LESS of what you don't like and MORE of what you LOVE!
 | This is something Adam and I have been problem solving for years! How do we get you more of what you want in an EASY and EFFICIENT way? In the past we've tried the "This or That" veggie list which came with a variety of responses. One being sent a whole veggie list of their own choosing and the other was getting a veggie list at 10pm the night before delivery-all of which we catered too! NEVER EVER did we say NO because we truly wanted to give customers what they wanted but for us that season was HELL. Finally we've come up with a flexible solution for both the customer and us. Fingers crossed! Upon registering you will tell us what your TOP 5 VEGGIES are and what veggies you DON"T use in your kitchen. This will be printed out on your share label with your name and everytime we pack your share we make note of this label and substitute accordingly. This way there is no need for a back and forth via email (especially when you're busy) and secondly it gives us a little wiggle room in planning since we know way in advance! |
Choose YOUR own WEEKS and Bi-weekly options!
| This is something that seemed simple to change but it would take a commitment of organization from us that we had not yet done. We had always operated our CSA with some flexibility around vacations for any one who would ask. We never felt that we could justly give away a share someone had paid for unless they specificly said that it was fine. Instead we opted for the "double your share" when you returned the following week which required extra effort on our part as well as the customer, leaving them with some BIG veggie commitments that week. Of course we encouraged customers to make arrangements when they could but sometimes life just doesn't work like that. So we came to the solution of "Choose Your Own Weeks" and pay for JUST those weeks. You can start and stop as often as you needed as long as we know the dates before the CSA starts to allow us some time to plan. We also found this would be a great option for single family homes (which may find it challenging to get through their whole share in just one week) or CSA-curious customers (who don't want to make too big of a commitment before they really know it is right for them) because they could choose to have a bi-weekly shares delivered while experiencing a whole growing season of Nova Scotian veggies, fruits & herbs! |  |
Flexible and Customizeable Payment Plans
 | We always thought if someone really wanted to be part of a CSA and they were not as financially flexible they would reach out to us. In some cases this was true but it seemed like we might be missing a piece and we were! We needed to make it VERY clear and WELCOMING that we do payment plans! It is not easy to ask for a service you're not sure is available and we recognized that. We have already had several more people opt for this option and it WARMS our hearts so completely! Food should be an option for everyone and while we ourselves are a small farm and can't do it all this is something we can do! |
Remember what's TRUE to you
We have been on this journey with our CSA for many years now and have heard it all from farmers and from customers. We were always ping-ponging back and forth with all these suggestions being thrown our way - "Remember keep the CSA simple" , "We should be able to pick exactly what we want" , "Don't be a push-over" , "Why can't I have tomatoes in May?" - the list goes on. All we could think is every one has a point and all these points are vaild but are limiting in one way or another - so how the heck do we make this work? Well the answers were already right in front of us. They were in the actions we were complusively already doing behind the scences and these were the things that MATTERED to us- which was giving the customers what they needed when they needed it whenever humanly possibly to do so!
For Olde Furrow the CSA is the BACKBONE of our farm without it we'd probably wouldn't have a farm to put it bluntly. SO WHAT if we need to be more organized - good for us! SO WHAT if we need to find more ways to communicate since everyone has different ways of doing so - good for us! SO WHAT if we need to learn to be more flexible- good for us! SO WHAT if we have to spend more time doing what we LOVE- good-for-freaking-us!
And we HOPE IT IS GOOD FOR YOU TOO! :D
For Olde Furrow the CSA is the BACKBONE of our farm without it we'd probably wouldn't have a farm to put it bluntly. SO WHAT if we need to be more organized - good for us! SO WHAT if we need to find more ways to communicate since everyone has different ways of doing so - good for us! SO WHAT if we need to learn to be more flexible- good for us! SO WHAT if we have to spend more time doing what we LOVE- good-for-freaking-us!
And we HOPE IT IS GOOD FOR YOU TOO! :D
YOUR FARMERS,
ADAM & COURTNEY
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