2012 Mid-Chatham Farmers' Alliance CSA

May 1, 2012 – November 20, 2012

Mid-Chatham Farmers Alliance is a collaboration among Harland's Creek Farm [Judy Lessler], Wiseacre Farm [Laurie Heise], Clayton Orchard [Andy Clayton], Pine Knot Farm [Stanley Hughes], Cohen Farm [ Esta Cohen], Chapel Hill Creamery [Portia McKnight], and Roberson Creek Farm [Vicki and Bobby Roberson].  We have joined forces to bring you one of the best and most varied CSAs in the Triangle area.  We will have pick up locations in:

• Chatham County at Harland’s Creek Farm (Tuesday - Friday)
  
• Chapel Hill at Southern Village and possibly another location (Tuesday)
  
• Raleigh area with the exact sites still to be determined (Tuesday)
  

For the first time, we are offering all options at all locations  and possibly staffed pick-up sites at some locations off the farm. We have modified the food plans to provide a greater range of choices.  We include a CSA booklet that contains recipes and information on storage and cleaning of produce.  You will be able to find recipes for fruits, greens, herbs, summer vegetables, pork, beef, chicken, eggs, and cheese and a special section on cooking for children. 

You have all heard of CSA enrollees whose refrigerators are stuffed with food that they have not eaten and that they do not know how to prepare.  This rarely happens with our customers because we provide weekly meal plans based on the share contents. We even include a shopping list of additional ingredients that you need to prepare a suggested meal. This saves you lots of time because you do not need to flip through the recipes to identify, for example, how many ounces of pasta, corn grits, or whatever is needed to make a suggested recipe. 

 All participating farms are dedicated to sustainable local agriculture.  Most of the produce and herbs will come from Harland’s Creek Farm, Pine Knot Farm, Wiseacre Farm and Roberson Creek Farm. Harland’s Creek Farm and Pine Knot Farm are certified organic, and Wiseacre Farm and Roberson Creek Farm use sustainable, earth friendly methods.

Cohen Farm will provide beef, pork, and eggs.  At Cohen Farm, all animals and birds are raised on pasture and fed certified organic grain from Cohen Farm.  The chicken and some of the eggs will come from Harland's Creek Farm where all birds are pasture-raised and antibiotic and hormone-free. 

Chapel Hill Creamery makes cheeses from its own herd of Jersey cows and will be distributing award winning cheeses. 

Clayton Orchard was established by the late Dr. Carlyle Clayton, a nationally renowned plant pathologist at N.C. State University, who specialized in fruit diseases.  His family continues to maintain the orchard, which is located in the Sand Hills region of NC. Visit our web site for links to learn more about our collaborating farms.

Produce and Herbs will be provided for 30 weeks and will consist of a combination of certified organic items and sustainably grown items.  You will receive a weekly e-mail that lets you know which farms the items are from. The weekly box will contain from 5 to 10 vegetables and herbs.  You return your prior week’s box when you pick up the current box. $640

Meat Shares:  Pasture-raised beef, chicken, and pork will be provided on a rotating basis.  We are offering a gourmet share and a family share this year, with the former including smaller amounts of more expensive cuts such as steaks and chops and the latter having larger amounts of less expensive cuts such as ground beef, chicken leg quarters, stew beef, and so on. $560, $370

Eggs and Cheese will be provided on alternate weeks for 30 weeks. One week you will receive a dozen eggs from our free range chickens; the next week a piece of cheese selected from the seven kinds of cheese made by Chapel Hill Creamery.  These include their camembert like Carolina Moon and New Moon, mozzarella, farmers’ cheese, feta, an aged cheese called Hickory Grove, and the award winning Calvander cheese.  In 2011 Calvander won a gold medal in the hard cheese category at the North American Jersey Cheese Show and was second best in show overall. This cheese is similar to Asiago. $222.50

Fruit will be provided for 17 weeks.  We will begin the season with seven weeks of organic strawberries from Pine Knot Farms.  Then in late June, Clayton Orchard will provide peaches, grapes, plums, and melons for 10 weeks.  Two sizes are offered:[1]

• Large: Two quarts of strawberries in the spring and for the summer fruits either a) large bag of peaches [18 to 20 peaches] or b) a medium bag of peaches plus either a watermelon, a cantaloupe, pint of plums, or quart of Muscadine grapes. $244.50
  
• Small: One quart of strawberries in spring, and for summer, (a) medium bag of peaches or (b) a small bag of peaches plus either a watermelon, a cantaloupe, pint of plums, or quart of Muscadine grapes. $161.50

 Click on the following links for more information:

• Examples of what we grow

•  Example Meal Plans and Shopping Lists

Payment is due at enrollment.  You may pay with a single check or with two checks one of which is post dated a month later than the first.  There is a $10 discount for enrolling in the Produce and Herbs and one other food program. You can also pay by PayPal for a small charge.  You print out a paper form to enroll.  You can enroll online.