wintergreens: How We Started

wintergreens is a presence at Hudson Valley farmers markets selling pickled local produce and vegetarian staples (tofu, seitan, cashew cheese). In the winters we run a winter C.S.A. that distributes local produce all winter long. We do that by practicing some of the oldest methods for storing food: root cellaring, fermentation, dehydration, and more.

Here's how wintergreens came to be.

I moved to Beacon, NY several years ago. The most amazing thing about living here, for me, has been participating in community supported agriculture (well, and my beautiful porch. and the Hudson River.) My summers have been filled with so many gorgeous veggies, a weekly visit to the fields, picking flowers, and the smell of warm tomatoes and basil on my hands. But each year there comes a time when the days get shorter, the air gets a chill, and C.S.A. distributions end. It's a tragic time. I look at all the pathetic produce at the supermarket and want to cry. Then I look at the prices, and really want to cry. For years I'd been fabulously healthy during the summers, and weird and anemic in the winters.

There were winter C.S.A.s all over the country feeding hungry locavores, and it was time for Beacon to finally get its own. I took a fermentation workshop with Sandor Katz, and that really set the wheels in motion.

wintergreens is based on the belief that everybody should have access to local food. That's what a community food program is all about: rich, poor, fat, skinny, vegetarian or no, everybody should be eating food that's grown in their backyards. Living in the fertile Hudson Valley, there's a lot of food in our area! We all have a lot to gain to by supporting local farmers.

Therefore, I introduce to you wintergreens. It is food made from the same beautiful (organic and certified naturally grown) fruits and veggies we're getting in our farm shares. No pesticides, no wilting while traveling. Just beautiful, healthful food, preserved so that you don't have to get pale, weak, or hungry in the winter months, and you don't have to rely on Key Food!

*The photo is from that first fermentation workshop, and shows our "bruiser" breaking down the vegetables so they could brew in their own flavorful juices.

Tiny Fish in a Growing School

wintergreens is a tiny C.S.A., and sometimes we feel like we can't possibly be making a dent because we're so small. But then I read things like these statistics from Local Harvest, which say that the median number of members that CSAs in the U.S. have is forty seven. Ok, then, we're not all that small!

They also point out that 25% of all CSA members belong to CSAs of 100 members or less. The many, many tiny CSAs all combined ARE having an impact.

Vida longa ao organizações minúsculo!

*Photo from SouleMama.

Lock Zip

wintergreens freezes fruit and veggies using the nested bag method. That is, put food in a small freezer bag, then put a bunch of those in a bigger freezer bag, so that there are multiple layers of protection from freezer burn.

We don't use a vacuum sealer. I was tempted, because of the thicker plastic, and because the food looks more "official" that way. The downside was that the plastic then had to be thrown away after it was cut away from the food. I've got a clothesline of washed baggies to reuse, so that part rubbed the frugal me all wrong. Plus, I don't like having to have special single-use equipment. Nesting doesn't get every last bit of air out, but it does protect the food well from burn.

Then my Dept. of Agriculture safety inspector told me that vacuum sealing done wrong can cause botulism, just like canning gone wrong. It creates an anaerobic situation, where bad bacteria can thrive.

Now I'm sure there are measures you can take to avoid botulism, and, indeed, many people use vacuum sealers every day. But after my safety inspector recommended we not vacuum seal our stored food, that sealed the deal! wintergreens uses plain old heavy duty freezer baggies, inside other freezer baggies.

We expect to see your baggies hanging out to dry!

Reusing Jars

Reducing waste is a huge focus for wintergreens. It informs the order that various foods are prepped (prepare veggies for pickling then use trimmings to make vegetable broth, for example), what tools and packing are used (or not used), it even decides what produce we'll be using. (The hail-damaged apples can't be sold to anyone else? Okay, we'll make applesauce!)

When we pack food in glass, we sometimes use heavy duty canning jars. When we can, we use old jars. They may not look as glamorous, but they're already in our presence, and, when sterilized, can be safely used again and again. Some have the perk of fabulous designs on the lids.

In my own cupboards, I enjoy pulling out my nutritional yeast jar when cooking, for example, because I remember where I got that jar (nearly twenty years ago!).

