The scoop on Oxbow’s 2016 Community Supported Agriculture program

We are proud to launch a new, 3-season Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program this year. It features a 15-week Main Season sandwiched between an Early Season (May through July) and Late Season (October through December).

All three seasons offer significant flexibility in choice for our members while providing Oxbow the financial stability we need to remain viable.  It is true symbiosis: you get more low impact food and more food choice and we get dependable revenue for more months out of the year.

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This is an exciting shift for us. Here’s why it works:

Early Season Custom (May through early July) — The timing of our crops depends on many variables as winter transitions into spring. Disease, pests, and weed pressures all add uncertainty to our crop availability.  Our Early Season Custom box gives you access to spring’s bounty sooner, but doesn’t commit us to providing unrealistic quantities. We let you know what’s fresh and you choose what you want. It’s the same way we work with chefs!

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A typical Early Season spread. Radishes, carrots, lettuce, collards, strawberries, and white turnips

 

Main Season Share (mid-July through early October)We are confident that we will have the variety and quantity of high-quality produce by mid-July to put together a beautiful weekly share for each of our CSA members.  In recognizing that many members are looking for access to even more produce, we now offer the flexibility for members to load up on what they enjoy eating most. Add more of any item offered that week or choose from other available options. It’s easy.

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Main Season fare includes plums, onions squash, carrots, beets, and lots of greens

 

Late Season Custom (mid-October through mid-December)As the fall season transitions, Mother Nature’s winter wild cards, including freezing temperatures and Snoqualmie River flooding, can come into play. In terms of predictability, the Late Season feels a lot like the Early Season, so it’s structured the same way–members choose both the contents and quantities each week. With durable root vegetables and squash in storage and some hardy cold-season crops still in the fields, we are able to offer lots of food late into the growing season.

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Root vegetables, winter squash, and hardy greens dominate the Late Season

 

Our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program is the backbone of Oxbow’s farm, and our CSA members are our partners in growing good food the right way. By becoming a member of our farm, you get more than just fresh nourishing food. You get an opportunity to support local farming practiced in a way that conserves and preserves the land that feeds us. It’s a win for you, for us, and for the land.

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We have learned a lot from our CSA members over 15 years. At Oxbow we work hard to respond to member feedback while remaining committed to the original spirit and intent of Community Supported Agriculture–farming in the community for the community.

With very few exceptions, we grow the food that comes in your box. Sometimes, though, we can’t produce crops that our CSA members want, whether due to climate, growing conditions, or it’s just not economically feasible. When we do offer items from other farms, we keep it local, make sure that they were grown according to the same ecological standards that we adhere to and we tell you.

Your support of our organization strengthens our watersheds, communities, and food systems, supports fair agricultural labor practices and advances ecological agriculture. We hope you will share with us in this exciting new chapter of our CSA.

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