Weekly CSA Newsletter: September 17-23, 2006 (Week #15)

In This Issue:

  1. This week's share may include: ...
  2. Pick-Your-Own Crops and Information
  3. Notes from the Field - Busy Farmers - History of CSAs in the USA
  4. Recipes
  5. Upcoming Events: Third Sunday Gathering September 17th at 4 PM
  6. CFO Contact Information

1. This week's share may include

  • Leeks Collards
  • Swiss Chard Sweet Potatoes
  • Potatoes Eggplant
  • Winter Squash Chicory
  • Tomatoes Salad Greens
  • Melons Celery
  • Carrots

2. Pick-Your-Own Crops

  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Plum Tomatoes
  • Cilantro / Dill / Basil / Parsley
  • Hot Peppers
  • Tomatilloes
  • Flowers

All shareholders are invited to pick your own from 9 AM to 7:30 PM on Sundays and from 3 PM to 7:30 PM on Thursdays. Please visit the PYO station near the red shed for locations of crops and all PYO tools and materials.

3. Notes from the Field

There are no notes from our farmers this week. Our sincere apologies! Here is a meager substitute:

The History of Community Supported Agriculture, Part I, By Steven McFadden

Community Farms in the 21st Century: Poised for Another Wave of Growth?

This is the first in a two-part series exploring the birth of the CSA movement in the United States as well as the potentials for this growing and successful model of community agriculture.

Over the last 18 years Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has taken root in North America with moderate speed and has gradually grown to include as many as 1,700 farms spread over every region. Against a surging tide of decline for small farms in general, CSA has set roots deep and wide.

CSA is providing direct support for hundreds of small farms and clean local food for thousands of families. As side benefits, CSA is also establishing a matrix of environmental oases, building networks of families who are cultivating new and healthy aspects of community life, and helping to shape a new vision of agriculture.

As CSA approaches its 20th anniversary, the possibility of a substantial third wave of development looms large. The workable paths are well known by now; meanwhile, a host of food- and farm-related issues is steadily building a groundswell underneath this grass-roots movement.

Oddly, the origins of CSA in the United States have remained indistinct and are routinely reported incorrectly.

PART I: The Origins of CSA in America-Dispelling an "Agrarian Myth"

For years, one standard albeit erroneous telling of CSA's history has been echoed in hundreds of articles and web sites. That version was recently repeated by Time magazine: "The CSA movement began in Japan some 30 years ago with a group of women alarmed by

pesticides...Their teikei [partnerships with local farmers through annual subscriptions] spread to Europe and the U.S. From a single Massachusetts CSA in 1986, subscription farms in the U.S. have boomed..."(1)

I can fault no reporters for repeating this false history. While I did know all along that CSA sprang forth from not one U.S. farm, but from two, for most of the past 18 years I also labored under the misimpression that some of CSA's inspiration had come from Japan, for that is what I read everywhere.

But that's not how it happened.

An email discussion on the CSA-L list (http://www.prairienet.org/pcsa/CSA-L/index.html) piqued my curiosity. Correspondents such as Wolfgang Stranz of Germany, Allan Balliett of West Virginia, and Connie Falk of New Mexico uncovered many of the details of how CSA unfolded here in the United States. I've been reporting on CSA since 1987, so when I read their postings, I was prompted to research the movement's beginnings to unearth a clearer sense of what really happened and why. I also wanted to see how the beginnings might bear upon the present and the future.

I learned that while community farm initiatives got under way in both Japan and Chile in the early 1970s, those efforts did not directly influence the 1986 start of the CSA movement in the states. The U.S. impulse came from Europe, and specifically from the biodynamic agricultural tradition.

The ideas that informed the first two American CSAs were articulated in the 1920s by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), and then actively cultivated in post- WW II Europe in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The ideas crossed the Atlantic and came to life in a new form, CSA, simultaneously but independently in 1986 at both Indian Line Farm in Massachusetts and Temple-Wilton Community Farm in New Hampshire.

The two original CSA farms are still thriving as of 2004. Both have established enduring legacies, even though they have confronted many challenges over the years.

The stories of these two farms illustrate many of the challenges the entire CSA movement faces. Their stories also demonstrate many of the potentials.