I hope you'll feel proud to be reusing jars with wintergreens, rather then putting them into recycling after one use. The process of recycling creates pollution, too, and those jars have a lot of functions just as they are. Once you've eaten the food within, please consider bringing your (clean) jars back for reuse.

**Please note: When thawing frozen food in glass jars, loosen the lid, and keep the jar in the refrigerator to thaw. Even the most cheapo commercial jars hold up when food is thawed in this method. Do not run under hot water or put frozen jars in a microwave. If a jar breaks, throw it and the food away. No matter how tasty, it's not worth ingesting broken glass!

Winter What?

We're often asked what the difference is between wintergreens and Winter Sun Farms. First, the similarities:

• We are both Hudson Valley C.S.A.s, focused on getting people fantastic local food, and supporting our local farms.
  
• We are both winter C.S.A.s, working to extend the season of local eating.

And, the differences:

• wintergreens is tiny, and focused on Beacon. Winter Sun Farms has 1500 members this year, and distributes from Albany to Brooklyn. They now also have a C.S.A. in North Carolina.
  
• Winter Sun Farms costs $118 for four distributions over the season, wintergreens costs $240 for 12.
  
• Winter Sun Farms primarily uses freezing as their preservation method, though they may introduce a root cellar this year. wintergreens combines many preservation methods (fermentation, root cellaring, four-season farming, dehydration, and yes, freezing). wintergeens makes use of ancient food preservation methods from around the world, and distribution includes items like sauerkraut, sundried tomatoes, popcorn, and dried beans, all from locally grown vegetables.

wintergreens is interested in making food available for all. We accept food stamps, and hope to be able to subsidize shares for those who can't afford them. We want to plant fruit trees in town to create free food, and we've harvested unused fruit and nuts from those that already grow here, to avoid waste. We want to bring the eating of mulberries and black walnuts and dandelions back into vogue. We dream of seeing unused patches of land turned into food producing gardens. We want every individual to know how to grow food and store it themselves. The best scenario is that we come together and share all our knowledge on the forgotten methods and skills that fed people through winter before refrigeration and long-distance shipping, eventually making wintergreens obsolete. Until then, we hope you'll join us!

Based on similar principles, our friends Winter Sun Farms are doing good work. Please support them if their model works better for you for financial or logistical reasons.

wintergreens Accepts Food Stamps

Today is officially a good day, since we officially became eligible to receive Food Stamps. The federal food stamp program is now called S.N.A.P. (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), and will require a different payment schedule than listed here on the wintergreens site. If you are a part of the SNAP program and you'd like to participate in wintergreens CSA, just contact us and we'll set it up!
wintergreenscsa@gmail.com.

We expect to work with area farms and help them move toward accepting SNAP too.

If you don't know whether you're eligible or not, check the Hunger Action Network. (One in every five New Yorkers is eligible!)

Oh, it's a jolly, well-fed day!

The Price of Great Food

**2009-2010 MEMBERSHIP IS FULL. YOU CAN CONTACT US AT WINTERGREENSCSA@GMAIL.COM IF YOU WANT TO BE PLACED ON A WAITING LIST.**
Everybody knows that cooking at home is cheaper than eating out. What people don't always realize is that often cooking at home produces better food, more suited to your tastes, too.

It's a similar situation with local foods. They're cheaper because there has been no transportation and often no packaging, and they taste better because they're fresher, and harvested in season.

That said, you'd be nuts to not join wintergreens, and keep the local eating going all year long! We're focused on our community, and making sure that everyone has access to great food. After all, we're neighbors, and we're all in this crazy economic crash together.

Prices for the 2009-2010 season are:

• $315 for a GOOD SEED share
  
• $240 for a regular share
  
• $75 for a GOOD SEED donation

Share fees are due prior to the start of the distribution season. If you cannot pay in advance, please contact us at wintergreenscsa@gmail.com to make an alternative arrangement. We accept food stamps.

A share comes to $20 per distribution. A Good Seeds share is only a few dollars more per distribution. If you are able to be one of our Good Seeds, please consider doing so. wintergreens will use these funds to help subsidize shares for those in Beacon who cannot afford them.

Good Seeds will be honored in various ways: businesses will be thanked on our website and at our events, individuals will receive extras in their distribution when available. Everyone will have the peace of mind of knowing our community will be well fed all winter long.

