Monthly Newsletter for November FALL CSA 2021
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Opening Remarks
Hello Dear Supporters, Members and FaRmily!!
We hope you are having the best fall ever! We know we are and the CSA program has been legitimately off-the-hook! Amazing loads of veggies have been harvested this Fall, the greenhouses and all the beds are looking stellar, projects are coming together, parties are being thrown, the Winter season planning and planting is here and going well, trees are being planted and life is...well, life is beautiful 😍! We have a lot to cover in this newsletter, so scroll on down and see what's in store:
👉REMINDER: WINTER CSA REGISTRATION is open until we sell out!👈
📢See below for event updates, new articles and announcements!📢
⭐Enjoy your shares this month and don't forget to join the fun and share your recipes and pictures in the Facebook Community Group!⭐
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THANKSGIVING WEEK SCHEDULE
For the week of Thanksgiving (11/25), we want to do our best to get you your CSA before the holiday and so we will be moving ALL CSA pickups to Wednesday (11/24) with the following times:
North Colorado Springs (Colorado Mountain Brewery on Interquest): 10:30am to 11:30am
Denver (Jewish Community Center on Dalhia): 1:30pm to 2:30pm
Peyton (Ahavah Farm on Log Road): 10am to 11am
Central Colorado Springs (Ranch Foods Direct on Town Center Drive): 1:30pm to 2:30pm (all) and 2:30pm to 6pm (traditional style only).
Thursday, Thanksgiving Day 11/25 and Friday 11/26 the farm is closed.
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS: November 29th/ CYBER MONDAY Garden seedlings pre-orders go on sale! Get 20% off your ENTIRE order for CYBER MONDAY ONLY
Want the best garden in 2022? Order your seedlings from Ahavah Nursery. Organic heirloom varieties with 100% BEYOND ORGANIC growing practices, we've got Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Peppers, Eggplant, Herbs, Flowers, Melons, Summer Squash, Winter Squash, Allium starts, and of course your Greens!!!
There is also a great selection of planter boxes that are hand crafted by Asher!!! Our planter boxes are hand made and stained/sealed with an eco-friendly, whey-based stain so you can rest assured no chemicals are contaminating your soil.
Browse our incredible selection and plan your future Garden today at ahavahfarm.com/nursery
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🥕👩🌾CSA Veggie-Share Program Update and Comments
The CSA continues to be a very successful program and our seasons continue to improve from one to the next. Our quality this far has been top notch, and so has the value, variety and bulk. So far, we have maximized the first 8 weeks of the Fall season and will try to do that for as long as possible before the real hard cold sets in. Look for a change in seasonality now that all the summer crops like tomatoes and cucumbers are done with. you can expect to see the following items in the next two weeks' selections:
Turnips, Radishes, Carrots, Fennel, Lettuce, Kale, Swiss Chard, Arugula, Mustard, Herbs, Microgreens, Sun Shoots, Pea Shoots, Celeriac greens, the last of the tomatoes and more.
👉👉Also, we have been saying for a while that as the temps cool down we will be removing the drive thru options and moving indoors. These changes may or may not be happening, but it is important that you keep an eye out as we aim to head in this direction for the late Fall and Winter.
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👩🌾Farm Happenins'👩🌾
A little tid-bit about what's happenin' around the farm this week!
Some of you know that Shane and Esther are moving on. Shane has been with us for three years and Esther for nearly one. It's been an incredible blessing to have them both in our lives. They have both been an integral part of our farm, our team, our community and our family.
While we will miss them greatly, we are proud of the work they have done here and what they will do in the future. Shane is staying in the state, so we may see him again from time to time! Esther is moving back to New York and looking forward to being closer to her own family. Regardless of their whereabouts, they will forever be FARMily!
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FALL 2021 FESTIVAL!
The Fall Festival was an absolute blast and a great success! Thank you so much to everyone who came out and supported all our local community vendors!
👈👈 This is a quick video from our Fall Fest. We had such a great time and we hope you did too! Thank you so much for everyone who came out and celebrated with us!
There were so many new faces and so many reunions! Thank you, thank you!!! What a blessing to see and hug on so many wonderful members of our community! The music, all the vendors, the food, the games and of course the fire and s'mores were AWESOME!
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VOLUNTEERING
Weeds, Weeds Everywhere!!! Yes, even in the colder months. We need your help to pull them! Join us on Sunday afternoon, 14 November 2021, from noon to 3PM for our last Volunteer & Picnic of the year.
Our volunteers are the backbone of our organization and we couldn't do it without them...but we need more help. We need help with so many things, things like:
Weeding
Bag Packing
Construction Projects
Landscaping Projects
Composting Projects
Harvesting, washing and prep.
