News and blog

 * If you have already renewed your membership, please scroll down past this renewal reminder to view the 2013 survey results!

ONLY 1 WEEK LEFT TO RENEW YOUR SHARE!

If you have not yet renewed your share, now is the time do so! After January 15, 2014, we will open membership to the waiting list. Please read the note below about member payments. Then return the Member Registration Form with your payment or deposit to Quiet Creek Farm at 1996 Folk Road, Fogelsville PA 18051. THANK YOU!

 Important Note about Member Payments: 

Although we are asking for post-dated checks for the payment plan option this year, they are not required. Members may also schedule their payments through online banking, or simply send in payments when they are due if including post-dated checks presents a financial difficulty. We are committed to providing CSA memberships to everyone who wants to renew, and we do not want this payment plan to create a problem for anyone. When completing your membership form, please let us know if you plan to schedule online payments or if you need to send in payments according to the schedule.

Again, to renew your share for next year, please print and fill out the Member Registration form completely, and return it by mail to Quiet Creek Farm at 1996 Folk Road, Fogelsville PA 18051. Please contact Aimee if you have any questions! Thanks!

(Just as a reminder, here is a picture of a summer share from Quiet Creek Farm CSA!)

2013 SURVEY RESULTS

1) PICKUP TIME

1-7 pm was the most popular time slot, for both Tuesday and Friday pickup. So that will be our new schedule for the 2014 season.

2) AMOUNT OF PRODUCE

Most people felt the amount of produce was "just right" - 73%. There were a fair number of members who felt that the amount was "variable" - 33%. We presume that this is one of the facets of CSA membership that is difficult to change. The nature of eating seasonally from one farm is that the produce does not come in regularly. For most fruiting crops, there is a beginning with low production, a peak with high production, and an ending with low production. This inherent variability is compounded by the forces of weather, temperatures, and rainfall. We do what we can to ensure a well-rounded harvest all season long, but there are always factors beyond our control.

3) QUALITY OF VEGETABLES

90% of responders reported the quality of the vegetables to be excellent.

4) TOP 10 VEGETABLES (in order)

Fall carrots, Broccoli, Salad mix, Garlic, Heirloom tomatoes, Spinach, Gold Potatoes, Red tomatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Spring carrots

5) LEAST FAVORITE VEGETABLES (in order)

Turnips, Celeriac, Chard, Eggplant, Radishes

6) TOP 5 UPICK CROPS

Cherry tomatoes, Snap peas, Strawberries, San Marzano pastes, Raspberries

7) FAVORITE ASPECT OF PICKUP DAY

Selection of fresh vegetables (92%) was the most popular, followed by the Upick garden, Barn Manager Heidi, the Cooperative shares, and the peace & quiet of the farm.

8) 99% of responders read the Harvest Update emails.

9) OVERALL SATISFACTION

89% reported excellent.

10) REASONS FOR RENEWING

Quality of vegetables (95%) was the top reason, followed by local, freshness, certified organic, and variety, in order.

2014 PLANS

We are finalizing the Crop Planting Schedule and selecting varieties to complete our seed orders today. We will send out another update soon with some highlights of the exciting plans for the coming season.

Thanks for your continued support and enjoy the new year!

Your farmers,

John and Aimee Good

Quiet Creek Farm

 Membership Renewal Extended 2 weeks!

We know that the holidays are a very busy time of year for everyone, and we want to make sure that all 2013 members who wish to renew their share for 2014 have the opportunity to do so. Therefore we are extending the renewal deadline to January 15, 2014. We will hold spots for all 2013 members until this date. After January 15, we will open membership to the waiting list. 

Membership Confirmation: If you have already renewed your membership, you can check the 2014 Member List to confirm that we have received your renewal, and that your share size and pick-up day are correct. All member shares are listed last name first, with share size and pick-up day following the name.

Renew your Membership: If you have not yet renewed your share, now is the time do so! Please read the note below about member payments. Then return the Member Registration Form with your payment or deposit to Quiet Creek Farm at 1996 Folk Road, Fogelsville PA 18051. THANK YOU!

Important Note about Member Payments: 

Although we are asking for post-dated checks for the payment plan option this year, they are not required. Members may also schedule their payments through online banking, or simply send in payments when they are due if including post-dated checks presents a financial difficulty. We are committed to providing CSA memberships to everyone who wants to renew, and we do not want this payment plan to create a problem for anyone. When completing your membership form, please let us know if you plan to schedule online payments or if you need to send in payments according to the schedule.

Again, to renew your share for next year, please print and fill out the Member Registration form completely, and return it by mail to Quiet Creek Farm at 1996 Folk Road, Fogelsville PA 18051. Please contact Aimee if you have any questions! Thanks!

