Welcome to a Glorious 2010 Season

    This year’s season started back in November for us on the farm. Even before Thanksgiving, we had already planted Garlic, Celery, Fava Beans, Strawberries, and other crops for this coming season. By New Year’s Eve, we had spent a few bleary-eyed days plotting out our seed buying (and reviewing the seeds we had saved ourselves). Now, in mid January, hundreds of seed packets litter our living room floor as we begin the process of cleaning out the greenhouse, getting the heating mats dusted off, and start sowing the first seeds of the new year. Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower and Artichokes are some of the first seeds we start. Here’s to a wonderful growing season with bounteous harvests worth celebrating!

   

What is a CSA?

    Community Supported Agriculture is a direct connection to your farmer that keeps your food dollars local and helps build a stronger relationship with your community and the land through supporting local, biodiverse family farms.  A CSA membership with Singing Frogs Farm means that you become a close supporter and shareholder of our family farm. Your membership is your commitment to support our farm throughout the entire season by helping us assume the costs of farming as well as sharing in the hope for a bountiful harvest of fresh, healthy, and organic food.


What to expect from Singing Frogs Farm CSA?

    Each Wednesday, from mid May until mid November you, our shareholder, will receive a bag full of 8 to 12 or more varieties of fresh, seasonal vegetables, herbs and fruits from our farm. In addition, the bag will include our weekly newsletter complete with descriptions of produce and recipe ideas. Finally, as a shareholder of our family farm, you will be invited to each of our special events which will include, but are not limited to, our members-only Farm Tours, our Blueberry Festival in early summer and a Pumpkin Harvest in October. Whether you pick up your produce at the farm or only visit during our special events, you are invited to take a walk through the Enchanted Bamboo Forest, swim in our ponds, picnic, and pet or feed our Llama, woolies and girlie girls!


The Nuts and Bolts of Our CSA

    In 2010, our season will be a wonderful 28 weeks long.

Our eventual goal is to offer nearly a full year CSA membership.

This 2010 season, we will be offering the following:

Start: Wednesday, May 12th

End: Wednesday, Nov. 17th

Length: 28 weeks

Cost:      Individual/Couple    $21.25/week or $595/yr.

    Family                     $28.21/week or $790/yr.

    Delivery                   $1.78/week or $50/yr.

    Pick-Up                   Free

   1/2 Doz. Eggs          $3/week or $84/yr.

   Flower Bouquet*      $50 for 10 bouquets

  1. *These ten bouquets will be delivered periodically

throughout the season.


We offer shareholder memberships on a first-come first-served basis. Reserve your space by sending us a deposit of $50 (this will go towards your membership fee). We will mail you a bill in February. Fifty percent of your shareholder fees will be due by March 1st and the remaining fifty percent (minus your $50 deposit) will be due August 18th.


As a shareholder, you are sharing in some of the inherent risks involved with farming, such as frosts, heat waves and gophers. However, you will also share with us in our success and bounty!


Your shareholder cost is worth more than you might expect. Nationally, small, hand-labor CSA farms (like ours) offer their produce to their shareholders at a 37% savings from retail supermarket prices. During the 2008 season, our shareholders received $880 of produce for a shareholder cost of $480 for the 24 week season - a 46% savings from local, retail prices (the savings were closer to 60% if you shop at WholeFoods). In 2009, our shareholders saved 30% off retail supermarket prices (slightly less savings than the national average). Next year, based on shareholder feedback over the past two years, we are going to aim for a 37% savings to you and your family versus supermarket prices. This means that if you sign up for a single/couple sized box and pay $595 for the 28 week season, then our goal is to share with you over $945 of produce at retail value - in addition to our newsletter, recipes, and invitations to our farm events!


Lastly, as a shareholder, you will receive special invitations to all of our Singing Frogs Farm programs and events. In addition to our Pick-Your-Own Blueberry Days and our Pumpkin Harvest, we will also be expanding and improving upon our “Volunteer Work Day / Play Days” for next season. In addition, we are developing new educational programs and events for children and adults. Check out our on-line calendar as we post these programs over the next few months.


Drop Off Points

If you are unable to pick up your weekly bag of fresh produce here at Singing Frogs Farm, we do offer a few drop off points in Santa Rosa. One drop site will be at Shareholder Amie and Jon’s new house near the corner of Hoen and Yulupa. A second drop off point will be 625 5th Street - this will be for all Public Health employees. We are also looking into establishing another drop-off  point on 4th Street, downtown.


However, we are happy to add additional drop-off locations as long as there are 3 or more shareholders that will use the drop point. So talk to your co-workers, your neighbors, or the businesses across the street and see if you can make a drop point right on your own doorstep! Please contact us if you wish to create your own drop-off location in Santa Rosa, or if you would be willing to host a drop point at your home or business.


Our CSA Boxes

    Each Shareholder will be assigned 3 of our produce boxes. These boxes will be traded between you and us

each week, an empty box for a full box, with the third box in reserve in case one gets lost, damaged or forgotten.


What Else Does Singing Frogs Farm Offer?

    We are delighted to offer our farm for any social or educational gatherings including birthday parties,

camping trips, scout programs, weddings, or educational programs.


What Might You Get In Your CSA Bag?

   Below is a chart detailing what produce we gave to our CSA Shareholders in 2008. This is to be a rough guide for what to expect in 2010. Based on our experiences, both positive and negative, and our shareholders’ feedback, we will be adding additional vegetables and fruits and refining the frequencies of harvest to offer you a better selection of higher quality produce each week. We look forward to sharing the bounty of our vegetables, herbs, and fruit with you in 2009!

 

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to see the Full Details of our CSA

Join Singing Frogs Farm as a

CSA Member and Shareholder!

  1. •Savor healthy, nutrient rich, organic and locally grown produce!

  2. •Save Money! Get more fresh vegetables, fruits, berries and herbs for your dollar from our CSA than from a Supermarket or Farmers’ Market!

  3. •Your membership dollars help us preserve our 9 acres of organic farmland near downtown Sebastopol as well as support our wildlife and native habitat improvement programs.

  4. •Our 2010 season begins Wednesday, May 12th and runs until November 17th - that’s 28 weeks!

  5. •Every Wednesday, enjoy fresh picked produce from our fields. Bring your family to pick up your box on the farm and say ‘hi’ to Charlie the Llama, or join one of our drop points in Santa Rosa and have your food delivered to you!

  6. •Be on our mailing list for our invitation-only events such as the Pick-Your-Own-Blueberries day or our first annual Potluck and Barn Dance.

We’re a

Certified

Bee Friendly

Farm!

Click Here! to Download your CSA ApplicationCSA_Info_files/CSA%20Membership%20App%20Fill-out%20Form.pdf

We’re also

“Beyond Organic.”

Join us and find out what this seemingly-snooty term really means for the health of you and our environment!