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Sign up for 2013!

Abbe Hills Farm CSA near Mt. Vernon, Iowa, will likely open the 2013 season on Monday, June 3 and Thursday, June 6.  Here is the 2013 CSA registration form.  Please print and mail to Laura to reserve your share.

Join us on Facebook

To get timely updates about what's going on at the farm and see farm photos, check out Abbe Hills Farm Facebook page.

Read the Newsletter

To find out what's happening at Abbe Hills Farm CSA, or what it was like at this time last year, read the Newsletters. Here are newsletters from previous years.

Summer Jobs for Students

Abbe Hills Farm CSA, near Mt. Vernon, Iowa, has hired all of the workers we think we will need for the 2013 season.  However, you may still submit an application for the worker file.  If we get very busy, we may need to hire more.  Job announcements for college age workers and high school age workers explain the application process.  

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Community Supported Agriculture

Squash for sale at Abbe Hills Farm CSA

  • Direct support of family farms
    by the consumer
  • Access to fresh, high quality
    food in season
  • Encourages sustainable
    agricultural practices
  • Builds a sense of community
    and land stewardship
Eggs for Sale

 

There are lots of lovely eggs, $3 per dozen.  Eggs are at the house for the winter.  Contact me first to make sure I'm here when you want to stop.

How does the CSA work?

Well, Laura and her workers do most of the work. We grow and harvest the food and get it ready for distribution to the shareholder families.  Shareholders come to the farm, which is about two miles north and west of Mount Vernon, once per week to pick up their share of that week’s garden production.

The season lasts 20 weeks and will start either the week of June 3/6 or 10/13, depending on the weather up to that point. The regular pick-up times for the first 16 weeks are Mondays 4:30-7 p.m. and Thursdays 4:30-7 p.m.  We use this schedule through the week of Sept 16/19.  Starting on Saturday, Sept 28, everybody picks up at the same time, Saturdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., until Oct. 19 or 26.  

If you decide to join the CSA, you select Monday or Thursday for your regular pick-up night during the summer.

We’ll put the vegetables out on tables and in tubs in our big shed. There is a blackboard that tells you the amount of each kind of food that you should take for your share, either regular or single. Here’s where you have to do some work. You go around the room, and sometimes outside on the hayrack, to select and weigh your own share. Be sure to bring your bags and boxes to carry it all home. There will be plenty of vegetables that we have in large supply and less of the things that don’t grow so well. Whatever we have, we share it among everybody. There is often excess of certain crops like leafy greens and herbs (because I like to grow them) that are available for you to take whatever you will need for that week.

We try to wash as few of the vegetables as possible.  For one thing, it takes a lot of time and it's messy!  But more importantly, washing sometimes decreases the storage life of certain vegetables, especially if they aren't completely dried before they go into the cooler.  So, you will find some things washed, some still with a little field dirt on them - but please remember that EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE WASHED AT HOME BEFORE YOU EAT IT!!!  PLEASE!!!!  I can't have you getting sick (although I don't think you will).  Make my insurance agent happy.  Wash everything!  Please!