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Above are the images of each share from last year’s 2017/18 season!

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Our 2018 Winter CSA sign ups start TODAY August 6th!

 

Hi Friends & Farm-ily!

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It’s that time of the year… we’re excited to announce that our 2018 WHF Winter CSA Shares are now available!  We are offering two types of shares for the Winter:  Weekly & Bi-Weekly! We’re excited to grow for our fourth winter CSA season and have been busy seeding, starting and prepping the soil for some fresh eating winter goods.   We will be limiting our CSA so we encourage you to sign up as soon as possible.

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We LOVE the Winter CSA!  It’s such a special and unique CSA experience.  It’s given us a whole new perspective on farming and we’ve never ate so good through the winter!

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The Winter Bounty in 2017.  Last Winter, we started our Winter CSA journey on November 28th and we made it all the way to the middle of April! Our expectation for the Winter Shares was 8-12 items (dependent on weather) in each weekly share.   Over the course of the 2017 winter season weeks, Farmer Brian and I grew, harvested and distributed 40,000lbs (1,400 shares) of winter produce with 13-17 items in each weekly share!  ​

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We were also impressed with the variety of veggies we harvested through the winter months – most weeks we had more fresh picked produce than storage veggies which is amazing (even in the coldest and darkest of winterdays)!   To top it all off, it was an average of 510lbs per weekly share which comes in around $1.48/lb of produce.

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January King cabbages, the first of the Purple Sprouting Broccoli and a frosty winter morning in December..

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So many different kind of goodies in the winter shares…Arugula, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, cilantro, cipollinis, collards, garlic, greens mix, hon tsai tai,  italian dandelion, kale, kalettes, kohlrabi, komatsuna, leeks, lettuce heads, onions, herbs (thyme, oregano, sage), pac choi, parsley, parsnips, purple sprouting broccoli, pumpkins, radish, rapini, radicchio, romanesco, rutabaga, scallions, shallots, spaghetti squash, spigarello, spinach, sweet potatoes, swiss chard, storage tomatoes, turnips, winter squash and more!

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For those of you looking to join us for a delicious winter growing season it is important to understand that the winter weather is more variable than other times of the year. Crop losses can happen from a hard freeze, disease pressure, bugs, etc…  and many of these things will be out of your farmers control, winter season perhaps, more than any other, speaks to the nature of CSAs shared risk.   We’ve been through just about every bit of weather you can experience the last few winters… hail, sleet, ice rain, torrential down pours, SNOW (more than once and 12 inches!), high winds, frigid temps (12 degrees for successional days)… and through it all we always had food to put on the table (see the shares image at the top of the page).  You invest in the farm and the farmers and we do our very best to provide you with organic seasonal produce that is sure to inspire.  Your favorite farmers have taken measures to give the Winter CSA the best possible chance at success like building a new pole barn for storing, washing and packing, building two new 95′ x 30′ high tunnels (we now have 3 high tunnels for winter production in total), caterpillar tunnels for greens, a storage cooler, investing in specialty winter hardy crops, etc…

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All that said,  you have gotten to know Brian and I, and our work ethic over the course of this season (and for the majority of you over several seasons) and you know we will do our very best to ensure you have food on your table all winter long!

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Scroll down for all the Winter CSA details..

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Shortcut to the CSA Sign up form here!

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Purple Sprouting Broccoli (PSB) is a late winter and early Spring treat, brussel sprouts and an array of winter squash..

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WHF Winter CSA details for the 2018/2019 growing season:

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When does the Winter CSA begin?  

  • The WHF Winter CSA will run from November 25th – April 10th  a total of 16 Weekly Shares or 8 Bi-Weekly Shares!
  • CSA pick ups will take place on Tuesday’s & Wednesday’s at the farm from 3:00-6:30pm.
  • There will not be a CSA pick up the week of Christmas (12/26 & 12/27) or January 1st  (1/2 & 1/3)
  • NEW: There will be two floating vacation weeks (no harvest or distribution) over the course of the Winter CSA season for your farmers.  We will let everyone know in advance when we will be taking these weeks off!

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Weekly Share Members pick up their first share at the farm on Tuesday, November 25th or Wednesday, November 26th and continue to pick up every week until Tuesday, April 9th or Wednesday, April 10th for a total of 16 shares.  *Note: there will not be a CSA pick up the week of Christmas (12/25 & 12/26) or January 1st  (1/1 & 1/2).  In addition, there will be two floating vacation weeks (no harvest or distribution) over the course of the Winter CSA season.  We will let everyone know in advance when we will be taking these weeks off!

