1.6.10
It is with much excitement that we have opened up our sign-up for the 2010 Penn's Corner CSA! It's a little something to help us hang onto the promise of spring while in the depths of winter.
If you're ready to join, please follow the appropriate link:
1. If you are a brand new Penn's Corner CSA member, simply follow this link to fill out the membership application on our website.
2. If you are a returning Penn's Corner CSA member, please follow this link to sign up instead. The link will ask you for your email address. Then, you can click on the new link we send to your email account. From there, you can sign up for your membership on our website as well.
Or, if you want to find out more information first, check out the CSA tab on our website. If you would rather not join online, feel free to contact us and we can sign you up over the phone. 412-586-7577.
Please note that if you sign up and pay in full (single payment) by the end of February, you will receive a 3% discount!
We look forward to having you in our 2010 CSA. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us. Oh, and please help us spread the word!
Another note worth mention is that we will be having our January Farm Stand on the 18th. The product list will be going out this Friday so be on the lookout if you are interested in placing an order.
12.30.09
Just when winter is beginning to really settle in, we are beginning to drum up hope for the spring! We are planning to roll out the sign-up for our 2010 CSA shares beginning the first week of January. Like last year, we will have a short Cabin Fever Share available, the longer Harvest Share and then the two combined will be the Farmer's Friend Share. Prices and the exact lengths of each share will be described on the website once details have been made final. I think it's safe to say that our CSA prices are not expected to increase this year which is great incentive to sign up again in 2010 or sign up for your first time!
If you have any questions about our CSA shares please email us. Check out our pick-up locations map from last year if you are wondering where the closest pick up to your home or work are. Penn's Corner Farmers and staff are very excited to step into 2010 with our members. We plan to produce and distribute even greater amounts of locally produced, nutritious, and delicious foods than we did in 2009!
12.3.09
For the first year in our history, we are holding monthly Farm Stand sales throughout the year. These sales are open to CSA members and non-members alike. Each month a product list is generated based on what our farms have available that month. Customers pre-order items by email, and orders are taken on a first come first served basis. Orders are then picked up at our Farm Stand location in Pittsburgh on the designated day.
Products that are likely to be included in our winter Farm Stands include locally raised beef, pork, chicken, lamb and turkey; honey, fresh pastas, a variety of produce, herbs, many varieties of squash-including pumpkin that has been processed for baking, and many varieties of apple
s & cider.
Our next Farm Stand is scheduled for Monday December 21--just in time for Christmas dinner!
In order to participate in a Penn's Corner Farm Stand, join our email list today. We will then send you our product list approximately two weeks beforehand so that you can pre-order your choice of local foods. If you have any questions, feel free to email or call. We'd be glad to hear from you.
6.2.09
Back by popular demand, you can now sign up for our last prorated version of the 2009 Penn's Corner CSA membership. We are accepting members for a new 12 week CSA share that goes from August 18/19 until the first week of November. You'll receive the full bounty of the growing season--heirloom tomatoes, peppers, and sweet corn; peaches, and pears; lettuces, herbs, and free range eggs. You can sign up right here on our website. Please note that the final deadline for signing up is August 11. Sign up now!
5.13.09
Think your food choices go unnoticed? Think again. The local food movement is, as you probably know, growing is scale and scope every year. For many reasons, people like yourself are choosing to buy food from local people and places that they know. And it looks like major corporations like Frito-Lay (owned by PepsiCo.) are taking note.
The New York Times article, "When 'Local' Makes It Big", by Kim Severson on May 13 describes the co-opting of the "buy local" philosophy that is taking place in the market place these days. Turns out that large food corporations would like to play their "local" card as well. Paralleling the transformation of the term organic from the 1960's until now, the original meaning of the movement is increasingly in the hands of corporate marketing campaigns. As Michael Pollen, author of "The Omnivore's Dilemna" and "In Defense of Food", is quoted as saying, "The ingenuity of the food manufacturers and marketers never ceases to amaze me. They can turn any critique into a new way to sell food. You’ve got to hand it to them.”
Ultimately it is up to you, the consumer, to determine the difference between a box of CSA produce and a bag of potato chips.
5.8.09
We're only a month away from the beginning of the Penn's Corner 22-week Harvest Share CSA! If you haven't signed up yet, now is the time. Memberships are going fast, and it appears that we will sell out in the coming weeks. Don't miss your chance to receive weekly deliveries of the best fresh & local produce every week from June to November.
And, to get ready for the Harvest Share, we're adding some new CSA pickup locations. Even if you are picking up at a current CSA location this Spring, you may want to consider switching to a new site for the Harvest Share. To switch, simply email us, and we'll take care of the rest. The options are:
North Side, Resaca Place (Wednesday); Squirrel Hill, S Negley Ave (most likely Wednesday); Scott Township, Borland Rd (Tuesday); Churchill, Orlando Place (Tuesday); Murrysville, (tentative, but most like Wednesday).
Dont' forget to stop by the May Market at Phipps Conservatory to say hi to the farmers at the Penn's Corner booth, and have a great weekend!
4.24.09
Want to fill your freezer with local meat? We now have high-quality, grass-fed beef available by the half or quarter. A beef half or quarter allows you the freedom to choose how you want your meat butchered. You will have the chance to custom order your cuts just the way you like them. Please note, however, that you will have to pick up your meat at Hempler's Butcher Shop in Emlenton, PA 16373 in Venango County (although we can help make delivery arrangements for you). This is the same beef from Greener Pastures CSA that is also available in our Meat CSA Shares. If you have already ordered a Beef CSA and would like to switch to a half or quarter, just let us know. We will be happy to help. To find out more please follow this link for halves, or this link for quarters.
4.24.09
Are you ready to start your garden?
Two of our growers, Goose Creek Gardens and Pucker Brush Farm will be hosting the Penn's Corner Farm Alliance booth at the Mt. Lebanon Earth Day Celebration.
They will have available for sale 30+ variaties of culinary herbs as well as 20+ types of heirloom tomatoes. Hanging strawberry baskets, lettuce bowl kits, and horesradish. They will also have fresh cut greens, such as spinach, arugula, swiss chard as well as other memebers honey, apple cider vinegar, and fresh, free range brown eggs.
The event is tomorrow, April 25 from 10 until 2 at the Mt Lebanon Park off Cedar Blvd. www.mtlebanon.org
