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OUR RESPONSE TO COVID-19 (3/21/20)
We are taking this seriously! We are "hunkered down" on the farm, staying home (working!), and practicing social distancing & hand sanitizer if we have to go out to the store. We are hope everyone else is taking this seriously as well, and following current CDC guidelines (stay home, wash your hands, etc). We do not want to contribute to the spread of the disease, but also know that any illness on our farm would make it that much harder to keep our season going. We are all in this together!
In addition to our farm's cherry and strawberry crops, in 2014 we added nearly two acres of vegetables and cut flowers. Our produce and flowers are sold at area farmers markets, through our Homestead Hill CSA, as well as to a variety of local restaurants, grocery stores, and schools. Many of our products can be purchased wholesale by grocery stores and restaurants through MI Farm Cooperative.
Our Mission is to Provide:
Find us at the following area Farmers Markets in 2020:
(CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES IN AS WE ANTICIPATE HAVING TO MAKE SOME CHANGES)
Consider becoming a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Member!
Signing up for a CSA membership with our farm is a great way to commit your household to eating more fruits and vegetables. Just $31/week brings you FRESH, LOCAL GOODNESS that we hope will leave you looking forward to the next week! Our weekly newsletter lets you know what to expect in your box and provides an opportunity to swap out 1-2 items each week. 2020 will be our sixth season for Homestead Hill CSA! Review the options below, and sign up either ONLINE, or by downloading and submitting THIS FORM along with your deposit. Membership is limited and is first come-first serve until all shares are reserved. If you have any questions, please contact us! We are more than happy to answer questions!
CSA Options for 2020:
Spring Treat (April 23rd thru end of May) (SOLD OUT)
Tantalize your taste buds with the extra early green goodness from our hoophouse and field. Enjoy leafy greens (lettuce, chard, kale, spinach), succulent radishes, micro-greens, and herbs. Receive 3-4 items per week. Share pick up day is Thursdays. If signing up after March 1st, check our website or contact us directly to confirm availability.
Summer Garden Shares (June 8 thru September 25, 2020) This is the heart of what we do! Real food for you and your family. You’ll receive all the traditional garden staples, but with a sense of style and adventure beyond what you would find in the typical grocery cart! We plant over a hundred varieties, ranging from delectable heirlooms to our “tried and true” favorites. Expect to find tomatoes and cucumbers weeks ahead of in your backyard! We carefully pick, wash, and pack your weekly share of 6-10 items, based on what’s in season and ready for harvest. Grown using organic methods. Deciding between Regular and Small? An example of unit size for the Regular share is 10 oz of salad greens vs 5 oz for the Small share. Choose the option that fits you best!
Fruit Shares from Bardenhagen Berries
Available to those signing up for any vegetable or flower summer share. For six weeks, from mid-June to late July, receive either strawberries or cherries grown on the farm (depending on what is ripe). Conventionally grown, not organic.
Flower Shares
Fall Garden Shares (October thru December)
Answers to Common Questions:
1. What's the best way for me to get my share?
When signing up, let us know your preference for picking up your share. During the summer*, we offer the following options:
**Limitations apply. Available only during summer season in zip code ares 49653 and 49654 north of M-204. Businesses and workplaces interested in having a minimum of 5-10 shares delivered per week are invited to inquire with us directly.
***Market season only. (The 16 week CSA runs through end of September).
2. What size share should I sign up for?
The Regular Size is our most popular, and is designed for a household of 2-4 people. A bag of salad greens is generally 10+ ounces, and a bunch of kale or chard would be around 1 lb. In comparison, a Small share works for 1-2 people who don't generally eat at home every night. A bag of salad greens would be closer to 5 oz and a bunch of kale or chard would be around 1/2 lb. If you are new, and can't decide, we suggest signing up for the Regular share, and you are welcome to adjust the size of your share (to change to small or large) within the first two weeks (we will arrange for refund or additional fee).
To sign up, visit our Online Store, and use a credit card, OR Click here to download and print your copy of the CSA Sign Up Form.
OUR RESPONSE TO COVID-19 (3/21/20)
We are taking this seriously! We are "hunkered down" on the farm, staying home (working!), and practicing social distancing & hand sanitizer if we have to go out to the store. We are hope everyone else is taking this seriously as well, and following current CDC guidelines (stay home, wash your hands, etc). We do not want to contribute to the spread of the disease, but also know that any illness on our farm would make it that much harder to keep our season going. We are all in this together!
