CSA Distribution starts Next Week!

Dear Shareholders,

Happy June to all of you! Please read through the following information thoroughly. We have answered most of the questions you may have regarding the start of our distributions next week, but feel free to ask us additional questions at [email protected].  

Coming up: CSA Open House, Saturday 1- 3 p.m.
The CSA Open House and Meet Your Farmer Event! We will give tours of the farm from a CSA grower; enjoy our very own grilled veggies, and provide information for CSA the season. We also have some early cool season crops that we are harvesting because of the heat so you will be able to come home with a sneak preview of our produce. The historic Hildebrand Ranch Area will be open for tours, kids will have some fun activities and you will have an opportunity to ask any questions before we get going for the season. If you have not RSVP’d, please do so. We will see you there!

CSA Distribution Information: First distribution dates are June 11 for York St. and June 13 for Chatfield.
PLEASE read through this information for both distribution sites.

• Distribution at both locations will start at 4 p.m.; for the first couple of distributions we may be fine tuning the process - we have a lot less staff this year than previous years so please be patient with us if we are not ready! We moved the up the start time to be accommodating to all of your busy schedules but we may need more time in the beginning.
• Bring your own bags. We have a limited amount of bags to loan.
• Make sure you check your account to review the items you have/have not purchased. Check in when you arrive by signing your name on the appropriate sheet(s) depending on what type of shares you are collecting.
• If you are picking up eggs, please bring an empty egg carton over to the add-on table first and then pick up your veggies. This will allow our staff time to put your eggs together if things are busy. We also have plenty of empty cartons to loan you the first time but can’t provide cartons every time.
• We suggest using large zip-lock bags (for greens/herbs) that can seal tightly for items that perish quickly.
• If you are splitting your share, we recommend that you divide your share by weeks rather than having multiple people come to divide their share at one time. This has caused a lot of confusion in the past, and it delays the distribution process for other shareholders. It is much easier for everyone if the share is picked up in its entirety each week and then split after distribution.
• Distribution ends at 7 p.m., so please come with enough time to finish by then.
• Please note we will have a comment box for concerns/suggestions on your CSA experience.
• Although much of the CSA produce is washed before it is brought to distribution, we still heavily encourage shareholders to wash all produce before consuming it. We also recommend that you try and prep all of your veggies (wash, remove leaves, seal in a bag) as soon as you get home.
• Each week the variety of produce will vary depending on the time of year, the weather and other environmental factors. Please check the weekly e-news for each week’s anticipated list of produce. You can also visit the CSA website (chatfieldcsa.org) and look under the OUR PRODUCE tab which offers a Harvest Calendar showing what we grow. Also under the produce tab is a Snapshot of Your Weekly Share which shows examples of what to expect at each month’s distribution based on 2011 harvests.

YORK STREET: TUESDAYS, 4 - 7 P.M.
Primary Distribution Location: In good weather (and non-concert Tuesdays), York Street distributions will take place at the south end of the parking structure on the top deck. We will be set up in all of the shaded parking spots along the south end. Once you have checked in you are welcome to go through distribution in any order.
Bad Weather Distribution Location: In bad weather (heavy rain, lightning, etc.) the York Street distributions will be located on the lower deck of the parking garage in the "van-only" parking area. We will send York Street shareholders an email ahead of time whenever possible to notify you if we plan on using this location.

CHATFIELD: THURSDAYS, 4 - 7 P.M.
Chatfield distributions will take place at the CSA Washstand in the Hildebrand Ranch area of the Chatfield site. Please look for parking signs marked CSA Distributions and Classes. We have a number of weddings taking place on Thursdays, so please look for signage.
You will need to walk through the ranch area to get to the washstand so please be prepared to walk even if it is raining, etc. We cannot allow people to drive through the ranch area for any reason. We recommend bringing a rolling cooler/wagon/stroller to help get your produce to the car once we reach the peak of the season. Your bags will get very heavy once the melons, tomatoes, and squash start coming in!

This year, to make more room at Chatfield distributions we will have a large tent set up adjacent to the washstand where some of the distribution items will be located. Please make sure that you collect all of your produce items from inside the washstand and the tent area. Produce can be collected in any order once you have checked in.

Thank you, everyone. We are really looking forward to another amazing season of bountiful produce and support of local farming!