The high for today is a frigid 21°, and snow is forecasted tomorrow. So why are we thinking about Ashbourne’s CSA membership? Because we’ve already begun planning for the upcoming season.

Though there’s not a lot happening in the fields right now, our gardener Alaina is planning the harvest. In the winter months, she places seed orders, tends to the greenhouses where she starts her seeds and harvests winter crops and focuses her efforts on creating a game plan for soil amendments, compost management, and crop planning. The work never stops at Ashbourne Farms.

So what is a CSA? Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, is a way for local farmers and their communities to support each other throughout the growing season. It’s a direct connection between the plate and our fields that allows participants to be intimately involved in the way their food is grown. By purchasing a weekly “share”, CSA members assist the farmer, in advance, with the income needed to support the growing season including any supplies, seeds, and tools.

While Alaina prepares for the upcoming CSA season, we thought we’d share a few tips on how you can get ready for your Ashbourne Farms 2018 CSA.

• Share the wealth. Many of our members take advantage of a full CSA share but split it with friends and neighbors. It’s a great way to split the cost and share in the community.
• Prepare a meal plan. Learn about the veggies of the season and plan your meals.
• Recipe ready, set, go! What do you do with Kohlrabi or ginger or turmeric? Here’s the best part of Ashbourne Farms CSA – every week you’ll receive a new recipe from the Ashbourne Chef, so you’ll be able to use these ingredients to cook like the pros.
• What to do with products I don’t use. Getting the hang of using all the vegetables in a CSA is part of the fun, but sometimes you will have vegetables that you don’t use. Think about sharing unused vegetables with a friend, or attend one of our pickling or canning workshops to learn how we preserve the harvest for the winter. If that doesn’t fit into your schedule, head to the nearest compost!

To sign up for your Spring and Summer CSA Shares, call Cathy at 502-222-0602. You can also email us your questions to info@ashbournefarms.com

Ashbourne Farms
3801 Old Westport Rd.
La Grange, KY 40031