Farm Fresh Produce - Naturally Grown - Stewardship of the Land
Updated June 4, 2007
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The Gardens have kicked into overdrive with the wonderful rain of the last few days!
See News From The Farm for more details.
Experience the difference with Annie's Acres
Buying food at the supermarkets most often means being left in the dark about its origin or quality. As the supermarkets become larger, their suppliers increasingly become "mega farms" or large conglomerate agri-businesses. Large operations of this nature are not able to produce foods without "pushing" agriculture to its limits by chemical and artificial means. The end result is most often food of compromised quality and safety. There is also an unbelievable amount of waste through spoilage in transit and storage. Most supermarkets experience waste of up to 40% of the produce they get off the trucks.
There is a better way!
Community Supported Agriculture is an approach to farming that creates a unique teamwork between the consumer and the farmer. It is a relationship of mutual trust and support. The consumer agrees to help support the farm economically with the payment of an annual fee. The farmer agrees to provide the best possible quality products and deliver them conveniently to the customer.
By participating in a CSA, you can be confident about the quality and integrity of the food on your table. You will be working with us to support the local economy and a way of life that fosters stewardship of the land and respects God's creation. With a CSA. . . . . . everyone wins!
How does Annie's Acres CSA Work?
Our CSA is based on "shares". One share is the amount of product that a family of four would normally consume in one week. (about one grocery bag) If a family chooses the "one share" plan, they would receive that amount of produce every week starting the last week of May and continuing through the last week of October (24 weeks). You can chose one share or a half share. Members can choose how they want to receive a "half share". You can either get a full share box every other week, or half a box every week. CSA members fill out a survey early each year in which they select from the list of available produce and show other preferences. This survey is then used as a guide when their share boxes are filled. Items (in season) above and beyond the normal share can be ordered at any time for delivery with your share. In addition to produce, members could receive items such as; honey, eggs, flowers, granola, homemade hand soap, beeswax candles, and a variety of other items as they are available.
Share boxes are picked up at drop off points in various communities at a designated time each week. They can also be picked up at the farm or for a small fee can be delivered to your door. We are still working out some of these details and will have more information and updates on drop-off points in upcoming weeks.
A newsletter will be included in all share boxes that contains news and helpful information including food preparation ideas. It will also serve as a sounding board for CSA and Sustainable Farming related topics.
So what is a "Share Box"
The "Share Box" is a waxed cardboard box that measures 11" x 15" x 6". This is approximately 1/2 bushel. It will be packed according to the preferences that you provided on your membership application form and on the Spring Survey Sheet that you received with your membership packet. There is a plastic pouch on the box that will contain your weekly newsletter, a post card you can use to contact us, and a packing card that travels with the box. Boxes are reused but are retired when they are no longer serviceable.
Our Farming Practices!
Many terms are used to describe how food is produced. We follow Narually Grown practices here at Annie's Acres. We can't sell our produce as "organic" however as we have not gone through the lengthily and expensive certification process for our farm. We are not certain how important this actual certification is to you but are considering whether or not to head in that direction. Our "Spring Survey" has a question on it that addresses this topic. Certifying organic means more accountability but it does come with a price tag as well. We need to know if you are willing or wanting to pay more for "organic" produce. Some of our specific farming practices are:
When we sell you a "share" in what we are doing, we become accountable to you and want to be totally open about how we do business. Please let us know how we are doing and if our practices are on target.
What kind of produce can I expect to find in my "Share Box"?
Peas, Beans, Rutabagas, Beets, Okra, Brussels sprouts, Lettuce, Spinach, Radishes, Carrots, Tomatoes, Egg plant, Onions, Peppers, Cauliflower, Herbs, Fresh Spices, Summer and Winter squash, Dill, Chives, Parsley, Pumpkins, Watermelon, Rhubarb, Potatoes, Sweet Corn, Kohlrabi, Cucumbers, Horseradish, Red and Green Cabbage, Broccoli, Asparagus, and other items as available.
Other food item you can get at a slight additional cost are, Honey, Honey candy, Honey straws, Granola, and Eggs. You can either call, email us, or use the order card in the plastic pouch on your returned share box to order these additional items. None food items such as flowers, gourds, Indian corn, beeswax candles and homemade hand soaps are ordered in the same manner. A more complete listing of produce and other items will be included on this web site and also in the printed newsletter as they become available. Honey items can be seen on the Ranum's 1887 Brand home page(click on link below).
Return to 1887 Brand Home Page
What is the cost to become a member?
We have tried to keep membership as simple but yet as flexible as possible. We also committed to bringing you the best value for this type of product. The following options are available for the 2007 year:
How do I become a member?
