January 31, 2013

        We want to say hello to you all this new year, before too much more time slips away! It's been a good, restful winter, and we're very close to sowing the first seeds.....

         The farm is quiet these days but will wake up soon.  After a couple restful months, the land will soon be ripe for warmth, growth, and goodness.  We'll plan to meet the spring with seeds & plants galore.

        For now, we wanted to touch base, and offer a few notes & announcements:

Welcome New Farm Members!

        We'd like to welcome all of our new members to the farm!  If this is your first experience with Community Supported Agriculture, we hope it is a good one, and we want to make sure you know that we highly welcome ALL questions & feedback.  If you want to familiarize yourself with how things work, there is plenty of information on our website, including all previous newsletters, which gives a good idea of what's available each week, as well as the issues we typically face during the average farm season. 

        The first CSA distribution, by the way, is scheduled for the week of May 14!

Farm Shares Still Available

        Farm Shares have sold briskly so far, but there are still shares available, so be sure to send your membership renewal in soon!  We REALLY like our returning members!  We love developing familiarity & relationships over many years, since we ALL get better at this, as both producers & consumers.  As a small, local farm, we're able to respond to YOUR tastes & preferences, so the longer this CSA relationship continues, the better we all are. 

        Please ask any questions you might have, and let us know if you'd like us to hold your share for later payment.  We can hold your share for 10 days.  And remember that we only need a half-payment to claim your share, with the other half due by March 15.

Farm Apprentices Returning

         We're happy to announce that THREE farm apprentices will be returning this year.   Baily Morris & John Finch from last year are returning as 2nd Year Apprentices, as well as Jeff Coleman, who served with us in 2011.  Each of them brings a year or more of experience to the crew, and will also take on more responsibilities in different areas.  This is all a critical part of our mission to help prepare NEW farmers for the opportunities & challenges of growing great, natural, fresh food for local folks in ways that nourish the land and nearby communities.

        We are also welcoming Fitz Hartwig from St. Louis, who came to us through a friendship with Jean Jacobson, another former farm assistant from our time at the Community Supported Garden at La Vista in 2007.  We love how our farm community builds person-to-person, and are always excited to welcome new apprentices!

        In the meantime, former apprentice Justin Timmers (2010) has started his new farm, Laughing Fox Farm in Appleton, WI.  Amanda Seibel (2010) has been working on farms in California.  Janaki Patel (2011) has recently accepted a position as Farm Education Coordinator at Colchester Farm in Maryland.  And Oscar Mendez & Shannon Fitzjarrald (2012) will be working on farms in southern Wisconsin & Decatur, IL, respectively.  To have been a part, and continue to be a part, of everyones budding farming careers gives us more pleasure than we can express. 

New On-Line CSA Service Coming Soon

        In the next couple weeks, we'll announce the availability of a new on-line CSA service that will allow you manage your account, renew your membership, change contact information & pick-up locations, & even choose to purchase extra items for sale when available. 

        This new service comes through Farmigo, which you can learn more about at www.farmigo.com.  There will be more details to come, but we're excited to upgrade the management of our CSA and provide a LOT more opportunity for you to interact with the farm on-line, so that both you and us can focus on the food and getting it to you!  (Here is a video produced by Farmigo explaining their mission.)

        This internet-based software gives the farm a platform to upgrade key aspects of the farm business, especially CSA & distribution, and more effectively adapt CSA to new opportunities & needs.  It will be ready within a couple of weeks and we look forward to letting you know all about it!

A Call for Volunteers

        Do you want to help keep farmland in farming in the metro area?  Do you want to help secure the future of farming in our area?  We're calling for volunteers to help organize an effort to purchase our farmland through community donations before it can be sold to potential developers down the road. 

        Many of you may already be aware that the owner of our main farm site has come to a point when he needs to move on from owning the property.  He & his family are very supportive of the farm, and love sharing stories of their childhood on the land, but are simply unable to continue ownership indefinitely.  We would LOVE to continue farming on this property well into the future, and to keep building this soil for the sake of future farmers to come, as well as to keep building the market for local foods, ensuring that YOU have ever more access to fresh, local, organic produce. 

        To begin, we need several folks to help organize & lead this effort.  At the outset, a lot of research will be required, in addition to legal, financial, fundraising & real-estate expertise in setting up an organized effort. We also hope to coordinate with existing local organizations already engaged in local-based investment initiatives & land preservation, in an attempt to build a more organized front for building & expanding local-based markets for goods & services. 

