Questions and Answers
The Elizabeth Telling Farm Mission
Growing practices; Is Elizabeth Telling Farm Organic?
Questions about becoming a CSA:
Are CSA important to the farm?
What does it mean to be a CSA?
Is there a deadline for signing up?
Do you offer any special payment plans?
It seems like a lot of food, do you offer half shares?
Questions about the Vegetables:
When are specific crops harvested?
When can I expect to receive corn, tomatoes, spinach, etc.?
How can I be assured that the vegetables will be of good quality?
How long will the produce keep?
How is the produce prepared? Is there much cleaning or washing on my part?
Elizabeth is in honor of my good friend and mentor, Libby Gregory, and Telling is my great-grandfather’s last name. He and his four brothers ran a successful and innovative dairy farm east of Cleveland in the 1900’s. The owner of the farm is Sandy Sterrett, but she happily answers to Elizabeth.
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The Elizabeth Telling Farm Mission:
Our mission is to run a sustainable farm that grows high-quality, nutritious food for Ohioans. Our farming practices are focused around two principals: 1) each animal or crop supports another part of the farm so that we use no herbicides or pesticides and only organic seeds and fertilizers; and 2) we continually work to reduce or eliminate items like fuel, electricity, feed, fertilizer, and plastic bags, in the production, harvesting, and packaging of our food.
Our goal is to maintain a small farm that grows food for 200 CSA’s, sells produce at four farmers’ markets, and provides job opportunities to local residents.
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To ensure the continued ability to produce high-quality food, Elizabeth Telling Farm uses the following growing practices:
• Only organic or untreated seeds are planted
• Annually, the fertility of the soil is improved, along with the diversity of the Farm’s ecosystem
• No herbicides or pesticides (including organic products) are used
• Only organic fertilizer, compost, and green manure crops are used to add nutrients to the soil
• All farm animals have daily access to fields and a varied natural diet
• Antibiotics are only used in circumstances when the life of the animal is at risk (to date I have never needed to use an antibiotic)
• No use of cloned animals or genetically engineered products on the Farm
• No hormones are ever used
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You can contact Sandy Sterrett by:
Email: sandy@elizabethtellingfarm.com
Phone: 614-746-5750
Address: Elizabeth Telling Farm,
attn: Sandy Sterrett
P.O. Box 178, Barnesville, OH 43713
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Are CSA members important to the Farm?
Yes, CSA members are an essential financial component for the sustainability of the farm, ensuring buyers for all of the vegetables that we plant, cultivate and harvest, and continued support in the case of natural disasters or unexpected crop failure.
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What does it mean to be a CSA?
Elizabeth Telling Farm strives to bring you a beautiful box of produce (~8 items) each week. The produce is mostly “normal vegetables” that you would find in the supermarket, along with one or two new vegetables to try. Since nature is really our boss, we can't guarantee a bountiful harvest of every vegetable planted. One of the premises of the CSA program is that the members also experience the impact of nature on harvests. Throughout our years of experience, we have learned how to minimize as many risks as possible --from draught to floods, unseasonable frosts and extreme heat.
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We can't imagine a situation when bad weather would result in no produce. In 2004, despite three floods, we were still able to provide vegetables, just not everything that was planted. Every year through experience and training, we learn new ways to improve harvest and soil fertility, and we acquire better equipment and staff.
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A season is 27 weeks beginning late May and ending late November. Regular shares are $525 - $725, gourmet shares are an additional $150.
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Is there a deadline for signing up?
There is no deadline for becoming a CSA member. However, membership is sold on a first come, first serve basis, so we recommend joining as soon as possible.
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Do you offer any special payment plans?
We accept checks, cash, paypal, and the http://www.localharvest.org store. Generally, CSA members pay the full amount up front. If you wish to spread the cost of the share out over a period of time, you may pay by installment, just so you are paid in full by April.
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Only through the http://www.localharvest.org store.
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Do you offer half CSA Membership?
No, labor is nearly the same for half boxes so I lose money for the farm. Additionally we are trying to more towards a local food economy by growing a higher percentage of your food calories each year. Many subscribers also choose to split the cost and share with another family or group of poeple.
