Lancaster Farm Fresh

Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative
Leola, Lancaster County, PA

~~Certified Organic Produce and Grass-fed Animal Products~~

Application period for new members is now over. Deliveries will start in mid to late May. Members will be notified by Lancaster Farm Fresh.

We are a cooperative of 68 Amish and Mennonite farmers, who own and operate small, family farms in Lancaster County, PA. Our produce growers are certified-organic and our dairy and meat products come from grass-fed animals. We believe in producing healthful food for our customers and families by building soil quality and providing healthy conditions for animals. We focus our production on specialty crops and heirloom varieties to help promote biodiversity.

2010 will be our fifth year operating a CSA program. Over 50 farmers will contribute to the vegetable, fruit and flower shares we distribute. Our Cooperative incorporates the knowledge of experienced farmers with the excitement of young farmers and provides an environment for beginning farmers to learn. While growing for the Cooperative, our farmers can focus on what they enjoy growing and what grows best in their soil and also experiment with new varieties of plants, rather than grow on one farm the crop diversity that CSA customers expect. We have one farmer that specializes in watermelon and one that grows acres of sweet corn and another that loves to grow Asian greens. Each of these farms lies in a different part of Lancaster County and contains very different types of soil.

We hope you will join our CSA this year and enjoy the diverse flavors of the growing season in Lancaster County. We offer a weekly pricelist of grass-fed animal products, including yogurt, cheese, bison, chicken and raw milk for you to order. Bulk vegetables for canning and other PA-made products are also available for you to order. The animal products and bulk vegetables you order are delivered with your vegetable share. A few days before your share arrives you will receive a CSA shopping list to help you prepare for the week. The day of your delivery you will receive a newsletter from the farms, including a vegetable list, recipes, photographs and news from the fields.

MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS:

• Certified organic vegetables grown on small family farms
• Wholesale value on locally grown, certified organic produce
• Wide variety of freshly harvested heirloom and specialty vegetables
• Choice of a full or half share
• Optional fruit share
• Optional flower share
• Recipes and vegetable storage tips emailed to you weekly
• Connection to the people who grow your food
• Weekly delivery of grass-fed animal products and PA-made products

SEASON

28-week season from May through November (specific dates for beginning and end of CSA season will be determined by the weather and announced in early May).

COST

PICKUP TIME

Shares will be delivered Monday, Tuesday or Thursday of each week, depending on site location. Pickup hours vary from site to site but are typically two hours between 4 and 8 pm depending on site host. CHOP pick up times are over lunchtime. Reading Terminal Market hours end at 6 pm when the market closes.

DELIVERY LOCATIONS

• Center City - Reading Terminal Market (no special orders)
• Chestnut Hill - 7700 block Ardleigh St.
• CHOP - Abramson Building
• Fairmount - Poplar St near 29th
• Fishtown/Kensington- Walking Fish Theater
• Mt. Airy - 6800 block Crittenden St.
• Powelton Village - 3400 block Baring St.
• Rittenhouse Square - Metropolitan Bakery (no special orders)
• Roxborough - 400 block Ripka St.
• South Philly - 1900 block South Mole St.
• West Philly - 100 block S. Paxon St.

Berks County

• Wyomissing - 00 block Hummingbird Rd

Chester County

• Avondale - Natural by Nature Store, 1670 Baltimore Pike
• West Chester - 1500 E Woodbank Way

Delaware County

• Chester - 600 E 20thSt.
• Havertown - 300 block Cherry Lane
• Media - 100 block Greenhill Rd
• Rutledge - 100 block President Ave.
• Wayne - 100 block Mt. Pleasant Ave.

