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Greetings!  

So, Jimmy Fallon pretty much sums up my feeling about the weather this month.

 

On the plus side, it is ending, I have to believe that winter is ending.  I know it's ending because I'm setting up our chicken schedule for this summer and filling out farmer's market applications.

 

Other things continue to point towards spring as well.  We're taking applications for our summer help - if you or someone you know is interested check out the listing on our blog. Apprenticeship Opportunity

 

So, we'll keep shoveling and breaking ice, and hoping for warmer weather.  Check out the articles below for more about what's coming up this month.

 

Best,

Beth

 

Sips & Snacks in Evanston

On  Friday March 6 we will host a free member event at our Evanston pick up location, Sips on Sherman.  Sips is an independent wine store, in the heart of downtown Evanston.   Owners Dean and Maggie Noonan have been wonderful hosts to our Evanston pick up for several years.  

 

This event will bring together our Meat CSA members and Sips' Wine Club members for an evening of tasting, learning and fun.  We will have samples of three of our favorite dishes (Lemon Caper Chicken, Sausage Risotto, and BBQ Pulled Pork) and the Sips staff will be pouring specially selected wines.

 

Our March Evanston delivery will be made that night at the event.  All Cedar Valley Members are welcome, please RSVP on the Facebook event page, or send us an email.  We'll be there from 5:30 - 7:30, drop by for a few minutes, or plan to stay the whole time.  We look forward to sipping and snaking with you!
CSA Sign Up Day

Did you know that Feb. 28 is the most popular day of the year to sign up for a CSA?  This year that has been designated CSA Sign Up Day.  

 

Here at Cedar Valley we welcome new members all year round, but produce CSA's typically have a less flexible enrollment period.  

 

Have you been planning to join a produce CSA this summer?   Now is a great time to do it!  Farmers are starting seeds in hoop houses and eagerly waiting for the snow to melt and the ground to warm.  They are also enrolling their CSA members for this year.  

 

Montalbano Farms, Trogg's Hollow, Radical Root, Temple Farm Organics, and Earth First Farms are a few of the produce farms that we know well and strongly recommend.  If none of those come to your neighborhood, check out www.localharvest.org to find a good fit for you.

 

To celebrate CSA Sign Up Day, Cedar Valley is offering $15 off all new shares and renewals (that are paid by check or cash) the week of Feb. 28 - March Learn more about our CSA and sign up here!


More March Events

Is there anything going on in March?

At the risk of sounding Minnesotan, You betcha!

 

Here's the run-down of events Cedar Valley Sustainable will be attending in the coming month:

 

March 6th - Pick up party in Evanston. Please join us for "Sips and Snacks" at Sips on Sherman (1741 Sherman Ave).  All members are invited to sample wine club selections and delicious bites made with Cedar Valley  Sustainable meats for FREE.


 

March 7th - KYF Chicago CSA Expo noon to 4:00 pm. at the Arlington Heights Library (500 N. Dunton Ave.) Come out and learn about CSAs serving the northwest suburbs.  Sign up for a share and take $15 off! Tell your NW suburban friends!


 

March 20th - Jody will be part of the opening symposium of the Good Food Festival (http://www.goodfoodfestivals.com/) at the UIC Forum.  He will be talking about Band of Farmers the Chicago-land CSA Coalition (http://www.bandoffarmers.org/ ) for which he is a steering committee co-chair.


 

March 20th - Jody will be speaking to two assemblies of elementary students (1:00 pm and 2:00 pm)at the Suder Monetessori School (2022 W. Washington Blvd.) in Chicago.


 

March 21st - The Good Food Festival continues with Cedar Valley Sustainable exhibiting at  the Band of Farmer CSA Pavilion.

 

March 25th - Soup & Bread Chicago (5:30 - 8:30 pm. Hideout Chicago, 1354 W Wabansia Ave). Jody will join other Band of Farmers as a guest soup chef for this event that raises fund for food pantries throughout the city.  This is "pay what you can" and all proceeds go to the food pantry.

 

March 28th - Band of Farmers Talent Show returns for its third iteration, also at the Hideout.   Put the date on your calendar now and we'll share more details in the coming weeks!
Missed Shares (repeated)

 In the past few months we've noticed a trend of a lot of missed pick ups without prior notification.  It's really frustrating when we have to bring home 1/4 or 1/3 of the shares that we packed for a delivery.  That is significant time and work (packing, loading, unloading, returning, unpacking) that we end up having to do.


We really pride ourselves on our flexibility when it comes to CSA pick ups.  You can change, skip, or defer any delivery with no charge. We just ask that you let us know!


 

Life happens, we totally understand that - a kid gets sick, you have car trouble, sometimes things hit from out of the blue. But from now on (everyone starts with a clean slate) after one miss without 24 hour notification we will be charging a $20 fee.


 

Our delivery schedule is consistent, if you use an electronic calendar, put a reoccurring event on each month.  If you aren't getting our monthly reminders, please let me know.  We want to make this as user friendly as possible while making our business run smoothly. 
 

Membership FAQs (repeated)

When is the enrollment period?

Cedar Valley offers the opportunity to join anytime. We offer a rolling sign-up, so members can join in any month.

 

Can I place a custom order?

Try before you buy (a full share) - our package orders and one month shares allow you to sample our great meat and eggs without a long term commitment. When you find that you love it - changing to a regular share delivery is easy.

 

Do you offer smaller shares? 

Don't go through a share in a month? Choose an every other month delivery schedule.

 

What happens if I need to skip a delivery?

Need to skip a month because you're traveling or been too busy to cook? Let us know and we'll just add a month on to the end of your share.

 

What if I miss my pick up?  

If you can't make it to your regular share location this month but still want to get your meat, you can pick up at a different location.  If you know you're going to miss, please let us know ahead of time, that way we avoid packing unnecessary bags.

 

What if I don't eat ......? 

At sign-up, you can choose to exclude a species (eg. no-pork, no-beef, or no chicken). We have some member that get "beef only" or "chicken only" shares. 

 

Do you have an infrequently asked question? Contact Beth or Jody at cdrvalleyfarm@gmail.com, or talk with us at your next pick up.

 

Interested in learning more about the farm, the farmers, or joining our CSA?  Click here to go to our website www.cedarvalleysustainable.com.
Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm | 815-431-9544 | cdrvalleyfarm@gmail.com | www.cedarvalleysustainable.com
1985 North 3609th Road
Ottawa, IL 61350