<![CDATA[Hazon CSA of White Plains]]>http://www.whiteplainscsa.comen-ushttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rssCopyright 2012Hazon CSA of White Plains<![CDATA[CSA Memberships Available]]>2012 Registration now open

Pricing:
For the 2012 growing season,membership is $665 for an expected 22 weeks of vegetables and herbs. That works out to $30 per week per share (or half that if you are splitting a share). A CSA Administrative Fee of $15 is included which covers the cost of Small Farm Central(this website), SignUp Genius (the online voolunteer system) and plastic bags.

Dates and Pick-up:
The program will run from Wednesday, June 13 through November 7, 2012. Temple Israel of White Plains will be the pick-up location most Wednesdays, from 4 to 8pm.  Because Yom Kippur will fall on Wednesday, September 26, 2012 pick-up is expected to be on Monday, September 24, 2012. While in 2011 four major holidays fell on Wednesdays, in 2012 only one will. Two weeks, distribution will be at Kol Ami, Wednesday, September 19th and Monday, September 24th, 2012.

Purchasing a membership is simple, go to "Registration" and complete the online registration form. Please include your name, address, email address, home phone and cell phone. It is easy to add information of anyone you split with so they can also receive regular emails. You will find it easy to include the information for each additional member.  If you split a share last year but wish to be Primary this year or to change who you split with, that is fine. If you have any problems or if you wish to add members later, please email that information to CSA Membership Coordinator at  whiteplainscsa@gmail.com

Splitting:
If you are interested in splitting a share and do not have a partner, we encourage you to contact neighbors, friends, and co-workers.  Should you need our help in finding a partner, please contact Debby Ziering at dziering@gmail.com  We cannot guarantee success, but will do our best to help you find someone.

Chubby Bunny Farm will be our exclusive provider of farm fresh produce. This is the ffifth year of the CSA and the fourth year we are partnering with Chubby Bunny Farm, the second year we are working exclusively with this high quality, superbly managed family farm lovingly run by Tracy and Dan Hayhurst in Falls Village, Connecticut. Every week, shares will arrive divided into one bin per share.  Leafy greens will be transported in separate containers: members will take turns to volunteer to bag the greens. Weeks of drenching rain in 2011 did create difficulty, but Chubby Bunny Farm makes an effort to have their produce arrive clean and attractive.

Member Responsibilities:
This year a maximum of 110 farm shares are available, up from 87 in 2011. Shares may be split two or more ways. There is a volunteer requirement of at least one and if feasible, two "shifts" per season for each person. Members "run" the pick-up process, overseeing the set-up, bagging the greens, welcoming and signing-in people, keeping pick-up tidy, boxing and then delivering the leftover produce for delivery to the Open Arms' Shelter of Grace Church Community Center.

An online volunteer system facilitates this process: allowing members to swap shifts when necessary. Each week members volunteer to bag the leafy greens between 3:15-4:15. The first shift runs from 3:30-6:00 and the second from 6:00-8:30pm with each shift covered by an "alternate" available as back-up. Each week there is a "Driver" who arrives with their vehicle at 7:45 to load up and deliver our surplus to the Open Arms Shelter in White Plains.

Paying for your membership:
After registering online, please promptly mail your check payable to Chubby Bunny Farm. The price is $665 with $650 is for the produce and an administrative fee of $15 for the CSA.

 
Check to:
Chubby Bunny Farm
Regular Price: $665

Mail to:             
Hazon CSA of White Plains
c/o Temple Israel Center
280 Old Mamaroneck Road
White Plains, NY 10605

]]>Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:54:25 -0500<![CDATA[Tomorrow night: Adamah will sell their fresh cheese and pickles at "Sustainable Local Food, Healthy Food Forum" beginning at 6:15 pm at Temple Israel Center]]>]]>Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:47:20 -0500<![CDATA[CSA Opening Day and Marketplace Events on 6/13/2012]]>Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:36:04 -0500<![CDATA[What's in a share?]]>The items in our CSA share vary with the season and weather. Varieties also change from season to season as we select varieties with weather, soil conditions, pest control, taste, yield and hardiness in mind. Each week, we try to give a rounded share with cooking greens, salad greens, alliums (onion family), roots, herbs, and other items.

