VEGGIE MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM
2023 SEASON
Welcome New and Returning Members!
Pay in full by June 8th to receive a 5% discount!
Or to download/print a copy of the form, click on one of the following links and send completed form to organicfarm@nl.rogers.com:
2023 Veggie Membership Application – Full Time/Part Time
(PDF version available here.)
Returning Members: Please renew by June 1st!
2023 VEGGIE GROUP SUMMARY
Membership Options
Veggie bag: $840 (14 weeks) – $60/week average
Veggie bag plus home delivery (downtown St. John’s and Portugal Cove only): $966 (14 weeks) – $69/week average
Veggie bag part-time: based on members choices
Pick Up Times and Places – MUN
Wednesday, 6-6:30 PM., Science Building – Quad Parking Lot, Memorial University
Pick Up Times and Places – FARM
Wednesday, 6-7:00 PM., Organic Farm, 42 Churchills Road, Portugal Cove
Length of Season
We plan to operate for 17 weeks so members can take a 1, 2 or 3 week holiday without losing vegetables. If sufficient herbs and vegetables are available, members who don’t take holidays will be invited to purchase as many as 3 additional weeks at the regular weekly cost.
New Members
Please fill out and return your membership application form online, by e-mail or regular post. Please mail post-dated cheques (Organic Farm, 42 Churchills Road, Portugal Cove-St. Phillips, NL, A1M 2P6) or e-mail e-transfers (as many as four e-transfers can be used to pay for the season).
Returning Members
You can mail your post-dated checks or bring them to the first pickup, or e-mail e-transfers (as many as four e-transfers can be used to pay for the season). Also, please provide email and phone information for all those you are sharing with to make it easier for us to find a person to pick up the veggies on nights when someone doesn’t show up. Include contact information for everyone using your veggie bag.
We hope to get a blog set up for The Veggie Group or a page on the Organic Farm Website and/or Facebook for dialogue, recipes, farm notes and building the veggie group extended community.
Part Time Membership
Please check the weeks you would like to have a veggie bag on the part-time application included below. In order to keep the record keeping straightforward, we request that part-time memberships be prepaid using an e-transfer or one to three cheques and that members choosing the part-time option will subscribe to three or more weeks.
VEGGIE MEMBERSHIP GROUP – THE DETAILS
Introduction
The Organic Farm has offered a group buying opportunity for over thirty years. While every year has been different in terms of what we have been able to grow successfully, we have always been able to provide a variety of fresh vegetables and herbs weekly for a 14 to 17 week season. We have always managed to end the season with a high level of customer satisfaction. Nevertheless, this is the second successive year that we are facing severe inflation pressures. We will not survive if we don’t pass at least some of these costs to our customers. However, we will try to keep our prices below those charged by local supermarkets for organic fruits and vegetables.
For several of the last 36 months, we have been offering vegetables for special orders, a service where the veggies are paid for by e-transfer and either delivered or picked up by appointment at the farm or Food For Thought. This service, based on individual orders, is labour intensive and more costly to sustain than a group buying plan. In order to make fresh veggies and herbs available to as many people as possible, we are again offering both programs. As in the past, CSA members will be given first access to the available vegetables each week.
All CSA bags on a particular day will have the same vegetables and herbs. The packing slip listing the content of the bag will be posted on our website, www.theorganicfarm.net, before pick up or delivery. There will be a swap box and tailgate sales at the CSA delivery at Memorial University. In 2023, we will only be offering one medium-sized bag on Wednesday evenings. There will be a single cost for a 14 week season (less a 5% discount for customers who pay early) with the opportunity for up to three holiday weeks and/or extend the season for Weeks 15, 16 and 17. Pick-ups will be at Memorial University Science Building or the Organic Farm on Wednesdays. Deliveries to downtown St. John’s and Portugal Cove will be available at an additional charge.
On Wednesdays, each bag will have the best selection of vegetables and herbs available on the Organic Farm to be picked and packed. Any additional items will be posted on Thursdays and available for special orders on Fridays to be either delivered of picked up on Saturdays at Food for Thought or the Organic Farm. We are currently not planning on participating at the Farmers’ Market.
