Two local farms will try to continue to sell local produce through the winter, reports the Ellicott City Patch, although they're not both really farm-based CSAs
Read the details carefully. The Breezy Willow Farms in West Friendship will run a CSA from March to June. Martin Herb Farm, which runs CSAs at Centennial High School in Ellicott City and at Pointers Run Elementary School in Clarksville, will run from December into early summer -- and it will mix local herbs and root vegetables mixed with locally-stored apples and produce imported from Florida. Think of it as "thoughtfully-imported" rather than an actually locally-farmed.
Ooooh. This might be an option for the post-CSA doldrums that are likely to ensure in two weeks.
ReplyDeleteA winter CSA is not truly a CSA, its more of a coop because in our area the growing season is not conducive to producing winter crops. So most of the foods from a winter CSA will be from areas outside our county and state.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I will always support Howard County farms before any others because they are friends, neighbors and part of our tax base which makes our county one of the best places to live in the country. I wish more people would support truly local Howard County farming businesses. In fact, there is a wonderful article in the Howard County Times this week detailing the struggles of Howard County diary farmers http://www.explorehoward.com/community/76461/say-cheese/
Our Howard County farmers need our support and I am willing to support them with my fork. I hope HowChow will put an emphasis on the many HoCo farms and their products in this column.
@ anonymous - Thanks for your post.
ReplyDeleteI just joined Howard County Breezy Willow's Winter CSA. I joined because I like the fact that they have tons of experience with operating both winter and spring/summer/fall CSA's & they havn't used pesticides in over 26 yrs (they say they have applied for an organic designation).
Also, your comments about supporting our HoCo farmers resionated with me. I live in Howard County so you are right - it makes a lot of sense that I support businesses in my own backyard who pay taxes that support a great place to live.
I'm a little hesitant that Breezy Willow's Winter CSA won't be all local produce like their spring/summer CSA but - hey... we don't live in Florida so we can't expect a big winter growing season here. What I hope to expect is that the food will be a combo of locally grown foods and hand picked farm fresh foods from southern states - not mass produced through supermarkets. My neighbor was a Breezy Willow Winter CSA member last year. He said the food was great.
Although some of the Breezy Willow WInter CSA foods will come from sunny places on the Eastern sea board, at least all the money made by Breezy Willow Winter CSA will be paid to a HoCo farmer. And because Breezy Willow links with other HoCo farms/business (Great Harvest breads & make soaps, jams, spreads, cheeses from Hoco local farm fresh ingredients) It gives HoCo farms an opportunity to grow and thrive year round. This supports HoCo farming and open land (not development), increases our tax base (businesses are the backbone of our economy - and we need more not less in HoCo) and provides farm fresh foods within a few miles from homeowners (reduces our carbon footprint).
Note: read that Baltimore's Martin's Farm is not doing a winter CSA - see comments @ http://ellicottcity.patch.com/articles/community-supported-agriculture-expands-to-cover-winter-offerings