FEATURED FOOD - * COVER STORY *
Your Guide to Local Farms, Markets & Farmstands
Written By Hippo Staff (news@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photos
Community Supported Agriculture programs provide a weekly allotment of a variety of foods — typically in-season produce, but also meats, eggs and dairy products — that come directly from a local farm. “[CSAs] give … members the freshest, healthiest food they could possibly eat, short of growing it themselves,” said Anthony Graham of the Temple-Wilton Community Farm, which has the longest continuously operating CSA program in the United States.
“You know who your farmer is, and as a member you’re welcome to come and see the animals, to walk around the farm and to know that this farm is doing what it says it’s doing.” Graham said CSA members are supporting local farmers by giving them a steady financial base — and using a CSA is cost-effective for members, too.
“If you’re really using your farm [for its CSA], you’re getting a deal,” he said.
“You go down to [the supermarket] and buy only organic, and walk out with two bags, just see what your bill looks like. It’s going to be over $100.” For most farms that have spring season CSAs, sessions have already started, but many will take new members and prorate the cost for the remaining weeks. Sign-ups for summer sessions are currently underway at most farms.
“[CSAs] have definitely grown as a phenomenon over the last 20 years,” said Gail McWilliam Jellie, director of agricultural development for the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food. Part of that growth has meant offering more products. While a majority of CSAs started with produce only, she said, “many farms that have had the resources to do so have [started to offer] more diverse products.”
How CSAs Work
In most cases, a CSA customer pays a farm a certain amount up front to receive products during that farm’s growing season. Farms typically sell shares of their product in durations that can last anywhere from six to 20 or more weeks, according to
Jill Hall, director of programs at Seacoast Eat Local. Most farms have CSA growing seasons in the spring and summer; some have additional seasons in the winter, and some have them year-round.
“Generally speaking, the pickup options for CSAs have to do with the farm’s infrastructure,” Hall said.
“They might have boxed or pickup shares, but they may also have farm credit programs or pickup options at farm stands. … Every farm is an individual business with its own business plan, so they’ll model their program around what’s going to work for their business.”
What you get for each CSA varies by farm and which program you choose, Hall said. With some you’ll get a pre-packed box with the same foods each week. With others, you’ll get different items in a pre-packed box that is dependent on the growing season. Charmingfare Farm in Candia, for example, currently has a variety of summer shares available for sign-ups that begin the week of May 24 and continue through early October. As part of its vegetable share ($625 for 20 weeks) you’ll get a several different fruits and vegetables depending on the time of the growing season, from kale, lettuce and other herbs in the early summer months to beets, broccoli, potatoes and more in the late summer to early fall.
“We try to be in tune with our shareholders,” said Linda Ellis of Charmingfare Farm. “At the end of the year, we might ask them if there is anything specific they would like us to grow more of. People are looking for value in CSAs and they are also looking for the value of eating local, so we want to make sure they are getting their money’s worth.”
Other programs allow you to physically visit the farm and pick up whatever you want that they are offering, or to go to a designated pick-up location to fill your own box. And then there’s the farm credit program, which is essentially like a gift card you get for the farm that has a balance on it, and you use it to buy whatever you want at the farm, at a small discount (say, 5 percent), until the balance runs out. Non-veggie CSAs programs vary as well. Meat CSAs often offer shares by the pound either per week or per month. For eggs, a dozen at a time is common, either per week or per month. And for milk, it can be by the pint, quart or gallon
How to Choose a CSA
Different product options for CSA shares — including those that include vegetables only, meat only or a variety of food groups — allow customers to address their specific dietary needs, according to Amy Haller of Brookford Farm in Canterbury. Brookford has several different signup options, including a “whole-diet base share” with vegetables, dairy, beef, pork and eggs. But shares of just beef or pork, or just vegetables, are also available.
“Most people, when they are choosing a CSA, they try to steer things toward different lifestyles, because there is a wide variety of eaters out there,” Haller said. “It depends on what their diet is. … You’re getting a good amount of meat [with the meat share], so meat certainly has to be a large part of your diet.”
Charmingfare Farm has CSA shares for livestock, pasture eggs and vegetables. Ellis said vegetable shares are typically the most common for first-time customers, but after experiencing how that works, they might move on to buying a specific kind of meat per pound.
