2019 Austin Area Farm Share and CSA

Blessing Falls LLC grows natural, safe, healthy vegetables and fruit using organic methods and practices and delivers the harvest convenient to greater Austin and Round Rock area, including Pflugerville and Hutto. Our family farm was established in 2010, each year adding more garden space and different varieties of vegetables, herbs, fruit trees, berries, and animals.  Partner with us and enjoy the health and taste of natural produce in your weekly farm share conveniently delivered. Grass fed beef, pastured pork, pastured chicken, and pasture-raised eggs from organically fed hens are also available with your weekly order.

“Community Supported Agriculture”, or CSA, means farmers and supporters partnering together for the sake of healthy, nutritious food. Some farms call this a weekly “farm share”, “farm basket”, “farm box” or “veggie basket” program.  Supporters join as members, paying the farm expenses early in the season when costs are highest. As the crops mature, all members enjoy sharing in the harvest. This community of farmer and members benefits everyone – costs and risks are shared and none of the harvest is wasted but goes directly to waiting members as soon as it’s harvested. You may think of it as a subscription to fresh, natural food. Costs are paid early and the bounty is enjoyed every week. Click here to join our CSA now or continue reading for all the details.

Weekly Shares

Members decide if they want a full share or just a half. The full share works well for 3 to 6 adults/teens, while the half share works best for couples and families with only young children. To give you an idea, here are full shares from a past CSA …

Blessing Falls 2017 Week 5 Spring/Summer Full Share: onion, carrots, radishes, chard, beans (or kale), blackberries, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, fennel, beet greens, dill

Blessing Falls Farm Share, Spring/Summer 2016 week 11 (clockwise from top left): Cherry tomatoes, cantaloupe, Rosemary, onions, cucumber, basil, okra, eggplant, green cabbage, jalapeños, red cabbage, summer squash (lemon), slicing tomatoes, winter squash (spaghetti)

For more examples, see our “CSA at a Glance” showing shares from every week of harvest during a previous season.  Note these are all Full size shares, with Half size shares generally having half as much produce each week.

The harvest varies throughout each season. Here’s what we’re planning this year:

Winter/Early Spring: asparagus, lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, radish, Chinese cabbage, fennel, red and green cabbage, broccoli, spinach, carrots, cilantro, peas, beets, onions, dill,
Late Spring: cucumbers, yellow squash, blackberries, zucchini, green beans, bok choy, carrots, cabbage,
Summer/Early Fall: onions, dill, cucumbers, Swiss chard, Carrots, yellow squash, tomatoes, cabbage, zucchini, green beans, cantaloupe, jalapeños, basil, various winter squash varieties (spaghetti, acorn, butternut), eggplant, watermelon, okra, bell peppers, pumpkins
Late Fall: Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Lettuce, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Carrots, Beets, Cabbage, Bok Choy, Kale, Collard Greens, Mustard Greens/Mizuna, Cilantro, Winter Squash (spaghetti, acorn, butternut)

Pickup

We have convenient pick-up sites throughout greater Austin, including Pflugerville and Round Rock, where you can pick up Wednesday afternoon/evenings from 4-7pm.  You can also pick up at the farm between Taylor and Elgin. Most items you’ll receive will have been harvested within the previous 24 hours. Some are harvested the same morning we deliver so your share is as fresh as possible.

Cost

Full shares are just $36/week and half shares $25 per week. There’s no charge for picking up at any of the regular sites. You can mail us your check or go online and pay with your PayPal account or any credit card.

Ready to Join Us?

Simply fill out this form and we’ll get right back to you with a confirmation and details on how to make your payment.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Where do you deliver?

Our current pick up sites are located in downtown Austin (2nd St @I35), South Austin (Manchaca@Stassney), Northeast Austin (183@290), our farm (east Williamson county between Thrall and Elgin), Blackhawk/Falcon Pointe (convenient to east Pflugerville and Hutto), and central/old town Round Rock. 

Am I guaranteed plenty of produce each week? What if crops fail?
Our goal is to deliver an abundance each week, so that you have plenty and even some left to share with friends and neighbors. However, the harvest can vary according to weather, insect pressure, etc. It could even fail due to a hailstorm or other uncontrollable events. (For example, In 2016 we had a severe thunderstorm with high winds and hail.  We had to delay the harvest a couple weeks to let the garden recover and then we resumed deliveries and extended the season for two weeks so everyone received all the shares they paid for.)  If the harvest is low on a given week, it will usually bounce back the next. A cold front or storms can affect the harvest but it usually comes back strong. If harvest lags significantly, we’ll supplement shares with healthy, safe, natural produce we’ll buy from other local farmers we know and trust. If we were to have a ruinous failure affecting the whole season such that we are unable to continue harvesting, we will credit your undelivered shares toward the next season.

Can I pick and choose what I receive in my weekly share?
Members do not choose specific varieties for their share but will receive an assortment of whatever is ripe for harvest during the week. We’ll make sure you have enough of a particular variety so you can prepare a whole dish with it. We focus on growing the usual, typical, mainstay vegetables and also some that may be unfamiliar. We publish recipe ideas each week and have more ideas from previous seasons. We trust you’ll enjoy the adventure of trying a few new things each season. In the rare event that you receive something you don’t like or can’t use, please share those with friends.

What other farm products are available?
We have farm eggs, grass fed beef, ground pastured pork, and pastured chicken you can add to your weekly produce share.

Can I visit the farm?
Certainly! As a valued member and partner you are welcome to come see your produce as it grows, along with the farm cattle, chickens, pigs, and milk cow.  Every Spring we have an open farm on a Saturday (date TBD).  You’re welcome on other days too – just contact us first so we can be sure we’re on the farm that day. You can always come pick up your share at the farm Wednesday afternoons even if you are normally receiving deliveries, and have a look around while you’re here.

If I am out of town for a week, can I skip my delivery or pickup?
Since the produce harvest keeps coming and cannot be stored more than several days, we cannot skip or defer CSA produce shares.  You can have a friend or neighbor pick up your share for you. We can also donate your produce share to a community food pantry.

How do members and the farm stay in touch?
In addition to the farm websiteFacebook page, and Instagram we’ll email our members weekly reminders. The email will remind you of your day of delivery and give more details on the items in that week’s share. To contact us you can simply reply to these emails or contact us through the website or call the phone number we make available to all our members.

More questions? Just let us know. When you’re ready to join us, simply fill out this form and we’ll get right back to you with a confirmation and details on how to make your payment.

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