- FOOD SAFETY/HANDWASHING: We will continue our food safety practices, and DOUBLE DOWN on them. This is NOT new to us. It has always been our nightmare that anything we produce should make anyone sick! In our harvesting and packing of CSA, we have always employed practices that include sanitizing all harvest equipment and surfaces before every use, as well as ALWAYS washing our hands, and not working in harvest areas if not feeling well. We are concerned about the produce, but also for the health of our workers and families.
- FARM CREW: We are asking anyone that works on (or visits) our farm to practice social distancing at all times, and to not come to work if not feeling well, or if anyone in their household is not well.
- Anticipated Changes for CSA Pick Up: We plan to have your boxes pre-packaged boxed or bagged as much as possible. CSA shares will be packed into re-usable cardboard boxes or paper grocery bags. We will eliminate the “market style” pick up that we have had on Thursdays, and still offer the option to make up to 2 substitutions via email. This will enable everyone to pick up their produce quickly, almost like curbside pick-up. Finally, we will ask members and farm crew to use 6-foot social distancing, and to stay HOME if they (or anyone in their household) has symptoms. Just let us know, and we will work with you to get your share delivered to you somehow if you are unable to pick it up.
- THE GOOD NEWS! We've heard that CSA's around the country and locally are seeing a surge in demand. While we don't know for sure, we anticipate moving more produce through the CSA than the farmers markets this season.
- COMMUNITY: Let’s stay CONNECTED! If you use Facebook, and you aren’t already a member of the Homestead Hill CSA Members group – click here, and request to join it. We are also on Instagram (click here to find us, and follow us.
In addition to our farm's cherry and strawberry crops, in 2014 we added nearly two acres of vegetables and cut flowers. Our produce and flowers are sold at area farmers markets, through our Homestead Hill CSA, as well as to a variety of local restaurants, grocery stores, and schools. Many of our products can be purchased wholesale by grocery stores and restaurants through MI Farm Cooperative.
Our Mission is to Provide:
- Sustainably grown, fresh, quality produce. Our vegetables are grown using organic practices, and the 2+ acres where we grow them is currently in transition to "USDA Organic" certification. We do not use synthetic chemicals or fertilizers and practice minimal soil tillage.
- Inspiration. Want to cook like a rock star? Well, we can’t make any promises, but we do know the best chefs are known for sourcing the freshest produce available from their local community.
- Early availability. Season extension, including a hoop house, will help us provide some crops earlier than you could otherwise grow in your own garden! For example, we generally have tomatoes and cucumbers weeks ahead of those grown outdoors.
- Variety. The choice of crops we grow is designed to both appeal to your taste buds, but also outwit challenges provided by Mother Nature. We grow both heirlooms and our “tried and true” favorites!
- Choice. We respect that not everyone loves everything. Our weekly email newsletter will keep you informed of what’s coming in your box and give you an opportunity to either swap out 1-2 items for something you’d prefer - or make changes using a “swap box” during on farm pick up.
- Community. Meet other CSA members, farm staff, and tour the farm during one of our yet to be announced events (Spring Kick-off Open House, food demos, etc.). Events are announced in the email newsletter.
Find us at the following area Farmers Markets in 2020:
(CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES IN AS WE ANTICIPATE HAVING TO MAKE SOME CHANGES)
- Glen Arbor (9 AM - 1 PM, Tuesdays, mid June - early September
- Northport (9 AM - 1 PM, Fridays, mid June - early September
- Traverse City Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market (7:30 AM - 12 Noon, Saturdays, June - October & Wednesdays during Strawberry season).
Consider becoming a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Member!
Signing up for a CSA membership with our farm is a great way to commit your household to eating more fruits and vegetables. Just $31/week brings you FRESH, LOCAL GOODNESS that we hope will leave you looking forward to the next week! Our weekly newsletter lets you know what to expect in your box and provides an opportunity to swap out 1-2 items each week. 2020 will be our sixth season for Homestead Hill CSA! Review the options below, and sign up either ONLINE, or by downloading and submitting THIS FORM along with your deposit. Membership is limited and is first come-first serve until all shares are reserved. If you have any questions, please contact us! We are more than happy to answer questions!
CSA Options for 2020:
Spring Treat (April 23rd thru end of May) (SOLD OUT)
Tantalize your taste buds with the extra early green goodness from our hoophouse and field. Enjoy leafy greens (lettuce, chard, kale, spinach), succulent radishes, micro-greens, and herbs. Receive 3-4 items per week. Share pick up day is Thursdays. If signing up after March 1st, check our website or contact us directly to confirm availability.
