CSA

Know your farmer, know your food!

Hatchet Cove Farm’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program is a great way to receive farm-fresh, delicious, organic vegetables at a great value. When you become a CSA member (by buying a ‘share’ in the farm for the season) we become your farmers, and Hatchet Cove Farm becomes your farm.

How does it work? When you purchase a CSA share you help support our farm by paying up front for your veggies in the spring.  That helps us pay for seed and cover the expenses of starting up the farm for the season. In return, you get a weekly selection of all that is available on the farm. This means you are eating the freshest, most delicious seasonal veggies possible.

Members also can receive surplus vegetables to put by for winter, and have the option to order organic blueberries, pork, cheese, and other add-ons. Members receive a weekly letter full of news from the farm and recipes and are welcome at the farm for visits, to volunteer, and at our annual garlic-planting party!

Also, if you work at Miles Hospital or a MaineHealth affiliated facility, you recieve $50 towards your CSA cost from your employer and can pay for your share via payroll deduction.  Contact us for more information!
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How long does it last? 18 weeks (mid-June through mid-October).  We also offer a fall share (mid-October to mid-November, $60) for those who wish to continue on.
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How will I get my share? We have a number of different delivery and pick-up options:
1)  Delivery to Rockland in front of the First Unitarian Universalist Church on Sunday mornings (10:30-11:30am)
2)  Pick up at the farm in Warren on Monday evenings (5-7pm).  If you miss Monday evenings, you can pick up Tuesday during the day.
3)  Delivery to homes in Waldoboro, Friendship, Thomaston and Cushing on Thursday evenings.
4)  Delivery to Bowdoin College in Brunswick and the Shelter Institute in Woolwich on Tuesday mornings.
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How much does it cost? $325 in 2010 per “small family share” (typically enough for a family of 2) plus $1/week ($18 total) if we deliver to your home.  We can accept food stamps to pay for CSA shares, so please let us know if you’re interested in that option.  There is also an installment plan available, see below.
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How do I pay? In 2010 we have three payment options:
1) Pay in full (by check)
2)  Pay with Food Stamps ($35 deducted from your EBT card every other week during the CSA until $325 is reached )
3)  Installment plan.  Five payments of $65 per month May - September for a total of $325.  We hope this will make the CSA more available to folks who were unable to make the up-front payment, so spread the word to your friends and family!  If you would like to pay in installments, please let us know and we will send you the application.
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What are the cheese and mushroom CSA options? In 2010 we are thrilled to deliver cheese and mushroom CSA shares alongside our veggie shares. Appleton Creamery, the award-wining goat, sheep and cow cheese operation, has agreed to offer a cheese CSA for Hatchet Cove Farm members. For $225, CSA members will receive a variety of different cheeses every week, equalling a retail value of approximately $325. Visit www.appletoncreamery.com for a list of what cheeses may be included, and contact us for more information.

Oyster Creek Mushroom Company will also be offering a weekly CSA for our members. They cultivate Shitake mushrooms and sell fresh wild mushrooms from Maine including Porcini, Oyster, Chanterelle, Black Trumpet, Hen, Morel, and Chicken of the Wood mushrooms, among others. It will consist of around a pound of mushrooms a week at wholesale prices, for a cost of $190 for 18 weeks.
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What happens if I can’t pick up my veggies some weeks? If you let us know in advance, we can likely arrange an alternate way for you to get your share.  Or, if you plan to be out of town and not eat your veggies at all, we can donate them to a local food pantry for you.  It’s a great way to help out the community.
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How and when can I sign up for the coming season? If you would like to become a member, send us the following info:  your full contact info, choice of pickup location (or if you would like home delivery we can determine if it is on our route), and your choice of payment plan. Please email or call us with any questions.
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What kinds of vegetables can I expect? When you are a CSA member you share in the both the risks and the bounty of the farm. For example, if you love broccoli and it is a great year for broccoli, you might receive it for a number of weeks in a row, enough to eat your fill and still freeze some for the winter. If it is a tough year for broccoli, though, (due to weather, pests, etc.) you might only get to enjoy it once that season. We work very hard at growing a wide variety of veggies, and every year have provided far more veggies to our members than the same amount of money would have bought at farmer’s market.

To see an example of the veggies you might receive in a week, at the bottom of each of our archived newsletters there is a list of what was in that week’s share.  So click on any newsletter posting to see what a average week might include.

Some of the veggies we grow for our CSA members: Mesclun Mix, Baby Spinach, Boc Choy, Arugula, Lettuce Heads, Beets, Kale (four different varieties), Swiss Chard, Broccoli, Cabbage (red and green), Herbs, Scallions, Sugar Snap Peas, Radishes, Basil, Carrots, Cauliflower, Potatoes, Sweet and Hot Peppers, Zucchini and Summer Squash, Green Beans, Garlic, Slicing and Cherry Tomatoes (heirloom and hybrid), Winter Squash, Onions, Kohlrabi, Celery, Sweet Corn, Edamame, Dry Beans, Celeriac, Fennel, Shallots, and more!
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Some quotes from Hatchet Cove Farm CSA members:

CSA pickup at the Rockland UU Church

“Thanks you guys for a great summer of veggies — again this year it was the highlight of my week and your recipes are amazing… thanks again!” – Melissa Holt

“We were so pleased and thrilled with your CSA. We love the freshness, variety, and amounts.” -Cheryl Parker

“Had your new potatoes last night – to die for. I boast of our arrangement as an example of one of the true advantages of living in the paradise that is Maine. Thanks for what you contribute to our lives.”  – John Meyn

“We loved the experience, from delivery (like “Christmas” when it arrived!) to the lovely recipes we enjoyed all summer.  Yum, yum!  Thank you!” – Liga Jahnke

“With our crazy life this summer, receiving this incredible food: 1. made us remember to eat our veggies and 2. sustained us physically when things got out of control!” – Patti Montana

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Interested in joining or have more questions? Contact us at
info@hatchetcovefarm.com