farm produce, flowers and herbs. The contents and quantity of your share will vary during the season depending what is ready to harvest. There are times when your share may be less then 1/2 a bushel and times when your basket is more than 1/2 a bushel. It all seems to even out during the season. We factor in that you will be harvesting fresh floral bouquets and wonderful fresh cut herbs as part of your share here on the farm during each pickup. We have found that family shares help to supplement a family of 4 in their fresh produce needs or a vegetarians weekly organically grown menu.
. 
Price Structure
Madison Creek Farms 2012 Spring/Summer CSA
$270.00 + $20 basket fee per shareholder includes (8) week bi-weekly family farm share + your freezer share. Program begins April 2012..
Payment of share is as
followed:
$270.00 - due at signing
up or you can choose to pay
$140.00 at sign up and $140.00 due in April 2012.
How to register for our 2012 Spring/Summer CSA program:
1. Download and Read our CSA handbook. This will give you a lot of
important information about the policies of our program as well as
additional information in regards to pickup schedules and procedures.
Click link below to download our CSA handbook. Granted the
handbook is a little outdated but the information is still good. You can
also scroll through our past newsletters for lots of good information on
the CSA program.
2. Signup for the farm newsletter RSS feed from TheFemaleFarmer you can find the newsletter signup box on the right sidebar of the web page. This will ensure that you our shareholders are kept up to date on all farm news and happenings. It is also the only way we have to communicate with all of our shareholder in case of last minute changes to your CSA pickup schedule. Also if you are a facebook user you can visit our facebook page to get the very latest on all the farm happenings. You can also view our facebook page via our front-page of the farm's home website. Just scroll down the front-page to the right of your screen.
3. Paying for your share. We have 2 ways in which you can purchase your CSA share. Order online using your credit card or checking account. Or check by mail. Once the program is full we will post that information here on our website. If you are paying by mail there is a chance that we may be full before your check gets to us. We will notify you and return your payment to you asap. The best way is use the online payment method it is safe, and guaranteed by PayPal. Our returning Shareholder always receive priority upon resigning up until February 20th. 2012 then all other spaces are filled by first come first serve basis.
Check by mail: Please send your full share payment - payable to Madison Creek Farms. Include your name, email address and contact information with your payment. We will notify you by email as soon as we process your payment.
Send your payment to: Madison Creek Farms
1228 Willis Branch Rd
Goodlettsville, TN. 37072
If you have any questions or need more information please contact us here at the farm Phone (615) 448-6207
We will begin taking 2012 Fall CSA program that will begin in August. See below for more details
Fall CSA Program
Our fall CSA is a (6 to 8 week) program
beginning late August and ending in 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 such as our summer CSA share but 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.
The reason I have listed 6 to 8 weeks as our CSA program length is due to not knowing how long the fall season will run. If we have a mild fall our crops will keep producing. We are very safe to say we will get a full 8 weeks in during the fall season...but like this last fall we were still harvesting greens into mid-late November which was well over the 8 week program we had scheduled.
Fall CSA Price Structure
Weekly Farm Share $270.00
( 6 to 8wks) freezer share included in our Fall CSA program.$20.00 basket fee for new shareholders.
Payment of share is as followed:
Opens for signups April 2012Note: If you are a renewing shareholder from the summer program you will not need to sign up again for the newsletter or RSS feed, nor will you need to pay a basket fee.
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)448-6702
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…
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