Happy New Year!

So long 2013 — it was a decent year for us, though it had its difficulties (and we’re still waiting for some rain!) But the winter vegetables that survived the frost are sweeter than ever, and we’re getting some time to relax with the every other week Winter CSA schedule.

It’s time to look ahead to the 2014 farm season (March 19/20 to November 19/20). We are checking through seed catalogs and making plans for spring planting, while we catch up on tractor maintenance and infrastructure projects (and water cover crops). While some crops, like strawberries, leeks, onions, green garlic and fava beans, are already in the field, most of the spring vegetables are still just a gleam in Steve’s eye at the moment.

CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, is such a helpful model for small farmers because

• we get a good portion of our CSA income at the beginning of the calendar year, when we incur a lot of costs in labor and farm inputs (seed, compost, fertilizer), but sell little produce.
• we can count on providing a steady number of produce boxes throughout the season, and can harvest for the number of people who we know will buy the produce–unlike at a farmer’s market, where a nearby festival or a rainy day (remember rain?) can mean we come home with more produce than we sold.
• we can grow a variety of produce and provide the CSA members with the best vegetables and fruit that are ready to harvest at that time, without pressures to pick too early or hold over a crop too long. In contrast, growing for the wholesale market necessitates producing a steady flow of a particular item, week after week.
• we grow our food for CSA members who know who we are and appreciate our stewardship of the land, keeping us focused on using environmentally sound farming methods, rather than for an impersonal market that is satisfied with just the organic label.

As we begin to take sign-ups for the 2014 season, we want to show our appreciation for those of you who make those early payments and commit to the season. Therefore, those who pay for the full 36-week season now will get a discount equivalent to three free boxes ($72 off for the season). You are the backbone of our CSA, and we urge as many of you as possible to choose this option.

We do understand that that’s a big chunk of money for a lot of people. So those who pay for a smaller part of the season but get that payment in before February 15^th will receive a 5% discount. Having most of the people signed up in advance makes it much easier for us to estimate what our numbers will be and to plant accordingly.

Here’s the lowdown:
Full year sign-up (paid by February 15^th): $792 (normally $864)
18-week sign-up (paid by February 15^th): $410.40 (normally $432)
9-week sign-up (paid by February 15^th): $205.20 (normally $216)
4-week sign-up (paid by February 15^th): $91.20 (normally $96)

You can sign up by sending us a check (High Ground Organics, PO Box 2601, Watsonville, CA 95077) or making a payment to your account online. If you make the payment online, write in the amount in the blank field under the other payment amount options. If you are not getting winter boxes, make sure there is a hold on your account until March 15 (the 2014 season begins March 19 and 20) or the payment will apply to winter boxes.

If you have credit of at least $91.20 toward the 2014 season already in your account (not counting the winter CSA), we will apply the above discounts–you don’t have to do anything, but you’re welcome to add the difference up to the $792 for the full season discount. If you use automatic payments, but would like to pay more now to take advantage of the discount, you can make a one-time payment—it will not affect your future automatic payments, which kick in anytime your balance falls to $0. If you are confused, please contact Sarah (csa@highgroundorganics.com or 831-254-4918) and she will be able to clarify things for you!

We are very grateful to all of our CSA members who keep the farming adventure alive for us. Thank you all for your continued support of our farm, and have a wonderful New Year!