“It really is about what the families’ structure is in their own homes on how they purchase the foods they consume,” Ellis said.
Why you want to sign up for a CSA in the first place might also help you determine which one to go with, according to Hall.
“That could be anything from a motivated philosophical ideology about how their food is grown, or it could be more about trying to help small businesses, or there could be a convenience factor,” she said. “I think for a lot of people, the location of a farm with a CSA [relative] to their home is the most primary, but most people do have the sense that they want to know and understand where their food is grown, and especially if they have young children, they might use a CSA to help educate them on where their food comes from.”
Farms that offer different pickup locations can be good options for people who don’t live close by. Brookford Farm, for example, has more than a dozen locations across the state where you can register to pick up its CSA products, from Nashua to as far north as Plymouth. The farm also offers several share options for each of its three CSA seasons, and different payment options.
“The unique thing about these CSA programs is that while you’ll find that most of them have pay-up-front structures, ours have different types of payment plans available,” Haller said. “So you can choose to either pay in full up front or make monthly payments. … Some people might make a down payment if the start of the season is a few months out and then pay another portion halfway through, so you can split it up.”
If you’re looking for variety, some farms belong to cooperative CSA programs. For example, six Concord-area farms participate in Local Harvest CSA through a variety of vegetable shares and some livestock shares during the spring, summer and fall. A membership with Local Harvest, then, would yield food from any of these farms: Kearsarge Gore Farm in Warner, Blue Ox Farm in Enfield, Good Earth Farm in Weare, Vegetable Ranch in Warner, Middle Branch Farm in New Boston and Stoneridge Farm in Bradford.
CSA Guide
Here are some of southern New Hampshire’s farms that are offering CSA programs for the spring and summer. If you know of any other local CSAs, email us at food@hippopress.com and we may feature it in an upcoming issue.
Barrett Hill Farm (450 Fitchburg Road, Mason, 878-4022, barretthillfarm.com) offers a 15-week CSA program with four different package options that include a variety of fruits and vegetables. Prices start at $250 for the season, which runs from mid-June through the fall.
Benedikt Dairy (97 Shirley Hill Road, Goffstown, 801-6839, benediktdairy.com) has a rolling 20-week CSA membership with sign-ups available at any time of the year. Products include raw milk, whipped cream, aged cheese, yogurt and soy-free eggs. Prices range from $100 to $200 for 20 weeks, depending on the product and amounts. Two pickup locations are at Normanton Farm (226 Charles Bancroft Highway, Litchfield) and Tuckaway Farm (59 Randall Road, Lee).
Brasen Hill Farm (71 Warren Road, Barrington, 868-2001, brasenhillfarm.com) has both boxed and market CSA shares for vegetables that run from early June through late October. Three different shares are available, and the cost ranges from $225 to $650 for the season, depending on the size. Pickups are available at the farm, at Umami (Route 4, Northwood), and at Calef’s Country Store (606 Route 9, Barrington) at varying dates and times.
Brookford Farm (250 West Road, Canterbury, 742-4084, brookfordfarm.com) has several seasonal CSAs throughout the year. Spring CSA programs run for 12 weeks, from March 13 through June 4. The summer CSA program runs for 20 weeks, from June 5 through Oct. 22. Several different shares are available for the spring program, including a vegetable share for $300, a meat-based share for $437 and a whole-diet base share for $987. Prices are prorated to reflect the number of remaining weeks in the session. Pickup locations are in Amherst, Canterbury, Concord, Deerfield, Dover, Epsom, Exeter, Hampstead, Hollis, Manchester, Nashua and Salem.