Your farmers,

John and Aimee Good

Quiet Creek Farm

FUTURE OF QUIET CREEK FARM

We just wanted to remind everyong that we intend to continue to provide you with the same high-quality vegetables and farm experience here at The Rodale Institute for 3 more years. And when we do transition to the land in Germansville, we have every intention of making it possible for as many of our members as possible to remain with us. We hope to offer on-farm pickup on a weekly or biweekly schedule, as well as delivered shares to several locations in the area, including possibly Kutztown, Allentown, Emmaus, Bethlehem, etc. We will be open to suggestions from you in the future.

For now, we are still accepting Special Member Partners to help us make the transition to the new farm. Read more below . . .

SPECIAL MEMBER PARTNERS

To become a Member Partner you purchase a 3 year membership at the 2014 renewal rate. This would cover your membership for the years 2014, 2015, and 2016. By making this 3-year committment to our farm, you will help provide the necessary funding needed for us to make the transition to the new farm. And by getting the same renewal rate, you will have a small savings on your membership fees. But the greater reward is knowing that you are supporting your farmers, contributing to the preservation of farmland, and enabling more farmland to be in organic production.

To become a Small Share Member Partner will be $1755. To become a Regular Share Member Partner will be $2355.

If you are interested in becoming a Member Partner, please contact us for further information. Thank you very much.

Your farmers,

John and Aimee Good

Quiet Creek Farm

 Quiet Creek Farm 2013 Member Survey: 

THANK YOU! 109 members completed our annual survey and we are very grateful for your feedback. We are beginning to plan the crop schedule for 2014 this week and we will incorporate your responses in choosing varieties and amounts. I will send out an update with a synopsis of the results and some highlights of the 2014 planning process shortly.

Farmer Continuing Education and Winter Work:

Farmer John participated and was a speaker at two local farming conferences this past week - The Organic Vegetable Intensive as well as the CSA School. He thoroughly enjoyed exchanging ideas and information with other farmers and is all "charged up" to begin the 2014 season. Although it seems far off, the season actually begins now for us, as we lay out the plans for the entire year. Other winter work includes ordering seeds and supplies, hiring interns, equipment repairs and maintenance, making potting mix, etc. By mid-February, we will begin seeding onions in the greenhouse!

Another winter job is filling CSA memberships! Now is the time to renew your CSA share for next season. Read more below . . .

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL

For all 2013 members, we will hold your spot until December 31, 2013. After this point, we will open membership to the waiting list. We plan to expand the farm slightly in 2013, by one more acre of vegetables which will provide for about 30 additional shares. If you have friends, coworkers, or neighbors who are interested in becoming a member, please send them to our website to join the waiting list.

 Changes for next year: 

In order to simplify the payment plans, we now ask that all renewals that are not paid in full include post-dated checks specific to each payment plan. Full details are included on the membership form. We think this will simplify payment details for everyone. However, if you prefer to schedule online payments with your bank, that is fine. You can note this on your membership form.

 Registration Form:

To renew your share for next year, please print and fill out the Member Registration form completely, and return it by mail or to the barn with your intial deposit and post-dated checks for your future payments, or payment in full. Please contact Aimee if you have any questions! Thanks!

Your farmers,

John and Aimee Good

Quiet Creek Farm

Fill your freezer with delicious and nutritious meat at a bulk price and enjoy Ledamete Grass Farm pork all winter long- or longer (depending on how much/fast you eat!) For more information, please visit: http://p0.vresp.com/j4nxsy

 Quiet Creek Farm 2013 Member Survey: 

We have 89 responses so far. Thanks very much!!!

We will be taking responses for one more week. After next week we will begin planning the 2014 season in earnest. If you want to weigh in on your experience this year and some scheduling changes for next year, now is the time! To complete the Member Survey, just click on the link below. It should only take about 10 minutes to complete. Thanks!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/M22KV26

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL

For all 2013 members, we will hold your spot until December 31, 2013. After this point, we will open membership to the waiting list. We plan to expand the farm slightly in 2013, by one more acre of vegetables which will provide for about 30 additional shares. If you have friends, coworkers, or neighbors who are interested in becoming a member, please send them to our website to join the waiting list.

 Changes for next year: 

In order to simplify the payment plans, we now ask that all renewals that are not paid in full include post-dated checks specific to each payment plan. Full details are included on the membership form. We think this will simplify payment details for everyone. However, if you prefer to schedule online payments with your bank, that is fine. You can note this on your membership form.

