Thanks for a great 2011 season!
Reserve your spot today for 2012. The 2012 Membership Form is here.
-Mimi
Food traveling 1,500 miles to your table? Try 15! Your community's farm, Wellspring Farm. Pro-rated shares are available throughout the season, contact Mimi at Wellspring Farm for details.
Song: "Yellow Watermelon" written and performed by Marianne
Donahue Perchlik, Wellspring CSA member. Click here to
play the song.
About Wellspring Farm!
Since 2003, we have been growing five acres of high quality certified organic vegetables
and flowers on our beautiful farm on the banks of the Winooski River in
Marshfield, Vermont. The majority of our produce is sold via community
supported agriculture, or CSA. Our enthusiastic CSA members pick
up their produce weekly at the farm or in Montpelier from
late June to early October. Both small and large shares include an
abundance of fresh, organic, seasonal vegetables and fruit direct from our
fields. Shares
include pick-your-own crops like peas, beans, cherry tomatoes and flowers
for a hands-on experience. Come on by the farm! (See our map and directions
to the farm on the Contact
Us page.) Notice the changes in the season, cut flowers in the garden
with a friend, munch on cherry tomatoes right off the plants. Wellspring
CSA is perfect for families, city folks seeking a country break, nature
freaks and children of all ages. We are now over 130 member families strong
and growing! Wellspring Farm is managed by farmer Mimi
Arnstein, (Mimi pronounced “Mi-mee”; rhymes with “Jimmy”) who, with a vital staff of apprentices, unsuspecting volunteers
and suspecting ones like Mimi’s husband, Parker Nichols, provides local members with quality fresh organic produce. Wellspring
Farm is conveniently located on Route 2 in Marshfield, 13 miles from Montpelier,
along the beautiful Winooski River.
Wellspring Farm: Recipient of the Conservation Farm of the Year Award (2005) Awarded by the Winooski Natural Resource Conservation District
Directions
Directions to the farm CSA Pick Up location: Mondays & Thursdays, 4-6PM. : From the west -- Take Route
2 east past the town of Plainfield. Turn right onto Patty's Crossing immediately
after signs for Meadowcrest Campground (approx. 4 miles beyond Plainfield
village). Go over bridge. Turn right to Lafiria Place. The farm is at the
dead end. From the east -- Take Route 2 west past Marshfield village. Turn
left onto Patty's Crossing (approx. 3 miles from Marshfield village). Go
over bridge. Turn right to Lafiria Place. The farm is at the dead end.
Directions to Montpelier CSA Pickup location:Thursdays, 4-6PM. Located at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, next to Alumni Hall at the top of East State Street.
Farm History
Wellspring Farm has been farmed organically since the late 1980s. It was the home of one of Vermont's very first CSA farms, started by Farmer Les Snow. Prior to that, cows roamed our pasture and were milked in our historic barn. There has been one famous resident at the farm: Luvia Lafirira. Luvia was a woman with clairvoyant visions. Folks throughout central Vermont tell us stories of getting their fortune told or finding a lost pet with the help of Luvia. Apparently even the police came to Luvia for assistance! She felt that our land and natural springs were a source of energy and perhaps sacred; hence our chosen moniker, Wellspring Farm. The land here is rich indeed! Since 2003, the land has been farmed by Mimi Arnstein who has been growing locally for 10 years.
One local resident remembers Luvia and offered this remembrance:
I lived in the small house on your farm from 1975 through 1978 and knew Luvia and her husband George. Luvia told me that she was aware of her clairvoyant powers since she was a small girl growing up in Plainfield Village where her father was a blacksmith. She repeatedly said that she felt all of us have access to the same powers/insights. It was just a matter of being able to “see”. Luvia felt that the spring on your farm was a source of energy and was perhaps sacred. She used to comment that Lord’s Hill was a power source that was recognized by Native Americans. She didn’t go into much detail about Lord’s Hill but she more than once commented on its unique qualities.
Luvia was very well known for her ability to locate lost items – and people. There was one incident where she helped the Maine state police to find a lost boy – in Maine without her ever leaving Marshfield ! I also recall a producer for a new play on Broadway coming to the farm (most of her readings were scheduled for Sunday afternoons, as I remember) to ask her how the play would do. I regret not asking her what play it was!
Luvia and George are buried in the cemetery off US Route 2 near the East Montpelier/Plainfield boundary. A scene from the farm is engraved on their stone with them in the horse and buggy.
 |
Know Your Farmer
Farmer Mimi Arnstein has been growing organically for CSA & wholesale markets for nearly 10 years. She serves on the board of NOFA-VT and the Vermont Vegetable and Berry Growers Association.
Our amazing field crew consists of apprentices, local employees, volunteers and working members. Meet the 2011 staff here. |
Wellspring Farm CSA
Statement of Integrity
Wellspring Farm CSA is a small scale farm business that produces the
highest quality produce for our community. We provide healthy, fresh
food, strengthen community, and educate about farm sustainability issues.
We teach our apprentices all aspects of small scale farming in order
to create farmers of the future. We create a fine quality of farm life
that provides for our economic, social and emotional well being.
To meet these objectives we:
. Practice ecological responsibility for all living things
. Provide a safe workplace that is financially stable
. Pursue a livelihood in which physical and mental demands are
challenging yet enjoyable, and are balanced with rest and reflection
. Develop a pathway where supporters interact and build upon our sense
of community
What Does Certified Organic Mean at Wellspring Farm?
We want you to know just how much you can trust the food we produce for your table. To that end, we have transparent production on our farm. You can walk our fields, talk to the farmers, volunteer on harvest days, read our food safety practices on our website, check out our equipment and storage facilities — we want you to see how your food is grown and to take as active a role as you wish.
Another route we’ve chosen is to be USDA certified organic. What does this mean? In short, we follow rules that specify how your produce is grown — using environmentally sound methods, without synthetic chemical pesticides or fertilizers, nor containing genetically modified organisms. As I see it, the primary tenet of organic agriculture is to care for the earth. We aim to replace what we take, rather than to rob the soil of what it took millions of years to provide.
Every season we undergo a 2-3 hour inspection of our full operation by a certifying agency. We submit nearly 30 pages of records each year. What percent of our seed is organic? Where do we get our potting soil? Did our homegrown compost reached a minimum of 131 degrees for three days? What is our crop rotation plan? Did we test our wash water for contaminants? Do we have an audit trail? What type of packaging do we store crops in? The organic certification guidelines are over 100 pages long and it is my job to be familiar with each one.
We pay $600-750 each year in order to be certified. Ouch! I often marvel that farms which do use synthetic chemicals don’t have to pay an annual fee in order to do so. I think we have some things backwards here!
I feel really positive about what we do and how we grow your food. It’s healthy for you and the planet, tastes great, keeps farmland active and enhances our community. We hope you feel the same and support our farm.
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