Upcoming Season

WINTER 2008

To learn what is special and different about the Spiritual Food CSA and what is the difference between the Summer/Fall and Winter/Spring seasons, visit the General Information page.

For Winter and Spring, roots and other such crops are harvested in the fall and stored for distribution throughout the winter and spring.  Greens are available until the first snow and then a greenhouse provides fresh lettuce and greens until the first spring harvest in May.  The supplements round out the share with items normally eaten during the cold season such as citrus and apples, dried fruits, grains and dairy products. 

Dates:            The Winter 2008 season will run 26 weeks from November 30, 2007 to the end of May 23, 2008

Share Size:    There is one share that is designed for a couple or small family.  Single people who love good food can also use one share.  Some people who are single or travel a lot prefer to split a share with a partner.  If you have a large household you may wish to get two shares. 

Content:         As usual with a CSA we eat according to the season.  Please remember we are working with small, very special farms and the availability of all items can be unpredictable, especially in winter.

This season, we will plan to include in the weekly share:

•  4-6 vegetables each week from area Biodynamic and organic farms consisting of fresh lettuce and other greens, and root crops

• a consistent supply of Biodynamic citrus consisting of tangelos, grapefruit, and various kinds of oranges throughout the season

• 3-4 additional items, that we call supplements, each week from Biodynamic farms such as:

• whole grain bread and other grains such as rice, oatmeal, whole grain flour, baking mix;

• dairy products such as eggs, yogurt and cheese;

• apples, avocados, fresh dates and dried fruit such as raisins, persimmons, peaches and apricots;

• other special items such as raw apple cider vinegar, flax seeds, raw honey, Celtic sea salt, etc.

We occasionally offer organic fruit in order to support a special farm or for the sake of variety when Biodynamic is not available

For participating farms, see General Information page and then Detailed Information

New This Season:

Over the years we have been experimenting with the “supplements” and feedback has been very positive.  We are getting closer to the goal of offering a share quantity that will diminish or eliminate the need to shop at grocery stores during the season.  The share price and quantity this Winter season is the same as the Summer 2007 season. There should be more variety of vegetables than in past Winter seasons due to a new, second, greenhouse at Sankanac Farm and our relationships with other local farmers.  .

We appreciate feedback on the quantity and quality of your CSA
            food.

Share Price: 

$850 for a 6 month season (less than $33/week)

                        With Early Bird Registration BY SEPTEMBER 30th, share price is
                        $800.

Registration Deadline:

The Early Bird deadline is very important to the farmers and your CSA hosts in order to plan the season.  Early registration also gives you more flexibility with installment payments as full payment is always due by the start of the season. 

Payment:        Can be a lump sum for the whole season or installments to be completed by December.  You may divide your share price (either $850 or $800) by the number of months remaining until December and send all checks at once, post-dated a month apart.  See the registration form for complete details.  Credit cards are accepted with an additional 3% charge to cover processing fees.

Location:        The main pick-up site is in Bethesda at 4209 East-West Highway, near downtown and the Bethesda metro station. 

                        There will likely be a pick up in Arlington, VA and Capitol Hill also. 

                        To establish a new site, 20 members and a coordinator are needed.  Please call for more information. 

Day/Time:     

What if I’m going out of town?

§         Invite your friends to try Spiritual food

§         A share can be prepared for you and set aside for late pick up for a $2 courtesy fee

§         Try to exchange with someone else, or sell your share that week, through the CSA online yahoo group

§         Donate your share and we will find a good home for it

Is home delivery possible?

We encourage members to exchange this service with each other.  Also, home delivery is possible to some locations for $10/week.  Shipping via DHL is also possible to neighboring states such as DC, MD, VA, DE and PA with exact shipping charges plus the $2 bagging fee.  You may note your interests on the registration form.  

A CSA is a community endeavor depending on the cooperative efforts of its members. And we do count on your support for about 4-6 hours per season. Some of the service opportunities are:

Drive the van to the farm, Set up and Clean up, Bagging supplements, Volunteer Coordinator, Recruiting new members, Newsletter, Recipes, Web site, Promotion on the Internet, Telephoning, etc.

Please inform us about your preferences on the registration form. For weekly set-up opportunities, sign up in the garage or on our Spiritual Food CSA yahoo group.

When can we visit the farm?

Visiting the farm is an important experience for CSA members to connect with the farmer and the land that is their source of nutrition and the forces of life.

• Driving the van – opportunities every week!
• Farm tour will be offered – it is important to RSVP when dates are announced.
• There are U-pick opportunities at the farm in Pennsylvania, usually in June and early July.

 Registration Form       Back to Home Page