Hi- I took a look at the article about the CSA at the Chicago Tribune, and I have a hard time believe that Mick Klug's farm is small scale, and I don't think Ellis Family Farm is either. They are delivering to somewhere in Evanston for 17 weeks starting the beginning of June, and they are charging $720, and so $40 a week. It includes both fruit and veggies every week, and every other week you get a loaf of bread from Hewn, and I think you get some eggs too, but I don't know how often. Some people here might be interested. It is too much food for me. Hope this helps, Nancy

Unless I am even more incompetent than I realize, it seems like the CSA is no longer available on the Klug site.

There’s a new CSA in Glenview = https://www.wiseacre.farm/

This is owned by a friend of my neighbor.

cilantro wrote:Unless I am even more incompetent than I realize, it seems like the CSA is no longer available on the Klug site.

The deadline to subscribe to the May CSA was Sunday.

Darren72 wrote:

cilantro wrote:Unless I am even more incompetent than I realize, it seems like the CSA is no longer available on the Klug site.

The deadline to subscribe to the May CSA was Sunday.

Right, but the website says that after that they prorate for the remaining weeks in May. More to the point, I was interested in later months, but no info about that (yet?).

I checked the website for wiseacre farm, and all that they have in their CSA is greens, which for some people would probably be okay. You buy a 10 week share, but they don't tell you how much it is.

For sure, of course the clockwise rule was broken by people immediately. Well set up though and being early, had a smooth ride. Fresh lettuce, spinach, green onions, radish. Good salads lately. Nothing like lettuce just out of the ground. Tender stuff. Used some spinach this morning in a bratwurst, cremini, spinach omelet. Good start to this day.

cilantro wrote:

Darren72 wrote:

cilantro wrote:Unless I am even more incompetent than I realize, it seems like the CSA is no longer available on the Klug site.

The deadline to subscribe to the May CSA was Sunday.

Right, but the website says that after that they prorate for the remaining weeks in May. More to the point, I was interested in later months, but no info about that (yet?).

I'm guessing they reached capacity and took the May CSA option off the site with later months to be added another time.

Excerpt from an email received this morning from Klug Farm . . .

in an email, Klug Farm wrote:-We plan to post June CSA shares tomorrow (Monday [5/18]). The deadline to purchase June shares is 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 31st. However, they may sell quickly, so be sure to check our online store regularly for details, and purchase as soon as possible!

-We do not offer a "full season" CSA. With the COVID-19 situation being so fluid, it is very difficult to plan beyond June. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.

=R=

Price is now $120 ($199 for the deluxe package), up from $90....

cilantro wrote:Price is now $120 ($199 for the deluxe package), up from $90....

Supply and demand. It's a bitch. A farmer friend once told me that the reason farmers never make any money is because in years when prices are up, they can't grow enough to make any money. And in years when crops are plentiful, prices are too low to make any money.

In all seriousness, if they're raising prices, I hope it does mean that they're selling out fast, which would possibly indicate that they're able to make it work in the current configuration. Given the likely void of restaurant throughput this year, that would be quite an accomplishment.

=R=

I can't speak to Mick Klug specifically, but I know other CSA's that do monthly or seasonal pricing have different prices for different months or seasons. I'm assuming that has to do with demand or expected yield or something.

As an update, I've been happy with both Tomato Mountain's delivery and Green Acres' pick-up services thus far (I have had to make a list of the stuff I'm getting to keep track and keep cooking). I also have ordered piecemeal from Mick Klug a couple of times as they have a drop-off near my house. The Green Acres monthly sampler only goes through the end of the month and the TM seasonal offering ends at the end of June. I will figure out in the next couple of weeks what I want to do for the rest of the season.

I do like that these farms all have some online marketplace where I can specifically order some of the same items they are including in their boxes a la carte style. That way I can make sure I get enough of a particular item to make something I'm planning or I can get access to something that isn't included in the box.

Given the fact that markets in the city continue to get pushed back (Logan was supposed to open last weekend and now has been pushed til next month), I'm planning to continue getting the bulk of my seasonal fruits and vegetables via subscription and online ordering methods for the rest of the season (plus what I supplement by growing on my deck). Maybe markets come back and selection will be good and the attendance won't seem too onerous. Maybe not. But it's nice to have something else available right now.

Hi- I was just on the Green City Market Facebook page to see if they had any idea when they were opening up, and I could not find anything, but they do now have two pickup locations. One is on Saturdays at Goose Island Brewery, and the other is at Band of Bohemia 4710 N. Ravenswood which takes place on Wednesday. I get the impression you go on GCM's app, and you submit and pay for your order there. It sounds like it is the same app that they are using for home delivery, but with this you don't have to pay for a delivery charge.