It's easy, just fill out a membership application form (click on link below to download pdf version of form) and mail it with a check(s) to us at the address below. You will then receive a membership packet that will tell you more about our CSA project. The packet will have survey form in it that will provide choices for you to customize your share box. It will also supply us with other needed information about you that will help us serve you better. All information we collect from you is kept absolutely private and is used only for the purposes of this CSA. Return the form to:
Annie's Acres
13040 Fort Defiance Rd.
Darlington, WI 53530
To download a pdf copy of an application form to become a member of Annie's Acres, click on the link below. You will need to have a copy of Acrobat Reader installed on you computer. You may also call or write for an application packet and we will mail it to you.
News From the Farm, June 4, 2007
by Mark RanumAfter a slow start, the gardens are doing great and we're actually keeping up with the weeding! It looks like there will be radishes, onions, lettuce, spinach, beet greens, and rhubarb ready for the first box to be delivered this week. We have been calling members to make arrangements for the deliveries and to confirm some other information as well and should be done doing that tonight.
Newsletter
I'm way behind on doing the newsletter but will have something ready for the first box delivery. It may not be real fancy but it will get us started. One thing we hope to accomplish with the newsletter is to explore how members can best take advantage of the CSA. As the season progresses, certain items like broccoli and tomatoes will be in abundance as we have hundreds of plants. Members may be able to stretch out the season by freezing and canning if that fits into their lifestyles. It will be helpful for us to know your intentions when we pack the share boxes. We would also like to provide some ideas for using the fresh herbs and other specialty items that are available. The emphasis will be shifting from the web site to the printed newsletter during the share season. There just isn't enough time to go around to do both well. The web site will remain active but updates will be very brief. The site will still be a useful tool to keep everyone informed about dates and what is being packed.
Working Members
Some of you have requested to work off some of your membership costs. We are currently holding that in reserve for a little later in the season when it becomes more difficult to keep up with the weeds and harvesting. Your help during that time would be a real blessing!
Membership
We currently have 14 members in Annie's Acres CSA. This is a great start! As it turns out, that number will be a good match for the gardens we've planted. We should be able to provide bountiful share boxes and have plenty of surplus to sell separately. Our first priority will always be the share members as you have invested in what we are doing here. At the end of the year, we will try to present a picture of the CSA economics to members and discuss plans for the coming season. We are also being careful to keep the membership roster private. When e-mails are sent, they will not contain the e-mail addresses of other members.
Drop off Point Schedule Refined
Darlington
Day of the week: Wednesday Time: 4:00 - 6:30 PM Place: Festival Park (by Casey's)
Monroe
Day of the week: Friday Time: 4:00 PM Place: Home delivery for one member
Gratiot
Day of the week: Friday Time: 4:30 PM Place: Home delivery for one member
Mineral Point
Day of the week: Saturday Time: 8:30 - 11:30 AM Place: Water Tower Park
Looking Ahead
We were thinking of having some sort of get-together on the farm sometime this fall. Perhaps we could do a little fall picnic or pumpkin festival. It would be a chance to get together and have some fun. Keep it in mind and give us any ideas you may have.
Your Gardeners,
Annie, Mark, Teresa, and Vannesa
Solar Update:
The solar panel below is still working well when the sun is out. That has been a rare occasion lately during the best solar harvest hours of 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM each day. A homebuilt controller built out of surplus items is currently in use but it's accuracy is poor. The results are lost BTU's and times that the pump runs hot water to the panel instead of the other way around. When that happens, the panel becomes a huge radiator and releases bought and paid for heat to the environment. As soon as the budget allows, we will be installing a second panel and a differential controller that senses storage temperature and collector temperature. That controller will do the balancing act to make sure the right thing happens with the pump. Even with the current setup, our electric bill has been cut exactly in half! That means the system has already paid for itself in a little over a month of operation.
The experience so far with the hastily built panel has been surprisingly good. The addition of another panel and the controller should make it a great summertime energy saver. We'll have to see how well this system converts to a year round collector. For sure the "glazing" will have to be improved from the current 6 mil plastic to something that offers some thermal R value. I envision two layers of 6 mil greenhouse quality clear plastic with an air space between them. Insulation will also have to be added to the sides of the unit in addition to the back. None toxic antifreeze will replace the water in the collector loop and a homebuilt heat exchanger will need to be installed in the basement.
As it is right now, the panel has also come in handy for the farm fauna as one of our cats decided to have a litter of kittens under the panel. In case you are concerned, they are doing well.
Mark
(original article)
Farm Hot Water Goes Solar!
400 feet of 1/2 inch poly pipe is coiled in a box constructed of 2x4 and 2x2 lumber with a 2 inch construction foam backing. Not pretty but the idea was to build it cheap, fast, and with a big payback ratio.
