The Weblog
Virgin Islands CSA, Ridge to Reef Farm
Dear VI Locally Grown membership,
Before we announce our CSA program to the general public, we wanted to show our appreciation to you by giving you a chance to join the Virgin Islands CSA, now available in three locations in the VI. Currently, there are about 6 memberships left, with the most room in Christiansted.
Would you like a weekly delivery of fresh, lovingly grown certified organic food from right here in the Virgin Islands? Now is your chance, by becoming a member in the territory’s original Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.
Ridge to Reef Farm at VISFI is proud to offer our third CSA season for 2012, starting September 5th! Buy a share in the territory’s only certified organic farm and reap the benefits of investing in local food for your family and island community.
We grow 100% organic, 100% GMO free, and free range using the 3 central ethics of Permaculture: 1) Take care of the earth 2) Take care of the people 3) Share resources with fairness.
Shares are limited and we expect them to fill. Below are the details of what it will look like and how you can become a member.
Register here:
http://ridgetoreef.csasignup.com/members
THE DIRT ON THE CSA
1. REGISTRATION
You may now register, pay up front from the entire season, and secure your spot for our next CSA season. Pick-ups start September 5th and run for 12 weeks. Register here: http://ridgetoreef.csasignup.com/ then make your payment. All you have to do after that is pick up your food every week at the location of your choosing (see site for details).
Your spot will be 100% secured with your payment in full.
2. RETURN ON YOUR INVESTMENT ~ $324 per share*Add on an optional bi-weekly coffee share from Puerto Rico’s sustainable fair-trade coffee farm for $90. *shipping to STT is additional
NEW! Add a banana share to keep fresh organic bananas at your house this fall. Great for smoothies, baking, and healthy snacks.
A CSA is a shared risk/benefit business model to secure local food production. There are no guarantees about what or how much you may receive each week. Farming is risky business, with storms, fires, or acts of God that sometimes make farming difficult. There are always losses, but thanks to our 10 years experience of growing to the strict USDA organic standards here in the USVI, we know how to put fine, tasty food on the table year-round.
What’s in the bag? Each week you will see a variety of our organic produce and sometimes free range eggs. The goal is to surpass the fair market price of your share for organic food every week. Price comparisons from prior weeks have shown our food, while better in quality, sometimes has a lower price than that which is found in the conventional grocery stores. We have put together a tentative listing of some the items you may receive below. While cannot guarantee any one crop, this is our goal:
ORGANIC CROPS*:
Micro Greens -Prepackaged, ready-to-go; bananas; other select fruits (mango, passion fruit, papaya, limes, etc.); chaya; moringa; malabar spinach; peppers; eggs; basil; long beans; other beans; kale; sprouts; cucumbers; eggplants; coconuts; cranberry hibiscus greens; green onions; & more
*Please note: As fall is the most difficult growing season, expect more bananas, chaya, spinach, micro-greens, and sprouts than usual to compensate for less of the more risky annual veggies. For this reason we have lowered the weekly share value to $27 per week to ease the pressure of filling with another annual vegetable.
WHERE WILL THE MONEY GO? (try asking this question at the grocery store)
-additional seed order (we have already planted during last season)
-pallet of vermiculite and perlite
-tractor maintenance, purchase of new attachment and repair of chipper
-improving chicken tractor/movable fence system, feed
-purchase of additional chickens for winter season 2013
-staff wages, additional staff member
-delivery of your food
-new bags and t-shirts for sale
-purchase pole pruner for fruit tree pruning
-new trellis materials for tomatoes, cukes
-increase irrigation capacity
-end of season party
3. HOW TO BUY A SHARE
Final payments are due by Monday, September 3rd and are first paid, first served until the run out. Shares not paid by deadline will be released to other registrants. Please let us know if your check is in the mail.
PAY BY CHECK : You may send a check written to “Reef to Reef Farm” to this address:
Ridge to Reef Farm
PO Box 2903
Frederiksted USVI, 00841
PAY W/PAYPAL: Please, if you elect to pay via paypal, it is critical to follow these steps to save the CSA money on the paypal fees -very important:) We will cancel payments that do not follow these steps:
1) Log in to your paypal account.
2) Click on “send money”
3) Enter your full balance as reported in your order confirmation email and use R2Rfarm@gmail.com as the recipient address.
4) Select the tab that says “Personal”
5) Within the personal options, select “other” as your payment type.
6) Click continue, then review your order and Send Money
Shares are locked in once we receive full payment. Thank you!Register here:
http://ridgetoreef.csasignup.com/members
Thanks for growing with us,
Ridge to Reef Farm
As the storm passes!!
