Happy Mother’s Day!!!
The spinach and radishes have decided that we will start the CSA this week! It was either going to be this week (15th) or next week (21st), but the spinach is perfect size and all the planting successions seem to be filling out nicely, so we have decided to get things underway And while the season has gotten off to a slow start in the fields, the same cannot be said for the garlic (above photo). I don’t recall it ever being so big and robust at such an early date.
We appreciate you supporting our farm and local agriculture, and we work hard to provide you high quality shares each week. And while we really hope you get your share each week, and we will try to work with you if issues arise, there are certain guidelines we have had to put in place due to logistic constraints at the farm. The basic premise is that we will always bring you your share to your designated pickup at the designated time, and it is your responsibility to come get it. If we drop the ball on our end, we will fix it with as little hassle to you as possible. If an issue arises on your end, it is up to you to notify us and find an alternative with as little hassle to us.
When you signed up online, there was a one-page contract that you had read before you could check out. This contract contained the terms of the CSA agreement, but I will review the key ones below:
- In an attempt to reduce plastic, we encourage you to bring your own re-usable cloth bags each week.
- Please pickup your share during the designated times (see site by site specifics below). If you miss your pickup, it is your responsibility to come out to the farm and pickup your share within 24 hours. Any shares not claimed within 24 hours will be re-purposed and your share that week is forfeit. (For example: If you forget to pickup your share on Tuesday, but you don’t call us until Friday, your share will no longer be available for that week.)
- Your share will only be available at the CSA pickup location that you selected when you signed up. If you are uncertain which location you picked, please go online to verify. For example, if you are signed up for Tuesday pickup in Whitefish, and you forget to pickup, you can not go to Columbia Falls on Thursday and expect to find your share there (unless you had called/emailed within 24 hours of your missed pickup to arrange such a thing).
- If you need to send someone else to come get your share, you don’t need to contact us. Just have them come to the pickup location and give us the name that the share is under, and we will give them the share. No retinal scans or background checks required.
- Every Monday night we will email you a newsletter containing farm news, recipes, and info on your share contents. Please try to read this newsletter before you come to pickup your share, as it will help limit confusion and hopefully answer lots of your questions.
I think that covers it for now. So here is a review of the pickup process for each of the distribution sites this week.
Tuesday, May 16th – Downtown Whitefish Farmer’s Market Pickup Location
We typically distribute shares during the farmers market, except the market does not start until May 30th. So, for the next two week we will park our refrigerator truck on Central Ave, next to Depot Park and across from the O’Shaughnessy Center. We will be there from 5pm until 6:30pm. The refrigerator truck says Farm to Family on the side…very high probability it will be the only refrigerator truck parked on the block. We encourage you to bring your own cloth bags. Basically all you have to do is find us at the back of the truck, tell us your name, and we will load you up with your share.
Wednesday, May 17th – Glacier – Crown of the Continent Discovery Center
With the McKeon’s making the big move to the city, we have established a new pickup site for the West and East Glacier shares (Thanks, Aubrie!) The new pickup location is very close to the old one, basically just on the opposite side of Highway 2 directly across from Montana Raft. If you are not familiar with the Discovery Center, it looks like this:
At the left side of the front of the building, you will discover a welcoming entrance that looks like this:
And directly inside this welcoming entrance, you will discover immediately to your left a table that looks like this:
All the shares will be individually labelled with the CSA member’s last name. For East Glacier, each shuttle will have the shares grouped together so you don’t need to sort through all the shares. I will put West Glacier at the beginning of the table, and East Glacier towards the back. And if you are in need of a coffee. T-shirt, taco, or perhaps a horseback ride….take a moment to walk around. We really appreciate Aubrie and the staff a the Discovery Center offering up this location to us! Unlike the flexibility at the McKeon’s, we request that you come get your shares between 5pm and 8pm as a courtesy to the Discovery Center. The building closes at 9 and you will not be able to access your share after that. Not to mention, your share will sit out all night in a warm building, and so the quality will suffer by the time they re-open the following day.
Thursday, May 18th – Columbia Falls Community Market.
Unlike Whitefish, the Columbia Falls market will begin this week, so CSA pickup will be just like usual. Come find our farmer’s market tent on the northeast corner of the O’Brien’s Liquor Store during the market hours of 5pm to 7:30pm. We’ll have a little table set up next to our tent just for CSA shares. All you have to do is give me (Todd) your name, and I’ll get your share out of the truck.
Friday, May 19th – Two Bear Farm
This one’s easy. Come to the farm at 1978 K M Ranch Road. As your come down the long driveway, you will turn left after the greenhouse into a gravel parking lot. Follow the path into the brown barn, and your shares will be awaiting you in white CSA boxes with your name on it. Please do not take the box. Rather, open it up and load your share contents into your bag, and leave the box on the table or floor. If you forget your bags, we will have plastic bags on the table as a backup. You can come get your shares between 4pm and 7pm.
Saturday, May 20th – Kalispell Farmer’s Market @ FVCC
The Kalispell Market runs from 9am to 12:30pm in the FVCC parking lot. Come find Rebecca at the Two Bear Farm market tent, and she will get you your share.
Well, I think that’s it. On Monday night you’ll receive your Week #1 newsletter to give you info on your first share and to cover any points I realize I’ve forgotten here. We’re looking forward to seeing you all (or meeting you if you’re new)!
Todd & Two Bear Farm Team
