By:
(Jul 1, 2009)
This was my first CSA that I joined in addition to being the first CSA for Wood Duck Farms. I typically purchase green�s from Van weekly and have always been very pleased with the quality of his greens so I was comfortable in going with him as my CSA provider. I thought that I would receive greens weekly in addition to other fresh vegetables, main reason that I went with Duck Farms. I have to say that I was disappointed in not only the quantity of what I received weekly but also the quality. I realize we have been in a drought this spring but the crops we received were very frugal. I was expecting some sort of greens weekly and only received those a handful of times and micro greens a couple of times. This is what Van sells weekly so I know these were available but not shared as anticipated. We received more Kale then anyone could possibly eat in a week. The tomatoes numerous times were so over ripe that they had split by the time they made it home. Other items that were included every week was squash, mushrooms and cucumbers. I know one other reviewer commented how fresh her produce was so she must have been picking it up from the first drop off of the day. I was picking mine up from the last drop so everything had been sitting in a hot van for the day so hence the wilted vegetables. His last drop of the day seem to have delays quite a few times but he finally got that resolved. I don�t feel like I received $33 a week in vegetables and that was disappointing regardless of the drought. I know my share paid for lots of other vegetables that looks like the Summer CSA will benefit from. Lastly, I find it ironic that I was notified by a piece of paper taped to a box that on my last pick up was the last week of the program, not much gratitude to his customers nor an invitation to sign up again, not that I would.
Comment on this Review
Comment
I have mentioned in other parts of the Local Harvest site that we made mistakes during our first CSA program that began harvest in the spring of 2009. Consequently, some of the comments that are provided above may be accurate to some degree. However I think it responsible to dispel some of the exaggerations. Salad greens or baby Arugula were provided every week in the Spring 09 program, no question about it, period. Full shares received about 1# and partial shares received about 1 / 2 # each delivery. Some weeks, both salad mix and arugula bags were provided. Our salad/arugula greens quality was always great. Most customers found our rinsed greens ready to eat right out of the bag. Micro Greens were not always provided as commented above. However, this was noted in advance, via our FAQ, that micros would not always be available. Kale, yep! We had a lot of it. Some customers loved the Kale so much that they asked for extra. The tomatoes were usually heirloom varieties and thus had thin skin, which is one reason why some people desire heirlooms. Thus, while individually wrapped in paper, some tomatoes probably did crack in transit. Heirloom tomatoes, sometimes purplish in color and easily blemished, also do not always look like a normal red tomato from HEB. But they sure did taste good! Yes, we had plenty of cucumbers, squash and zucchini. (Maybe too much.) Two other programs (Summer & Fall 09) have transpired since these comments were provided in July 09. Some of the operational changes that we made were to spread out our delivery days from one day to three. This helped out with our punctuality, provided a fresher product, and also relived some of the stress here at the farm. We also decided to reduce our total shares available for 2010. We will probably continue to grow kale in the spring 2010, but realize that variety within the weekly box is important which can be challenging for any grower here in Texas. The July 09 commenter forgot to mention the broccoli, onions, cauliflower, carrots, new potatoes, beets, radishes among other things that were grown and provided last spring. Since writing this review, this July 09' commenter has visited, along with her aunt, my Farmers Market booth at least twice and purchased greens both times. (I can only speculate that she still likes our greens.) There is no doubt that we will probably face more challenges, some unforeseen, in 2010, but we are optimistic that we are on the right path and will strive to listen to our members.