Lancaster County

• Ephrata - Scarecrow Hill Farm, 100 block Mohler Church Rd
• Lancaster City - 400 block of West Chestnut
• Leola - 48 Eagle Rd
• Lititz - Penn Cinema

Lebanon County

• Mt. Gretna - TBD

Montgomery County

• Ambler - site host needed
• Ardmore - 100 block Linwood Ave.
• Bala Cynwyd - 100 block Union Ave.
• Bryn Mawr - 1000 block Great Springs Rd.
• King of Prussia 700 block of Caley Road
• Lafayette Hill - site host needed
• Norristown - site host needed
• North Wales - Gwynedd Friends Meeting, S. Sumneytown Pike
• Plymouth Meeting - site host needed
• Willow Grove - site host needed
• Wyncote - 100 block Hewett Road
• Wynnewood - 1100 block Ashton Rd

Delaware

• Hockessin - Francines Market, 6949 Lancaster Pike
• Newark - Homegrown Cafe, 126 E Main St.

THE CROPS WE GROW

The crops we grow for our CSA members and the months these crops should be ready are shown below. We have many heirloom varieties on our list. Our experience tells us that in any given season, some crops do better than others. We will put 4 to 9 different crops in a half share each week and 7 to 12 different crops in a full share each week. If you are picking up your share at a private residence some shares will be packed individually and some shares will be packaged in bulk boxes farmers-market style, South Philly being the exception. If you are picking up your share at a business your shares will be packed individually. A list of what each share contains will be posted at the pick-up site and a swap box will be available for trading vegetables. The shares are delivered in a refrigerated truck and we try to protect leafy crops from drying out by putting them in plastic bags or covering them with ice. In some weeks, items included may differ between shares, depending on crop availability. A full share is approximately enough vegetables for 2 adults and 2 children, although the number of people will vary depending upon the frequency of home-cooked meals and individual appetites.

[crop table]

Here are examples of what members found in their shares on five days in 2009. Fruit share items also shown but were optional.

May 11, 2009

Full Share

• 1 lb asparagus - certified organic - Farmdale Organics
• 1 lb baby lettuce mix - certified organic - Farmdale Organics
• 1 bunch red radishes - certified organic - Farmdale Organics
• 1 bunch Mizuna - transitional - Sunset View Produce
• 2 bunches white scallions - certified organic - Green Valley Organics
• 1 1/4 lb red rhubarb - certified organic - Little Brook Organics
• 3 heads mixed baby lettuce - transitional - Taste of Nature Farm
• 1 8oz package cremini mushrooms - certified organic - Mother Earth Mushrooms

June 16, 2009

Full Share

• 1 head purple broccoli - certified organic - Hillside Organics
• 1 head Napa cabbage - transitional - Green Acres Organics
• 1 bunch Hakurai turnips - certified organic - Goshen View Organic
• 1 bag snow peas - certified organic - White Swan Acres - 1/4 lb
• 3 young candy onions - certified organic - Meadow Valley Organics
• 1 bunch green mustard - certified organic - Maple Lawn Organics
• 1 head green leaf lettuce - certified organic - Fishers Organic Produce
• 1 head green leaf lettuce - certified organic - Back 40 Ranch

July 23, 2009

Full Share

• 1 head green cabbage - certified organic - Green Valley Organics
• 1 bunch Detroit red beets - certified organic - Farmdale Organics
• 4 loose Chioggia beets - certified organic - Millwood Springs
• 1 bag Yukon gold potatoes - certified organic - Hillside Organics - 2.5 lbs
• 1 bag candy onions - certified organic - Busy Bee Acres - 2lbs
• 1 green slicing cucumbers - certified organic - Goshen View Organics
• 1 Asian cucumber - certified organic - White Swan Acres
• 3 green zucchini - certified organic - Maple Valley Organics
• 1 bag yellow/green or Romano beans - certified organic - White Swan Acres - 1 lb
• 10 red slicing tomatoes- transitional - White Swan Acres
• 1 bunch red bor kale - certified organic - Life Enhancing Acres

Fruit Share

• 1 bag of peaches - IPM - Kauffmans Fruit Farm - 2.5 lbs
• AND 1 pkg red raspberries - certified organic - Maple Valley Berries - .5 pints