Description of the Program
Our costs have increased by more than 20 percent this year as inflation remains out of control. Reluctantly, we will be adding $7 per week to the cost of membership, about a 13% increase. We expect our prices to remain below supermarket prices for organic vegetables and that the freshness and quality of our vegetables will continue to be outstanding. Many years have been too cold to have a 17 weeks season (14 weeks of delivery and 3 holiday weeks). We will try again for 17 weeks. It may be necessary to cut the season to 16 weeks (14 weeks of delivery and 2 holiday weeks) if we have a very cold spring. We will let you know as the spring progresses.
Our plan is to open the Veggie Group membership to 60 families. We will guarantee a place to all of last year’s members who reserve a place within three weeks of receiving this letter. New members will be accepted based on the time date we receive the applications, first come first served. Hopefully, there will be a place for everyone who is interested. We will reserve Fridays for special orders. Whatever vegetables are not used for the Veggie Group will be made available on Fridays. We will offer home deliveries to Veggie Group members who live in downtown St. John’s or in Portugal Cove for $126 for the 14 week season if you can not pick up at the farm or at the Science Building parking lot at Memorial University. If members requiring home deliveries during the 14 week season add holiday weeks, there will be no extra delivery charge on holiday weeks. Please note that we would much prefer it if you picked up at the farm or MUN.
What follows is the usual information we provide each year. Some of our returning members might prefer to skip to the Returning Members section below. If you need additional information, please e-mail the oldfarmermike@gmail.com Your subject line should be: “Veggie Group – Attention Mike”.
Who are we?
Briefly, we’re a family-run certified organic farm located in Portugal Cove. We’ve been growing organically for over 30 years, providing leadership in sustainable farming on the Avalon Peninsula. To a great extent, we have fulfilled our original goals which were to demonstrate that most vegetables can be grown in Newfoundland, to encourage local food production and to serve a local market at a time when organic vegetables were literally non-existent. Our new goal is to see what fruit can be grown on the Avalon.
What’s a CSA?
Our Veggie Group is a CSA, a Community Supported Agriculture model. It’s a way for you to connect with us, a local farm, and to know where your food comes from, that it is local, seasonal and fresh, and to help share the risks and the rewards of farming. We’ve had great years and we’ve had challenging ones – one never knows in Newfoundland, but we are always hopeful that there will be enough produce to exceed the cost of membership.
The birth of the Veggie Group (formerly Veggie Co-op) took place over thirty years ago. Mike was invited to give a talk on organics at Memorial University. The students who organized the event, asked: “How can we get your vegetables?”. Knowing that most did not have transportation to the farm, Mike promised if they could get 30 people interested in buying vegetables, he would deliver a weekly bag of veggies to the MUN Science Building Parking Lot. They did and he did!
When do we start? How many weeks?
We’ll begin a 14 week season starting on Wednesday, June 21st with a 3 holiday week option for a total availability of 17 weeks. Members who provide us with advanced notice of their holidays (at least 1 week) will have a replacement week(s) at the end of the season. For example, if you need to miss one week, you’ll receive a bag on Week 15; if you need 3 holiday weeks, you’ll receive bags on Weeks 15, 16 and 17 as replacements. If there is sufficient product, members who do not miss any of the regular season weeks can opt to buy one or more of the additional holiday weeks at the end of the season.
To accommodate people who plan to leave Newfoundland for more than three weeks this season and those who prefer to receive vegetables less often, we will be offering part-time memberships. Please check the weeks you would like to have a veggie bag on the part-time application that appears below. For example, if you would like to receive a vegetable bag every other week, please check the appropriate boxes on the form. In order to keep the record keeping straightforward, we request that part-time memberships be prepaid using one to three cheques or e-transfers, and that members choosing the part-time option will subscribe to three or more weeks. The part-time pricing is based on the cost of bags delivered on each Wednesday last year. In general, the bags delivered later in the season were larger and will cost more. The prices on the part-time list are adjusted upward by $9 per week above last year’s costs. $7 is the price adjustment experienced by all members and $2 is a service charge. Note that on some weeks you will receive more vegetables than you paid for and on other weeks less vegetables than you paid for. There will always be variability across seasons.
What are the membership options and prices?
Veggie bag: $840 (14 weeks) – $60/week average
Veggie bag plus home delivery (downtown St. John’s and Portugal Cove only): $966 (14 weeks) – $69/week average
Veggie bag part-time: cost is dependent on selections, see part-time form below.