        If you have any questions, let us know, and if you want to help, that's great!  You can either contact us directly, or fill out this brief form, which will put you directly in the loop.  Thank you!!

     We invite you to become a Member of the Farm through our Community Supported Agriculture program.  2013 Memberships are On Sale Now.  The Sign-Up Form is here (or here in pdf format).

Give the gift of a Farm Membership!  Find out how here.

How It Works:
     Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a partnership between community members, like you, and a local farm.  When you join our CSA program, you pay a “share” of our annual budget up front (in the form of a one-time annual fee) in return for a share of the farm’s seasonal harvests, thereby becoming a member of the farm.  Your membership is an investment in the farm for a full harvest season and gives you access to the best selection of locally-grown, hand-picked produce at our most affordable price, as well as full access to your farmers and participation in farm events.

Farm members receive a weekly supply of fresh, hand-picked vegetables at their peak of flavor, nutrition and eating quality.  The harvest season runs generally from mid-May through October.  A weekly “share” contains from 8 to 12 different vegetables.  One vegetable might be a head of lettuce, a bunch of radishes, 10 tomatoes, or a pound of carrots.  (See What We Grow for a more complete list). We grow up to 60 types of vegetables and select hundreds of the best varieties based on flavor and quality rather than shelf-life and uniformity.


When Is Produce Available?
     We distribute produce for 25 weeks from mid-May through early November.
 

Where, When and How Do I Receive My Share?
You have 2 options:

• Pick-up your vegetables at the farm on Tuesdays or Fridays.  Our farm is at 4625 Seminary Rd. near the intersection of I-255 on the north side of Alton, Illinois.

• Pick up your share from a nearby drop-off spot for an extra fee.

Our delivery areas include the following:

• Tower Grove 
• Webster Groves
  
• University City
  
• Brentwood/Ladue/Richmond Heights
  
• Creve Coeur
  
• Central West End
  
• Kirkwood
  
• Maplewood 
  
• Edwardsville 
  

Would you like to host a drop off location?  If so, you must have safe, easy and quick vehicle access; a shaded and safe space for produce boxes & information display; ability to help organize empty boxes after the pick-up.  Our drop-off site hosts can waive their delivery fee and claim a discount on the full share price.

Benefits Beyond The Food?
    Whether you pick-up at the farm or request deliveries, each member recieves a weekly newsletter and invitation to seasonal farm events & celebrations.
What Share Is Best For Me?
    The Full Share Membership is your best option if you like a lot of seasonal, fresh vegetables or if your household is two or more people.

     If you are a single person, or your family enjoys only occasional fresh vegetables, then the Individual Share is a great option.

     Please give us a call or e-mail if you want to learn more about which option is best for you.
 

How Much Does It Cost?
     A Full Share Membership is $535.
     An Individual Share Membership is $285. 
     For delivery to a centralized drop-off spot, add $25. (This is a one-time fee to cover delivery expenses for the entire season.)
         
How To Join!
     Fill out our Sign-Up Form, send in your full payment or your first installment, and you’re in!

  
What if the Weather is Bad this Year?
     CSA spreads the benefits and risks of agricultural production between the farmer and the members.  This means that if the weather is not so good during a growing season, and harvests are down, the effects are spread among many people, not just the farmer.  This is how CSA keeps small farms like ours going strong through thick and thin.  The upside is that when the weather (and production) is great, then the benefits are spread to you, too!  Remember that your membership is an investment in land, food and relationships that have both immediate and long-lasting impacts.  Plus, you can always count on the fact that your farm-fresh food is free of any synthetic sprays or substances.  It's all-natural!

What If I Go Out of Town During The Season?
    If you go out of town during the season or are unable to pick up your share please make arrangements to pass the bounty on to a neighbor or family member.  If you know ahead of time that you will be gone please call (48 hours advance notice) to let us know, and we can arrange for you to receive your share another time.  Otherwise your share will be left at your drop site or donated.

Current Membership Status
    Farm Memberships for the 2013 season are currently on sale.