September 21, 2009

Full Share

• 1 bag red beets - certified organic - Farmdale Organics - 3 lbs
• 1 spaghetti squash - certified organic - Elm Tree Organics
• 1 bunch Lacinato kale - certified organic - Farmdale Organics
• 1 head Napa cabbage - certified organic - Bellview Organics
• 1 yellow bell pepper - certified organic - Bellview Organics
• 1 bunch tatsoi - certified organic - Hillside Organics
• 2 heads baby Romaine - certified organic - Misty Meadow Acres
• 3 jalapeno peppers - certified organic - Millwood Springs
• 1 head green broccoli - certified organic - Pleasant Valley Organics
• 2 heads baby bok choy - certified organic - Scarecrow Hill Organics
• 1 bag banana fingerling potatoes - certified organic - Back 40 Ranch - 2 lbs

Fruit Share:

• 1 bag gala or yellow delicious apples - organically grown - Eden Valley Orchard - 5 lbs

November 16, 2009

Full Share

• 3 acorn squash - certified organic - Elm Tree Organics
• 1 head cauliflower - certified organic - Green Valley Organics
• 1 bag all gold sweet potatoes (#2) - certified organic - Windy Top Organics
• 1 bunch Chioggia beets - certified organic - Millwood Springs Farm
• 1 head chicory endive - certified organic - Meadow Valley Organics
• 1 bunch broccoli raab (leaves only) - certified organic - Riverview Organics
• 1 head green leaf lettuce - certified organic - Back 40 Ranch
• 1 head large bok choi - certified organic - Scarecrow Hill Organics
• 1 bunch mixed turnips - certified organic - Maple Lawn Organics
• 1 bunch tatsoi - certified organic - Hillside Organics
• 2 white onions (#2) - certified organic - Organic Willow Acres
• 1 bunch pink radishes - certified organic - Autumn Blend Organics

Half Share

• 3 acorn squash - certified organic - Elm Tree Organics
• 1 head cauliflower - certified organic - Green Valley Organics
• 1 bag all gold sweet potatoes (#2) - certified organic - Windy Top Organics
• 1 bunch Chioggia beets - certified organic - Millwood Springs Farm
• 1 head chicory endive - certified organic - Meadow Valley Organics
• 1 bunch broccoli raab (leaves only) - certified organic - Riverview Organics
• 1 head green leaf lettuce - certified organic - Back 40 Ranch

CSA DETAILS

Delivery: Our CSA will deliver shares every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday for 28 weeks from May through November to many drop-off locations in and around Philadelphia. The application form lists the locations from which to choose.

We will notify you two weeks before the season begins about the start date, the pickup time, and directions to your pickup site. We can arrange other drop off points if they would each serve at least 20 members and are within a reasonable distance of the delivery route. Contact us if you would like to be a site host: .

Vegetable Share Cost: Our full share costs $750 for the season. If you think a share is too much food, you can split a full share with another household or get a half share for $450. A half share contains fewer varieties of vegetables and is delivered every week.

Shares must be completely paid at the time of application. Contact Farm to City to make other payment arrangements. Fruit and Flower shares are available only with the purchase of a vegetable share.

Fruit Share: We send one or two varieties of fruit each week for 20 weeks. You can expect cherries, plums, peaches and pears from Kauffmans Fruit Farm. We may also send certified organic apples from Eden Valley Orchards and certified organic berries and melons from LFFC farmers. If certified organic fruit is available we will send that in the fruit shares.

Cost

$120/season for a fruit share, delivered every week with your vegetable share.

Flower Share

4-Season Harvest Buying Club

Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative (LFFC) can bring you additional food items such as eggs, cheese, chicken, beef, bison and yogurt by special order throughout the CSA season. We will announce these offerings once a week with an online pricelist. CSA members can order products online through LFFCs ordering system. The products will be delivered each week with vegetable shares. Each member who places an order will receive an online confirmation and an invoice with their order. Members will send payment via check to the Cooperative offices. LFFC will provide members instructions on how to order 4-Season Harvest pricelist.

QUESTIONS?

Send a message to .