Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Annual Survey Results

We've got about a month left to this CSA season!

Last month we conducted our annual survey of CSA members. And the results, drum roll please...

We had 9 surveys returned, not bad out of 13 members! Overall, most people very happy with the CSA. Many people want more fruit, which is understandable. Several people requested more “common” vegetables, like lettuce and carrots. Some of the responses, of course, are in conflict with each other, e.g. people requested both more and less greens and peppers. We will keep doing our best to adjust the CSA to meet the needs of more people. Here is a summary of the survey results:

Which kinds of produce would you like more of?
lettuce (x3), beets (x2), green beans (x2), broccoli (x2), fruit (x4), greens (x3), onions, potatoes (x2), carrots (x3), artichokes, herbs (x2), cauliflower, bell peppers, winter squash, parsnips, rutabagas, tomatoes (x2), okra, corn, “everything!”.
Which kinds of produce would you like less of? 
fava beans, greens, turnips, sunchokes, chives, peppers, hot peppers, eggplant, zucchini.
How was the quality and freshness of the produce? Excellent (89%), Good (11%)
How was the amount of produce? Too Much (12.5%), Just Right (87.5%)
How was the price? Fair Deal (66.7%), A Bargain (33.3%)
What was your top reason(s) for joining a CSA? Health (44.4%), Environmental sustainability (44.4%), Supporting local business (55.6%), Quality of produce (66.7%), Convenience (33.3%), Connection with my food producers and community (77.8%), Seasonal eating (55.6%), Curiosity, (22.2%), Other (33.3%)
How often do you read each of the following? Newsletter (100% very often), Blog postings (33.3% very often, 33.3% sometimes, 33.3% not very often), “What’s in the Bag?” list (44.4% very often, 22.2% sometimes, 33.3% not very often), Facebook postings (37.5% very often, 12.5% sometimes, 25% not very often, 25% never)
Do you plan to join our CSA again next year? Definitely (66.7%), Probably (33.3%)

Monday, December 3, 2012

And Then the Rains Came...

Our fall field yesterday -- Waah!! Today I'll be working on replanting the Brassicas that got washed away.
It's officially in the wet season now. According to our rain gauge, we had about 7 inches over the past week. The grand finale was yesterday; it was pouring all morning with strong winds. We had just decided to scrap our plans for the day and do some cozy indoor projects when I went out to check on the field and realized that parts of it were flooding! One thing I've learned about farming is that you just have to get out there and do your job, regardless of whether you'd rather be wrapped in a blanket reading a book on the couch. So, off we went to salvage what we could. I put up an extra tarp on the chicken coop to provide some more shelter for our wet birds, and we dug several extra drainage canals in an attempt to send the water away from the crops. Fortunately, Gal had the foresight when we first moved here to install a French drain system around our whole field and house. The system was working at full capacity yesterday, and we were able to connect the flooded areas to the French drain with a little extra digging. It seems to have worked well. Today is sunny, and the field doesn't have any pools of water left, just a lot of mud!

The work of the hydraulic engineer never ends.

Hunker down soggy chickens.

Our little creek got frighteningly close to the top of the banks, but today it's receded back to a trickle.