Membership-Sign up and pay in full by April 1st and SAVE
$10!
What does a share cost and what does it buy?
Shares comes in two sizes - small and full. A small share costs
$380 and a full share costs $575 when paid in full by April 1 (add $10
if paid after April1). The right size for each household varies based
upon the amount of produce consumed on average. In general, we have found
that a small share satisfies a couple and a full share satisfies 2 adults
with children. The suggestions stated here are simply based upon our member's
general feedback on what has worked for them.Some single people prefer
the full share because it allows them to freeze some food for the winter.
Some families of three or four people prefer the small share because they
tend to use less produce. Please note that our shares are not designed
to be split between households (e.g. it is hard to split one head of lettuce
or broccoli). What do you get for your share? Some examples -
- More than 40 different vegetables
throughout the season
- A weekly share of freshly harvested &
washed produce
- Pick-your-own flowers, cherry tomatoes,
beans & herbs
- Savings of 10-25% off organic retail &
farmers market prices
- Small shareholders pay $20/week for an average of $22 worth of produce; full
shareholders pay $30/week for an average of $33 worth of produce.
- Newsletters, recipes & an invitation to our fall
Harvest Banquet!
CSA shares are distributed from approximately mid-June to mid-October,
depending on the season's weather. You will receive
a postcard in June announcing our first pick up date. Generally
we begin around June 20, but we may begin slightly earlier or later depending
on the weather.
Receive a FREE Wellspring Farm organic cotton T
shirt when you get a friend to join!
Supported Share Program
We want to make our CSA available
to all members of our community, regardless of their ability to pay. To that
end, we raise funds for “supported,” or subsidized, shares through
our CSA shareholders. For more eligibility guidelines and an application
form, please see
the
NOFA-VT farm share page. Before applying to NOFA-VT
for a Supported Share, please contact us to check on availability.
If you
would like to help a member in need, please contribute! Every cent donated
goes directly toward the cost of a share, and any size donation helps. For
donations that are tax deductible, make checks payable to NOFA-VT, and in
the memo write “Wellspring Farm.” NOFA-VT will funnel the donation
back to our farm. You may mail your donations to the farm.
How do I join?
Simply print out our membership
application and mail it with your payment. You will receive a confirmation
receipt and information about our first pick up.
Late Policy
Going to miss a pick-up?
Each pick-up day we harvest only for the number of shareholders expected,
and we certainly don’t want any produce to go to waste! If you know in
advance that you will miss a pick-up, please inform us 48 hours in advance
so that you can choose from the following four options (everyone likes options!):
*Have someone pick up your share for you or offer your share to a friend.
*Ask us to donate your share to our local food shelf. They will use it up.
*Receive a double share prior to or after your absence.
*For farm-pick-up members, switch your pick-up for that week to an alternate
farm pick-up day (i.e. Monday or Thursday at the farm only)
All options require 48 hours notice so that we can plan our harvest accordingly.
Thank you!
Going to be late?
Both pick-up sites close promptly at 6 PM (farmers get pooped!). If you will
be late, we can bag your share if given sufficient notice. If you would like
to have your share bagged, please call by 5:30 PM (426-3361, leave a message).
Messages left after 5:30 PM unfortunately will not be received in time to bag
shares. Bagged shares will have your name written on them to avoid confusion.
Farm-pick-up members’ shares will be left in our cooler. Access the farm’s
cooler by entering the white door to the immediate left of the red barn’s
silo. Shares will be right inside the door. Please pick up your share promptly
as it will be at sub-optimal temperatures.
Montpelier-pick-up members’ shares will be left in the shade under the
pick-up tent for the evening. Please pick up your share that same evening because
other groups also use the site. We cannot guarantee shares will be there the
next day (and surely the veggies will have sadly wilted). If you miss a share
or two you are still receiving a good value for your money. Your share is already
discounted 10-15% off organic retail prices. Thank you for your cooperation
with these farm policies.
