Where and when do I pick up? What if I am on vacation?
After I receive your application, I will confirm your day and location. Usually, everyone gets their first choice. By the end of May, I will confirm your first start date. Once you have been confirmed for your choice of pick up day and location, you will keep that same day and location throughout the season. If you go on vacation and you can not have a friend pick up your share on the regular day and time, you may request an alternate day. The alternate-day must be the week before or the week after your regularly scheduled pick up. The alternate day can be Tuesday in Hopkinton, Friday in Hopkinton and Saturday in Ashland which are our regular pick up days and locations. Please give us a minimum of 48 hours notice by email or text when you are changing your regular pick up date or location.
What if I forget to pick up my share?
Everyone forgets now and then. If you have chosen Winter Street or Ashland for pick up location I will hold your share in the cooler at 205 Winter St, Hopkinton for 24 hours IF you email me that you will pick it up within that time. We have arranged for alternate pick up locations for shareholder convenience, but we do not expect the shareholder who lives there to hold over your share if you forget it. If you are picking up in downtown Hopkinton and your forget your share, please contact the shareholder who is hosting the share pick up to arrange a time to pick up.
What does a Long Life Farm share contain?
Long Life Farm grows mostly vegetables and some fruit: cantaloupe, ground cherries. In addition to common vegetables, we grow a large variety of greens: arugula, spinach, head lettuce, salad mix, swiss chard, beet greens, collards, Chinese and other cabbage, many varieties of kale and Asian greens. We grow 50 different families of produce and about 170 varieties. We also forage for Autumn Olive Berries(these berries are not certified organic).
Each week you will receive between 5-12 lbs, on rare occasions it could be less at the beginning of the season, when tomatoes are at their peak, the tomatoes alone can be that big. In 2012 we had late blight and very few tomatoes. In 2013 we had a winter squash failure so we had very few squashes. In 2013 and 2014 we had so many tomatoes that there were a few shareholders that said STOP, no more tomatoes. In 2014 we lost our eggplants. So there is usually a crop or two that has a bad year and many that have banner years.
How does the value compare to what I might pay in the grocery store?
In 2012 and 2013 we tracked the value of all the items which went into the bag using the same price we charge at the farmers market. This price has settled between Stop and Shop and Whole Foods Market prices. The share value of items in the bags over these two seasons was 10% higher than the share price paid by shareholders. In 2014 the shareholders received 45% higher value than the share price paid. Over the last three seasons, the shareholders have always received much more than the value of their investment. Suffice it to say, at $20-36 per week, the farm share is a true value.
Do I get to choose what goes in my bag each week?
No, we select items that are ready to harvest and pack the share bags with those items. We have had feedback from our shareholders that they would like to be able to trade an item for one they don’t want. If you choose pickup at Winter St, we often have extras available for taking. This option is not feasible at the other pick up locations.
How does pick up day work?
You will choose the day and location of your preferred pickup: Tuesday or Friday in Hopkinton, Saturday in Ashland. On your pick up day or the day before your pick up day, you will receive a reminder email about your share pick up. A list of items in the bag that day will be included. If you don’t recognize a vegetable in the bag, you can go to our website “what is that vegetable” and take a look at the pictures to identify it. Or you can give us a shout for help. Generally, I will include at least one new recipe each week for the new item in the bag. These recipes will also be listed on the website. At your next pick up, you will return the bag from the prior week and pick up your next bag. Please make every effort to return the bag. Hopkinton will have a plastic ban bag in 2019, so we won’t be able to substitute plastic when you forget.
Do you have 1/2 shares?
We call the small share an Individual share. This share gets 1/2 the amount as the full share. If the full share is getting two zucchini, the Individual is getting one. If the full share is getting 1/2lb of salad mix, the Individual will receive 1/4lb.
Can I share with another family?