- Regular Spring Treat (6 Weeks) $100 (avg. $18/week). (SOLD OUT)
- Double Spring Treat (6 Weeks) $200 Double the goodness! (SOLD OUT)
Summer Garden Shares (June 8 thru September 25, 2020) This is the heart of what we do! Real food for you and your family. You’ll receive all the traditional garden staples, but with a sense of style and adventure beyond what you would find in the typical grocery cart! We plant over a hundred varieties, ranging from delectable heirlooms to our “tried and true” favorites. Expect to find tomatoes and cucumbers weeks ahead of in your backyard! We carefully pick, wash, and pack your weekly share of 6-10 items, based on what’s in season and ready for harvest. Grown using organic methods. Deciding between Regular and Small? An example of unit size for the Regular share is 10 oz of salad greens vs 5 oz for the Small share. Choose the option that fits you best!
- 16 Week Regular Summer Share Our most popular option! $500 (avg. $31/wk)
- 16 Week Small Summer Share 50-60% of size of the Regular Share. $320 (avg. $20/week)
- 16 Week Large Summer Share The same as a Regular Share, but 50-60% larger! $750
- 16 Week Every Other Week Regular Share The same as the Regular Share, but only every other week (8 boxes). $300
- 8 Week Peak Season Regular Summer Share The same as a Regular Share, but only during July and August. $300
- 8 Week Peak Season Small Summer Share $175
- 8 Week Peak Season Large Share The same as a Large Share, but only during July and August. $400
Fruit Shares from Bardenhagen Berries
Available to those signing up for any vegetable or flower summer share. For six weeks, from mid-June to late July, receive either strawberries or cherries grown on the farm (depending on what is ripe). Conventionally grown, not organic.
- Regular Fruit Share: 1 quart each week. $30
- Large Fruit Share: 2 quarts each week. $60
Flower Shares
- 12 Week Bouquet Share Treat yourself or someone you love with fresh-cut seasonal flowers, grown by us on our farm! Starting in late June, receive one bouquet of our best blooms every week! $150
- Week Peak Season Bouquet Share Same as the 12 Week Share, but limited to July and August. $100
- 8 Week Peak Season DIY Flower Bucket Share Like to arrange flowers? With this option, you’ll receive 35+ stems each week, consisting of enough flowers and foliage for you to arrange approximately 2-3 bouquets). $250
Fall Garden Shares (October thru December)
- 8 Week Regular Fall Share The days may be cooler and the days shorter, but we will keep the harvest going for you! Shares contain a variety of crops ranging from hoophouse salad greens & herbs to storage crops like potatoes, onions, carrots, and winter squash. This share will run weekly for the month of October and then switch over to an "Every Other Week" schedule in November and December. $250 (avg. $31/week). Share pick up is on Thursdays.
- Every Other Week (EOW) Regular Fall Share (4 Boxes) Same as Regular but limited to every other week. $144
- 8 Week Small Size Fall Share 50-60% of size of the Regular Fall Share. $154 (avg. $19/week).
- October Only (4 Weeks) If you just want to sign up for the month of October, and not November and December. Regular $125; Small: $76; Every Other Week (2 boxes): $65
Answers to Common Questions:
1. What's the best way for me to get my share?
When signing up, let us know your preference for picking up your share. During the summer*, we offer the following options:
- Monday, 4-6:30 pick up from the farm
- Tuesdays, Neighborhood delivery**
- Tuesdays, Pick up at the Glen Arbor Farmers Market (9 am- 1pm)***
- Thursdays, 4-6:30 pm, pick up from the farm
- Fridays, Neighborhood delivery**
- Fridays, Northport Farmers Market (9 am – 1 pm)**
- Saturdays, Sara Hardy Downtown Traverse City Market (July & August only)
**Limitations apply. Available only during summer season in zip code ares 49653 and 49654 north of M-204. Businesses and workplaces interested in having a minimum of 5-10 shares delivered per week are invited to inquire with us directly.
***Market season only. (The 16 week CSA runs through end of September).
2. What size share should I sign up for?
The Regular Size is our most popular, and is designed for a household of 2-4 people. A bag of salad greens is generally 10+ ounces, and a bunch of kale or chard would be around 1 lb. In comparison, a Small share works for 1-2 people who don't generally eat at home every night. A bag of salad greens would be closer to 5 oz and a bunch of kale or chard would be around 1/2 lb. If you are new, and can't decide, we suggest signing up for the Regular share, and you are welcome to adjust the size of your share (to change to small or large) within the first two weeks (we will arrange for refund or additional fee).
To sign up, visit our Online Store, and use a credit card, OR Click here to download and print your copy of the CSA Sign Up Form.
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