Is Your 'But' in the Way?
by Sarah Teach
How many times have you said something like, “I would love to eat fresh, local produce, but (fill in the blank)!” Your “but” might be “It’s not convenient to find!” or “It’s too expensive!” or even, “It spoils faster!” Whatever your “but” may be, Bartlett’s Oceanview Farm has launched a program to contend with any impediment. This fall, Bartlett’s is offering Community Supported Agriculture, a program through which local farmers provide customers with their freshest, just-picked produce.
Here’s how it works: customers purchase a “share” of the season’s harvest in advance. Having a continuous supply of fresh veggies is the easiest way to ensure that you’ll be eating healthfully all season long! Every Friday for the 12 weeks from September 9 until November 25, shareholders will come out to the farm and pick up a special bag of in-season vegetables. For shareholders, there is no waiting in line; and there is a home delivery option as well! See how your body feels after the three-month span of eating fresh and local. Who knows — you may have an epiphany about nutrition and energy!
Shareholders receive 12 weeks of farm fresh vegetables for a grand total of $545. It may sound like a lot now, but if you break it down, it comes to $45.41 for an entire week of farm fresh produce sufficient to feed four people. A diverse array of veggies is provided as the season progresses; variety is the spice of life, isn’t it? Childfree individuals or two-person families, just find a friend who’d like to split the purchase of one shareholding account with you. You can divide your weekly bounty however you choose.
Parents of veggie-refusing kids, prepare for trend reversal! Bartlett’s bursts with flavor without using the harmful chemicals that you ingest and taste when you consume mass-produced vegetables you see in the grocery store. The majority of those standard store-bought products have been genetically modified to allow for a long shelf life, among other traits to provide convenience for the sellers and leech flavor from the consumers. (Just look at them their uniform color; it’s like private school for vegetables!) Eating fresh, local produce opens up a whole new level of taste that everyone — kids and adults — will love!
Wait, there’s more! You can also purchase add-ons, including the following Pain D’Avignon breads: Baguette, Ciabatta, Sourdough, and Brioche. For those whose “but” is inaccessibility, consider the home delivery add-on, which is $300 for all three months. The best add-on deal of all is getting a dozen farm fresh eggs every week for just $60. Normally, you spend about $3 for a dozen factory-produced eggs that were shipped from hundreds of miles away and laid by chickens trapped in cages. However, for not that much more, you can have a steady supply of freshly laid eggs from free-range chickens that live and thrive right here on the island. If you normally do buy free-range eggs in the supermarket, they cost at least $5 per dozen. Financially, it is a much better deal to buy local.
Even though Community Supported Agriculture is a “but-free” zone, there is an “if.” As with any investment or shareholding endeavor, there is an uncertain amount of risk. In this instance, that risk is subject to the varying weather conditions that impact crops. The farmer and the shareholder both take on the risk of the harvest as well as the benefits. For example, if there is little or no rain one week, you may not receive a huge supply of products. Alternatively, there is an “and”! That is, if growing conditions are superb, you may receive an excess supply! Your vegetable stockbroker would tell you that the latter is the more likely direction of swing. After all, Nantucket’s perfect microclimate, sea air, and sandy soil have furnished hundreds of years of faithfully flourishing crops.
Buy your “Series B(artlett’s) Preferred” today; they’re on the up! In order to become a shareholder and get your weekly bounty of freshly picked Nantucket veggies, just fill out the CSA Agreement that is available at www.BartlettsFarm.com, or call Amy Zielinski at 508-228-9403 ext. 12. If you like, you can split the payments: pay half when you sign up, and then pay the other half when you pick up your first bag of goods. It doesn’t matter how you do it; it only matters that you will be nourishing your body right. Don’t let your “but” get in the way!