Charmingfare Farm (774 High St., Candia, 483-5623, visitthefarm.com) offers a variety of CSA share programs, including for vegetables, beef, pork, lamb, goat, turkey, chicken and eggs. Programs run from late May through early October, depending on the type of share. Vegetable shares are $650 and last for 20 weeks. Livestock shares are by the pound and vary in cost. Egg shares are $110 for 20 weeks, with a dozen eggs per week. Pickups are at the farm on Wednesdays, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Country Dreams Farm (855 Brookline Road, Mason, 966-7427, countrydreamsfarmnh.com) is offering a 14-week CSA program that will run from late June through mid-October this season. Three shares of fresh vegetables are available, including a half share for $250, a small share for $450 and a large share for $650. Pickup locations start in June at the Nashua Farmer’s Market (65 Main St.) on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Wednesdays from 4 to 7 p.m.; at the Manchester Community Market (48 Concord St.) on Thursdays from 3 to 6:30p.m.; and at the Milford Farmer’s Market (19 Elm St.) on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Dirty Girl CSA (22 Buxton School Road, Weare, 326-8729, dirtygirlcsa.com) offers 10- and 15-week shares, both beginning in June. Products include eggs and 35 types of vegetables. Prices range from $200 to $600, depending on the size of the share. Pickups are at the Nashua Farmer’s Market (65 Main St.) on Wednesdays from 3:30 to 7 p.m. and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Dog Rose Farm (41 Birch Hill Road, Lee, 207-751-1302, dogrosefarm.com) has an 18-week CSA share program for heirloom and common variety organic vegetables, which runs from June through October. Three payment options are available for the season; prices range from $275 to $550, depending on the size and type of share. Pickups are available at the farm on Tuesdays from 2 to 6:30 p.m. beginning June 20.
Fresh Start Farms (New American Farmers Cooperative, 434 Lake Ave., second floor, Manchester, 296-0443, freshstartfarmsnh.org) offers a 12-week summer CSA membership that begins in June. Eighteen-week full-season shares and six-week fall shares are also available. Products include a variety of vegetables grown by members of the New American Farmers Cooperative. The cost ranges from $130 to $650, depending on the size and type of share. Pickup locations are in Bedford, Derry, Londonderry, Manchester, Merrimack, Newmarket and Salem.
Holland Farm (269 Osgood Road, Milford, 673-0667, hollandfarmcsa.com) offers three different CSA memberships, ranging in cost from $225 to $540, depending on the size of the share. A variety of vegetables, eggs, raw goat milk, goat cheese and more are available. Members can come once a week to the farm to pick up their shares, June 20 through mid-September. Pickup hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Lewis Farm, Greenhouse & Compost (192 Silk Farm Road, Concord, 228- 6230, lewisfarmconcord.com) has a 10-week spring CSA share program for vegetables that runs from mid-April through June, and a summer program from late June through September. Spring shares are $250 for the whole session ($25/week) and pickups are available at the farm on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Information for the summer CSA programs TBA.
Local Harvest CSA (274 Pleasant St., Concord, 731-5955, localharvestnh.com) is a CSA cooperative program with products made from Kearsarge Gore Farm (173 Gore Road, Warner), Stoneridge Farm (330 Cressy Road, Bradford), Middle Branch Farm (280 W. Colburn Road, New Boston), Vegetable Ranch (443 Kearsarge Mountain Road, Warner), Blue Ox Farm (842 Shaker Hill Road, Enfield) and Good Earth Farm (52 Poor Farm Road, Weare). Spring vegetable shares run from May 24 through June 7, and summer shares from June 14 through Oct. 12. The cost ranges from $85 to $270, depending on the size of the share. Pickups are at Unitarian Universalist Church (274 Pleasant St., Concord), Zin-Zen Yoga (126 S. River Road, Bedford), Cole Gardens (430 Loudon Road, Concord), Bert’s Better Beers (1100 Hooksett Road, Hooksett) and The Clean Take (55 N. Main St., Concord).
McLeod Bros. Orchards (749 N. River Road, Milford, 673-3544, mcleodorchards.com) offers a 16-week CSA share program for vegetables that begins in June. An eight-week program for apples only is also available. The cost is $400 for the full season and $200 for the apple season shares. Pickups are available at the farm stand on Thursdays from 3 to 6 p.m.
Mildred’s Drumlin Farm (314 Lee Hook Road, Lee, 292-5949, mildredsdrumlinfarm.com) has an 18-week CSA share season that runs from early June through early October. Members receive eight to 10 items in a boxed share each week, including a variety of vegetables, strawberries, blueberries, herbs and more. Single shares are $360 and double shares are $670. Pickups are available on Wednesdays after 3 p.m.