**To pay with food stamps/SNAP, contact us: wintergreenscsa@gmail.com

Shareholder Contract

This is the shareholder's contract for the 2009-2010 season.

1) By becoming a shareholder in wintergreens C.S.A., I understand that I will be receiving fresh, dried, fermented, root cellared and frozen produce 12 times during the winter season, twice monthly from November through April. I understand that the content of that share is variable based on the availability of crops in the area.

2) I understand that my share is made up of fruits, vegetables, and grains, produced by local small farmers in a sustainable manner. It will not include animal products.

3) I understand that I must pick up my share during the designated distribution period. Someone can pick up my share for me if I've alerted wintergreens in advance of distribution day. (Give your input on the best distribution location for you, here.)

4) I understand that being a wintergreens shareholder means that my share dollars are going directly to local small farmers, and give me the opportunity to participate in wintergreens events and educational programs. I understand that my membership does not require me to participate in said programs or events.

5) I understand that I'm about to experience my best winter of eating yet!

Please print out this page, sign, and include with your membership check.



Signature______________________________________________________


Date:__________________________________________________________


Printed name:__________________________________________________


Contact info (email, phone, address):__________________________


_______________________________________________________________


_______________________________________________________________

Distribution for the 2009-2010 Season

Distribution for the 2009-2010 season will take place twice a month, from November through April, in Beacon. That's a total of 12 pickups.

Share distribution takes place at the Sunday farm market in the sloop club. (You've noticed that building by the river with a tree growing out of it, right?) There, you can buy produce from other farmers, fresh bread, local wines, etc. while picking up your share. It's chilly in the sloop club, but there is usually a raging fire in the fireplace to warm up next to.

*UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2009: It's official, we'll be at the Beacon Winter Farm Market, the 2nd and 4th Sundays of every month. See you there!

**Check here for details of the contents of each distribution.

What's in my share?

The below samples are meant to give you a quick idea of some of the things you'd be receiving in any given month. For the contents of actual distributions, click here.

Sample December share:

• fresh apples
  
• fresh carrots
  
• fresh winter squash
  
• dried sage
  
• dried tarragon
  
• dried wheat berries
  
• jar of pesto
  
• frozen vitamin greens
  
• frozen zucchini
  
• frozen wild mulberries

Sample February share:

• fresh sprouts
  
• fresh onions
  
• fresh garlic
  
• fresh potatoes
  
• fresh oyster mushrooms
  
• dried mint
  
• sun dried tomatoes
  
• jar of salsa
  
• jar of apple sauce
  
• frozen mixed asian leafy greens
  
• frozen bell peppers

Sample April share:

• fresh salad micro greens
  
• fresh potatoes
  
• dried parsley
  
• jar of miso paste
  
• jar of marinara sauce
  
• jar of ginger kraut
  
• jar of hot peppers
  
• frozen kale
  
• frozen green beans
  
• frozen squash
  
• tomato and herb seedlings
  
• compost

How on earth does a Winter CSA work?

Winter C.S.A.s rely on the same food growing and preservation methods that people in cold climates always have: fermenting; canning; freezing; extending shelf life in root cellars; drying foods; and extending growing seasons with cold frames, hoop houses, and greenhouses.

A winter C.S.A. takes foods grown all summer long and prepares them for storage, as well as collecting wild foods and working with four season farmers.
Summer C.S.A.s abound in the Hudson Valley, but winter C.S.A.s are just starting to crop up. I only know of Wintergreens and our friends at Winter Sun Farms. Support the movement! Eat locally and well throughout winter.

What is C.S.A.?

C.S.A. stands for Community Supported Agriculture.

C.S.A. is a direct relationship between people who grow & produce food and those who eat it, driving down costs for both. C.S.A. keeps food local, therefore fresher. It makes packing and shipping obsolete, saving fuel and resources. It keeps money in the local economy, and improves a community's food security.

"Share holders" generally buy a share directly from farmers before the growing season, and receive fresh produce throughout the season. They share in the risk of a failed crop, but far more often, in the abundance of truly fresh and beautiful food.

Here is a link (to a far away C.S.A.) that explains the pros and cons of joining well.

Here is more information from Local Harvest about how it all works.
OK, so what on earth is winter C.S.A.?