A sensor is placed on the output line of the solar panel. In this case it is just an indicator but this will be replaced with a control sensor. (a controller has yet to be ordered)
The finished unit with 6 mil plastic stretched over it. Note that the plastic is not clear but rather just what I had available on the farm at the time. Good old chucks of lath from a remodel project were used to secure the plastic. Nothing fancy! Note the legs on the end of the unit. Dumb idea as the unit needs to sit on side for stability! It's called learning on the run.
Most folks in the solar industry would undoubtedly laugh at this home-brew solar panel. It is crude for sure. However, it is currently pumping 150 F water into our "turned off" 80 gallon electric water heater. The calculated performance is an amazing 2500 BTU based on observed temperature rise and water flow. Bottom line is that it has supplied our total needs for hot water for a family of four on sunny days. An additional panel and another 80 gallons of storage hooked in series would probably yield enough hot water to get us through a couple days without the sun. A LP fired high efficiency unit (a project still sitting in the box) will be installed to boost and cover needs when the sun isn't sufficient.
We will keep you posted on refinements and improvements to the system. Solar can be done by the average Joe and it can be done inexpensively. An interesting point in this little experiment is that things can happen if you get yourself out of the perfection mode and just get down to the doing of it. I had to grit my teeth as I did some less than perfect things while hastily throwing this panel together. Had I not done that, it would never have happened as time is extremely tight on this little farm.
Well, on to the next project for the day!
Mark Ranum
Editorial
by Mark RanumA Blast From My Past - (promise not to laugh!)
Way back in the 70's, I published a "back to the land" periodical called "Hearthstone Magazine". The girls still muse over a picture of myself adorned in full beard and standing beside what we called the "Hearthstone Moonshine Bug". It was a 1956 Volkswagen Beetle that was converted to run on 100% ethanol alcohol, a feat perhaps a bit ahead of its time. Hearthstone Magazine focused on alternative energy, crafts, and a host of other homestead type ventures including gardening.
A classic? . . . I present this photo reluctantly for you amusement! Wish I had that old car back though!
The problem with publishing a magazine is that most often, you write about things you don't have time to do. It's kind of a cruel irony. And trust me, publishing does not fit in well with "the simple life". Well, I consider this my time to do the stuff I've previously only written about. If the Lord wills and grants me a few more years, I plan to explore some of present twists on green energy and perhaps at least in part get "off the grid."
While I think the focus of that now antique publication was on target, much has changed. For one thing, the publisher is a bit older and hopefully a little wiser. There have been advances with large-scale wind generation that at the time seemed only a dream. We can see evidence of this with the huge wind turbines at Monfort visible from miles around. Other advances in technology have brought the pieces and tools for the modern day alternatives much more readily available. One thing has not changed though. There is still a lot more talk than action and unfortunately most folks, especially in rural areas, are still at the mercy of the energy moguls. It leads me to think that our challenge regarding energy is much less about technology than it is about politics. It is also about personal choices. Doing something different almost always means taking us out of our comfort zones.
One of the changes since the days of Hearthstone Magazine is in the publisher. My focus during that period was driven by the 60's and 70's "back to the land" movement that encompassed its own set of values. Much of the philosophies of that movement focused on what I would call the worship of the creation. I now acknowledge the Creator and admire His creation. That is why you will occasionally hear me use forgotten terms such as "stewardship of the land." I promise to not clobber everyone over the head with my beliefs, but it will help you to know where I'm coming from. I do believe that a return to the disciplines learned in Sunday School would be an absolute blessing to all of us as individuals, as families, and as a nation.
As to our quest for the alternatives, we already live a "different" life here on this little farm. As with some folks around us, we heat entirely with wood. Tons of the stuff have gone through our furnace. It has been a lifesaver for us financially. It isn't however the best option in my opinion. Solar is doable and can be inexpensive with a little ingenuity. Wind power doesn't necessarily have to be expensive to install. Sitting up on top of this hill we constantly "enjoy" what seem to be endless winds awaiting their harvest. I'm anxious to do some hands experimenting!
In closing, the small family farm and the rural lifestyle have been under constant siege for decades. The way we live has been directed largely by the way we work and how we spend our money. Dependence on work off the farm has dramatically increased along with the costs associated with getting to work. Health care availability is increasingly prompting us to seek off farm jobs. In short, it's not the same "rural" that our folks grew up in. Some of us feel that the small farm is worth the doing though as we strive to keep out of the meat grinders of the "seven day week" work schedules that do nothing good for family. Through our life and ventures on this little farm, we hope to both explore and promote some different paths and ways to approach "rural."
Well, enough about me. Do you have something interesting along these lines that your are doing? Give me a shout. I'd love to hear about it. E-mail me at mranum@1887brand.com or write to:
Mark Ranum
13040 Fort Defiance Road
Darlington, WI 53530
More information to come!
Please visit this sight occasionally as we will be updating it every week. (once a month during produce season)