Business & Tech

Deerfield Farm, Starlight Gardens In Nearby Durham Offer CSA Shares

Durham farms hope to connect North Madison customers to their food through community-supported agriculture.

 

This spring, two farms in Durham will offer community-supported agriculture (CSA) shares, a partnership that connects customers with their food through local farms.

Deerfield Farm, a small dairy farm well-known for its raw (unpasteurized) milk, is offering a variety of shares which include an assortment of the farm's dairy products, fresh eggs or chickens and meat products.

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"You pay for the dairy, meat and the eggs and you pay ahead and then you know it's set aside here for you," says Melynda Naples, whose farm is popular with customers looking for fresh, locally produced food.

Naples says she decided to offer CSA after a friend suggested it to her and because her voicemail began filling up with orders.

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"I'm hoping eventually it will simplify the reserve process," says Naples, whose cows produce about 200 gallons of raw milk each week.

While customers can purchase the farm's products through its store located at 337 Parmelee Hill Road — including Deerfield's always popular chocolate milk — CSA shares will not only save customers a little bit of money, they will also allow them to invest in the success of the farm, says Naples. Parmelee Hill Road is about five miles past the North Madison town line.

"That's the main point of a CSA, is that you're supporting the farm. If [the farm] has a bad year you get a little less. If [the farm] has a good year you get a little more. The customer is sharing the risk."

Deerfield's CSA shares begin at $135 and customers must buy at least one dairy share or two meat shares, or a combination of shares (See PDF for details and sign-up information).

"This is a trial. Once the four months is up I may change it around a little bit based on feedback," Naples says.

Star Light Gardens, a USDA certified organic farm owned and operated by David and Ty Zemelsky of Durham, is also offering CSA shares for the first time this spring. Star Light Gardens is at 54 Fowler Avenue in Durham, about 15 miles from the center of Madison, and about four miles from the North Madison town line.

The farm offers a weekly supply of fresh produce — from microgreens to heirloom tomatoes — from May until October.

Shares range in price from $425 to $650. For more details on how to join click here.

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