Indian Line Farm

Susan Witt was there at the beginning. She is director of the E.F. Schumacher Society, headquartered about a mile down the road from Indian Line Farm in South Egremont, Mass.

Susan recalls that articles in Rodale's Organic Gardening magazine (2) attracted a young gardener named Jan Vander Tuin to South Egremont in 1985, where he met with her, Robyn Van En and other members of the community.

According to a 1992 article that Vander Tuin wrote for RAIN magazine (3), he had been working on a biodynamic farm named Topinambur near Zurich, Switzerland. He also traveled to explore other farms-Birsmatterhof in Germany (close to Basel, Switzerland) and Les Jardins de Cocagne in Geneva, Switzerland. Vander Tuin noted that the producer-consumer food alliance in Geneva had been founded by a man inspired by the co-op movement in Chile during Salvador Allende's administration (1970-73).

These experiences shaped Vander Tuin's thinking as he returned to the United States and began talking with Witt, Van En, John Root, Jr., Andrew Lorand, and others. Each individual was generally knowledgeable about anthroposophy and biodynamic farming (two pillars of Steiner's legacy).

Witt recalls that their discussions were informed by Steiner's concept of world economy, and she felt the work of the Schumacher Society best put those ideas into practice. "One of Steiner's major concepts was the producer-consumer association, where consumer and producer are linked by their mutual interests," she explained. "And one of Schumaker's major concepts was 'to develop an economy where you produce locally what is consumed locally.' We began to see CSA as a way to bring these key ideas together."

In those early days there was much talk of biodynamics and anthroposophy and the "Small is beautiful" philosophy of E.F. Schumacher, as Witt recalls, but definitely no talk of Japan. "None of us had heard yet of what was happening in Japan."

On this point, Anthony Graham and Trauger Groh of the Temple-Wilton Community farm agree. None of the CSA pioneers in the United States had heard a word about teikei in Japan.

As Anthony recalls, "We (Anthony, Trauger, Lincoln Geiger) all went to a conference in Kimberton, Pennsylvania, as well as a group from South Egremont including I believe Robyn Van En. This was after both of our farms had started, maybe a year later. A speaker at the conference mentioned what was going on in Japan, and that was the first any of us learned about it."

In autumn 1985, with Vander Tuin's enthusiasm added to the wherewithal of the rest of the community, the Massachusetts group undertook a project with an apple orchard. Root and a community of developmentally disabled people from nearby Berkshire Village sold 30 shares in the orchard, then picked, sorted, and distributed 360 bushels of apples, as well as cider, hard cider, and vinegar.

While that project was under way, the core group made plans. They began as the CSA Garden at Great Barrington (not Indian Line Farm) an unincorporated association managed on behalf of all shareholders, with Witt, Root, Van En and Jan Vander Tuin acting as principals. The association entered into a three-year lease with Van En to use land at Indian Line Farm for a garden starting in 1986, the same year the Temple-Wilton Community Farm started about 80 miles to the northeast in New Hampshire.

The association that leased Indian Line Farm held onto the name CSA Gardens at Great Barrington until 1990, when there was a difficult split. Robyn stayed on her land; the farmers and many members departed to form the Mahaiwe Harvest CSA at nearby Sunways Farm.

Robyn went on to write the pamphlet "Basic Formula to Create Community Supported Agriculture," to produce a video "It's not just About Vegetables," and in 1992 to found CSA North America (CSANA), a nonprofit clearinghouse to support CSA development.

In 1997 at age 49, Robyn died of an asthma attack. Her contributions were later recognized in the naming of a national clearinghouse of information, the Robyn Van En Center for CSA Resources.

After Van En's death, her son was forced to sell the farm. The farmers who had been working the land could not afford to buy it. But with the help of the Schumacher Society, they partnered with a community land trust and The Nature Conservancy to buy Indian Line Farm in 1999. This partnership serves as a model for other CSAs.

According to Susan Witt, the key idea of the Indian Line Farm transaction is this: The consumers actively took responsibility to hold farmland open and to make that land available and affordable for farmers over a long term. Other CSAs, she said, should give serious consideration to this basic idea.