Here are examples of some of the different vegetables and herbs grown for our CSA at different points in the season:

Early Season:
radishes, spring turnips, salad greens, beets, spinach, scallions, garlic scapes, peas, Chinese cabbage, spring cabbage, arugula, Swiss chard

Summer:
salad greens, Swiss chard, summer squash, zucchini, carrots, cucumbers, beets, broccoli, basil, onions, leeks, beans, sweet corn

Late Summer:
tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, hot peppers, potatoes, summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, garlic, broccoli, fennel, onions, carrots

Fall:
carrots, parsnips, potatoes, winter squash, brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, onions, rutabaga, turnips, garlic, mustard greens, arugula, salad mix, spinach
 

]]>Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:12:49 -0600<![CDATA[Questions?]]>What will be in my share and how big will it be?
A share will generally include 8 to 12 different vegetables and herbs, which will vary during different times of the growing season.  It is difficult to estimate how many people this will feed as every person and family is different. Individuals or small families may want to consider splitting their share with a friend or relative. In a CSA, the weekly share is fixed; members will not be able to choose their produce.

What if I don't like or need something?
Each week there is a "Swap Box" for trading or simply donating what a member chooses not to take home. Any surplus food in the swap box as well as unclaimed bins are delivered for enjoyment by the Open Arms Shelter a program of Grace Church Community Center in White Plains.

Which vegetables will delight this year and which will disappoint?
Please also bear in mind that a CSA involves sharing in the risk with the farmers.  If unusual weather or disease significantly affects the crops, the food shares will be affected as well.  The farmers will do their best. Members may recall that in 2009, tomatoes disappointed but flourished in 2010 while cauliflower delighted in the 2009 weather and not in 2010.

Is the produce "organic'?
Chubby Bunny is an organic farm.  However, they are not certified organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  Instead, they subscribe to the Farmer's Pledge, a voluntary, self-regulating code of standards which are similar to, and in some cases more stringent than the USDA organic rules.  These standards include:

  • Rejecting the use of synthetic insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers;
  • Rejecting the use of GMOs, chemically treated seeds, synthetic toxic materials, irradiation, and sewage sludge;
  • Maintaining healthy soils by farming practices that include rotating crops annually, using compost, cover crops, and green manures, and reducing tillage;
  • Conserving natural resources by reducing erosion and pollution of air, soil, and water through responsible farming practices;
  • Maximizing the nutritional value of food and feed by practicing careful post harvest handling;
  • Reducing the ecological footprint of farms and homes by limiting energy use and converting to renewable sources of energy; and
  • Sustaining the land in healthy condition for future generations.


Comments or Complaints about the CSA or produce?
Please do not contact our farmers through their websites with questions about the CSA, please direct your questions to us through the email addresses on our contact page.

]]>Mon, 05 Mar 2012 10:47:46 -0600<![CDATA[Volunteer Shifts: Sign Up, Swap, Delete Online]]>CSA Volunteer shifts this year are being managed through an online process using a website, SignUp Genius. You can view the schedule by going to the CSA tab, clicking on Volunteer which takes you to SignUp Genius. IF you need to make changes, you may delete yourself from a shift! Or even ask someone to swap shifts with you. Ideally, please do so as far in advance as possible!  It is really, really useful to have the online Shift Schedule be accurate. To edit/swap/delete shifts, logon to your account with SignUpGenius. Questions about using SignUpGenius may be answered by clicking here.

But, of course, emergencies occur. If you can not access SignUp Genius or are in too much of an emergency, please contact the CSA email whiteplainscsa@gmail.com

One of the CSA's Coordinators will contact volunteers by to confirm shift duties one to two weeks in advance. The initial contact will be via email: please answer it. Please let the Coordinator know of any changes or substitutions.


OUR WEB-BASED SYSTEM, NEW FOR THIS YEAR:

SignUp Genius makes shift changes as easy as pushing buttons. Here is a paragraph from their instructions:


Help! Why do I see Edit/Swap/Delete buttons next to my sign up? Am I signed up?
No worries... step back from the ledge!  The EDIT/SWAP/DELETE buttons are just there so that you can modify your sign up if something changes for you. You are completely signed up!

