1) Little/no transparency. I don't really know where my produce comes from. I do know that it comes from multiple growers, but I don't know where or who they are. I don't know what their growing practices are, or even what they are growing (with our seed money). We are not allowed to visit the operation. Is if fair, then, to call this a CSA? And at least one of the products is a mystery even to the owner of the CSA--a couple of months ago we received an herb that almost no one could identify because the CSA owner couldn't understand the accent of the woman that grew it. (It turned out to be fenugreek!)
2) Fragile operation. When a crisis occurs in the family, the deliveries are canceled/delayed. This is somewhat understandable but also difficult to accept when it happens so frequently. They have a lot of customers to let down! A good business remembers its promises to its customers and works to keep them (in this case, the CSA should hire substitute or temporary delivery drivers, etc.). Sometimes after a delay the vegetables begin to wither or yellow. While it is unfortunate that the CSA has trouble transporting and storing its produce, share owners signed up for farm fresh produce and should receive it.
3) Spotty communication. Produce is supposed to be arrive on my porch at a specific day; we should be updated accurately and in a timely manner, but lately usually we are not, and the produce surprises us 2-3 days late. Hope you don't travel, so you don't miss your box! Someone used the CSA blog to complain about the boxes being late; rather than address his concerns the family deleted his posts, and closed all delivery posts to comments. (If you do travel, yes, you can put your deliveries on hold, but even though it's not in the contract you must notify the CSA at least a month in advance.)
Members are not allowed to pull of their contracts so if you are willing to deal with the quirks above, sign up and have some veggie fun. If you are not, and would appreciate a more professional operation, consider joining another CSA or visit some of our awesome farmers' markets, open pretty much every week.
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We haven't had deliveries lately. Money problems.
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I am new and hope to join this group with veggies. The leafy green you guys are talking about is called "Methi" in Indian langauage and Fenugreek in English. I was involved in one project where fenugreek dry seeds were given to diabetics and it improved their blood glucose. It can be prepared with potatos and would taste very good. My mouth is already watering. I think one advantage of different farmers is that we can get taste of different vegetables. I am hoping to join and enjoy vegetables with a difference.
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The New Unusual Greens Feb 16, '09 11:54 AM by Laura for everyone I've had several people ask what the new green is that was in some of the shares this week. It looks like small leafed greens & was harvested roots and all & bound by a rubber band. I'm a bit chagrined to say, I'm unsure of the name. It was grown by our new growers , the Vehar's, a very nice Indian family and it is a green popular in their homeland. They told me several times what it was called , but we have definite communication problems and I'm embarrassed to say all I could make out of the name is that it was 3 syllables & started with "M" , lol. If any of y'all have a clue, maybe you can help us out on this? Mrs. Vehar did show me how she prepares it, however. She washed it, sliced off the roots & coarsely chopped it. Then she put it in a colander and QUICKLY dipped it in boiling water to slightly blanche it, putting in the sink to drain well. She then heated olive oil in a small fry pan and saute'ed garlic & green onions till limp and added the greens . saute'ing till tender. She also showed me how she made a slightly thin cornbread batter, stirred the greens into that & made , what we call Hoe Cakes with them. VERY tasty! They explained to me that this vegetable is very highly revered in their homeland and is reputed to be very good for people with blood sugar problems (diabetes),high blood pressure problems , is High in iron & good for the liver. Experiment with it & let us know if you come up with any good recipes for it. Please share with the group. I was thinking it would be good in an omelet?
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Actually I do deny one part of the comment above, we never deleted or blocked comments from our members. This paticular instance this person is refering to was posted 4 or 5 times (exact same wording) and no-one in the membership responded , after a few days it was deleted , because all the answers to their comments were answered (and had been prior) in the posted information already on the site.
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Hi, I'm Laura proprietress of BlueStar Acres. I read both this review & the one after it with some mixed feelings. I don't deny one word of it. BUT, I would like to point out that we are one of a VERY few CSA's (as a matter of fact, I personally don't know of another) that even attempts going year round. We tell people very clearly upfront before ever joining, what the risks are~ and about the variability of the deliveries~ very plainly and clearly. No one comments about the shares being twice the size promised in the months prior to the hurricane. No one acknowledges the heroic efforts generated buy the growers to keep the members from losing their entire investment in their shares. All new members are given the option of joining for 1 month and are given total access to the private Multiply site , which has blog postings about several of our growers & plainly states that we do not "tour" our homes. It has nothing to do with being "secretive"~ it has to do with these being private homes, insurance issues and being too busy to give tours. If a member needs to contact us , after checking to see if the answer to their question is posted on the group site, we get back to them in as timely manner as possible (but, with 183 members, emails are answered in priority of importance). We have had problems about our phone/internet reliability since the hurricane, but I'm not sure what we could be expected to do about that. We are still working out "the big plan" and this is still a work in progress~ we are litterally breaking new ground. We are farmers & family~ We are not Business people & this is not just another business. This is a shared community endeaver, with all the ups & downs shared by the membership. We have quite a few members that do not feel the way these two folks do. I'm assuming they will be giving up their shares when they come up for renewal and if your interested in them, please let us know. Thanks, Laura Benson BlueStar Acres CSA Alvin, Texas Community Supported Agriculture Delivered to your home
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This was very helpful. Thank you.
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We hope to have the membership base recovered and be up and delivering again by the last week of October