The Temple-Wilton Community Farm

Anthony Graham was among the founders of the Temple-Wilton (TW) Community Farm, along with Trauger Groh and dairyman Lincoln Geiger. Anthony remembers that they were all talking with one another back in 1985. "Trauger had just moved to New Hampshire from Germany. He and I and Lincoln and others in this community were talking intensively, making plans. One day in the autumn we drove out to South Egremont to meet with the people there and share ideas. There was a lot of excitement.

"The folks in Western Massachusetts had their approach and we had ours," Anthony recalled. "A lot of our inspiration for the Temple-Wilton farm came out of discussing with Trauger what he knew from Germany, and from the Camphill Village in Copake, New York, in 1961."

Through the 1970s and early 1980s, Trauger, Carl-August Loss, and other farmers at Buschberghof in Northern Germany had been experimenting with ideas from the work of Rudolf Steiner. Then Trauger met Alice Bennett of New Hampshire. They were wed and he moved to be with her.

"Back in 1985, out of our discussions with Trauger, we decided on our approach," remembers Anthony. "We asked members of the farm community for a pledge rather than asking them to pay a fixed price for a share of the harvest. We realized that the members of our community had a wide range of needs and incomes and that one set price was not necessarily fair for every family. What we do each year is to present a budget showing the true costs of the farm over the coming year and then ask the members of the farm to make pledges to meet the budget.

"Our approach works. It requires honesty and good will, but it works," Anthony says. The last four or five years, our annual budget meeting with the farm members has only taken about 45 minutes. It's fast, up front, and everyone understands it by now."

The overall philosophy of the TW Farm evolved from some of Steiner's ideas spelled out in his anthroposophical writings. Some of the farm's key ideas are:

New forms of property ownership-The land is held in a common by a community through a legal trust. The trust then leases its property long-term to farmers who use the land to grow food for the community.

New forms of cooperation-A network of human relations replaces old systems of employers and employees as well as replacing the practice of pledging material security (land, buildings, etc.) to banks.

New forms of economy - (associative economy). The guiding question is not "how do we increase profits?" but rather "what are the actual needs of the land and of the people involved in this enterprise?"

Trauger Groh is retired from active farming but stays close to the TW Farm. As he looks back over the years, he said he feels satisfaction. The farm has found a permanent home on good land and has also secured an orchard. In 2003, he said, the farm had a record harvest, and it received funding support from state, federal and local sources.

"The farm will easily raise the rest of the money," Trauger said. "There is enormous public interest. Wilton has voted at town meeting two years in a row to spend $40,000 of taxpayer money to support the farm and its programs. Now remember, this is in skinflint New Hampshire, where a request for money for a new light bulb can cause a knockdown, drag-out debate. Not one person has ever stood to speak against the funding request for the farm.

"Now is when all our work is paying off," Trauger observed. "We have a track record of 18 years. People know us and trust us. They can see what we are doing for the land and for the community."

Reflecting on the start of CSA in America 18 years ago, Trauger said "As with all great ideas, the idea of CSA had arrived. It just needed to emerge. The time was ripe. Who started at what hour is totally unimportant. What is important is that the CSA initiative has emerged and developed, and there is now a base for people to carry forward." From: The New Farm (http://www.newfarm.org/features/0104/csa-history/part1.shtml). Part 2 can be found on this website also.

4. Recipes

Chicory with bacon, crispy potatoes, and fried egg

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 50 min

  • 1/2 lb sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 lb boiling potatoes
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
  • 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 lb chicory (curly endive), chopped (6 cups)

Cook bacon in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until crisp. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, leaving fat in skillet.

Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Cook in bacon fat over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

While potatoes are cooking, combine shallot and vinegar in a large bowl and let stand 10 minutes. Stir in mustard and then olive oil until combined well.

Just before serving, slowly fry eggs to desired doneness in vegetable oil with salt and pepper to taste in a large nonstick skillet over moderate heat.

Add chicory to dressing, tossing to coat. Add bacon and potatoes, tossing, and season with salt and pepper. Serve salad topped with eggs.

Cooks' note: Serving the eggs with runny-not fully cooked-yolks may be of concern if salmonella is a problem in your area.