For those people that live out that way, I also discovered that Wheaton which has a French market (I know), just opened up yesterday 5/16. They are currently limiting what they sell. They are not selling soap right now. I hope they are not selling jewelry right now too. They are going to limit the crowds, and encourage social distancing too, and you have to wear masks. The Glen Ellyn French market will not open up until 6/26, and I assume that means the other French markets will not open up until then too. BTW- the Morton Grove market is becoming a French market this summer.

I believe the Oak Park market is opening up the end of May. The manager of the Evanston market just did a webinar with 80 market managers to go through how their market is operating right now.

Did I already miss the shares of the June Klug Farms CSA? I didn’t see an email but I don’t see it listed on their website and I know today was supposed to be the day...

DClose wrote:Did I already miss the shares of the June Klug Farms CSA? I didn’t see an email but I don’t see it listed on their website and I know today was supposed to be the day...

Nope, been checking all day -- still hasn't been posted. They did just add ramps to the online store, so maybe they're still updating.

Nope, been checking all day -- still hasn't been posted. They did just add ramps to the online store, so maybe they're still updating

Whew!

They just went live!

Yep, took a chance. Let’s see how this voodoo works out.

Funny (not haha funny, though) how things change. After a couple seasons of irritation and disappointment with our previous CSA shares, we'd decided last fall that we were done with them for good. Then along comes coronavirus and suddenly CSA's seem like one of the greatest business concepts ever. We'll see how it goes this year. Ours -- one we've never used before -- starts in early June and I have to say I'm actually excited about the prospect.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote: Ours -- one we've never used before -- starts in early June and I have to say I'm actually excited about the prospect.

Which service are you using? I'm excited to try Klug Farms but ideally I'd like one that offers an egg add-on option.

DClose wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote: Ours -- one we've never used before -- starts in early June and I have to say I'm actually excited about the prospect.

Which service are you using? I'm excited to try Klug Farms but ideally I'd like one that offers an egg add-on option.

We're using Nichols this year. I don't know if they offer an egg add-on, though they do sometimes have eggs at their online retail shop. It was Genesis Growers that offered the egg add-on in years past but they have ceased operations.

=R=

We started with Tomato Mountain at the beginning of the month with a small share. They partner with other growers so the box will have an assortment of items. Egg shares are available. They also have an online store where you can add items. I admit I was underwhelmed with our first box (mushrooms, mesclun, beets and parsnips) but I also realize we were at the start of the new season. The second box was more interesting with Hakurei turnips w/ Greens, overwintered Carrots, asparagus from Mick Klug Farm and hydroponic Early Girl & Heirloom tomatoes.

Seedlings is doing a fruit CSA this summer. The only market they are going to this summer is Green City whenever it opens up. The city of Chicago is not allowing any markets to open up until at least 6/1. Seedlings has a bunch of drop off sites though, and at the Evanston market Green Acres is distributing Seedling's boxes. The season comprises 26 weeks, and if you sign up before 6/1 you can get it for $520..

I'm sure Klug subscribers have already gotten the email, but just in case it went to spam: They're not doing CSA drop-offs this week. This applies to a la carte orders, too.

In addition to our small Tomato Mountain CSA, I added the standard June share from Mick Klug. I liked that Klug seems to be more fruit-focused. That said, Tomato Mountain shares also include crops from Klug. We are not lacking for asparagus or rhubarb right now.

Another cool thing about Klug is that they may include a treat from another Chicago area provider. Last Saturday, I got asparagus, strawberries and rhubarb in the share, along with a Rustic Tart Ready-to-Roll dough disc. I made a thing and it was good:

The GP wrote:I made a thing and it was good:

Hell, yeah. It looks great!

=R=

I wouldn't have normally bought the Ready-to-Roll dough as I can make a decent pie crust. However, to have it included in our box made it a no-brainer to whip up a strawberry-rhubarb tart.

While I'm at it, some of the Klug asparagus and mushrooms from River Valley Ranch went into a risotto that accompanied a simple lemon/garlic roasted rockfish from Sitka.

The GP wrote:I wouldn't have normally bought the Ready-to-Roll dough as I can make a decent pie crust. However, to have it included in our box made it a no-brainer to whip up a strawberry-rhubarb tart.

Absolutely. That's a very convenient head start.

=R=

The GP wrote:I made a thing and it was good:

Strawberry-rhubarb tart looks fantastic, drool worthy!