Wild Fern Farm is located on unceded Abenaki land, in current day Kingston, NH.

Wild Fern Farm operates on leased land owned by Bakie Farm at the address:

35 Powwow River Road

Kingston, NH 03848

The USDA says:

Organic is a label that indicates that a food or agricultural product has been produced according to the USDA organic standards, which require operations to use practices that cycle resources, conserve biodiversity, and preserve ecological balance. The USDA’s National Organic Program develops and enforces the standards for organic crops, livestock, and agricultural products so consumers can feel confident purchasing organic goods.

In order to be a certified organic vegetable farm, Liz of Wild Fern Farm writes up an Organic Systems Plan, laying out all of the precautions that are being taken to ensure that every single product that is used in the production of the vegetables is organically approved. This includes the potting soil, fertilizers, pest control measures, soap that is used to clean harvest containers, straw used for mulching, wood used for greenhouse tables.... everything!

An inspector from an accredited certification agency then comes to the farm to inspect it to ensure that we are following the plan and that we are not risking the organic integrity of Wild Fern Farm produce.

No.

All Wild Fern Farm produce is grown in the ground, in biologically active soil, full of microorganisms, insects and worms creating and providing a lot of the nutrients the crops use to grow. We grow in some high tunnels where the ground is covered by a metal structure covered with plastic, but the plants are grown in the ground in soil.

As a side note, up until recent years, USDA certified organic meant that the produce needed to be grown in soil. Now, in the United States, produce that is grown without soil (hydroponically) can now be certified organic. So buyer beware.

As another side note, the vast majority of most fruiting crops (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, berries) and greens (head lettuce, baby greens) that are sold in the grocery store in the US are grown hydroponically.

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.

The CSA model was designed with the intention of creating an easy way for community members to directly be involved with and support a local farm. CSA members essentially become investors in a farm, through buying a subscription or "share". In return for their investment, CSA members get a weekly box or share of farm products. CSA members of a farm typically get the royal treatment, getting all of the "firsts" as the season rolls out. The first carrots. The first tomatoes. The first cucumbers. And the Veggie Box CSA is designed to make eating vegetables EASY.

Each week of the Veggie Box CSA is curated with easy weekly meal ideas in mind. CSA members get emails from the farm with info about the vegetables that are in their box and easy recipe ideas on how to cook with them.

The Vegetable CSA is a subscription to Wild Fern Farm for the main growing season. For 20 weeks you get a weekly prepacked box of certified organic veggies grown at Wild Fern Farm.

This year we are doing box pick ups at Bakie Farm in Kingston (where Wild Fern Farm is located), at the East Kingston Library and potentially a new sight in Merrimac, Mass.

Box pickups are on Thursdays 3pm-7pm

When you sign up for a subscription, you can choose which pick up location.

Three options:

1. Find a friend who can pick up for you. You do not need to notify the farm about this.

2. If you know at least 24hours in advance that you will not be able to make one of the pickup days, email Liz, wildfernfarmnh@gmail.com and we will see if we can hold the box for you for Friday pickup at Bakie Farm.

3. If you know 24 hours in advance that you will not be able to make pickup nor will be around on Friday to pickup, please email Liz wildfernfarmnh@gmail.com so that we know to not make a box for you

Feel free to email Liz wildfernfarmnh@gmail.com when you realize you have forgotten and we will try to hold it for you for Friday pickup.

We have limited cooler space for holding boxes past Friday morning, so we often will donate the food in forgotten boxes.

During the 20 weeks of getting your vegetable CSA, we will be sending out a weekly email about what you will be getting in the box on Thursday. The email will also give you a heads up about what to expect in the next couple of weeks ahead. Liz will do everything possible to send out the email by Wednesday morning, but it can not be promised!

We will be sending out a weekly email by that will include EASY recipe ideas for the produce that you will receive on Thursday.

Included in the emails will be some easy vegetable cooking techniques and well as proper vegetable storage.

Wahoo! Sharing dishes and cooking methods with others is such a beautiful gift to share and way to connect with others.

Please feel free to email Liz wildfernfarmnh@gmail.com with a picture and any words you want to share and we will try to include it in a future email and social media post.

Also feel free to tag @wild_fern_farm_nh in any social media posts about what you are cooking!