 Registration Form:

To renew your share for next year, please print and fill out the Member Registration form completely, and return it by mail or to the barn with your intial deposit and post-dated checks for your future payments, or payment in full. Please contact Aimee if you have any questions! Thanks!

Your farmers,

John and Aimee Good

Quiet Creek Farm

Your farmers,

John and Aimee Good

Quiet Creek Farm

Quiet Creek Farm 2013 Member Survey: 

We really appreciate your feedback on your experience with the farm this season. We take all you comments and opinions into consideration when planning for the coming season. To complete the Member Survey, just click on the link below. It should only take about 10 minutes to complete. We have a new question concerning changing the pickup time schedule for next year. Please take a minute to weigh in with your thoughts. Thanks!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/M22KV26

Membership Renewal: 

We hope you are still enjoying some of the fruits of this harvest season - such as your squash, potatoes, and garlic. As the busy holiday season draws near, we want to encourage you to take a moment to renew your membership in the farm today.  

For all 2013 members, we will hold your spot until December 31, 2013. After this point, we will open membership to the waiting list. We plan to expand the farm slightly in 2013, by one more acre of vegetables which will provide for about 30 additional shares. If you have friends, coworkers, or neighbors who are interested in becoming a member, please send them to our website to join the waiting list.

Changes for next year: 

In order to simplify the payment plans, we now ask that all renewals that are not paid in full include post-dated checks specific to each payment plan. Full details are included on the membership form. We think this will simplify payment details for everyone. We will send out a reminder 1 week prior to each deposit date, so that you can be sure the necessary funds are in your account prior to deposit. 

Registration Form:

To renew your share for next year, please print and fill out the Member Registration form completely, and return it by mail or to the barn with your intial deposit and post-dated checks for your future payments, or payment in full. Please contact Aimee if you have any questions! Thanks!

Your farmers,

John and Aimee Good

Quiet Creek Farm

Our good friends at Primordia Mushroom Farm have a special offer for our members of their wonderfully fresh, all naturally raised and chemical-free Oyster mushrooms. These are very mild flavored gourmet mushroom, wonderful for soup, stir-fry, rice pilaf, and more. They are offering pre-orders of these mushrooms to our members for the discounted price of $9/lb. Minimum quantity per order is 1 lb.

To place an order, please email Jesse at primordiafarm@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name, pick-up day, and amount desired.

Orders for Tuesday Oct. 29th pickup are due Monday Oct. 28th and orders for Friday Nov. 1st pickup are due Wednesday Oct. 30th.

Your farmers,

John and Aimee Good

Quiet Creek Farm

This is a special message from John and Aimee Good concerning the future plans of Quiet Creek Farm. We have been looking for a permanent home for our farm for several years. We have now found it. Next month we plan to purchase 18 acres of farmland in Germansville, PA which is in northwestern Lehigh County. This new location will be within a half hour's drive for many of our members. Although you may not have heard of it before, Germansville is a small country village not far from here. To help you place it, Germansville is about 2 miles north of the junction of Rt 100 N and 309, near Schnecksville. It is 14 miles north of The Rodale Institute, 13 miles north of Trexlertown, 15 miles northwest of Allentown, 17 miles northeast of Kutztown, 12 miles east of Kempton. 

It is our goal to move our farm to its new permanent home after 3 years. We will continue to operate Quiet Creek Farm at The Rodale Institute for 3 more years, while we set up the farm and our home at the new location. We have always wanted to move beyond land leasing to land ownership, and the stability of land access that it entails.

We value you, our members, tremendously, and we will do everything in our power to help as many of you remain with the farm in the future as possible, including the following possibilities: boxed delivery share to specific drop-off points, every other week pickup option for on-farm memberships, etc. We will be open to suggestions as we move forward.

But for now, we intend to continue to provide you with the same high-quality vegetables and farm experience here at The Rodale Institute for 3 more years. And now we have a special membership opportunity for you, which will also help us greatly in making the transition to our new farm.

We are seeking Member Partners. To become a Member Partner you purchase a 3 year membership at the 2014 renewal rate. This would cover your membership for the years 2014, 2015, and 2016. By making this 3-year committment to our farm, you will help provide the necessary funding needed for us to make the transition to the new farm. And by getting the same renewal rate, you will have a small savings on your membership fees. But the greater reward is knowing that you are supporting your farmers, contributing to the preservation of farmland, and enabling more farmland to be in organic production.

To become a Small Share Member Partner will be $1755. To become a Regular Share Member Partner will be $2355.

If any of you have the means and are willing to help by becoming a Member Partner, please contact us for further information. Thank you very much.

Your farmers,

John and Aimee Good

Quiet Creek Farm