WHY SHOULD I INVEST IN COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE?
Farming is a relationship with the earth. It is not at its heart, or as a practical matter, an economic proposal. When you join a CSA you also become a part of working with the earth, where relationship supersedes transaction. Working in relationship is an experience in precariousness and resiliency. Mega-farms go to great lengths to avoid instability, and in the process bypass relational ecology, ironically making themselves more vulnerable by jeopardizing the wild landscapes and human labor that are the actual capital of any enterprise. Join us in the stewardship of the land that will grow your food, right here in Santa Fe County.
HOW DOES COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE WORK?
Typically, shares are purchased in the Winter so that farmers can invest in seed, compost, and labor to get the farm up and running in the Spring. Members then receive a balanced weekly share of the harvest throughout the growing season. We are a true single-source CSA, growing every item in your share ourselves, never purchasing and re-selling from other farms. This allows us to offer you the best value and highest quality. We choose varieties for their flavor, uniqueness, seed breeding politics, and climatic suitability. All our produce is harvested the day of, or the day before you pick it up. It tastes fresher and it stores longer.
These are flavors and textures that you won't find in the grocery store. The taste of your food is a narrative of a plant's life. A strong flavored leaf might mean a lack of water, a buttery mild leaf could mean the inverse. Experience what it tastes like where you live. In our eurocentricity we think of this as terroir, but in New Mexico, this is also querencia – which can translate as a love of place, belonging, desire. Which leads to other questions: do the foods that we consume represent and support the people and the place where we live? Do the seeds we use contain our politics, our ethics?
These are flavors and textures that you won't find in the grocery store. The taste of your food is a narrative of a plant's life. A strong flavored leaf might mean a lack of water, a buttery mild leaf could mean the inverse. Experience what it tastes like where you live. In our eurocentricity we think of this as terroir, but in New Mexico, this is also querencia – which can translate as a love of place, belonging, desire. Which leads to other questions: do the foods that we consume represent and support the people and the place where we live? Do the seeds we use contain our politics, our ethics?
WHEN AND WHERE DO I PICK UP MY FARM SHARE?
CSA shares are available for pickup on Tuesdays from 5-7 PM at Whiskey & Clay Ceramics and Mondays from 5-7 PM at the farm in La Puebla.
HOW DO I CHOOSE A FARM SHARE PLAN: QUANTITY AND PRICING
When you purchase a Full Season share you receive a discounted price. You can choose between getting a share every week or every other week. We know that money can be a challenge, so we've also included an option to pay for one season at a time. Prices are sliding scale and range from $20–$30 per share. Full Season shares run from June 1 – November 9. Spring shares run from June 1 - July 20. One share is generally enough to feed one or two people for a full week. Don't hesitate to contact us with any questions! Space is limited, you can reserve your place by adding a plan to your shopping cart below.
SOLIDARITY, SLIDING SCALE, AND SNAP
AKA "food should be a human right, but also the farm has bills, so this is what I've come up with"
AKA "food should be a human right, but also the farm has bills, so this is what I've come up with"
There are three Full Season weekly shares whose cost will be invested in BIPOC led organizations practicing land-based work in New Mexico: Tewa Women United, Northern Youth Project, and TBA. You get the vegetables, they receive the full cost of your share. We are all land-based people, though we may no longer be familiar with the land that sustains us. Let's show respect and support those who remember this truth and act accordingly. My maternal grandmother was a civil rights activist, every note she ever sent was signed "In Solidarity, Ethel." She taught me that we have not all been dealt a fair hand. Let's change that in every way that we can.
We are now able to accept SNAP Double Up Food Bucks through the Santa Fe Farmers Market. Please use the contact page to reach us so that we can set this up together.
We use a sliding scale pricing system: $20/week, $25/week, and $30/week. All shares will contain the same amount and type of produce. Examine your financial ability and class privilege. Here is a guide to help understand class distinctions and income brackets.
Within this guide, I identify as Poor or Working Class. I also unquestioningly benefit and receive access to opportunities because of my race. With the amount of income I make as a farmer, I qualify for SNAP benefits – what we used to call food stamps. Go figure. I pay my employees about $15/hr, and I would love to be able to pay myself a living wage as well. If you are able to contribute more, please do. This levels the playing field. In this way, we each offer what we can and trust that we will all have enough. I have set the price range so that I will not go bankrupt if every person chose the $20/wk share, though the amount of produce in a share can realistically be priced at $30/wk.
The dollar cost of vegetables, wherever you buy them, is arbitrary. Our prices are comparable to or less than Farmers Market prices. Farmers Market prices are based on what you find at grocery stores, where produce comes from enormous mechanized operations around the world that rely on unfairly compensated workers and heavy subsidies. The comparison is problematic. I look forward to more creative experiments with pricing to examine the complexity of wealth and to move towards a gift economy.
In a CSA model we all share in the risks and rewards that are inherent to farming. For this reason, we do not offer refunds.
We are now able to accept SNAP Double Up Food Bucks through the Santa Fe Farmers Market. Please use the contact page to reach us so that we can set this up together.
We use a sliding scale pricing system: $20/week, $25/week, and $30/week. All shares will contain the same amount and type of produce. Examine your financial ability and class privilege. Here is a guide to help understand class distinctions and income brackets.
Within this guide, I identify as Poor or Working Class. I also unquestioningly benefit and receive access to opportunities because of my race. With the amount of income I make as a farmer, I qualify for SNAP benefits – what we used to call food stamps. Go figure. I pay my employees about $15/hr, and I would love to be able to pay myself a living wage as well. If you are able to contribute more, please do. This levels the playing field. In this way, we each offer what we can and trust that we will all have enough. I have set the price range so that I will not go bankrupt if every person chose the $20/wk share, though the amount of produce in a share can realistically be priced at $30/wk.
The dollar cost of vegetables, wherever you buy them, is arbitrary. Our prices are comparable to or less than Farmers Market prices. Farmers Market prices are based on what you find at grocery stores, where produce comes from enormous mechanized operations around the world that rely on unfairly compensated workers and heavy subsidies. The comparison is problematic. I look forward to more creative experiments with pricing to examine the complexity of wealth and to move towards a gift economy.
In a CSA model we all share in the risks and rewards that are inherent to farming. For this reason, we do not offer refunds.
FULL SEASON
SPRING
FOLLOW US!