Good Morning All,
Well fortunately Isaac spared us from his worst, and gifted us with his rain.
Its wet, humid and the plants are loving it. Well needed water for the land, and farmers.
So take a look, the market is open, with lots of farm fresh goodies.
Eat well, live well, Be well!
Patrick B
Hello all
Hello all,
Just a friendly reminder that the market is still open and ready to take your orders.
Happy eating!
Slow Down Dinner - St. Croix, 1916 with Crucian Chef Digby
Dear VI Locally Grown Members,
The market is closed for all produce orders but we wanted to extend so you may make reservations for this exciting “1916 Slow Down” dinner where Crucian Chef Digby Stridiron will be turning back the clock and using our organic farm ingredients to honor past cuisine choices prior to the US purchase of the USVI in 1917. We still have some seats, and wanted to take this opportunity to invite you for this experience and donation for the VI Community Supported Agriculture program. Please note all produce sales are closed until the market’s normal opening time of 9am Sunday, but you can make reservations today at the link: http://vi.locallygrown.net/market/index/11387 Listen for the conch!Nate
VI Locally Grown - Entering our 3 year market anniversary month!
Hello VI Locally Grown members,
Are are thrilled to be celebrating 3 straight years of weekly VI Locally Grown offerings! We would like to thank the growers and buyers for making all of this possible!
Please your order in the next 6 hours before orders close for the week.
all the best,
Nate
VI Locally Grown: Slow Down with Local Organic Food
Hello!
There is only one hour left for this week’s pre-orders, but please remember we bring extras to the market so do stop by if you don;t get your order in on time.
Also, we are having a special Slow Down dinner this Saturday with Chef Keith Weitzman and Digby Stridiron and seats are available! We will keep the market open after 7pm for Slow Down reservations only! You can also reply to us via email with your name, party amount and if there are any vegetarians.
enjoy your week of local food,
Nate and the VI Locally Grown producers
VI Locally Grown: Slow Down with Local Organic Food
Good morning!
We have a lot for you this week at VI Locally Grown. It’s all fresh, organic, and local. The market closes at 7pm tonight.
Beware of a growing amount of imitation “local” food out there in stores and market stands (yes, even the big market), as other “growers,” even very well known growers, are importing food and branding it as local and sometimes even organic.
We invite you to visit our grower farms and see for yourself the food that you are purchasing and the methods used to grow it.
Take your time with us and your food, and we will continue to provide the only certified organic local food in the USVI along with our growers committed to growing organically. For 2 years and 10 months, we have provided every week and we appreciate your support!
Come to Ridge to Reef Farm July 21, for a special Slow Down Dinner with a top chef in the USVI!
all the best,
VI Locally Grown
VI Locally Grown: 150 reasons to buy local!
Hello VI Locally Grown members,
We have over 150 items available for you this week, so please take a look and support your local farmers and craftspeople! Also, you can make a reservation on the site for either of the 2 NIGHTS of Slow Down Dinner fundraiser this weekend featuring Chef Keith Weitzman and friends. The money raised will be used to increase our capacity for the VI Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA) in future seasons. Thanks for shopping and for the support of local, organically grown food in the VI!-VI Locally Grown producers
West Side Wednesdays for Summer
LocallyGrown Summer Season 2012 is here! Celebrate these months of full sun with us at the VI.Locally Grown Market at Polly’s at the Pier 3:30p – 6:30p. (and additional hour for summer)
Summer Season Theme: West Side Wednesdays For Summer
Many thanks to our wonderful growers that brought us through the spring with beautiful produce. With summer here, we look forward to bringing you our summer harvests, which we all anticipate to be very fruitful.
And now that school is out, summer vacation has begun, and the big slow down in the tourism industry begun, summer is a great time to focus on us as an island community. Hurricane season during summer months reminds us of that.
So come spend your summer Wednesdays at Polly’s at the Pier with the family, friends, co-workers, partners, lovers, dogs, etc.
There’s fresh local produce and products, music, coffee, ice cream, frozen drinks, and tasty pastries. After the market, enjoy a walk around town or end with one of several great restaurants on the West Side for dinner.
So visit the website to see whats growing at www.vi.locallygrown.net to place your order for pick up and we’ll see you at West Side Wednesdays for the Locally Grown Summer Season.
Please join me in welcoming Chef Theo’s Caribbean Gourmet Food spices and sauces to the summer season market!! Welcome Chef Theo!
Weblog Entry
Good Morning All
Market is open, and ready for the picking.