Community Supported Agriculture

We are accepting limited additional applications for our 2nd year staring with our winter season - harvest is planned to start in March

THE FARM TOUR THAT WAS RESCHEDULED FROM LAST WEEKEND (and the one before that) IS FINALLY ON!

"We must consider it a scientific fact that you are what you eat. The same molecules that make up the food we consume become the molecules of our minds and bodies. So, unless you are your own farmer, you should choose one as carefully as you would chose your doctor or your pastor. Therefore, it is fitting that farmers, like doctors, lawyers, professors, and pastors, should command a high level of respect and income, commensurate with this level of responsibility. I consider it an honor and a privilege that you have chosen me to be your farmer." Tom Willey of T&D Willey Farms

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a way to help stabilize and support a local farm. It is about the community supporting agriculture the way agriculture has been supporting community for generations by growing its food.

It is almost like having your very own slice of a farm - without all of the hours of backbreaking chores, mud and manure on your freshly mopped kitchen floor, late night or early morning birthing of critters and all the other fun stuff that comes with living on a farm - but, still helping carry some of the financial burden of the risks associated with farming.

Unfortunately, you won't get to experience the joy of watching little creatures run around catching grasshoppers, the feel of a freshly laid egg against your skin, 19 fuzzy little baby ducks following (almost) single file behind their proud momma and the other wonderful joys that come from living on a farm - except when you come pick up your "share" of it.

For a good history on how community supported agriculture got its start in the states I suggest the book Sharing the Harvest by Elizabeth Henderson and Robyn Van En. Robyn's vision for small farmers was fair living wages, working conditions and respect. Her vision also included making local, healthy organic food more available to individuals by reaching them where they live through a small, locally owned/run farm. I share that vision with Robyn. I want everyone who strives to attain better health through the food they eat to be able to afford it.

CSA is also the only way many small farms get started, stay running and survive - especially in today's highly competitive big agri-business, imported food world. Many feel that today, it is through CSA that small farmers, primarily produce farmers, will be able to make a decent living and still keep the farm as a primary source of income to support themselves and their families. Farming, make no mistake, is a full time job and a dying trade. Farmers don't expect special compensation, just a respectable working wage in relation to the work they do - what anyone else would ask for. I feel it is important that we find a way for this to happen, in order to encourage younger generations to take over the gardens to help perpetuate local growing and feed America's families of tomorrow the healthiest, safest way possible.

Eden's Garden is a new, small, local urban farm run by me, a horticulturist turned agriculturist, at the prompting of peer farmers and friends and my growing awareness that there is indeed a shortage of local, healthy organic produce in the DFW area and specifically in the southeastern corner of Dallas County where the farm is located. It has been a rocky first 2 years, the weather has thrown everything at us from severe drought to record floods and lack of sunlit days, early heat waves to late freezes to record cold deep freezes and even a winter snowstorm that dropped a foot of snow on us, breaking records all over the area!

But we're on the right track here and things are getting better all the time! We have the interest of a few "farmers-to-be" who are coming on board to help with more of the day to day tasks and help us grow more food, more efficiently and take farming to other communities some day as well as help Eden's grow so it will serve more people in the future. That is part of my mission - to help other people learn to grow food and take it to more people. I also want to make the best, healthiest food available and affordable to those who really desire it for themselves and their families. It should not be easier & cheaper to find and buy junk food. Our generation is leaving a horrible legacy to the one following us when it comes to unhealthy eating traits and agricultural polices.

We're planning to have classes on basic and advanced cooking, preserving and canning, as well as basic and advanced gardening classes over the course of the year, too. Education/knowledge is power! Power to the people!

I believe we have a right and responsibility to take care of ourselves - this is one of the best ways

Throughout history, the few Americans that make up our country's population of farmers, have bore the brunt of, if not all of, the risk of growing food for the rest of the nation often at the cost of their family, farm and lives. Community Supported Agriculture helps re-connect people with the way their food gets to them and those that grow it. .

Through Community Supported Agriculture, (CSA), in order to provide good, clean, healthy and quality food, you the community forge a relationship with a local farmer in the way of an annual

financial commitment to this farm and willingness to share in the risks as well as the rewards of the harvests. This offers an opportunity for shareholders to receive a "share" of their investment back, in the way of what is freshly harvested seasonally from the farm, in exchange for a their financial commitment to the farm, prayers and hope for a bountiful harvest we can all enjoy!

The risk of farming is shared by those eating the food as well as the farmer who is working hard to grow it. CSA backing stabilizes the farmer's ability to focus on the farming and not worrying about competing with basement bargain prices of food in a market saturated by imported, factory farm foods.

