DanDee Farm Naturals
Know your Farmer, Know your Food

Dan & Nola McPherson
503 N.E. 257th Ave
Camas, WA 98607

(360)834-7472 * (360)450-9382 * (360)601-9356

Please call or email for subscription details and agreement form.

CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farming is a cooperative or symbiotic relationship between the small farmer and his/her customers. It requires a big investment each year to start the growing season. For a small farmer, the outlay of cash is a big challenge and a big risk. To help meet the challenge and reduce the risk, the CSA farmer works with the customers to be paid in advance of the season and agrees to provide a variety of produce throughout the season. In essence, you are buying a “produce subscription.” You get the best produce for less than it would cost you to purchase at the market. The CSA members help the small farmer survive and the farmer can then concentrate on providing more of what the members want to put on their tables at home; fresh, local and in most cases food grown without toxins since most home farmers don’t want poisons on their own land.

We are now at the end of the 2009 season. We will accept applications for the 2010 season beginning November 1, 2009 in order to determine wants and needs for the coming season. Priority will be given to returning members and those who signed up on the waiting list for this season. Remaining available shares will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. We never want to promise more than we are confident that we can provide, so we will not accept more members than we are certain that we can serve.

For your investment, every week you will receive a box of what is currently available from our gardens. Shares will be smaller and less varied at the beginning and toward the end of the season, with the peak production being July through September. The content and value of your boxes will vary as garden production waxes and wanes, but the average weekly value over 20-25 weeks will be around $22 per “Small Share”, $44 per “Large Share Double Dare.” These numbers are based on our production and market values during past seasons. “Small” is for those who either have a small family or are not in the habit of using a lot of fresh produce every week. “Double Dare” is for those who have a big family, or might frequently have dinner guests, or vegetarians, or folks who just might enjoy the challenge of figuring out what to do with the abundance of produce that comes with eating in garden time. We’re not doing “half shares” any more, as that has turned into what the “Small share” is today. A word to the wise; if you are planning on “splitting a share” with a neighbor/sibling/friend, think about how much you really want.

I wouldn’t mention it if the issue hadn’t come up over time. When there is a two way/three way/sometimes even four way split…….we are left with figuring out how to make it fair for everyone, including us. When you’re “splitting” a share, how do you want to divide that two pound tomato, 3 pound Ailsa Craig sweet onion, 10 pound Fern Prairie watermelon? We’ve been stuck
with feeling guilty because we’re providing pounds of product per member, but then having to figure out how to figure out divisions for shared boxes—a troublesome math problem. The two way/three way split never gets to see the beefsteak tomato, which is a fabulous thing, because we work by the pound. Or we put the beefsteak in and you have to chop it in twos or threes.

Though crop failures may happen due to pests and/or the vagaries of weather, with the diversity of our plantings and our experience, there should always be enough produce to fill the share distributions, barring calamitous events. We try to present everything as cleanly and attractively as possible, but if you find an occasional funny little bug, or funny little bug hole, that is evidence that we use no poisons in our gardens. Personally, I would prefer to deal with a healthy bug than an invisible toxin.

Pick up dates and times will be posted later.

Shares are packed in washable tubs. Please return your clean, empty tub every week, in exchange for your clean, full tub of beautiful produce! It is always acceptable to bring your own bags if it’s more convenient for you; but later in the season when the tubs are carefully packed to avoid squashing the tomatoes and squishing the squashes, sometimes it’s just easier for you to take the tub, especially when you’re in a time crunch.

Your boxes will rarely be exactly the same from week to week. These are some examples of what may be included at different times, in different combinations, during the season:

May-June: Salads, arugula, cilantro, scallions, radishes, snow peas, Pac choi, spinach,rhubarb, garlic scapes, and the best little turnips you’ll ever taste….

July-Aug: Salads, arugula, cilantro, greens (kale, mustards,collards), beets, carrots, summer squash, eggplant, cucumbers, peppers, onions, garlic, melons,cherry tomatoes, basil, apples….

Sept-Oct: Salads, arugula, cilantro, beets, carrots, summer squash, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, onions, garlic, melons, slicing tomatoes, basil, cabbage, Pac choi, and later on the winter squash and pumpkins….

End of the season storage items like onions, garlic and winter squash.

This in no way guarantees that all things will be included, nor that I’ve included all things. These dates are only approximate; some may be earlier, some later, some not at all! Some years are exceptionally good for greens, broccoli, and cabbage, some years for eggplant, peppers and tomatoes. We always try to go heavily for the salads and tomatoes, and that special late summer treat, sweet corn. We always try some surprise crops, so don’t be surprised when some odd thing shows up in the box, we do try to explain.

Our salads change in content from week to week according to what is happening in the gardens and will contain in various blends; 5-15 lettuce varieties, sorrel, baby chard, spinach, purslane, red or golden orach, mizuna, tatsoi, and whatever else might suit the garden’s fancy! We’re not offering a “Salad Only” share this year, but will have extra bags of salad available each week for purchase a la carte at $4 per bag for members only.

Salads (and other greens/herbs) are packed in our “Magic Bags” – biodegradable cellophane (plant fiber) bags that allow the salads to breathe a bit, while protecting them from the drying effect of the refrigerator. Salads stay fresh nicely for a week or more, so you don’t need to feel that you have to consume it all right away to keep it from going to waste.

DanDee Farm Naturals is “Certified Naturally Grown” (CNG), the grass roots, pesticide, herbicide, GMO (genetically modified) free alternative to “Certified Organic.” Though we appreciate the “Certified Organic” label, and shop for it ourselves for the things we are unable to grow, we prefer to spend more time gardening than doing paperwork. We use no poisons, we use no chemicals,we are kind to the land that feeds us, and we love seeing other folks enjoying what we enjoy every day with Dan’s life-long gardening hobby, and our growing market gardening occupation. We look forward to welcoming both returning members and new members to DanDee Farm Naturals CSA. When you support a local farmer, you support a fast fading way of life, and you enhance many lives, especially your own.

* (360)834-7472 * (360)450-9382 * dandeefarm@comcast.net *


If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call us.

Thank You,
Nola, Dan & Aidan McPherson