We transplanted cabbage and broccoli seedlings yesterday and this evening. Still have more plus a lot of kale for the fall. Fall carrots and beets are looking good, mostly weed free thanks to some helpers. I am driving down to Essex Farm Thursday morning to deliver tomatoes in exchange for beets, parsley, and chard for you. I expect to bring back about a bushel of parsley – Mark says you can freeze it.
Weeds are still germinating here enough that I am continuing to purchase salad mix for you from Fledging Crow rather than fight weeds in the closely spaced salad mix. Lettuce is looking good though and I expect to have that again in a week or two. Newer plantings of squash are coming on nicely so it looks we will not have a shortage there, though also not the overabundance we have had. New cukes have not started bearing so there will be a limit on them. We are bringing onions in to dry. There are some HUGE onions!
This time of year I think of things I need to do differently next year, options for next year, and make notes on which varieties do best or which ones you seem to like the most. One of the questions is can we grow the CSA enough so I can drop a farmers market next eyar, which would give me much more time to keep on top of production? An option would be to open a farmstand, but if we open a farmstand, will you choose to just shop at the farmstand rather than join the CSA? With the CSA my labor is reduced a couple ways: packaging and staffing a stand. This leads to the question of how good a deal can I give the CSA and have enough income, and what prices should I charge at a farmstand? This relates to my concerns about giving you a decent value.
Pricing is always a question. Ideally I would figure out my expenses for each crop, including time spent, machinery costs, etc, and figure the price. Realistically I look at two things: the “going price” and the income per square foot or acre. If a crop does not bring in enough income for the space it takes up, I need to drop it unless it is something that has other benefits such as attracting customers who purchase the more profitable products.
UVM has started compiling prices from direct market (farmers markets and farmstands) in Vermont and eastern New York every couple of weeks. Here are some prices from the July 19th report:
- new potatoes $5/quart
- squash $3/lb
- broccoli $4/pound
- cherry tomatoes $4 to $5/pint
- greenhouse tomatoes, both sprayed and organic, $5/lb
- heirloom tomatoes $4.50/lb
- onions $3/pound
A quart of tomatoes is 2 1/2 to 3 pounds. A medium sized Costata Romanesco is 2 1/2 pounds. Fledging Crow sells their salad mix for $12 to $13/pound. So, I think we’re catching up from the smaller quantity early distributions. How are you feeling about the CSA?