Those buttons ONLY show up for you... when you are logged into the site. If you want to see what the sign up looks like for other people, then click on the "logout" button in the upper right hand part of the page, and then do a REFRESH of the sign up page.  Then if you ever need to change your sign up, you just login to the site with the same username and password that you used to sign up and your EDIT/SWAP/DELETE options are there for you.

]]>Mon, 05 Mar 2012 10:44:43 -0600<![CDATA[2012 Registration]]>

Open Now: Early Bird Period for Returning Members

2012 Memberships on Sale To All: 12/01/11

Registration: for the Hazon CSA of White Plains. 

Pricing: For the 2012 growing season, returning Members may purchase a membership in November 2011 at an "Early Bird" price of $635 for an expected 22 weeks of vegetables and herbs. That works out to less than $29 per week per share (or half that if you are splitting a share). On December 1, 2011, the membership price will be the "Regular" rate of $665 per share. A CSA Administrative Fee of $15 is included which covers the cost of Small Farm Central, SignUp Genius and plastic bags.

Dates and Pick-up: The program will run from Wednesday, June 13 through November 7, 2012. Temple Israel of White Plains will be the pick-up location most Wednesdays, from 4 to 8pm.  Because Yom Kippur will fall on Wednesday, September 26, 2012 pick-up is expected to be on Monday, September 24, 2012. While in 2011 four major holidays fell on Wednesdays, in 2012 only one will. Two weeks, distribution will be at Kol Ami, Wednesday, September 19th and Monday, September 24th, 2012.

Purchasing a membership is simple: If you are the Primary Purchaser last year go to "Registration" and complete the online registration form. Please include you name, address, email address, home phone and cell phone. If you split your share, you should have your Primary register for you. You will find it easy to include the information for each additional member.  If you split a share last year but wish to be Primary this year, please try to Register. If you have any problems or if you wish to add members later, please email that information to CSA Membership Coordinator at  whiteplainscsa@gmail.com

Splitting: If you are interested in splitting a share and do not have a partner, we encourage you to contact neighbors, friends, and co-workers.  Should you need our help in finding a partner, please contact Debby Ziering at dziering@gmail.com  We cannot guarantee success, but will do our best to help you find someone.


Chubby Bunny Farm will be our exclusive provider of farm fresh produce. This is the ffifth year of the CSA and the fourth year we are partnering with Chubby Bunny Farm, the second year we are working exclusively with this high quality, superbly managed family farm lovingly run by Tracy and Dan Hayhurst in Falls Village, Connecticut. Every week, shares will arrive divided into one bin per share.  Leafy greens will be transported in separate containers: members will take turns to volunteer to bag the greens.

Member Responsibilities This year a maximum of 100 farm shares are available. Shares may be split two or more ways. There is a volunteer requirement of one or two "shifts" per season for each person. Members "run" the pick-up process, overseeing the set-up, bagging the greens, welcoming and signing people, keeping pick-up tidy, boxing and then delivering the leftover produce for delivery to the Open Arms' Shelter.

An online volunteer system facilitates this process: allowing members to swap shifts when necessary. 

Each week members volunteer to bag the leafy greens between 3:15-4:15. The first shift runs from 3:30-6:00 and the second from 6:00-8:30pm with each shift covered by an "alternate" available as back-up. Each week there is a "Driver" who arrives with their vehicle at 7:45 to load up and deliver our surplus to the Open Arms Shelter in White Plains.

Paying for your membership: After registering online, please promptly mail your check payable to Chubby Bunny Farm. If you are paying by December 1, 2011, the "Early Bird" rate is $635 and if you are joining December 1, 2011 or later, the price is $665. A CSA Administrative Fee of $15 is included. 


Check to: Chubby Bunny Farm

Special Price: $635 if paying before December 1, 2011.