General farm cleanup
Event volunteers
and more...got a skill you want to share? Let us know!
Volunteering is Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4PM. Volunteers can receive extra veggies, free classes, a t-shirt and tons of benefits (like tax incentives and more!). Please let Beka know you are interested, she will send more information and necessary paperwork, and we will welcome you with open arms!
Want to volunteer? Simply e-mail our Administrator, Beka, at aci@ahavahcommunity.org to get more information and to sign up!
🥕🍅🥒🧅🌳🌵EXTRA VEGGIES and PLANTS FOR SALE - Every Week!
Please be sure to check out the extras table, available for all members and even NON-MEMBERS!
Simply come to any of the CSA locations on Thursday and Friday and pick up some of our beyond-organic veggies for sale!
And as always, remember:
DON'T FORGET: SNAP PARTICIPANTS ALWAYS RECEIVE 50% OFF!!
&
As always, all prices are
"Pay-What-You-Can-Afford."
👀GARDEN PLANTS ALSO QUALIFY FOR SNAP AND 2x DOUBLE-UP BENEFITS!!!👀
For Payment: Cash or Check at the drops or the balance can be sent via PayPal to contact@ahavahfarm.com or via Venmo to Ahavah Farm, LLC or by paying with credit card over the phone.
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⚠ ⚠ ⚠ BAGS! We need your bags (PLEASE🙏) !!⚠ ⚠ ⚠
Thank you everyone for recycling your LARGE bags with us! When we receive your bags we immediately quarantine them for 2 weeks before reusing them to ensure they are safe of any yuckies. Thank you for bringing them and any others you may have (we need any large PAPER-ONLY grocery bags you may have) THANK YOU!
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WINTER CSA -Registration Now Open
Go to www.ahavahfarm.com/csa to learn more (and remember, SNAP members get 50% off, auto-renewals get 5% off and we offer flexible payment options too!)
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REFERAL PROGRAM!
Refer a friend to Ahavah Farm's CSA OR to Ahavah Farm Nursery's microgreen CSA and you BOTH will receive $35 in credit to use ANYTIME you want! Use to buy extra vegetables, or take $35 off your next CSA purchase - your credit will never expire!
New members simply send an e-mail to contact@ahavahfarm.com to let us know who referred you and you BOTH receive your $35 certificate! It's that easy!😁
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DID YOU KNOW? We still haven't raised our prices!
Just when the organic produce industry gains new customers, another challenge comes along.
There are several factors that shoppers consider in making their decision to purchase produce items—freshness, quality, condition, and size are top criteria. The retail price, however, plays a major role in determining whether an item is purchased.
Consumers, in general, are finicky when it comes to retail pricing and will limit their spending to only what they can afford. What happens when mass price increases are in the works? While weekly price increases and decreases are normal in the produce department, if prices are raised across the board, it can significantly impact consumers' buying habits. This may be happening now as food inflation is on the rise.
When the COVID pandemic hit, it prompted
consumers to stockpile food, creating product shortages. As supplies became tighter, retail prices increased.
According to the USDA, food inflation in grocery stores is estimated to rise 2.3 percent in 2022 and 2.1 percent in 2023. Restaurant prices, in turn, have increased 4 percent this year.
As conventional produce prices begin to intensely increase due to inflation, organic retail pricing will likely do the same. And with organic produce typically priced higher than conventional, it could slow down overall organic sales and volume movement.
For those consumers considering a switch to organics, will they have second thoughts after seeing much higher retail pricing and hold off?
The following are some dynamics of an inflationary environment to keep in mind:
Retailers — With all the additional expenses tied to COVID-related safety measures, retailers will not be able to bear the escalating product costs and will have no choice but to pass them on to the consumer. Raising retail prices should be performed on a gradual scale to prevent organic produce customers from switching to conventional.
Consumers — Shoppers always see inflation as a threat to their finances. Food budgets are a big concern, and consumers will become more price sensitive if they feel strapped for cash.
Labor — Shortage of labor is a huge challenge for retailers as they struggle to hire workers. The scarcity of trucks and truck drivers adds to the supply shortages. The lack of labor may lead companies to have to offer higher wages to attract workers, which in turn will drive retail prices higher.
Revenue — Rising costs are causing pressure on profit. Many retailers are trying to stay above water, so they will likely need to raise prices.
Promotions — Consumers always look for better ad deals during inflationary times. Value pricing the most popular organic produce items in ads will help promote a low-price image.
Data — Data-driven pricing strategies are readily available and can be used to wisely set retails.
Shrink — The higher the retails, the more resistance there is from customers to make a purchase. Overly priced organic produce will slow sales and result in excessive waste.
