2011 CSA Announcement

Dear CSA Member,

With the blink of an eye October has arrived. There's a crispness to the air, the days are getting shorter and the end of the growing season is upon us. In a continued attempt to finish the season with a bang, we're happy to report a successful planting just last Sunday. Lettuce, spinach, radishes, turnips--with our fingers crossed, we've planted even more for fall. With just a little bit of rain, a few sunny days, and evenings not below 40 degrees, these items should be ready in the next 30 days. But while there are still many weeks left of the 2010 CSA, it's time to think about 2011.

We have enjoyed feeding you, your friends, and your family for the last 20 weeks. We appreciate your continued patience with the ebb and flow of the weather and your share. In the countless words of support and encouragement we've received, some of our long-time members commented that they learned more about the source of their food in this season than any other. We like to think we are better for it as well.

With that said, we've spent a lot of time working through our intentions for the CSA program, both next season and beyond. We are making two major changes to our CSA program: We are combining the vegetable and fruit share and we are offering one share size. The share will include our current two-person fruit share and a vegetable share that is slightly larger than our current two-person option, but smaller than the four-person share. We estimate that it will feed a family of four for four meals each week (depending on how often you cook), or it would provide two vegetarians with meals for 5-6 nights each week. As you know, we like to bulk up our shares--and this model will only further encourage that tendency.

Each week you will receive 9-11 items in your share, with roughly 7-8 vegetables and 2-3 fruits. The share will last 25 weeks, from mid-June until early December, costing $36 per week. (For reference, our current 2-person vegetable and 2-person fruit shares have a combined cost of $40 per week. The 2011 share will be larger and slightly less in cost.) Additionally, there will be a limited number of shares available, so we would encourage you to sign up sooner than later if you believe the share is a good fit for your needs. Lastly, we will continue to offer Snowville Creamery and Cafe Brioso coffee as supplements to your share.

Some of you are likely asking, "What about my fruit share?" or, "What about my bi-weekly share?" We encourage those of you affected by the changeover to consider splitting a share by alternating pick-up weeks with another member. We have many bi-weekly members who will be looking for partners as we transition to this new model. We are happy to help make those connections by encouraging you to post your request on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/waywardseed. And of course, we will do whatever we can to assist you as well.

Also in 2011, we will be pursuing organic certification. By all accounts we expect to be certified at some point during the season. We are also offering an online system for our customers that will not only allow you to manage your own share, but will also make our own record keeping and communications far more
timely and efficient. And despite all that is changing, you can trust that the quality you've come to expect from us will not simply continue, but will increase. This new model will allow us to become more focused, efficient and successful farmers--which creates stability for all of us in the years ahead.

We thank you in advance for your understanding. We have toiled for weeks deciding how to best move Wayward Seed forward in the next year and the many years to come. We've made these changes with our customers in mind, as well as the vitality and health of both the farm and our own quality of life. If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to contact us and we will be in touch as quickly as we can.

One last note: Payment will be due in full no later than March 1, 2011. Our online ordering system will be up and running the first week of November, and for those members who have committed to 2011, we will notify you by email when your order can be placed. We are giving current members first priority for the 2011 season and will open orders to the public on October 16.

Thanks again.

Jaime Moore & Adam Welly