Regular Price: $665 as of December 1, 2011

Mail to:             

Hazon CSA of White Plains

c/o Temple Israel Center

280 Old Mamaroneck Road

White Plains, NY 10605

]]>Sun, 20 Nov 2011 10:40:13 -0600<![CDATA[Volunteer Duties]]>1st Shift  3:30 to 6:00 pm

- Tarp should be set perpindicular to stage (short side abuts stage).
CSA Volunteer Box located behind stage to right by window and stage door: contains everything needed for set-up.
- Welcome table should placed near entrance door: with sign-in book, on White Board write "Welcome" and this week's items and any instructions, then open it and set atop the table. Place two chairs behind table.
- Set "Swap Box" sign on a table with an empty crate after cutting a plastic tablecloth to protect the table.
- Set "Splitting Up" sign on two tables, cut a plastic tablecloth on this as the paper ones get soaked quickly.

Bagging greens: There can be one or more greens to bag each week. This takes one to three volunteers plus the Core Coordinator. This is being done for sanitary reasons so please take care to act responsibly. There is a box of plastic gloves and a roll of plastic bag. There is a goal weight per bag, use the scale to weigh each bag. Put on and wear plastic gloves to bag the greens (remove the gloves if you swtich to a different task and then put them back on to resume). Place filled bags in a "pick-up" area.
- Generally, it may be helpful to count the number of bins per item and divide by 90 to calculate number of bags per bin. Count out the bags (e.g., if 4 bins then 22 bags per bin).
- "Many hands make swift work," really applies here. If each person takes a bin, this can be done quite easily.
- Ask person picking up share to sign in (print, not script) next to their primary shareholder's name. Printing avoids confusion those few times a season when more than one person arrives to collect a share
- Remove any produce remains from empty crates and stack neatly in storage area (behind stage to the right under the window.)  Do not block stage door!
- Keep room tidy, pick up loose produce on carpet, stage and wipe up liquid on stage.

First Shift: Alternate
Please plan to arrive at 4pm: Ask if you are needed and if so, please plan to stay and help with sign-in.  If all is well, you may leave (after collecting your share)!

2nd Shift  6:00 - 8:30 pm
- Ask person picking up share to sign in (print, not script) next to their primary shareholder name
- Remove produce remains from empty crates and stack in storage area (behind stage to the right under the window).  Do not block stage door!
- Keep room tidy, pick up loose produce on carpet, stage. Use "Swiffer" mop to wipe tarp.
- At 8 pm:  repack CSA Volunteer Box with all contents of "Sign-in Table" plus signs, e.g. "Swap Box" and "Splitters." Store box and mopped, clean, folded tarp behind stage by window. Sweep up any remaining debris. Please ensure the room is clean and the empty crates are stacked neatly in storage area.  Do not block stage door!
- Help Volunteer Driver to pack leftovers into bags and load them into volunteers car.
- Before leaving, make sure doors to parking lot are closed and locked.

Second Shift: Alternate
- please plan to arrive at 6pm: if you are needed you will be asked to stay. If all is well, you may go home. Substitutions or last minute emergencies may occur that will require the alternate to work at their scheduled time.

Driver: Shift  7:45 - 8:30 pm
- Assist in cleaning up the room.
- Pack leftover shares into bags and load bags into your vehicle. If possible, group similar items together for ease of unpacking.
- Call charity site, Open Arms Shelter/Grace Church Community Center when leaving TIC to let them know you're on your way (948-5044), and deliver leftovers to them and directions are in the volunteer manual.

Contents of CSA Volunteer Box
- Volunteer Manual  (Volunteer Duties, Driving Directions, Emergency Contacts, Sign In Sheets, Volunteer Calendar
- Sign in book lising members by "Primary Member" plus a list of those splitting shares.
- Pens for sign-ins, scissors, tape, extra shopping bags, ruler to help members sign on correct line
- Signs for "CSA: Welcome," "Swap Box," and "Splitting."
- Role of plastic to be cut as tablecloths for the Splitting table and the Swap Box table.
- For bagging greens: Plastic gloves and bags, scale plus extra batteries. Bowls and tongs for measuring the greens.

]]>Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:40:27 -0600<![CDATA[New Slideshow: Chubby Bunny Farm: A Year on the Farm]]>Click here to view the slideshow.]]>Sun, 06 Nov 2011 20:26:22 -0600<![CDATA[New fdp]]>Sat, 29 Oct 2011 20:30:46 -0500