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Bi-Weekly Share members pick up their produce every other week throughout the course of the 16 week CSA season (a total of 8 shares). Members will pick up their share on weeks 1,3,5,7, etc… or 2,4,6,8, etc… depending on your assigned CSA start date (the farmers assign the start date, you choose your pick up ‘day’).  *Note: there will not be a CSA pick up the week of Christmas (12/25 & 12/26) or January 1st  (1/1 & 1/2).  In addition, there will be two floating vacation weeks (no harvest or distribution) over the course of the Winter CSA season.  We will let everyone know in advance when we will be taking these weeks off!

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Another late winter/early Spring treat: variegata di castelfranco, brussel sprouts and tender radishes!

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What kind of winter veggies will be included throughout the season?  The winter share will include 8-12 items (dependent on weather) in each weekly share.  The shares will be slightly smaller than those of the spring, summer and fall.  Check out the slideshow here or the image at the top for examples of Winter CSA shares.

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Shares will include a mix of storage crops and fresh field crops: 

Arugula, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Kalettes, Herbs, Onions, Spaghetti Squash, Pie pumpkins, Heirloom Winter Squash, Garlic, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Beets, Herbs, Celeriac, Celery, Winter Greens, big beautiful lettuces, Mustards, Potatoes, Chicories, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Kale, Collards, Bok Choi, Chinese Cabbage, Spinach, Storage Tomatoes, Shallots, Radish, Turnip, Romanesco, Scallions, Rapini, Parsnips, Rutabaga, Leeks, Rapini, Chard, Spring onions, Fennel, Braising Mix, Kohlrabi, Parsley, Cilantro and more…!

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What is the cost for the Winter CSA?

Weekly Share (16 weeks/shares total) $756

Bi-Weekly Share (8 weeks/shares total) $432

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When is payment due?

Your non-refundable deposit (checks or online payment!) of $150 will be due within two weeks of signing up in order to reserve your share in the CSA. Important:  We encourage those members who can, to pay more than the deposit upon signing up,  to help your farmers absorb the initial expenses that happen at the beginning of the season.

Upon receiving your deposit we will confirm with you to let you know space is still available. If we receive your deposit after the CSA is already full we will inform you that we have already reached capacity and we will promptly nullify the deposit/full payment.

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Payment deadlines:

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 Weekly Members

deposit of $150 due upon signing up

first payment of $303 is due by September 15th

second payment of $303 is due by October 15th

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 Bi-Weekly Members

deposit of $150 is due upon signing up

first payment of $141 is due by September 15th

second payment of $141 is due by October 15th–

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Prepping ground in our caterpillar tunnels, a festive winter CSA pick up and some goodies at pick up..

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What happens if we can’t come pick up our share or if we will be out of town the week of a pick up?

Try to have a friend, family member, neighbor, co-worker etc pick it up for you or for themselves.  If you can’t find anyone who wants the veggies than please give us 48hr notice before your assigned pick up day so we don’t harvest for you.  All unclaimed CSA shares are donated or recycled back into the farms ecosystem in the most sustainable way possible in order to minimize waste.

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How to Sign Up?

Step 1.) Fill out the CSA Member Agreement here:  2018 Winter CSA Member Agreement Form

Step 2.) Pay your deposit/make a payment.  In order to reserve your share we require a $150 deposit that is non-refundable and is applied toward the total cost of the CSA.  The deposit is due within two weeks of submitting the CSA member contract.  Once your deposit of $150 is received we will send you a confirmation email welcoming you to our CSA program.

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Important!!!  We encourage those members who can, to pay more than the deposit upon signing up,  to help your farmers absorb the initial expenses that happen at the beginning of the season.

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Payment Methods:

Pay by Check:  Make checks out to ‘Working Hands Farm’ and send it to 7705 SW River Rd. Hillsboro, OR 97123.  Drop off:  If you would like to drop off your payment in form of a check on the farm, there is clearly marked white CSA lockbox located to the right of the greenhouse.  Please drop it off during regular business hours (10-6pm).  We check it daily.  Checks only!  Please make sure to put the shareholders name & type of share in the memo.

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Pay Online Visit our Online Farmstore http://workinghandsfarmstore.com to pay online.  Please note that the online payment option includes the 3% + .30 online processing fee.  If you wish to avoid this online fee you can pay by check. 

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Cauliflower, overwintering roots and fall fennel & leeks!

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Upon receiving your deposit we will confirm with you to let you know space is still available.  If we still have space we will add you to our Winter CSA member list and send a confirmation email.

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Is it important to sign up early? Yes! It is important to sign up and pay for your share as early as possible for two reasons: to reserve your CSA share, as shares are limited and our memberships fills up every year, and to help your farmers absorb the initial expenses in the beginning of the season.

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We are really looking forward to the Winter season ahead and to growing the best possible produce for our community.  As always thank you for supporting, Brian and I and our small farm!   Here we grow!

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With kind regards & many thanks,

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Your Farmers

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

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