3 BIG THINGS I'M SHARING 🥬❓🧅
CSA FAQs | Where to Buy LOCAL for Thanksgiving Dinner | Next Farmers Market
Hey Friends!
Today I wanted to share 3 big things with you —
FAQs re: the Market Membership CSA - how it works, what you get, etc. Keep reading for answers to those questions. Market Memberships will open NEXT FRIDAY with a limited-time promotion.
Where to shop locally for your holiday dinner fixings
You get your veggie fix with me & 15+ other vendors on Small Business Saturday, November 30, from 9am-1pm, at 505 Cayuga St., 1st Presbyterian Church in Lewiston
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I wanted to express how thankful, grateful, and appreciative of you being here in the virtual space of local food.
Growing food for people is not the easiest job in the world (despite what the aesthetically pleasing Instagram will have you believe), but it is one of the greatest honors I’ve had in my life. I love being able to share nutritiously-dense food with you, stewarding a plot of land in a manner that respects the planet, and inspiring folks to try new veggies, recipes, or ways of cooking wholesome food for themselves and loved ones.
I would not be able to do any of that without your continued support and purchases. Whether you bought one bag of lettuce mix from me this year, shopped every week at the market, or were a CSA member — THANK YOU!
The ability for small farms such as mine continuing to grow and provide food for communities only continues with your commitment to buying locally.
I am thankful you are here and for how you show up. 🫶🏻
Peace, love, & all the veggies,
Aurora
FAQs about the Market Membership CSA
Have more questions beyond what’s listed below - check out our FAQs page & Most Commonly Asked Questions post — or reply to this email!
What are the perks of becoming a member vs. buying from the market from you when I want?
Our Market Membership CSA folks receive a few perks including:
10% bump in funds to their farm debit card (so joining at our $500 tier, actually gives you $550 to spend with us)
Reserve & pre-order items that we have a small supply of & order items in bulk for preserving, canning, freezing, etc.
Reserve garden seedlings when our Seedling Sale launches and choose where you pick them up (farm or market)
First-chance to learn about & purchase holiday shares, special offers, and class tickets
Weekly Wednesday email with a list of what is going to be brought to the market, tips, and recipes
Plus! I’ll share the list of other vendors that will be at the market so you can get more of your food shopping done in one place.
Our digital CSA Members-Only Library that includes dozens of resources for you to make the most of your CSA & local food experience, including:
CSA Recipe E-Book with 150+ recipes, so you can have new recipe inspiration at your fingertips
A-Z Produce Storage Guide to help you store and prolong the life of your produce, so you don’t waste your money or veggies!
Veggie 101 documents, detailing the ins-&-outs of new-to-you veggies for cooking, storage, and cooking inspiration
Does the Market Membership CSA only apply to veggies?
Nope! In fact, your Market Membership CSA farm debit card can be used on anything and everything at our stand at the weekly Lewiston Artisan Farmers Market. From veggies to microgreens to flowers to seedlings to organic cheese – you can mix & match all items to fill your reusable grocery bag.
Will you be taking pre-orders of any items throughout the season?
Yes! Our Market Membership CSA folks will have a chance every week to pre-order items that we are in short supply of (this will vary each week) so they don’t have to arrive at the market at 9:05am!
Will I have a chance to say what crops I would like to buy the most?
On the sign up form I ask folks what they would anticipate buying 3 or more times throughout the season - basically, what are the crops that you love. Having this information helps me plan planting and harvesting.
When does Market Membership CSA sign ups open & close?
Market Membership CSA open on November 29. We will be hosting a week-long promo during the first week with a special deal (details coming next week). Sign ups close on March 1, 2025, or sooner if we hit our maximum capacity for the season.
Where can I use my Market Membership CSA farm debit card?
