<> What is organic farming?

<> What does "CSA" stand for?

<> Is Live Earth Farm certified organic?

<> How long is your season?

<> I heard you have a winter season too... is this true?

<> How much food does a member get each week?

<> How much fruit comes with the Family and Small Shares?

<> I heard I could get raw goat milk with my Live Earth Farm CSA share. Is that true?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: 'Organic farming is a form of agriculture which avoids or largely excludes the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, plant growth regulators, and livestock feed additives. As far as possible, organic farmers rely on crop rotation, crop residues, animal manures and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil productivity and tilth to supply plant nutrients, and to control weeds, insects and other pests. According to the international organic farming organization IFOAM : "The role of organic agriculture, whether in farming, processing, distribution, or consumption, is to sustain and enhance the health of ecosystems and organisms from the smallest in the soil to human beings." Approximately 31 million hectares (75 million acres) worldwide are now grown organically.'

With the advent of the National Organic Standards program in 2002, there are detailed rules and regulations we need to abide by; if you wish to know how Live Earth Farm 'farms', please read about our general growing practices. (Growing The Crops)

CSA stands for "Community Supported Agriculture". Read more about our particular CSA by clicking here. (CSA)

Yes. Our organic certifier is 'Global Culture' and is USDA accredited. Their phone number is 707.464.6913 or you can email them at globalculture@earthlink.net. Either Chris or Linda Van Hook would be happy to talk to you. Their website is www.globalculture.us and is best viewed using Internet Explorer as a browser (for some reason the site does not display properly on other browsers).

Our season is 33 weeks long. It starts the first week of April, and the final delivery is the middle of November (the week before Thanksgiving).

Yes it's true! But because we cannot grow enough food during the winter for the same number of shares as we can during the regular season, we only offer 200 winter shares... and we offer them to our existing membership only. But once you are a member during our regular season, you will be eligible to sign up for our winter share! To learn more about our Winter Share, click here.

The amount of food you receive each week fluctuates over the course of the season (with proportionally more in both during the productive summer), but generally speaking the Family Share will receive 11 to 13 items, and the Small Share will receive 9 to 12 items. Both shares have mostly the same contents, however each week there are typically a few items in one share which the other does not get (and visa versa), but we try to balance this out so that everyone gets some of everything we grow over the course of the season. Also, each week there are a couple items which are more in quantity in the Family Share than in the Small Share. Every week we list 'What's in the box' in the newsletter. As a matter of fact, the best way to really get a feel for how much food you might get in any given week is to look at a couple of our past newsletters (select ones from different times during the year) and click on 'What's in the box this week' to see what your share might look like in April as opposed to July as opposed to October.

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Some fruit is always included in every Family Share throughout the season. The Small Share is not always guaranteed to have fruit, but we try to see that does as much as possible. Strawberries are our 'staple' fruit crop, and the Family Share will typically receive one or two baskets every week for most of the season (the Small Share typically will get one basket). In late summer we start to have apples (4-5 different varieties) and pears (french butter pear) which will accompany our strawberries (if the weather holds) until the end of the season in November. Once in a while if we have enough of one of our other fruit crops, we will include it in your share. The quantity of fruit that comes with your share may not be sufficient to carry you through the week, however, so if you are a fruit lover, we recommend you sign-up for the Extra Fruit Option (or our 'Fruit Bounty' Option if the Extra Fruit is sold out).

When we say 'pastured' we do not mean 'pasteurized' (i.e. the process of heating foods to a certain temperature for the purpose of destroying certain viruses, bacteria, etc.) – 'pastured eggs' is just our shorthand for describing eggs that have come from hens that roam freely on pasture and are able to eat bugs and green things in addition to their organic feed.

Please click here to read more about pastured eggs.

The Egg Option can be added to your share the same as our other 'options.' You sign up for eggs just like you do your share. You cannot get eggs on demand (i.e. you can't contact us on occasion and request a dozen eggs), or a la carte (i.e. get eggs only, but no box of veggies). It is a commitment for the season, and is an item you will receive every week like your CSA share.

Our Egg Options come in half-dozen increments only, so if you want a dozen eggs per week (for example), you need to remember to specify a quantity of "2" egg options when you sign up!

A qualified yes. You do not purchase your goat milk share through Live Earth Farm (like you do the eggs). In fact, you don't purchase 'milk' at all – you purchase a share in a goat for the season and your goat is milked for you, and then your milk is delivered to you along with your CSA share.

Here's how it works. As in years past, Lynn Selness of Summer Meadow's Farm will be offering shares in her milking goats, so that you can get fresh, raw, delicious goat milk and hand crafted yogurt and cheeses delivered through our CSA.

All of Lynn's goats are Nubian, not only a beautiful breed of animal, but also known for the rich butterfat content of their milk. "Their milk is so healthy," she says. "Dairy sensitive babies and lactose intolerant people can drink this milk without problem. The size of the fat molecules in goat's milk is the closest to human mothers' milk of any other milk. People and their children with health problems have been drinking this milk and doing so much better in no time. I am so thankful to hear these people's stories, people getting healed from my (goats') milk. This makes me so happy!"

Debbie (Live Earth Farm's CSA coordinator) has been up to Lynn's farm on the side of Mt. Madonna and can attest to the fact that these are the most pampered, loved and cared for goats. If you know anything about dairy, you know that a contented animal makes a huge difference in the flavor of the milk.

