Though
Whatcom County farm fields lie dormant this time of year, Columbia Neighborhood
resident farmer Mary E. von Krusenstiern is busy preparing for the upcoming
farming season by selling produce shares for her Community Supported farm.
The concept
is simple. Community members support
their local farmer by buying a produce share that entitles them to a portion of
the harvest during the growing season.
Farmers sell the shares before the growing season and use some of the
money for seeds, soil and natural fertilizer.
According
to von Krusenstiern the benefits of CSA farming include conservation of
transportation costs and energy, better nutritional value of fresh foods, the
consumer knows where their food is coming from, and money stays in the local
The growing
season for Whatcom County Community Supported Agricultural farms runs from June
through October. Supporters of the local
farmers are guaranteed a box of fresh vegetables once each week during the growing
season. Vegetables can be picked up at
several locations around town. Many of
the farmers also offer home delivery for a small delivery fee. Produce shares are sold on a first come first
serve basis with many farmers selling out of shares by the end of March.
von
Krusenstiern’s farm consists of three growing plots comprising just over an
acre. The largest plot is an acre of
leased land off of Rural Avenue where most of her mixed vegetables are grown. von Krusenstiern also farms two urban plots. One plot is located at her home on Henry
Street in the Columbia Neighborhood where she has a seed germination house and
grows annual vegetable crops. The other
plot is on Logan Street in the Broadway Park Neighborhood where she grows
perennial herbs.
Right now
Krusensiern’s plot of
land on Henry Street is bare.
Krusensiern said she is thinking about tilling the soil soon. She
usually begins germinating seeds in the seed germination house in April. She
said she used to start earlier, but has learned not to start planting too early
and just be patient and wait for the weather to warm.
von
Krusenstiern grew up in Bellingham, but did not grow up farming. Her mother always maintained a large garden
in their yard, but von Krusenstiern showed little interest until she attended
Lesley University in Massachusetts where she studied Environmental Studies.
After an internship on a CSA farm in Fairbanks, Alaska van Krusenstiern moved
to New Hampshire with a friend to work on an organic farm. The pay was so low Krusenstiern and her
friend decided to farm their own plot of land and sell their produce at a local
farmers market. She later returned to Bellingham.
Not wanting
to jump right into her own CSA farm operation she spent the year working on a
CSA farm in Whatcom County while also working on her farm plan, creating her
website, enlarging her back yard garden, and looking for land to lease. von Krusenstiern also received guidance
through the Food to Bank On program which is a CSA mentorship program through
Sustainable Connections and also sought advice through Whatcom Farmers Google
Group. She then began advertising for customers through a neighborhood
newsletter and received most of her business through word of mouth.
von
Krusenstiern’s most
labor intensive time of year is May through September. She begins preparing her
fields in April and May. She does most
of the work herself hiring very minimal help with seeding, weeding and
harvesting. “What is great about CSA is
you know that the food you pack is going somewhere,” she said.
Community
Supported Agriculture in the U.S. began in 1986 with two farms, one in
Massachusetts and the other in New Hampshire.
The CSA farm concept was transplanted from Europe. CSA farmers practice sustainable farming
methods and grow produce organically.
What started as two farms in 1986 exploded to 12,549 farms by 2007,
according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture census.
von
Krusenstiern says that CSA farming is her passion and that she is determined to
carve out a small niche for herself and be self-employed. She says that CSA farming is a great model
for marketing and food distrubution, but is not for the inexperienced
farmer. She recommends that if someone
is interested in CSA farming to first work on a farm and gain experience with
succession farming (a method for timing a continual harvest) and start out
small and get to know the land before committing to a large CSA operation.
Currently
in Whatcom County there are approximately 16 CSA farms. Consumers may purchase half shares or whole
shares. A half share feeds approximately
1-2 people per week while a full share feeds approximately 3-4 people per week
depending on the person’s weekly
consumption of vegetables. Since people
do vacation during the summer, it is recommended that arrangements be made to
give a neighbor your box of vegetables for the weeks you will be gone. Some neighbors buy shares together and split
the shares. When one person is out of
town the other neighbor gets all of the vegetables for the week.
The price
of the shares varies, but generally ranges from $250 a half share to $650 for a
full share depending on the farm and the type of vegetables received, which
equates to about $13 a week for a half share and $30 a week for a full share. Some of vegetables the farm supporter can
expect to receive are peas, beans, kale, lettuce, radishes, onions, tomatoes,
cucumber, zucchini and squash.
For more information on local CSA
farms check out www.communityfood.coop.
or von Krusenstiern’s website
at www.neighborhoodharvest.csasignup.com/members.
