farm-stand woes from the garden state

A photo from their eNewsletter.

I am having an inner struggle with supporting our local farm. After being part of a CSA when we lived in Vermont, my husband and I were all for joining one when we moved to New Jersey. We really didn't have an option in our last home because the farms that offered them were an hour away. (I value fresh, local produce, but that is a far drive during the week, especially with our commuting and traveling factored in.) Then things were so hectic when we bought our present home, I didn't find out about the new farm that opened in our more immediate area until after their CSA shares were sold out for the year (for Summer 2013). I cried a little. However, instead of being a sour puss, I turned that frown upside-down and got proactive - I signed up to be on the email list and checked my email religiously, so we could support them this summer and have fresh, local veggies. To my shock and dismay I received an email at the beginning of this year telling me they only offered this year's CSA shares to last year's members and would be cutting down on the number, which translated to: if you weren't on the ball last year, you are shit out of luck this year. And because I'm not an idiot and see exactly what they're doing, this also translates to: the farmers can sell more of their produce at their farm-stand and make more money as people visit and pay for things individually - good for them, ugh for us.

I have been to their farm-stand before and although it is adorable and they have great things, I walked away paying over $20 for some tomatoes, a half dozen eggs, a bulb of garlic, a small bunch of flowers, and a jar of homemade salsa. Weren't farm-stands supposed to be a deal - no middle man, right?! I also took a beautiful photo of my bounty when I got home and emailed the farmers the photo. (They include photos in their eNewsletters and I thought I was being kind by sharing, but never got a thank you. Can you say bitter? I can.) They're farm-stand is open this Sunday, but I have such mixed feeling about going. I am still freaking furious over the CSA and I won't even get into how rude it is to not say thank you when someone goes out of their way to do something nice. I mean, I was willing to invest in their local farming for many months giving them peace of mind about funding. I don't know what to do...not to mention it is only open during prime beach hours.

Yes, I know we could just grow our own garden, but with our crazy schedules I fear things would be ignored and standing out in the yard at 9:00 p.m. watering plants and weeding is not my idea of relaxing after work. I can barely find time to eat dinner, balance our finances, and watch a few of my favorite (horrible) television programs. If we could figure out a garden set-up that only needed love on weekends, I wouldn't be opposed to one at all.