Directions
Directions to the farm: 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: Located at
the Two Rivers Center for Sustainability on Route 2 in Montpelier, just east
of the Rt. 2 and Barre-Montpelier Road junction, next door to Agway.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wondering about how the CSA pick up actually works? Considering a split
share? Want to know more about pick-your-own crops? Answers to
many frequently asked questions are contained in our New
Member Orientation flyer.
What kind of produce do you raise?
We raise over 40 different kinds of vegetables, flowers and herbs and
many, many varieties. How do names like Sugar Baby, Athena, Bright Lights
and Love-in-a-Mist sound? Each year finds us raising a few new items in
addition to our old standards. While we focus on growing the vegetables
that are most familiar, we also like to introduce our members to items
they may not have tried before like bulb fennel and celeriac. We love experimenting
with new crops, seeing how well different fruits and vegetables do in the
unique Vermont climate. Of course, our harvest is also dictated in part
by the weather.
Here you will find
a simple chart that shows our most popular crops and likely harvest dates.
The list is neither exhaustive or constant. As with the weather in Vermont,
the list will change with the seasons and with what the weather permits.
Why should I become a member?
Locally supported agriculture has been a tradition in Vermont for centuries.
Small, local dairy farms served local markets through small local dairies.
Do you remember the milk delivered to your door in bottles? More likely
than not, the milk came from a few small local hillside farms and was bottled
at a local dairy. But the future of the landscape of Vermont and the future
of local agriculture are in doubt today. The Vermont landscape that makes
the state a special place has depended upon the effort and energy of farmers.
Farmers have been the primary stewards of land in Vermont. Dairy farms
have traditionally taken on that role. Dairy farmers cleared the land,
keeping it open for grazing cattle and raising corn and hay crops for winter
feed. Today more and more dairy farmers buy much of their feed and their
cows never see the outside of large free stall barns.
This is not a criticism of our remaining dairy farmers. They must remain
viable economic units or face bankruptcy. But this type of farming threatens
the open land and scenery that Vermonters have come to expect as a birth
right. When farmers can no longer afford to keep our landscape open, who
will? Enter the concept of community supported agriculture (CSA). By becoming
a member of a CSA you share in the risk of farming but also share in the
benefit of having fresh food, locally grown. Wellspring Farm can only keep
its small portion of land open and in production when members share in
the risk and reward of farming. By buying shares in Wellspring Farm you are
supporting a local farm and the possibility of keeping the land open for yet
another year. The cost of a share is converted to seeds, labor, taxes, fuel,
electricity and all the other necessities of remaining a working farm.
We thank you in advance for your commitment to locally supported agriculture.
We promise to be good stewards of your investment and of the land. In return
for your investment, weather, bugs and other imponderables notwithstanding,
we will provide you with a weekly fresh and nutritious harvest.
Our members are saying...
“My kids are so excited every time we get into the car to drive out
to the farm. The experience is more than simply picking up vegetables. The
pick-your-own crops, roaming ducks, interactions with other members, and simply
walking into the fields are all part of our ‘share.’”
“I feel it’s very important to support local farmers. Even
if Price Chopper is cheaper, the quality and warm feelings at the farm outweigh
the price difference.”
“Every week is a surprise. It’s like Christmas each week!”
“Even got some in the freezer, especially with our own home garden. Daily
salads all summer!”
“We absolutely love coming to the farm and picking up our fresh, grown-with-love
produce!”
“Excellent quality and variety; great to have uninterrupted salad greens
all season. Great work. Excellent execution all around.”
“Coming out to the farm is our time to take a break. It’s
a beautiful drive from Montpelier. Once we get to the farm we snack on
fresh veggies, and just have a fun time. My kids love it.”
“The staff is so friendly and knowledgeable. I’m very happy
to have a share in supporting a community venture. It’s also great to
see produce from ‘our farm’ featured at local restaurants.”
“Everything was great! We love picking flowers and the Harvest Fest
was a great time. My daughter loves it!”
“I especially appreciate the overall attention put into the CSA – the
presentation, organization is outstanding. You took a lot of care and put thought
into it and it shows.”
“I like all the choices! You certainly grow more variety than I ever
could in my garden.”