Makes 4 servings. Gourmet, January 2001

Chicory and white bean soup

Chicory, a bitter leaf most commonly used in salads, mellows as it cooks.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 35 min

  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 5 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
  • 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth (40 fl oz)
  • 1 head chicory (1 lb), torn into 2-inch pieces (16 cups)
  • 1 (16- to 19-oz) can white beans, rinsed and drained
  • Accompaniment: grated Parmigiano-Reggiano; extra-virgin olive oil

Cook onions in oil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and oregano and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.

Stir in broth and bring to a boil. Stir in chicory and beans, then simmer, uncovered, until chicory is tender, about 15 minutes.

Transfer 2 cups of soup to a blender and purée until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), then stir into remaining soup to thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with cheese and drizzled with oil.

Makes 4 first-course servings. Gourmet, December 2003

Baked kale with potatoes and garlic

  • 1 1/2 lb Curly kale
  • 1 1/2 lb Small yellow-fleshed potatoes
  • 20 x Oil-cured black olives
  • 3 tbl Olive oil
  • 2 lrg clv garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 cup Water
  • 1/4 cup Vermouth
  • Pepper
  • Lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wash kale in plenty of water, lifting out gently so debris sinks. Drain. Strip out heaviests stems; do not bother to remove smaller ones. Bunch or stack kale and cut into 1-inch slices. Scrub potatoes. Halve, then cut into 1-inch slices. Halve and pit olives.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large casserole. Add garlic and stir over low heat until lightly colored. Add potatoes and toss. Add kale, olives, water, and vermouth. Bring to a boil.

Cover tightly, set in oven, and bake until potatoes are just barely tender, about 40 minutes, shaking or stirring occasionally.

Add olive oil to taste. Serve hot or at room temperature (my preference), with pepper and lemon.

Makes 4 Servings.

Blueberry cobbler

  • 4 to 6 cups blueberries, washed and well dried, or other fruit
  • 1 cup sugar, or to taste
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits, more for greasing pan
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss fruit with half the sugar and spread it in a 1½-inch-deep lightly buttered 8- or 9-inch square or 9-inch round baking pan.
  2. In a food processor, combine flour, baking powder, salt and remaining ½ cup sugar and pulse. Add butter and process for 10 seconds, until well blended. Beat egg and vanilla together by hand and add to mixture.
  3. Drop mixture onto fruit by tablespoonfuls; do not spread it out. Bake until just starting to brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Serve within an hour or so.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

BLT Pasta

  • 16 ounces rigatoni or penne
  • 12 slices bacon
  • 1 7-ounce package arugula leaves
  • 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, fry the bacon over medium heat in a large skillet. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Spoon all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings into a small bowl; set aside.

Return skillet to medium heat. Add the arugula and stir until it wilts, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer the arugula to the pasta.

Return skillet to medium heat, add the tomatoes and 1/2 tablespoon of the reserved drippings, and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer the tomatoes to the pasta and arugula and toss. If the pasta seems dry, add up to 1 1/2 more tablespoons of the reserved drippings. Crumble the bacon over the top, season with the salt and pepper, and toss again.

Tip: Arugula's peppery flavor goes well with the sweetly acidic tomatoes and the salty bacon. If you prefer something milder, try spinach instead.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Saskia's note: I made this tonight and I sauteed the tomatoes and arugula in olive oil rather than bacon fat. Also, I tripled the amount of tomatoes and doubled the amount of arugula (cooked it is quite mild). The bacon I used was uncured bacon from Trader Joe's which is not nearly as salty as regular bacon. It was quite tasty with these changes.

5. Upcoming events

Sunday, September 17th, 4:00 pm Third Sunday Gathering

Third Sunday Gatherings: The third Sunday of every month we host an informal gathering of members, shareholders and supporters. This is a chance to connect with other farm-friendly folks. The gatherings are scheduled to begin at 4:00 PM. Meet near the distribution shelter. Third Sunday Gatherings begin in May and are held through the third Sunday in October. The Third Sunday of November will be a harvest potluck and CFO's Annual Meeting will now be held in January 2007 (date TBD).

6. Contact Information

To reach us:

Community Farms Outreach is a nonprofit organization dedicated to farmland preservation, hunger relief, and education.

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