DC CSA

yall know i like good food. the key to good food is fresh. that is why i love community supported agriculture groups. i am posting my welcome note to this years winter CSA in case any readers around here are interested...if you don't live in the area you can find a csa you might be able to find one here. only this site didn't have either of the csa's i participate in... though i am sure you can find some great stuff!



Spiritual Food CSA

4209 East-West Highway; Bethesda, MD 20814

301-654-4899 x5

www.SchoolOfLife.org; www.spiritualfoodcsa.org

spiritualfood@schooloflife.org

Dear Winter CSA Members:

Welcome to the Winter/Spring 2008 season of the Spiritual Food CSA. At this point, we have about 107 members between the 3 locations. Bethesda, Arlington and Capitol Hill and are expecting a few more this week. The season will be starting on Friday November 30^th , so please consider Wed Nov 28^th as the final day to register. We will decide later if there will be an option for late registrations but if you know people who are planning to join, please tell them the Nov 28^th date. It is so important to start at the beginning and much better for our organizing too.

Below is important information about the new season. Please read the whole letter. If you still have questions, please reply to this e-mail.

DATES: FRIDAYS

Nov 30 to May 23 (26 weeks)

LATE PICK UPS or OUT OF TOWN:

For Bethesda: If you know you will not be able to pick up the share during the pick up hours,

Ø You may have it packed for you and set aside which is the best option. But MUST call BY THURSDAY 301-654-4899, x5 and leave a message asking that we bag it for you (for a $2 courtesy fee).

Ø You may come on Saturday and choose from what is left which may be in covered bins out on the tables or in the silver milk fridge. By Sunday it will likely be packaged up for donation and gone.

Ø If you cannot come at all, have a friend come, or you may request that we donate it.

For Capital Hill and Arlington members: You will receive a message from your host (or volunteers) explaining the situation and options at your pick up site.

If there are dates you know you will not be able to pick up your share at all, you can try to sell it through the yahoo group or sell or give to a friend.

PAYMENT: Thanks to the post-dated check system and to the many who paid the whole amount at once, almost all payments are in! A huge thank you to everyone for your cooperation. If you have not completed payment yet, it is due by opening day. If special arrangements are needed, please call this week.

COMMUNICATION:

The website at www.schooloflife.org, >Spiritual Food for the New Millennium>CSA has a wealth of information on biodynamic food, recipes, membership, etc. or go directly to www.spiritualfoodcsa.org.

For communication among members, WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU JOIN the Spiritual Food CSA Group on Yahoo. It is quite easy to use. You can exchange recipes or ask others about a particular food, coordinate driving, find a replacement for volunteering if needed, etc. Also, many messages go out from us, the coordinators, only on this yahoo chat line (because of computer logistics here in the office) so if you do not join yahoo you would not get the following messages:

Ø weekly share list which we usually goes out the day before pick up

Ø recipes and food tips on new or unusual items

Ø extra items available for sale

It is very easy to sign up by going to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spiritualfoodCSA From this link, click “Join This group”. If you are not already a member of yahoo, not to worry, it's quite simple. Where it asks you to sign in, if you don’t already have a yahoo ID, click “sign up” and go through the form to register. You can choose to give as little or as much personal information as you like. You’ll be asked to verify your new account by checking your e-mail for a message from yahoo; then return to yahoo and you should be on the join a group page – if not, go back to the link above or go to www.yahoo.com, choose groups, and search for our group by typing in: Spiritual Food CSA.

You will be able to use this chat room to sign up for volunteering or to verify the date your have selected by clicking on groups, and the spiritual food CSA group should come up, and then choose the “database” link, or go straight to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spiritualfoodCSA/database.

E-mail is the main means of communication from us at the School of Life along with signs or flyers left out. PLEASE READ THEM!!! If you don’t use e-mail be sure to read signs and pick up handouts and occasionally ask what’s going on.

QUESTIONS? Durga (shantiyoga2@schooloflife.org) , Lakshmi (spiritualfood@schooloflife.org) or Vyasa (gcfp@earthlink.net) Again, the CSA phone number is 301-654-4899, voicemail box 5. But before you call with general questions, check out the website.

VOLUNTEERING

While not mandatory, volunteering is necessary for the functioning of the CSA at all 3 locations. If everyone takes a part, others are not left doing more than their share.

Ø “Setting up” involves preparing the week’s food for pick up on Fridays.

Ø Bagging supplements can be done in Bethesda or at your home (even Arl and CH)

Ø Each location needs a volunteer coordinator to be sure the schedule is filled

Ø Each location needs a weekly reminder person to contact the volunteer for that week

We can also use help with

Ø cleaning projects like the van and bins

Ø occasional computer work such as website projects and “internet listings”

Ø Newsletter articles or layout

Ø RECRUIT NEW MEMBERS!!! Talk to your friends and foes about the CSA. We start planning in January for the Summer season.

Ø Recipe/food person(s) to pass on ideas for food use via yahoo

WE REALLY NEED SOMEONE FOR THIS FUN AND NOT-SO-DIFFICULT TASK. YOU DON’T NEED TO BE AN EXPERT – JUST INTERESTED IN HOW TO USE THE FOOD. WE CAN GIVE REFERENCES TO LOOK INTO OR YOU CAN ASK OTHERS. CAN DO THIS FROM HOME WITH COMPUTER.

If interested in any of these, call Lakshmi at 301-654-4899 x5.

If you cannot ever come on a Friday for set up, you can see there are plenty of other jobs available.

SIGN UP for volunteering takes place online and also in person the first week or two of the season until done. People will be there at pick up to show you around, answer questions and ask you to sign up. BRING your CALENDAR please. If everyone signs up twice during the season all will be covered and we can all relax and enjoy the community effort.

To view the sign up chart or to edit (which means find a replacement if you have to change your date) go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spiritualfoodCSA/database.

PARKING in Bethesda:

There is a pull-through driveway. Please park straight in (facing the house), and be sure not to block the exit even if you come on off hours and no one else seems to be around. This house is used for many purposes and we wish to be considerate of all visitors.

RAW MILK

CSA members are being offered the opportunity to have access to Raw Milk.

If you are interested contact Victor at gcfp@earthlink.net

SUMMER CSA

The season will run from early-June until end of November. Start thinking about this now. Registration forms will be out in early January.

Directions to Arlington and Capitol Hill will be sent by the hosts of those locations.