Thank you for a wonderful 2019! 

We are CLOSED for the season.  Join us Opening Day, March 27, 2020 for a whole new season of Family Fun on the Farm!  See you in the Spring!!

What’s Ripe and Ready for Picking?

Sign up for free U-Pick Alerts! You'll always be the first to know what's ripe and ready for picking at Great Country Farms.

Thanks for signing up!

By submitting this form, you are granting: Great Country Farms permission to email you. You may unsubscribe via the link found at the bottom of every email. (See our Email Privacy Policy for details.) Emails are serviced by Constant Contact.
Close

Great Country Farms

Community Supported Agriculture, CSA, Produce Farm, U-Pick, Field Trips in Loudoun County, VA

Pick your Own Fruit Farm

CLOSED for the 2019 season.

Winter Office Hours: Tuesday-Thursdays 10am-4pm
540-554-2073
18780 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont, VA 20135

Extended Forecast
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Get U-Pick Alerts
  • Home
  • About
    • Attractions
  • U-Pick/Farm Market
    • Pick your own: What’s in season?
    • Crops By Season
    • U-Pick Tips and FAQs
  • Roosteraunt
  • CSA/Fan
    • CSA Produce Membership
    • Community Group Sites
    • Fan of the Farm Season Pass
    • CSA Frequently Asked Questions
    • 2019 CSA Membership Agreement
    • Neighborhood Farming Since 1993
    • Recipes
    • Sample Produce List
  • Picnics
    • Company Picnic Ideas
    • Meetings & Team Building
    • Barn Wedding Venue
    • Family Celebrations
    • Picnic Venues
  • Birthdays
    • Barnyard Bash
    • Evening Bonfire
    • Gem Mining Adventure
  • Field Trips
    • School Field Trips
      • Strawberry Tour
      • Gem Mining Tour
      • Garden Tour
      • Pollinator Tour
      • Apple Tour
      • Pumpkin- Fall Tour
    • Summer Camps
  • Festivals
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Farmhand Central
    • Donations
    • Employment Opportunities

Five Ways to Maximize Your CSA Membership

January 25, 2017 by Mark Dewey

Twenty weeks. Dozens of items. Roots, fruits, greens — oh my! I’m excited about my CSA membership, but I’m also a little nervous –how do I make the most of this great food? Well, here are a few suggestions.

  1. Let the box guide your menu planning. It’s easier to build meals around the contents of your box than to fit your box into your customary meal plan. Be sure to read Crop Talk every week so you know what’s coming and you have a chance to prime your tastebuds.
  2. Don’t forget your you-pick bonus. Those extra items can increase the size of your share by up to 25%. If you don’t have time to pick yourself every week, organize a you-pick rotation with other members so you can enjoy your bonus even when you’re super-busy.
  3. Try freezing. Mother Nature sometimes blesses us with bumper crops of items that don’t last very long in their natural state, but you don’t have to eat them all at once. If you get carried away and pick a huge bag of spinach, or beans, or broccoli, you can freeze some for later. Click here for instructions on fast, easy freezing techniques.
  4. Get acquainted with your food. Learning about different kinds of greens or about different members of the brassica family actually makes them more nourishing and more valuable by elevating that status in your mind. What you think about your food can change what you get out of it.
  5. Embrace the community aspect of Community Supported Agriculture. CSA can be a challenge sometimes — this stuff just keeps coming, week after week! How do you handle it all? Fellow CSA members are great sources of information and inspiration–not to mention friendship! And don’t forget that the Great Country Farms community includes Bluemont Vineyard and Dirt Farm Brewing.

Click here to join our 2017 CSA program.

Filed Under: Eat, Local Farming, On Foggy Bottom Road Tagged With: CSA tips, Local Food, Seasonal Food

Join Our Award Winning Produce Delivery (CSA) Program

Now is the time to join our Community Support Agriculture (CSA) program, which offers your family 20 weeks of freshly picked fruits and vegetables grown just for you at Great Country Farms.

Learn more about our CSA

What’s Ripe and Ready for Picking?

Strawberry Season is usually mid-May to Early June! Sign up for our email newsletter and receive free U-Pick alerts! You’ll always be the first to know what’s ripe and ready for picking at Great Country Farms.

Sign up for U-Pick alerts

Latest from the Farm Blog

What’s My Delivery Day?

Why Drink Apple Cider Vinegar?

Microbiome Is Our Inner Soil

Learning to Love Our Bacteria

CSA 2018 Survey Results

Upcoming Events

There are no upcoming events.

View Calendar
Add
  • Add to Timely Calendar
  • Add to Google
  • Add to Outlook
  • Add to Apple Calendar
  • Add to other calendar
  • Export to XML

Connect With Us

Follow us on Social Media and stay up-to-date with all the wonderful happenings and fun events at our farm!
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

© Copyright 2017 Great Country Farms - All Rights Reserved
18780 Foggy Bottom Road Bluemont, Virginia 20135
540-554-2073

Small Business Websites by 5.12 Design Lab · Admin

▲