New Jersey is pretty hit or miss in terms of organic farming. What they do have are a lot of farms that practice animal agriculture, and as a vegan, I do not want to support that. Sorry, but if you're the kind of person that can raise a baby, then look into his loving eyes and slit his throat....yeah, I'm not doing business with you. There is no such thing as humane meat people, that's some serious bs.
It was between Melick's Town Farm and Honey Brook Organic Farm. Melick's had the positives of being run by vegans (or so I'm told) and they have fruit orchards, so unlike most CSA's, you'd also get fruit in your weekly box. The negative was that their closest pickup, wasn't that close to me, and I couldn't confirm if they were organic. Honey Brook has a pickup ten minutes from my house, weekly pick your own items if we are so inclined to take the drive down, and they are organic. Interestingly, the organic CSA prices were comparable to the non-organic CSAs near me.
What is a CSA? Community Supported Agriculture provides an influx of money for the farmers at the beginning of the season, to purchase seeds and supplies, and in return, the member receives a season of produce. It's a way for farmers and consumer to share in the risk and rewards of farming, as you can't control the weather or sudden spurts of disease or insects. It's the truest definition of farm to table, in my opinion. Honey Brook members can opt for pre-packed boxes, or they can go to the farm every week and pick all their own produce. I hear you get more bang for your buck doing it that way, but it's a 45-minute drive, so not realistic for my family.
If you're interested in joining a CSA, check out Local Harvest. And if you're interested in joining Honey Brook's CSA, check out the links below. (For the record, I am receiving no compensation for promoting their CSA. I'm just sharing info)
Hello & Happy New Year from Honey Brook Organic Farm!:
The Early Bird Applications for on-farm pick-up at our Pennington and Chesterfield farms are online now, as well as our two Early Bird Boxed Share applications.
If you wish to become a member of our CSA program in 2017 & want to pick up at our Pennington or Chesterfield farm, there is still time to mail in your Early Bird application! After 12/31st (the deadline for submission of the Early Bird applications for on-farm pick-up), membership feeswill increase to reflect the increase in production costs.
Farmer Jim and I, as well as our farm staff, wish you and yours a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year! ~ Farmer Sherry Dudas
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