What to Expect at Your First CSA Drop-Off!

Our little cucumbers are coming along, and there
should be a lot of them ready to harvest in a few weeks!

Hi everyone!  The start of the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is getting closer, and if you haven't been part of the CSA before, you probably have questions about how it works!  So here is a rundown of what you need to know in order to feel prepared for your first CSA drop-off!

The first thing is that we have two pretty different types of drop-offs.  If you are picking up at our Alma, Mt. Pleasant, or Midland drop-offs, those are what we call "market style" drop-offs.  Here's how those ones work:

You'll pull up to the drop-off location between 5 and 6 PM on your drop-off day, and we'll have some long tables set up with all of the produce options for that week!  At the beginning, we'll have a sign-in sheet where you'll initial next to your name, and if you have anything you want me to know about (like that you'll be out of town the following week), you can also write me a note on the sign-in sheet.  Then there will be seven different "stations" at the table, and each one will have a choice and a sign telling you what to do.  The signs will say something like, "Spinach or Spring Mix:  Half Share, Choose 1.  Full Share, Choose 2".  Each sign will tell you what the options are for that station and how many items to choose.  And at the very end, we have our Trading Station.  Before each drop-off, we put a variety of items at the Trading Station so that if there are any stations where you don't want or can't eat those items, you can trade for something you like better.  So if you don't like onions, for example, you can trade your onions for something else at the Trading Station.  

Here are some pro tips for the market style drop-offs:

-The drop-off starts at 5 PM, but people often start lining up before that.  There is usually a pretty long line at the beginning of the drop-off until about 5:15, but after that, you don't generally have to wait in line.  The upside to getting there early is that all of the varieties of veggies are still there.  Because we harvest the right amount of produce for the people we know are coming, sometimes if everyone wants a particular item, that item can be snapped up before the end of the drop-off. If you don't mind standing in line, we always have the maximum variety at the beginning of the drop-off. But if you don't like standing in line and you don't have your heart set on a particular item, getting there after 5:15 is the way to go!

-We can also prepack your share for you at the farm for no extra charge if you are on a tight schedule or if you won't be able to get to the drop-off by 6 PM.  We do prepacked shares for our Lansing, Okemos, St. Johns, and home/workplace delivery folks, and even if you pick up at one of our regular drop-offs, you can have us prepack your share.  In the CSA newsletter each weekend, I'll let you know what the options are for the prepacked shares (Share A, Share B, or Share C), and you can let me know which one you'd like us to pack for you.  Then you can just swing by the drop-off, grab the bag with your name on it, and be on your way without having to wait in line.  Just let me know by noon the day before your drop-off if you want to go with that option!

-We'll have plastic grocery bags available at the drop-off, but it's better if you bring a reusable bag.  It's more environmentally friendly and allows us to go through less plastic, but if you forget your bag, we'll have some there!

-If you're stuck in a meeting or your kid's sporting event, and you realize that there's no way you're going to make it to the drop-off in time, no worries!  Just call or text me at 517-896-6884 and let me know, and I can pack up a share for you and leave it at the drop-off.  Then you can just swing by and pick it up when you get done with what you're doing.  :-)

The cherry tomato vines are starting to get nice and
long, and there are plenty of unripe tomatoes on them!
Pretty soon, they will all ripen into a beautiful yellow color.

And if you're picking up at our Lansing, Okemos, St. Johns, or hospital drop-offs or you have home/workplace delivery, here's how it works for you:

Each weekend, I'll send out a CSA newsletter with farm news, recipes, and most importantly for you, what the veggie choices will be for the upcoming week! It will say something like, "Share A has these seven items, Share B has these seven items, and Share C has these seven items."  If you have a half share, you'll choose one of those options, and if you have a full share, you'll choose two of those options.  I'll have a link to a quick form for you to fill out and let me know which choice you prefer, and then we'll pack up your preferred share in a bag with your name on it and bring it to your drop-off location on your pickup day.  If you forget to fill out the form, no worries!  We'll still bring you a share, and we'll just put in whatever we think you'll like.  If you want to specify a preferred share, just make sure to get that form in to me by noon on the day before your drop-off.  I generally make the harvest list the afternoon/evening before your drop-off day, so I can't guarantee that I'll see any requests that come in after that.  If you do get your request in late, I might still be able to get that on the harvest list for you, but I can't promise it.  So it's best to send in your requests early!

And then, you just arrive at your drop-off location during the pickup time frame, tell the folks at your location your name, and they'll go get your bag for you!  For those of you picking up at Mert's Specialty Meats or the Soup Spoon Café, I always say that you can start picking up your share at 4:30, but I often drop-off the shares before that.  I'm going to set up at text to let you all know when your shares are ready for pickup, but if you'd like to opt out, just send me a quick email at michele@mforganics.com and let me know that you'd prefer not to get those texts.

And if you have home or workplace delivery, you just get to sit back and wait for me to drop-off your share on your doorstep!  You don't have to be there when I deliver the shares, but if it's especially hot or especially sunny, I'd recommend setting out a cooler by your front door for me to put your veggies in so they don't get all wilted in the heat.  

And here is some good information to know, whether you are picking up at one of our market style drop-offs or getting a prepacked share:

-If you know you won't be able to make it to a drop-off because you have an appointment, are out of town, etc, you have a few options.  You can either have a friend pick up your share, you can arrange to pick up your share at a different drop-off that week, or you can just postpone your share that week and get double when you get back.  For example, if you usually pick up in Mt. Pleasant on Tuesdays but you're out of town until Wednesday, you can just let me know by the previous day that you want to pick up in Midland on Thursday.  Then I'll just put you on the list for Thursday instead, and you can still get your veggies that week. Or you can postpone your share and make it up when you get back.  If you have a full share, it is totally fine to split up your makeup share so you don't get totally overrun with veggies!  And if you're having a friend pick up for you, you don't have to let me know ahead of time.  Your friend can just sign for you on the sign-in sheet.

-If your normal drop-off day falls on a bank holiday like Independence Day or Labor Day, the drop-off will still be occurring as usual!  However, if you have plans and can't make it, just let me know by the day before, and we can postpone your share or you can pick up at one of the other drop-offs that week.

-If you realize later in the evening sometime that you totally forgot to go pick up your veggies, never fear!  Just email or text me, and while I can't necessarily put you down for an extra share the following week, chances are good that I can still get you some extra veggies the next week to make up for what you missed.  We generally overharvest a bit, so once the main rush goes through (after about 5:15), I'll have a good idea of how much extra we'll have, and I can probably send you home with an extra share at that point.

-If you need to get in touch with me on the day of your drop-off, texting is the best way to do that! I don't check my email a ton during the day, and I am often packing veggies or doing something else that makes it hard to answer the phone.  But if you text me at 517-896-6884, I'll get back to you as soon as possible.  In fact, go ahead and put my number in your contacts right now!  I bet you'll need it at some point! :-)

So that's it!  Just let me know if you have any questions!  As of right now, we still haven't nailed down an official start date because it all really depends on what the weather does over the next few days, and alas, we can't control Mother Nature.  We're really hoping to start the week of June 19, but based on the drought we've had, we might have to get started the week of June 26. I'll let you know as soon as we know for sure!  Keep your fingers crossed!  

This drought we've been having has been pretty rough 
on our poor plants.  As you can see, some of them are
definitely looking the worse for wear.