I have finally found the perfect CSA! No more crates filled with kale and rutabaga and perhaps one lonesome peach. No more struggling to use everything up before it goes bad and the next crate arrives. Now I choose what I want, when I want it.
Mainstone Farm is a 130-year-old family-owned farm in Wayland. They grow all kinds of produce and also raise grass-fed cattle, lambs, chickens, and more. They even offer honey, maple syrup, and firewood. Everything is grown in a sustainable manner, and as organically as practically possible.
When you join the CSA, you get "Mainstone Money" to spend however you want. For instance, a $300 CSA share gets you $300 in Mainstone Money, plus a 5% bonus, for a total of $315 in Mainstone Money. Then you're free to do as you please. Emails come each week, or more often if necessary, listing the items currently available. "This week we have arugula, zucchini, parsley...." You can choose to get fresh tomatoes every day for a week, skip a week entirely, or pick up just some ground beef and salad greens. It's completely up to each person how and when to spend their Mainstone Money.
Today I picked up a dozen eggs, a bunch of beets, a few pickling cukes, and a tomato. Maybe in a few days I'll get some basil, corn, and strawberries.
If you're wishing you'd joined this CSA and feel disappointed that there are no more shares left, have no fear! The farmstand is open daily from 10 to 6 and accepts greenbacks as well as Mainstone Money. So, aside from that 5% bonus, you have access to everything we CSA members get.
Very cool. My fear of a CSA is landing up with tons of kale one week (which I would have to use) and yearning for fruit. . . you know. Sounds like a great deal!
Posted by: Stephanie | July 21, 2010 at 08:20 PM
Wish wish wish we had something like that around here! Sounds wonderful.
Posted by: Tonya | July 22, 2010 at 01:14 AM
Thanks for this tip - I'm going to head out there next week. Thanks to your post, I just signed up for their email notices. We have a great Farmers' Market once a week, but sometimes I need to supplement, so this is great to know about.
Posted by: Rachel | July 22, 2010 at 07:39 AM
We gave up our CSA share this year after several years. We were getting way more vegetables than we could eat. Especially Kale and other similar greens! We did learn to prepare some new foods but my children probably won't miss eating swiss chard. I feel bad because the farmers are wonderful and I liked supporting local sustainable agriculture. Now I try to shop at the local farmer's market as much as possible.
Posted by: Sharon | July 22, 2010 at 09:03 AM
oh, i would love this. we have a wonderful csa...but too many carrots and cukes. i would love to feel a bit more in control of dinner. ENJOY!
Posted by: Beth | July 23, 2010 at 08:31 PM
Great concept. Our downtown market which features only locally grown produce is introducing a concept like this but like a CSA, I get a discount when I pay in advance.
Posted by: Tammy | July 24, 2010 at 11:14 AM