By ALEX COSTELLO
"We started off selling to restaurants and stores, and we really wanted to sell directly to the consumer," said Maggie Wood, owner of Golden Earthworm Farm. "So the CSA model made a lot of sense to us."
Ten years ago, Golden Earthworm began with CSA. They started with just 20 members their first year and have grown to 1,600 this year. "It's really convenient and it's a wonderful relationship to get the vegetables as close to people as possible," Wood said. "Often times around the corner."
CSA members pay around $500 for the produce, which they receive every week for 26 weeks from May through November. They pay in the winter, so that the farm has capital to begin work in the spring and doesn't have to rely on bank loans. Once the produce is ready, it gets shipped every Tuesday. Members pick up their produce at their drop-off point and leave the boxes, which are then reused by the farm.
The McDougals joined the program six years ago when Ed McDougal heard about CSA from his high school and college friend, Bill Ayres. A little research on Ed's part brought him to Golden Earthworm, and it seemed like a good idea to him and his wife, Sheila.
"At the time, they only had two drop-offs on the South Shore: one in Massapequa and one in Valley Stream," McDougal said. So he spoke with people at Golden Earthworm and found that he would need to get 10 people in his area to agree to sign up to make his house a drop-off point for the produce. He was able to get over 20 names.
"Each year the number has grown," said McDougal. "It got up to almost 100 last year." The drop-off points in Rockville Centre have drawn people from surrounding areas, including Oceanside, Merrick and Valley Stream. It has grown in popularity so much that the McDougals couldn't handle all of the people coming to their house anymore, and two years ago a second drop-off point was established at the Ryans' house in Rockville Centre.
"I love it," said Karen Ryan, who has been part of CSA for four years. "Tuesdays are my happy day." The program at the Ryans' house has grown tremendously as well.
" Last year I only had 18, and now it's 44," Ryan said. "The word has really spread within this community."
Word has spread so much that Gerry Willis, from CNN, was at the McDougals' house on June 23 to interview people picking up their produce for a segment on CSA that the network plans to air.
Everyone gets the same produce, although they don't get to choose it. The farm packages up whatever vegetables were grown that week. Some are common, like broccoli and carrots, and some are more exotic, like bok choy and kale. The farm's online newsletter includes recipes using the different vegetables, so people who might not know how to cook some of the more interesting samples can get some ideas.
"I wish we were even better at using them, but it clearly has improved out diet," said Ed McDougal of eating fresh, organic vegetables every week. "You get this stuff, even on the weeks where you're not necessarily ready to do any cooking, you think, well, I got this stuff, might as well use it."