A portion of the cost to support the efforts of the farm are divided into "shares" by committed individuals and paid for by those members who pledge an annual commitment. In turn, when the harvest comes in, shares of food are divided among those who've subscribed, in the way of food share pick ups. When there is a lot, the shares are larger. When there isn't, the shares are smaller. Farming is not an exact science. So much depends on the weather, from timing of the planting to harvest-ability, that eating what is available becomes an interesting challenge to the cook of the house. Eating in season is very different for many people used to strawberries and tomatoes in December and fresh crispy greens in July.

Tree fruit, is on the crop plan sheets and will become part of the shares as available in-season. Strawberries are planted each fall, melons in the spring. An edible forest of perennial fruit trees, including pears, figs, perhaps apples and peaches, blue and black berries are planned for future years.

Community Supported Agriculture is NOT a guarantee of a certain amount of groceries each week or even of specific varieties. This isn't a "dollar for dollar" type co-op, even though the farmers work hard so you feel like you get a good return on your investment. Please remember, these are real working, independently owned farms and farms and the food grown on them are at the mercy of nature and lots of factors coming together favorably. That is why farming has traditionally been such a risky business. That is why CSA is a great way to help small farms stay in business and be a benefit to the community where it is located.

Buying your groceries from a farm directly is only 1 way to support Local Agriculture, and is perhaps the most risky because you are relying on the same thing as the farmer does for your food - nature. Check out Local Harvest for co-ops, pick your own farms and don't forget our Market Day here at Eden's, and other local farmer's markets that support local farmers. McKinney, Coppell, Dallas (shed 1).

Eden's CSA asks individuals / families to pledge an annual commitment to the farm and pay in advance of the upcoming season, three times per year. The money collected up front helps cover the expenses of running the farm. There are organic soil amendments, seeds, equipment and labor to secure each season throughout the year. When the harvest comes in, you reap the return on that investment in the way of the food or a weekly "share". The size of the share will vary depending on variable factors, but we plan and plant so everyone can get a nice variety of seasonal, organically grown, fresh produce.

in the winter months after the holidays, January-February. The weather dictates a lot when you eat directly from the farm and we take a rest from growing to plan for the next season. I will try to provide 10-12 weeks of produce each season - more if it keeps growing, less if weather or other factors don't permit. I wish I could be more specific. I am committed to doing whatever I can, organically, to grow as bountiful a harvest as I can, but there are never any guarantees in farming.

To help us get through the weeks we are not able to distribute and as part of my desire to educate, I plan to hold "canning" classes so we can preserve extras. We also have a great friend of the farm in Chef David Gilbert who has pledged to hold cooking classes and share recipes and other tips with Eden's Garden CSA members.

Now, there will be PLENTY of opportunity for you to share in this labor of love, too. We wouldn't want to cheat anyone of digging up a sweet potato, picking fresh, juicy tomatoes or collecting eggs - or even the therapy of weeding and hoeing.

But, we'll get to that later, whereas we will ask for volunteers from time to time, regular work on the farm is NOT required at this point. Planting and harvesting time are the most labor intensive periods and anyone who wants to come and volunteer or look into working shares, we'll be happy to discuss that with you. (Work shares require weekly commitments of your time/labor during the growing season in exchange for a lower financial commitment.)

We plan to grow a variety of vegetables, herbs and eventually, fruits - many things you won't see at your local grocery store, and some old favorites, too. We will work with other local farmers to fill in with some things such as organic, home-made breads and other value added food items, grass fed organically raised beef, chicken, pork and turkey as well as specialty items you can order like rabbit, dried herbal packages for health and beauty, as well as cooking.

The idea isn't to eliminate your trip to the local grocery store, but to supplement your weekly food basket with organic, freshly harvested produce and goods. Each share will be measured out equally each week based on the amount of food harvested - keeping in mind the harvest will be more bountiful at some times of the year versus other times of the year. We'll do our best to plant according to our members' tastes, as nature will allow us to grow here in southeast Dallas County's soils, and hope you will enjoy stretching your culinary vocabulary with some new varieties.

Add your email address below to receive information and you can be placed on the waiting list if there are not any openings. Thank you.

No, we do not hold an organic certification through the USDA nor plan to apply for one. The paperwork, fees and way they are watering down the rules so the corporate farms can participate just don't make much sense to me as I understand it. Many farmers, and I agree, find it odd to pay the government NOT to spray dangerous chemicals on our fields and to raise our animals in humane, natural ways without hormones or antibiotics and feeding them naturally, etc. Most of our customers agree. None of us want to handle toxic chemicals and we eat our own food, too. You can ask what we use here, how we do what we do and we'll be happy to show you.