Veggie bag part-time plus home delivery (option available only to residents of downtown St. John’s or Portugal Cove): cost is dependent on selections, see part-time form below and add $9 for each week you want home delivery.
How does the pricing work?
Each item in your bag will be listed and a total provided, much like the sales receipt at the supermarket. Early in the year, the total for the vegetables in the bag will usually be less than the $60.00 weekly cost you have paid for membership. Around the first to middle of August, the total will start to increase, until it evens out. Later in the fall, the bags will be bursting with vegetables. Hopefully, near the end of the season, as in other years, there will be winter squash, pumpkin, beets, rutabaga, and parsnip.
What kind of produce will be in the bag?
We hope to have a good supply of most things on the price list (see below). The Veggie Membership is one of our core markets and the one that responds best to the bio-diversity of crops that we enjoy. Some years, beans do well, but in other years (like 2009) the bean crop was a failure but other crops such as onions and winter squash were abundant. The 2011 season was so cold that only the cool weather crops were plentiful while 2013 was warm and pretty much everything was abundant. For the last four years, we have experimented with tomato grafting. Our initial trials were successful. With the additional benefit of propane heat, you should again be receiving greenhouse-grown beefsteak tomatoes in your bags in the later weeks of the season. We hope to occasionally be able to provide fruit and/or berries in your bags. In addition to gooseberries, we hope to have apples and blackberries.
What if I don’t want a particular vegetable or herb?
All bags have the same products. There will be a swap box. You will be able to swap an unwanted item for another item of similar value or purchase extra vegetables.
What are the payment options?
Payment options are explained on the membership application that appears below. Payment may be made by cheque (single or series of post-dated) or by e-transfer. You can opt to pay the total membership fee at the beginning of the season. This helps cover our labour costs early in the season. To show our appreciation, we offer a 5% discount to members (including part-time members) who pay the total fee by June 8 (i.e., Veggie Bag – $798.00, Veggie Bag and delivery – $917.70).
When and where do you pick up your vegetables?
Pickups will be on Wednesdays. The first delivery will be on June 21st.
MUN pickup: Bags must be picked up between 6 and 6:30 PM in the Science Building Parking Lot at MUN.
Farm pickup: Bags must be picked up between 6 and 7 at the farm (42 Churchills Road, Portugal Cove). Arrangements around holidays and pickups are the same as last year and are reviewed for new members.
RETURNING MEMBERS: PLEASE RENEW BY JUNE 1!
Please return the membership form (provided on the e-mail, below, and also provided in a separate attachment). You can use the reply button on your e-mail program to respond directly to the e-mail. Alternative you can fill out the form in your word processor and attach the form to an e-mail using the reply button. If there are no changes from last year, simply put your name on the form. If there are changes in phone numbers, payment schedule, who you are sharing with, address, or place for pick up, please indicate this. We look forward to connecting again – at the Science Building or the farm. Not returning? If you have not already let us know, please send a short e-mail to that effect.
NEW MEMBERS
The first step is to complete the membership form. (Note – just fill in your name if you already have sent us a form.)
WHAT ARE MY CHANCES?
Hopefully, everyone who wants to be a member will have a place.
IF MEMBERSHIP COST IS A BARRIER!
Perhaps you are a returning member and have an income loss since last year. This has happened to other families. We have spaces for a limited number of people to help at the farm, to reduce fees or to actually barter a full fee. Whether you are a returning member or a new member and unable to afford the full fee this year, please get in touch with Mike by e-mail. We may be able to partially or completely subsidize the costs. We will do our best to ensure you have healthy organic food this year.
WHAT YOUR INVESTMENT IN THE VEGGIE GROUP MEMBERSHIP MEANS!
Most important this year is that membership offers you access to a 17 week local supply of fresh organically grown vegetables. In addition, you are part of an investment in the organic movement toward a healthier environment and a healthier lifestyle for everyone. We continue to hope to encourage enough farmers and individuals to grow food so that Newfoundlanders can rise above 9% self-sufficiency in food production. By doing so, healthy foods can be available to everyone and we can reduce the rates of obesity and diabetes that are reported to be the highest in Canada.