Here are links about CSA's, from CSA's around the country:

"What To Expect When You Join A Farm"

"Visitor Day at Ploughshare Farm"

"Community Supported Agriculture"

"What's CSA?  Community Supported Agriculture"

For Questions and Information
    Please contact us at 618-444-0567 any time or e-mail us at membership@riverbendroots.com.  Riverbend Roots Farm is located here.

Search for Recipes Here

Or find recipes & crop information below, from our newsletters:

Basil

Beets

Bok Choy

Cabbage

Carrots

Celery

Cilantro

Collards

Cucumbers

Dill

Eggplant

Fennel

Garlic Scapes

Green Beans

Kale

Kohlrabi

Melons

Parsley

Peppers

Radicchio

Radishes

Rutabaga

Salad Dressings

Scallions

Spinach

Summer Squash & Zucchini

Sweet Potatoes

Swiss Chard

Tomatoes

Turnips

Winter Squash

Additional Recipes

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Terms & Conditions For the Riverbend Roots Farm Community Supported Agriculture program.

        I am committed to sharing in the benefits & risks of this partnership with Riverbend Roots Farm for this year.  I trust the farmers will do their best to provide a varied & consistent selection of produce throughout the 25-week harvest season.  I understand that the number of items and selection may fluctuate throughout the growing season due to weather and other unforeseen causes.

        I understand that I will share the season's harvests with other members of the CSA as well as the boxes used to distribute my share.  I will take only the size of share that I invested in.  If, for some reason, my share is not available when I arrive at my pick-up site, I will contact the farmers instead of taking someone else's share.  I will also take care of the wax boxes that shares come in, and return them to my pick-up site when I pick-up next week's share, in order that they may be re-used. 

  Riverbend Roots Farm is a 5-acre vegetable farm in Alton, IL, owned and operated by Stacey and Kris Larson, local farmers with 12 years experience in organic agriculture.  They have farmed in the Riverbend region since 2006, where they are raising their family, after several years on the West Coast, in California and Oregon, as well as in Massachusetts.  

     Riverbend Roots Farm is a product of their passion for great food, living soils, the work of farming, and the opportunity to serve and provide local communities a nutrient-rich, tasty supply of hand-picked vegetables, herbs, flowers, and fruits.  They hope to make local foods easy to find, affordable to purchase, and varied in choice, starting with the soil and the ecological health of the entire farm.  In order to achieve true sustainability & all-nourishing food, Kris and Stacey work to build the soil through crop rotations, green manures, cover crops, mulches, organic amendments, and timely fallow. 

The farm uses only the best sustainable, ecological practices, based on the principles of organics, permaculture, and biodynamics.  Their practices are founded on feeding and promoting the life of the soil, full of diverse and vibrant microbial populations, to ensure that our food is dense with nutrients and teeming with eating quality.  If you want to know more about our growing practices, please don't hesitate to ask the farmers!

The Mission of Riverbend Roots is to:

• STEWARD…

a farm that supports our community, our land, and our family.

• PROVIDE…

a seasonal variety of fresh vegetables, herbs, flowers, and small fruits to our members, local farmers markets, and the Riverbend community.

• RECONNECT…

People to fresh, locally-grown produce by knowing where and how their food is grown, how to prepare fresh foods, and eating with the cycle of the seasons.

• CARE…

For the soil by rotating crops, enhancing local biodiversity, building soil organic matter, & following ecological principles and sustainable practices.

• SHARE…

Our passion, knowledge & experience with those who are eager to learn.

• INVEST…

In our local community of food, health, land, and friendships.

 Please Contact Us for any questions! 

 Here is a map to the farm.

 Find more resources for local foods here.

4 bone in well trimmed porkchops, 2tbsp vegetable oil, 1 finely chopped onion, 2cloves chopped garlic, 1 head of cabbage cored and sliced in strips, 2tbsp cider vinegar, 1tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 cup apple cider, 1 cup water, salt and pepper.

Season the porkchops with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a dutch oven pot.  Brown the seasoned porkchops on both sides then transfer to a plate and set aside.  Add onion and garlic to the pot.  Saute till fragrant.  Add cider vinegar and scrape off the brown bits on the pot.  Mix in brown sugar and dijon mustard then add the apple cider and water.  Toss the cabbage in the mixture till well coated. Cover and let simmer until cabbage is wilted.  Put the porkchops back in the pot on top of the cabbage and cover to cook few minutes more until porkchops are cooked thru.