Goat milk shares are all coordinated through and paid to Lynn directly – not through Live Earth Farm – so don't contact the farm about 'wanting to sign up' for it. Please call Lynn at 831.786.8966 and she will give you all the details. Like in past seasons, the goat milk shares will be delivered to your CSA drop-off (in well-insulated ice chests).

Because the goat milk shares are not a part of Live Earth Farm's CSA shares, they are not identified on our checklist at your pick-up site; you need to remember to check the cooler for it. Lynn labels all the milk and cheese with your name so it is very clear.

Lynn says to remember that her supply, too, is limited, so orders will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

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Every member receives a weekly newsletter via email. We used to have a paper newsletter, but this was discontinued mid-2007 due to the huge popularity of the electronic version, which allows us the flexibility to add photos and lots more recipes and information which otherwise would have been limited to two sides of an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper.

If you miss getting an e-newsletter for some reason, you can always go to the website to see them. They are uploaded weekly during the season, generally on Monday nights, for the coming week's share (click here if you'd like to go there now).

You do not need to be a CSA member to receive our e-newsletter! If you'd like to receive it, contact us and let us know, and we'll add you to the e-list!

No. Farmer Tom makes every effort to grow a wide variety of crops so that there is always a good seasonal selection in your box each week. In a lot of ways, this is part of the fun -- every week, it is like getting a 'surprise' box!

Yes! Typically our newsletter is posted to the website on Monday nights (sometimes not until Tuesday night) for that week's deliveries. Look for a section called "What's in the box this week " which spells out all the fruit and vegetables that will be in that week's share. Please remember that farmer Tom makes his best estimate of what will be ripe and ready for picking by harvest day, however occasionally we will make last minute substitutions that will not be reflected in the newsletter.

At every pickup location, there should be an 'Exchange Box,' where members can put produce they don't want, and swap it for something else in the box which some other member didn't want. This works remarkably well, as different members have different tastes, and you'd be surprised what you find there sometimes. The Exchange Box (okay, the pickup location in general) is often a place to meet and chat with other members, so next thing you know you may find yourself keeping those beet greens after all, because someone just told you of a wonderful way to prepare them and you can't wait to try it! If there is no obvious 'Exchange Box' set up, feel free to use one of the empty produce boxes to start one.

Every week we deliver your boxes of goodies to convenient locations in your area. Read all about it under 'How our CSA Delivery System Works.'

A qualified yes. We added many new pick-up sites in 2005 but since we are now selling out before the season begins, we don't necessarily need more pick-up locations. We occasionally consider new ones if the proposed site is within our delivery range and meets certain criteria. Please contact us for more information if you think you may want to do this.

Your commitment as a member of the CSA is a cornerstone to maintaining a sustainable operation.

<> If you know you are going to be out of town, you are welcome to have a friend or neighbor pick up your share during your absence, OR, we can make arrangements so that the share is donated (if you choose this option, please contact us at least a couple days in advance, so we can plan for it).

<> If you can't make it to the pickup location during the appointed hours but still want your share, you are welcome to send someone else to retrieve it for you.

<> Under either of the above options, however, we ask that you make sure whoever is picking up the share knows the pickup protocol so they don't accidentally take what is not theirs(yours), and in doing so, short-change another CSA member. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.

<> Ultimately, it is your responsibility to remember to pick up your share on the correct day and during the appointed time. If you forget, we cannot refund or replace your missed share. Forgotten shares are not wasted though, as whoever is in charge of your pickup location will see that it is donated or otherwise put to good use. PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PICK UP YOUR SHARE AFTER THE STATED PICK-UP TIME OR THE NEXT DAY. Many of our pick-up sites are at private homes, and we ask you not to disturb them at later hours.

We used to offer a '4-week Trial' but since the demand for CSA shares has skyrocketed, we discontinued this option. That being said, we would never force someone to pay for a full season if they found they were unhappy with it. We request a minimum commitment of 4 weeks, and advance notice of at least 2 weeks to cancel, so that we have time to find someone else to take your share.

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As a CSA member you become part of a network with the rest of the membership, and either through tips shared in the weekly newsletter or by contacting other members you can get helpful information on this topic from 'the experts' (i.e. people who have been doing this for a few years already and who have learned through experience what works best). Here are some past examples:
Greens Storage Tips - part one
Greens Storage Tips - part two
Strawberry tips and ideas
Freezing broccoli and green beans

There are more ideas for this sort of things on our recipes page... which leads to the next question:

Every week we put recipes in our newsletter, which we tailor according to the content in your box. The recipes are also all posted online, and searchable by key ingredient. Recipes go back as far as our 1998 season (so the selection of ideas is now quite vast!), and are updated every week with the current newsletter's recipe(s) during the season.

Typically all the harvesting is done by us.

Yes. Members are always welcome to visit, in addition to the already scheduled farm events organized throughout the season (Calendar of Events).

Live Earth Farm offers farm internships to interested, motivated and qualified individuals. Keep in mind that this is limited to one or two individuals for a season. If you are serious about an internship, contact the farm in winter or early spring for the coming year. Or if you just want to volunteer to experience life on the farm there are possibilities as well.

Yes! We finally have this option. However, NEVER email us your credit card number, as we do not have a secure system for this. Our signup system will include a page to print, fill out, and send us by mail. For certain transactions, we will also be able to take your credit card number over the phone. We will not 'store' your credit card numbers 'on file' either. Once we have processed a credit card transaction, the paper signup forms will be destroyed.

You bet! A simple, reliable way to do this is to list the checks on a post-it type note and stick this right in your check ledger. You can easily move it forward as you go, entering the appropriate check amounts from the note into your ledger each month.