THE ORGANIC FARM: 2023 SEASON
Itemized Price List for Veggie Group Membership
Apples $7.00/kg
Arugula $6.00/100g, $12.00/250g, $40/kg
Beans $10.50/500g
Beet greens (bunch) $6.00/250g
Beets/ winter $0.80/100g
Beets/ novelty baby $1.00 ea.(white,golden,candy strip)
Blackberries $7/pint
Braising Mix (regular) $8.00/250g $23.00/kg (in larger quantities)
Braising Mix (small) $4.00/100g
Broccoli $7.00/400g
Brussels Sprouts $7.00/500g or $10.50/stalk
Brussels Sprout Tops $2.00
Cabbage – Chinese $.90/100g
Cabbage – Red $.80/100g
Cabbage – green $.60/100g
Carrots (baby) $4.00/bunch
Carrots (bunch) $5.50/bunch
Cauliflower $5 .50- $9.50/head (depending on size and type)
Celeriac $.70/100g
Celery $5.25/stalk
Chard $6.00/250g bag
Collards $7.00/350g bag
Corn $1.50/ ear or $7.50/ half dozen
Cucumbers(English) $2.25 to $4/cucumber
Cucumbers(regular) $1 to $2/cucumber
Cucumbers (pickling) $0.75/cucumber $8/dozen
Fava Beans $1.50/100g
Fennel Roots $3.50 to $6.50/bulb (depending on size)
Garlic (regular) $0.55 to 3.00/bulb depending on size or $16.00/500g if plentiful
Garlic Scapes $0.80/scape or $7.00/dozen
Gooseberries $7.00/pint $12.50/quart
Green Onions $2.50 – 3.50 bunch, depending on size
Jerusalem Artichokes $2.00/100g
Juicing Mix $2.00/100g
Kale $6.00/300g bag, $18.00/kg
Kale (baby, summer) $4.00/100g
Kohlrabi $3 .00 to $6/bulb (depending on size)
Leeks $3.00 each or $7.00 for bunch of three
Lettuce Head $3.50 – $6.00 per head depending on size
Lettuce Leafy $6.00/250g bag
Lettuce Mix $9.00/250g bag
Lettuce Mix–Large leaf $2.80/100g
Lettuce Romaine $6/250g bag
Mustard Mix (large) $8.00/250g bag
Mustard Mix (small) $11.00/250g bag
Micro Greens $12.00/100g bag
Onions/winter $1.50 – $2.50 each depending on size
Onions/winter (small) $0.85/100g
Pak Choi (small types) $1 to $2
Pak Choi (large types) $3.00/100g or $20/kg in large quantities
Parsnip $0.95/100g
Peas (edible pod) $3.25/100g
Pea Shoots $10.50/100g
Peppers, sweet $0.80 to 4.00 each depending on size
Peppers, hot $0.40 to 3.00 each depending on size
Potatoes-fingerling $1.05/100g or $9.50/kg if plentiful
Potatoes-regular $0.75/100g or $7.00/kg if plentiful
Pumpkin $0.55/100g
Radish (Daikon) $0.90/100g
Radish (regular) $3.25/bunch
Rhubarb $1.25/100g
Rutabaga $0.65/100g
Salad Mix 12.00/250g bag or $20.00/500g in larger quantities
Shallots $1.90/100g
Spinach (baby) $3.75/100g
Spinach (regular) $3.25/100g
Sprouts (living) $8.00/quart
Sprouting Kit $8.00/each
Tomatoes (beefsteak) $11.00/kg
Tomatoes (cherry mixed) $8.50/pint
Tomatoes (cocktail) $11.50/quart
Tomatoes (green) $0.85/100g
Tomatoes (mixed) $1.25/100g
Tomatillo $1.75/100g
Turnip (summer) $0.70/100g
Winter Squash $0.70/100g
Zucchini $0.70/100g
Herbs: $4.75 bunch
Herb Bouquet: $6.00
Basil $4.50/25g, $7.00/50g, $12.00/100g bag, $25.00/250g bag, $45/500g bag, $80/kg bag
The Organic Farm grows assorted herbs, such as basil, cress, coriander, dill, curly and flat-leaf parsley, several kinds of mint, oregano, rosemary, tarragon and thyme. We supply Veggie Group members with herbs as they become available including basil and herb bouquets (sample of 3 to 5 herbs). We also provide tips on drying and freezing herbs.
Occasionally, other specialty items are added to the weekly collection of veggies and herbs to add interest, for example, edible flowers, recipe samples or recipes such as Tabouli with core ingredients.