You can use your Market Membership CSA farm debit card at our stand at the Lewiston Artisan Farmers Market. We are at both the summer market & winter market, from April to December. The market is held on Saturdays, 9am-1pm. The summer market is May 31-October 12 at Academy Park and the winter market is April 19, May 10, and May 24, as well as October - December at 505 Cayuga St (1st Presbyterian Church). Get the detailed locations on our “Find Us” webpage.
I’m interested, but not sure what membership tier to join.
I offer 3 tiers of membership to help you become a part of the farm family at a level that makes sense for you, your lifestyle, and your budget.
The scenarios described below are meant to illustrate how much you might buy each week, if you were trying to divide the cost of the membership tier by the number of market dates. You absolutely do not have to restrict yourself to that amount.
If you want to only use your Market Membership CSA farm debit card from June to October, you can! If you want to use it all season, from April to December, you can! It’s flexible! You choose how you want to & what you spend your membership on.
The smallest membership tier is Radish, for $200. As a thank you for being a member, you’ll actually find $220 on your farm debit card to spend. Since there are approximately 27 market dates, if you shopped every week, you’d be spending approximately $9 at each visit. If you planned to visit the market about every other week (13 market dates), you’d have about $16 available to spend.
A $9 shopping trip might look like a bag of salad mix, a bunch of radishes, and a single onion. A $16 shopping bag could include a bag of salad mix, a bunch of radishes, a bunch of scallions, and a bunch of kale.
Our mid-size membership tier is Tomato for $350 and with the 10% bump in funds as a member you’d have $385 to spend from April – December 2025.
If you came to every market date, you could spend approximately $14 each week – so a bag of microgreens, cherry tomatoes, and a bunch of chard. Or if you think you’ll be shopping about half the time, on your 13 market visits, you’d have about $30 to spend at each visit – this might include a bouquet, a wedge cheese, a bag of lettuce mix, a winter squash, and a bunch of turnips.
The largest membership tier is Celery for $500, which amounts to $550 to spend between the 27 market dates.
If you planned to visit the market every week you’d have about $21 to spend down – a bunch of kale, a bunch of radishes, a bunch of scallions, a container of sweet peppers, 2 garlic bulbs, and 2 cucumbers. And if you’re schedule allowed you to shop at about every other market (13 dates), then you’d have $42 for a flower bouquet, granola, a bag of salad mix, bok choy, a bunch of salad turnips, 3 zucchini, a quart of slicing tomatoes, and a quart of eggplant.
Have more questions - check out our FAQs page & Most Commonly Asked Questions post — or reply to this email!
Get Local Veggies for Your Thanksgiving Dinner
Lockport Community Farmers Market - Saturday, November 23, 10am-2pm, 210 Walnut St, city of Lockport
Thorpes Organic Family Farm Store - open Saturdays 9am-3pm, Monday-Wednesday & Friday 9am-5pm, Thursdays 9am-6pm, 12866 Route 78 in East Aurora
5 Loaves Farm - Saturday, November 23, 9am-1pm, 70 W.Delevan Ave, city of Buffalo
Shenandoah Acres Farmers Market - open 9am-8pm Monday-Sunday, 3140 Ransomville Rd, Ransomville
Root Down Farm: Thanksgiving Market on the Farm - Tuesday, November 26, 2pm-5pm (cash or check only)
Next Indoor Winter Farmers Market, November 30
I’ll publish & share my full list of what I’ll be bringing next week with you on Wednesday, but here is a sneak peak and the vendor list for the next Indoor Winter Farmers Market, hosted by the Lewiston Artisan Farmers Market.
See you November 30, 9am-1pm, at 505 Cayuga St.
Salad Mixes
Kale, Collards, Mustard Greens
Cured Onions, Garlic, Scallions
Turnips, Rutabaga, Watermelon Radishes
Winter Squash
Potatoes
🆕 Sunchokes
Celery
English Walnuts
Eden Valley Creamery Cheese & Caramel Sauce
Gift Sets, Jams, Dried Flower Bouquets