You may certainly share a bag with another family. If you wanted to get a weekly share, alternate pick up weeks between you, that is one good way to share. Experience tells us, splitting your bag with another family each week is trickier. Splitting the share each week can be difficult if you only get one melon, or one squash or only a few beets. If you want to share a bag each week with another family, one of you will need to pick up the bag and split it between the two of you. Feedback from shareholders who try to split up a bag each week tells us they are not as satisfied and wished they had ordered the whole share.
What will change from 2019?
We are always looking to improve our offerings from year to year. We have planted some Jerusalem artichokes, also known as sunchokes that are harvested in the fall. We will most likely stop trying to grow watermelon, it simply has been too cold and wet to get a good crop. We were fortunate to be able to pick blueberries in 2019, the shareholders received them for four weeks, we hope to be able to pick again for you in 2020. We don’t manage the blueberry field, it is not on our organic certificate. Fortunately the blueberry field is mowed, but there is nothing prohibited applied to them, so we feel good about picking them for you.
Do you have an option for U-Pick?
We do not have a U-Pick option. We pick all of those labor-intensive goodies for you and make them available in your share: herbs, snap peas, cherry tomatoes, and beans.
Does Long Life Farm accept volunteers in exchange for food?
We would be happy to consider you as a volunteer shareholder if you can work hard, can make a season-long commitment, can work fast and don’t mind working in the heat, cold or rain. This would involve working 4 hours per week for 20 weeks for a weekly share. The 4 hours per week will usually be on the same day of the week each week. Please contact the farm if this is of interest.
Does Long Life Farm require shareholders to work?
Many farms have this requirement and it is a great way for shareholders to connect with their farmer and their food. Long Life Farm does not require shareholders to work. If you would like the opportunity to work alongside of us for a few hours or a day, please be in touch. If your employer has a volunteer day that they let you off for, please join us we would love to have you help and experience a real work day.
Can we visit the farm?
We will be scheduling a tour of the farm in June so that you can come by and see both fields and our seedling operation at 205 Winter St. If you still want to visit the farm, but were not available for the two tour dates, we can schedule an appointment.
What does it mean to be certified organic?
The USDA Organic seal can only be used by certified organic producers. This is your proof that we are following the National Organic Program (NOP) guidelines. The NOP prohibits the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO). So buying certified organic is the best way to avoid GMO food. As you may know some eggplant, summer squash, tomatoes, potatoes, corn, sugar beets and soybeans have been developed with these techniques.
Detailed record keeping and a whole system farm plan are required submission for review at Baystate Organic Certifiers. We detail every amendment, additive that goes into the soil and onto the plants. Each item utilized must be approved for organic use by OMRI, the Organic Materials Review Institute. We also keep extensive records of daily field activity, yields, and failures for the inspector’s review. The inspectors are now required to test 5% of the soils and arrive unannounced at 5% within their approved producers to ensure compliance. Each year the inspector visits our farm and reviews all of our records, visits all our fields and inspects our amendment storage and tests soil if needed. I have heard many reasons from other farmers as to why they do not certify, cost and amount of paperwork is at the top of the list. For our small farm, we pay $800-1000 to our certifier, the rate is based upon a revenue range. We received $600-750 reimbursement as part of the Organic Cost Share Program which is part of the Farm Bill, so our net out of pocket cost is $200-250. The paperwork is real, but all good businesses need to keep records and that is no different for farmers. I have recently been trained by Baystate Organic Certifiers to be an Organic System Plan expert, so I am assisting other farms with their certification application on behalf of NOFA/Mass. In 2015, I trained to become an Independent Organic Inspector and started inspecting farms in 2016. I spend 1/2 day per week during the season to get away from the farm and do one inspection or 24 per year. Recently I was trained to inspect handling operations as well, so I will do those inspections over the winter. Handling operations are those businesses that make a jar of pickles or a cake mix, roast coffee as a few examples. They must be certified to handle organic product to ensure it is not contaminated by non-organic products.