Instead, I work with a nationally recognized grassroots program among organic/sustainable farmers called Certified Naturally Grown, (CNG) whose standards can be viewed here. As well, I belong to the Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Assoc. and attend the annual conference called TCOOPS. (Find out more about it at TOFGA's website.)

We do a lot of success swapping on methods that worked - and didn't work, and help each other be successful without the use of synthetic products while providing annual peer inspections for donations comfortable for each farmer's budget. We grow "beyond organic" and respect the land working to keep it sustainable for generations to come.

I am committed to work within the confines of nature using natural methods such as proper timing for planting, water conservation methods, renewable energy, beneficial insect release, crop rotation and cover crops to name a few.

I have a strong desire to eat only naturally grown, nutritionally dense and otherwise better than grocery store food as much as possible. That is what I grow. That is what you'll get from this farm. Some folks in our CSA family have special health concerns, allergies and strong moral philosophies about their food, and I would not knowingly introduce any methods or grow food in ways that would compromise them.

Do we have to work at the farm?

We have not required, but do encourage your help, at least once a season. We almost always welcome and from time to time, do put a call out for volunteer help from our members, and any member is welcome to come out and roll up their sleeves with us. That is part of the fun of CSA - getting reconnected to where your food comes from.

We can arrange for Mom's Day Out or small home schooling groups for older children as well. This farm is here for others to enjoy, learn from and work on, too.

Although families are welcome to participate as a group, the work share program and volunteer time is not for unsupervised children under 12, as we will not have time to entertain or supervise and there are horses in the pasture and sharp tools, fire ants, etc. Small unattended children and horses can be a less than desirable mix. You can bring your kids with you when you work, we encourage the learning experience, but please plan to supervise their visit, having them work side by side with you.

THE WAITING LIST

Each growing season is planned in advanced and there is limited growing space available. Membership is available first-come, first-served until we are full. If farm membership is full at the time you send your Application & Membership Fee, we can return your check or hold it for the first available space. The waiting list may be for up to 6-12 months depending upon the season.

January 2010 - The rains returned, although it is winter and we should be getting some. This is an unusually wet one due to the El Nino or La Nina or whichever one is coming through this winter. I can never keep those two straight, I just know it is raining - a lot! Potatoes and onions will go in as soon as we can get the soil to drain enough to work it. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cutting onions, lettuces, strawberries, garlic, mixed salad greens, cabbages and a few herbs are in the ground and growing. The new low hoop house is almost complete so we should be able to get some of the warm season favorites started a little early this year.

November 09 - The rain has finally slowed down to about a normal level, but not until after a lot of damage has been done. The crops that went in on time are a bit behind due to the lack of sunlight for over a month, the ones that survived are fruiting, but not yielding a lot. The late fall crops are finally in and we're getting in a few more just for a safety net as many experienced a lot of stress with all of the excessive moisture and pressure from disease and insects has taken its toll on some. Strawberries are in, garlic is coming up, Mesclin mix is up and looking good, green onions are looking great and we've tried yet another round of root crops - let's see if these take. Potatoes and onions will be ordered soon and I'll be propping my feet up on the coffee table and thumbing through my seed catalogs for spring's goodies very soon. Some of the catalogs are already here in fact and I can't wait!

Fall 09 - Well, it seems the summer just about baked everything on the vines this year. Now, we're drowning from over 20 inches of rain over the past several weeks, with more on the way! But, the warm season fall crops are growing, most of them anyway, not sure we'll have peppers with all of this rain. Just re-planted root stock crops and started putting in the cool season crops like cabbage, Brussels sprouts, green cutting onions, lettuce mix and more. While we may not have excess of the warm season fall crops, we are taking applications for the next 2 seasons. (Please sign up above for information.)

July 09 - Wow! Cherry tomatoes galore! We have sweet 100's and Lg. Cherry Reds ripening "as we walk down the rows!" says one member. The Celebrity, Beefsteak and more of the heirlooms continue to ripen as well. All of the sweet potatoes are in the ground and we're irrigating daily for right now till they get established. Okra is in, green and red, and we hope to have a small number of eggplant available, too. Soon, it will be time to get the fall gardens ready. Already!

June 09 - The last of those tasty spuds were harvested and are all distributed. The tomatoes are green but slowly ripening. Muskmelon are in bloom as are the mini cukes. The squash have been wonderful till the heat kicked it up into high gear....but, that is part of farming.

April 09- Wow, there were over 100 people waiting to hear from me about our farm! Dallas - I think you are really starting to GET IT about local food! That is great! I'll be setting up appointments for potential new CSA members to come visit the farm.

