Subject: The CSA farmer's family "dine out" once a week

From: Spring Toms <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 6 Jul 1996 15:45:09 -0700 (PDT)

I just had this idea I am going to throw out to my subscribers. Most live
in fairly close proximity to the farm. I just competed my first full year
as a csa and figured my books. I found I netted about 2800 dollars for my
years labor. A bit frustrating I must say. Not discouraging though because
of the enthusiasm of some of my loyalist subscribers. Still if my wife
didn't have a good job and we didn't owned our house it could have been
"unsustainable."

It seems a bit unfair that I grow and distribute some of the finest,
healthiest, food in a way that is highly environmentally and socially
sensitive, work my butt into the ground,produce an abundance of produce,
and still not be able to earn but about $1.10/hr. (hell! it is unfair.)

But I love this connection with the people who eat my food. How can I best
explain to them both the problems of farming and the quality and care of
the food they are recieving. To do so would require me to sit down with
each of them individually and spend an evening talking about food, health,
environment, and community.

My idea is to do just that. I am going to propose that part of the loose
"understanding " of the
obligations subscribers will have to the farm, is to once per
year invite me and my wife to their home for a vegetarian - non-dairy
meal prepared around that week's harvest share.

I have about 50 subscribers so we would be eating out about once per week,
getting to know some very great people, eating great food.

I like to keep things loose and adaptable so this would not be a
requirement, only a suggestion for my subscribers, but one I think several
would embrase with pleasure.

I'll tell them, " Thursday evenings are good".  And start
marking my calendar.

Then, I have a cheap poloroid camera. I can take a picture of the host
family and the meal they have prepared, write up their recipies and post
it all the next week! A year or two of doing this and I'll have a great
CSA Cook Book and some great personal friends, and hopefully loyal
continuing subscribers.

It is just an idea. I haven't even proposed it yet but thought I'd throw
it out to you guys to make use of if it fits your setup.

Richard

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From: Bill Blake <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 8 Jul 1996 13:24:39 -0700 (PDT)

Richard -

Dining with your members sounds like a great idea.  Most consumers really 
don't know what goes into farming, so hearing it from "their" farmer would 
really bring it home.  Also, the personal connection is very important in 
CSA.  Just seeing you once a week may not be enough for people to 
sympathize with your economics.

If you tell them what you told us, that you're making $1.10 an hour, that 
should also help.  It's not even minimum wage, and it is conceptually a 
number that people can understand.  "Let's see, I make $15 an hour, and 
have a hard time paying all my bills.  How can he survive on $1.10?"  
More than one CSA has said that their members raised their wages once 
they found out how low they really were.

And finally, don't despair.  CSAs often have hard times the first year or 
two.  

Your idea reminds me of the country parson traveling around 
dining with his parisioners and spreading the Good Word at the same time.

Bill