Choose a CSA: Nash’s Organic Produce

It’s time to start thinking about those CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture). We are so lucky here in Puget Sound to have so many CSAs to choose from during the height of the market season. So how do you choose? Well, we’re here to help. Over the next few weeks, we’ll interview as many local CSAs as we possibly can (or at least as many as we can get in touch with) and ask each of them a series of questions. Our second CSA for today (and our eighth overall) is Nash’s Organic Produce. You’ve probably seen Nash’s at the Ballard, University District, Port Angeles, Port Townsend, or Sequim Farmers Markets. We’ve talked about Nash’s a lot, particularly with regards to their chickweed! 

Nash's Organic Produce

We were lucky enough to get in touch with Kia, the farm manager, who took time out of her busy schedule to provide us with the answers to our questions. She also sent lovely photos of the farm. 

1. What is your ordering mechanism? Register to become a Farm Share Member at any of our farmers market locations, or at our Farm Store. Call (360)681-7458 to make a credit card payment and sign up via phone. Registration cards and check may also be sent to Nash’s Organic Produce 1865 E. Anderson Rd. Sequim, WA 98392.

2. Can you customize your box?  Our Farm Share Program is the REAL DEAL because 98% of what’s in the box is grown at Nash’s*. Each week, the farm decides what to include in your box, including a broad representation of what is in season on the farm. We harvest food when its in its prime, ensuring you get vitamin and nutrient-rich food! Staples for salad, stirfrys and soups are included every week, and we try to include as much fruit as possible, including strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples and gooseberries. We can’t resist including certified organic nectarines, peaches and apricots from Eastern Washington!

3. Do you offer multiple box sizes?  Currently, we offer one size box, a full share. This typically feeds

Harvesting Carrots

 several vegetarians, or a family of four who eats a moderate amount of vegetables. Our boxes are the perfect size for housemates and neighbors to share too!

4. Do you offer multiple pickup/drop off points?  Nash’s offers office/business deliveries in Sequim and Port Angeles. Call to see if you are eligible.

Pickup locations and days include: 

Olympic Peninsula

• Nash’s Farm Store (Friday – Sunday)
• Port Angeles Farmers Market (Sat)
• Sequim Open Aire Market (Sat)
• Port Townsend Farmers Market (Sat)
• Kingston Farmers Market (Sat)

Seattle

• Ballard Farmers Market (Sun)
• University District Farmers Market (Sat)

5. What if a customer is on vacation for a week?  If you are unable to pick up your box for any reason, we encourage you to share your box with a friend or relative who can pick it up and enjoy the fresh food. While we do not offer box make-ups or credits, you may call ahead to change your pick-up location occasionally, as needed.

A happy, muddy farm crew

6. What happens if an item in a box is bad? What is your replacement policy?  Our hard-working harvest crew takes exceptional care to pick your vegetables, fruits and grains. If something does not live up to your expectations however, please let us known and we will gladly replace the item the following week with something of equal or greater value. We appreciate your feedback, as it is a useful tool for better serving our community.

7. Is everything you supply local?  98% of the fruits and vegetables in your box are from Nash’s Organic Produce. We do purchase a few nectarines, peaches and apricots when they are in season, from WA certified organic growers with whom we have a direct relationship with. (We drive all the way out to their farm and haul back loads of juicy stone-fruit to the West Side. Hey, we can live without mangos and bananas, but when Sunny Slope Ranch’s apricots are in season, there is no stopping us from getting our hands on some!) In the event of a total crop failure of a staple vegetable, we may purchase that item from a fellow Dungeness Valley organic farmer. (For example, our winter squash was disastrous in ’08, so we purchased gorgeous organic squash from the Johnston Farm, five miles down the road from us.) While our Farm Share Program is a traditional CSA model, we occasionally bend the rules to provide our members with a well-rounded seasonal diet!

8. What are the dates for the CSA? Are you year-round?  Nash’s Farm Share Program runs for 25 weeks from approximately mid July to the beginning of January. We are hoping to roll out our first Winter Farm Share Program for 10 weeks in 2010.

9. How much packaging is used for your fruits and vegetables? Can it be reused? If I get a plastic bag of green beans can I send that bag back and have it reused?  Our veggies, fruits and grains are very minimally packaged, if at all. Most greens are bunched with only a reusable twist-tie. Basil and loose grains are individually bagged in reusable bags. We are always willing to accept your clean reusable bags, which we make available to customers who shop at our farmers markets and farm store.

10. What does the service cost?  A twenty-five week seasonal eating adventure with Nash’s Organic Produce costs $18-$24/week depending on where you live and when you register. Payments are appreciated for all 25 weeks upon time of registration, but we do offer a payment plan. (Call 360-681-NASH (7458) for more details)

Olympic Peninsula Residents

The MAN himself, Nash Huber

• $449 Early Bird Discount (sign up before May 31st)
• $499 Full Share Price (sign up after May 31st)
• $549 Sequim and Port Angeles Office/Business Delivery

Seattle Residents

• $549 Early Bird Discount (sign up before May 31st)
• $599 Full Share Price (sign up after May 31st)

Join at any point in the six month program and we will pro-rate your share accordingly. Your investment not only ensures you a share of the farm’s harvest for twenty-five delicious weeks, it also includes a weekly newsletter featuring recipes, nutrition information, info abotu lesser-known veggies, and updates from the fields. Members are also welcome to join us for our Annual Farm Share Strawberry Social. Be our guest in early July for a farm-fresh lunch in the strawberry patch, and a chance to meet Nash and his team. 

Farm share members also get invitations to special events on the farm, and discounts on classes and workshops. 

Your financial commitment to Nash’s Organic Produce in the Spring is critical to getting the farm planted. We encourage you to join us this year as we embark on another seasonal adventure. Get to know the hands that feed you by investing in your health and the future of sustainable agriculture.