The world is changing, and consumers are aware of rising prices in many areas, such as utilities, gasoline, and other basic costs. One of the categories that consumers tend to cut back on during price inflation is food spending—they change their shopping habits to economize product selection.
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Ahavah Community Initiative SPOTLIGHT
Founded in April of 2018, our mission is to connect people who are facing food insecurity due to financial struggles to locally-farmed, regeneratively-grown produce, and to provide education centered around healthy living and environmental consciousness.
We do this by offering donated Ahavah Farm CSA memberships. Memberships include a weekly bag of produce along with discounted (often free) farm tours, classes, and events centered around healthy living, environmental conscienceness, and growing food regeneratively.
Ahavah Community Initiative is a one-of-a-kind, registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that serves our community in a unique and wholesome way. Being a registered non-profit means that your donations are tax deductable! We believe in this mission so much that all board members (including the Camire family) donate personally to it. In fact, they have put together a matching grant for the end of year Give! Campaign. Your donation through the Give! website will be matched by our board (up to $500), so consider donating today by clicking the image below:
Since 2018 we have
Donated over 220 CSA memberships to families in need! - A value of over $85,000.00 of free food - OVER 3,000 weekly BAGS of veggies😮!
Facilitated the donation of 73 Double Up Food Buck Grants valued at over $15,000.00 of free food!
Donated 400 plants to families in need, so they can grow their own gardens!
Taught 46 full-length classes on regenerative and biological agriculture, fermentation, environmental classes, nursery classes and children's classes..
Attended 54 outreach events to spread regenerative agriculture education to our community including school events, speaking engagements and markets.
Have provided 35 educational tours.
Hosted 6 large public events.
Hosted 5 regenerative farming interns.
In addition, Ahavah Farm (aside from ACI) has donated an additional $75,000+ worth of free food to numerous outlets and families in our local community.
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AHAVAH COMMUNITY INITIATIVE BRING-A-BUCK!
"Hi, nice to see you! Did you bring your buck today!?"
These are the words you should hear every week when you show up at the CSA locations to get your veggies.
That's because, supporting families in need through ACI, is the MOST IMPORTANT and BEST part of being a CSA member with Ahavah Farm! Don't say your $1 isn't important! IT IS!! The Bring-A-Buck program is how we raise the majority of ACI's food donation funds, so we thank you members! - EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS!
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Microgreen CSA Share!
Love our microgreens!?
Than this selection is for you! Receive 3 types of microgreens every week of the year and save 17% every single week!
✔SIGN UP ANYTIME AND START YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AT ANY TIME OF YEAR! AND CANCEL AT ANYTIME TOO!✔
We pride ourselves on our microgreen quality as being not only absolutely pure - grown without chemicals, fertilizers or inefficient energy (we grow with 100% solar, renewable energy!), but they are absolutely beautiful, long-lasting and delicious! We really can't rave enough!
WHAT'S IN A SHARE? In your Microgreen CSA you will receive a combination of 3 microgreens every week with the option to purchase add-ons and extras when available.
Pickup locations and times are the same as Ahavah Farm Veggie Share CSA but you do not have to be a veggie-share member to be a microgreen CSA member - these are two independent programs combined into one.
Order yours today at https://www.ahavahfarm.com/microgreen-csa
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Be a part of our ZERO-WASTE mission here at Ahavah Farm and bring us your compost! PLEASE REMEMBER - NO PLASTIC BAGS or Animal products (except egg shells). Want more information? CLICK HERE to learn about the program. Thank you everyone who has been bringing their compost! We are so excited that we can help on your personal mission to become Waste Free!
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CSA PICKUP LOCATIONS AND TIMES
Times are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances.
**Please be aware that it is your responsibility to check the newsletter at www.ahavahfarm.com/blog for updated information and changes.
North Colorado Springs @ Colorado Mountain Brewery
- THURSDAYS
- 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
- 1110 Interquest Parkway,
Colorado Springs, CO 80921
Go to cmbrew.com to learn more about this location.
Denver @ Jewish Community Center
NOW INSIDE! Turn left, park then use main enterance. Bring ID. Thanks.
- THURSDAYS
- 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
- 350 S. Dahlia St, Denver CO 80246
Go to www.jccdenver.org to learn more about this location.
Peyton @ Ahavah farm
Market style is now inside!
- FRIDAYS
- 1o:00 AM to 11:00 AM
- 7545 N. Log Rd., Peyton, CO 80831
Central Colorado Springs @ Ranch Foods Direct
NOW INSIDE! Enter the bay right of the main enterance.
- FRIDAYS
- 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM (All)
- 2:31 PM to 6:00 PM (Traditional ONLY)
- 4635 Town Center Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80916
- Go to www.ranchfoodsdirect.com to learn more about this location.
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