Miles Smith Farm (56 Whitehouse Road, Loudon, 783-5159, milessmithfarm.com) offers a variety of shares, including grassfed beef, eggs, dairy, lamb, pasteurized pork and more. Most sessions run for 13 weeks but a few of them can be at custom lengths. The cost ranges from $84 to $215, depending on the type and length of each share. Pickups are available at the farm either weekly or monthly depending on the share.
Oasis Springs Farm (79 W. Groton Road, Nashua, 930- 1294, oasisspringsfarm.com) has a 12-week CSA spring share that began March 13 and continues through May 19; it includes lettuce, greens, herbs and more. The cost is $180 for the 12 weeks, or $15 per weekly share, and pickups are available on Mondays from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Great Harvest Bread (4 Sunapee St., Nashua) and Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. at the YMCA of Greater Nashua (24 Stadium Drive, Nashua)
Red Manse Farm (5 Pittsfield Road, Loudon, 435-9943, redmansefarm.com) offers a 17-week CSA share program of fresh produce that runs from June 6 through Sept. 28. The cost is $490 and pickups are available on Tuesdays, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Log Cabin Tack (270 Londonderry Turnpike, Hooksett) Thursdays from 4 to 6 p.m. at Sunflower Natural Foods (390 S. Main St., No. 1, Laconia).
Stout Oak Farm (83 Middle Road, Brentwood, stoutoakfarm@gmail.com, stoutoakfarm.com) is offering a variety of CSA share options for 2017, including a vegetable share, a fresh greens box, and a farm store credit program. The cost of the weekly vegetable share is $550 for 18 weeks, beginning in early June; pickup days are Tuesday from 2 to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. The cost of the fresh greens box is $72 for four weeks or $270 for 16 weeks, beginning June 2; pickup days are Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. The costs of the farm store credit programs range from $100 to $500 per season, depending on the type.
Temple-Wilton Community Farm (195 Isaac Frye Highway, Wilton, 654-6082, twcfarm.com) has the longest continuously operated CSA program in the country and was one of the first to implement direct-to-consumer options for products. The cost varies each season, which runs from June 1 to May 31 of the following year, and is determined by the farm’s budget and operating expenses. The average is about $125 per month, which covers all of the produce plus up to four gallons of
milk. There is currently a waiting list to sign up for the next CSA season.
Terra Organics (198 Tyler Road, Contoocook, 491-4039, squareup.com/market/terraorganicsnh) offers a six-week spring greens CSA share program that runs from early May through June. The boxed share includes lettuce, spinach, turnips, mustards and more and costs $150. Pickups are available on varying days in Henniker, Concord and Contoocook. See website for more details.
Vernon Family Farm (301 Piscassic Road, Newfields, 340-4321, vernonfamilyfarm.com) has a unique CSA share program that allows you to choose the amount you want to invest, what you want to buy and when you want to buy it. Each share lasts for six months after the date you sign up and there is no carryover of funds. Products available as part of the shares include chicken, vegetables, dried flowers, and oyster and white cap mushrooms.
Willoughby Farm of Kensington (16 Shaws Hill Road, Kensington, 772-5538, willoughbyfarm.com) offers an 18-week CSA share of fresh produce for $400, which runs from June through October. Delivery information TBA.
Wilson Farm (144 Charles Bancroft Highway, Litchfield, 882-5551, wilsonfarm.com) has vegetable, fish and cut-flower CSA shares available for signups now, which begin in either June or July depending on the type. A small produce share runs 18 weeks from June 6 to Oct. 5 and is $450. A large produce share runs the same amount of time and is $675. A fish share runs from June 13 to Sept. 21 and is $260. A flower share runs from July 11 to Sept. 14 and is $100. Pickups are available at either the farm stand in Litchfield or the farm store in Lexington, Mass.
Work Song Farm (124 Beech Hill Road, Hopkinton, 219-0297, worksongfarm.com) offers a 20-week CSA share program that runs from June 8 through Oct. 22. Full shares of $600 and half shares of $360 of fresh produce are available. Customers get lettuce, cucumbers and other staples, and have opportunities to pick their own product for their share, such as a bag of spinach versus a bag of kale. Pickups are Wednesdays from 4 to 7 p.m. at the farm, or Saturdays at the farm or at the Contoocook Farmer’s Market (896 Main St.).