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Unfortunately, we do not deliver CSA boxes to specific locations and do not have an alternative site for pick up. For those who are too far away to receive our vegetables or if we are sold out and you would like to try another CSA in the area, we recommend you visit http://www.localharvest.org to locate a farmers' market in your area.
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Send your name, address city and zip, e-mail address and phone number along with your payment to Elizabeth Telling Farm, PO Box 178, Barnesville, OH 43713. You may also subscribe through the paypal link on our home page, or at http://www.localharvest.org.
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Our goal is to send you a ½ dozen eggs, a bag of lettuce and 6 to 8 additional items including herbs, leafy greens, something from the onion family, and several common vegetables like zucchini, tomatoes, cabbage, or beans.
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When are specific crops harvested? When can I expect to receive corn, tomatoes, spinach, etc.?
Due to the seasonality of raising vegetables in the Midwest, the types of vegetables you receive will vary each week. Early CSA boxes are dominated by greens, mid-season by fruiting vegetables, and the fall by root vegetables. It's natural to be excited about the first ripe tomato of summer, but don't expect to receive it in your first CSA box of the season. Elizabeth Telling Farm works hard to provide a variety of produce throughout the entire season. Depending on the weather and seasonality of vegetables, there often is variation in the box weight across seasons. For example, the spring boxes tend to be lighter and greener while the fall boxes are heavier and with more varied colors.
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Due to the system we use of packing CSA boxes; all members receive the same variety and quantity of vegetables. CSA members who dislike peas will receive the same amount of peas as the members who love peas. You are encouraged to leave your unwanted vegetables in the Exchange Crate or trade with something of like value at the farm stand. We also would like to help you find a way to prepare a formerly unloved vegetable so it now becomes something you really enjoy eating. Just ask us for some ideas.
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How can I be assured that the vegetables will be of good quality?
The quality of your vegetables is determined by a variety of factors. At the farm, we go to great lengths to keep your vegetables fresh. Almost everything delivered in the boxes was harvested no more than 24 hours previously. All the vegetables, especially lettuce, are immediately washed with cold well water. To help keep your produce as fresh as possible, pick up as early as you can on your market day. Freshness and quality can quickly wither on a hot summer day. It's also important to properly store your vegetables once you get them home. Despite our best attempts, we will always have a few crops that do not flourish in the weather and pest conditions of that year. This is part of the great balancing act of nature; conditions under which some crops excel cause others to fail. Thus, there will always be a "star" crop and a "B-list" crop and you can bet that the two will change the next season. If you are not satisfied with the quality of the produce that you have received, please let us know and we will try to make adjustments to alleviate the issue.
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How long will the produce keep?
Crops vary in how long they will keep, even under ideal growing and storage conditions. There can be a significant difference between the storage life of fresh organic produce and that of conventional produce treated with waxes and preservatives.
Relative produce perishability:
· Very high (use within 3-4 days): broccoli, cauliflower, cantaloupe, scallions, mesclun, leaf lettuce, spinach, sweet corn, fully ripe tomatoes
· High: honeydew and other melons, cucumbers, Brussels sprouts, eggplant, head lettuce, peppers, summer squash
· Moderate: beets, cabbages, carrots, radishes, potatoes (immature)
Low: potato (mature), dry onion, garlic, pumpkin, winter squash
Please keep in mind that vegetables that look imperfect or dirty will usually clean up just fine and definitely taste better than those which are bred only for uniformity or pest resistance.
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A Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) member is a customer who receives a box of in-season produce for a fixed number of weeks during the coming year’s harvest seasons. Customers pay an annual fee, generally in December or January, to become a CSA member for the upcoming year. When the first harvest of the year begins, CSA members will receive a weekly share of fresh produce.
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How is the produce prepared? Is there much cleaning or washing on my part?
We firmly recommend that you always wash the vegetables before preparing them at home. We generally pre-rinse all of the vegetables that go into the boxes.
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When do the deliveries begin and end for the season?
Deliveries begin May 22nd and end November 20th for the 2010 growing season.
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What if I can't make the scheduled delivery times?
Often CSA members ask a friend or neighbor to pick up on days when they are out of town, which is okay by us. It is up to you to work out the arrangement with the substitute CSA member.
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