The magazine Edible DFW is in town, more local chefs are tuning into local farms, there are way more mini-farmer's markets than the farmers can keep up with! What a good problem to have I guess. If you are interested in farming, even on a small scale, get in touch with TOFGA. It doesn't take a huge piece of land to grow food. There are many people who want to eat organic food, and many more who really NEED to eat it because of current health issues. We all SHOULD eat local, organically grown food for our own good, but it is for those who's health is already compromised that I really wish more was available for. We're working on it as I will be planting more food than I will have members. Some food will be for LAZARE Bar and Restaurant and some for our market days as well as for our "hungry families" program.

April 09 - Don't worry, we're just evaluating how many of our shares will be available for the rest of the year. We pledge an annual commitment starting in August and sometimes folks just don't make it through the whole year so we can "sell" their unfinished portions. If you've added your email to the list, we'll be getting in touch with you soon. Thank you for your patience.

February 09- Spring is in the air - well, in the seed catalogs anyway. I'm perusing over them and making plans for warm season plantings. Potatoes are on the way and will be in the ground by St. Patty's Day. Onions will be soon, too. Attending a 2 day farmer's workshop soon - can't wait! One of my mentor farmers, Brad Stufflebeam,and his wife Jenny, of Home Sweet Farm are hosting the event at their farm. We need more growers! You don't need much land to grow for a few families - come on and join the farming fun!

December 12 08- Been making the updates on the blog mostly, but thought I'd add a note here. We're harvesting our 2nd round and the plants are all looking very healthy! I hope we can start a more regular harvest now, we'll see how much growth we have and how our neighboring farms are doing for helping add in the gaps. We'll have baked goods as an "extra" this week. Pick up is at 2 - 4.

October 8 08- Well, as the saying goes, better late than never. The gravity fed, bucket irrigation system arrived and crops and seeds are going in the ground. Last week at our market we got to see the benefits of what all this preparation will bring us NEXT year. The ability to sneak in some late summer crops to harvest when things are normally pretty much done. We'll get there. We will get there!

September 24 08- One half of a working share is still available. That means 2 hours of work per week for the 10 weeks - spread out over set up and harvest. There are still a few regular full shares (or partials if we can match you up) available, too.

September 08- We will accept 2 more working shares and there are 7 more full shares available, or some to split. If you'd like to split a share and don't have a buddy, sign up for the split share list.

August 21 08- We still have a few shares available. Please sign up in the box above or shoot me an email for info or click on the application link above to join.

August 13th 08- 2 DAYS LEFT for sign up for our first CSA. The August 15th sign up date is Friday. If you are planning to attend market day Saturday, shoot me a note or call the shop and let me know and I'll hold a spot in case they fill up. To pay by credit card, please send your application and I'll get in touch with you to take the info over the phone if you can't come out to the farm.

July 30th 08- We're moving forward. If you are interested in joining our CSA, we've started accepting applications for the 08-09 season. Our annual subscription is $1200, payable in 3 seasonal payments, August 1, December 1 and April 1.

July 11th 08 - I'm happy to report that there has been quite a bit of interest in forming a CSA. I'm working on plans for what to plant, when and all that good stuff. Yes, we may offer working shares, but that means you're going to have to actually come out and help. ; ) And, the way most of my friends are running their CSA's, they don't seem to offer half shares, but encourage others to join up together as a small group and split the cost. Keeps it simpler for everyone. If you have a larger family, you can purchase 2 shares.

I'm still working on who is going to contribute what to each basket, besides what produce is harvested, and that will determine the cost in large part. We're looking at adding eggs, a "butcher's choice" cut of meat, a loaf of organic bread, home made soaps and other little add-on goodies, as this is a first year farm and the harvest may not be as magnificent as a more established one. But, we all have to start somewhere! I'm excited so many want to be in on the ground floor with me! I'll keep you posted - am going to upload all the interested names into an email list this weekend and try to get some info out to you. In the mean time - stay tuned!

Intro Summer 08 - The details are still coming together for Eden's Garden CSA, but we're hoping you are interested enough to inquire within. We need to know we'll have the support of at least 35 families to really make a go of it full time. If we need to start out smaller, so be it - you, the community, will decide as you will help support the efforts one way or the other.

So - does that answer some of your questions? We'll add to this list of questions as we have time. For now though, we've got a lot of planning to do to get ready for a fall garden. So, drop me a note and tell me you are interested and we'll start communicating.

Eden's Garden Farm/CSA also plans to help interest and groom young people in the area of agriculture - to help secure tomorrow's local food supply. Future Organic Farmers of America and internship programs are in the works.

We're looking to put in a pick your own portion, an orchard, picnic area for school trips and more....Stay tuned!