Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

Since 1997 we have provided a weekly summer share of vegetables to families, most from Freeport, but many from Brunswick to Old Orchard Beach. We currently have a very active group of Portland families. For the first time this year we will establish a drop off point in Portland for the convenience of our Portland area members.

Our Partnerships With Other Local Farms

Last year we began offering products from other local farms who we know and trust to supplement our vegetables with products that we can not grow. At every pick-up we have butter, cheese, and eggs as well as frozen organic and natural beef, pork, and poultry. Last year we supplied our members with fresh turkeys for Thanksgiving. In the summer we also had bread, strawberries, blueberries, and apples. This winter we have added local fresh roasted coffee to our offerings. Visit the Partners link at the left for a complete description of the products and the farms and small businesses we are working with.

What Is Community Supported Agriculture?

Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, lets you buy a “share” of our farm, and have the opportunity to eat fresh organic vegetables as they come into season. It’s a way to experience the way people used to eat, before mass transportation, with the added benefit that we grow a large variety of different vegetables to keep things interesting.

We built our farm by providing high quality and unique vegetables to many of the finest restaurants from Freeport to Portland, and the vegetables our CSA members receive are the same as those we deliver to our restaurant customers.

Follow this link to the USDA's "Alternative Farming" site for their interpretation of what a CSA is. As you can see, the USDA says that the CSA members share in the rewards and the risks of farming. While that is true, we feel that it is important to note that Laughing Stock Farm has never failed to provide the value of the share to our members. As our members from last year will attest, the months of June and July were challenging for us last year, and the choices were less than we would have preferred during this period, but by the end of the year we were able to provide full share value to our customers and everything worked out. It always has.

The "C" Stands For Community

When choosing a CSA plan please choose a family owned and operated CSA farm in your community. Family owned farms pay property taxes which literally support the community. Many Land Trust subsidized farms do not pay property taxes. Family owned farms have to sell farm products to make a living. Land Trust subsidized farms rely on tax deductable, charitable contributions to exist. Please support family owned farms. The only "sustainable" farming is self supporting.

Laughing Stock Farm is a Year Round CSA Farm

We provide four seasons of fresh vegetables by offering both a Winter share, which is unique among local farms, and a Summer share. In our Winter share we distinguish ourselves by providing fresh mesclun, arugula, lettuce, baby carrots, hakurei turnips, and radishes from our own greenhouses, in addition to the traditional storage vegetables such as beets, cabbage, carrots, turnips, and rutabaga.

Please visit the link at left for more information, including how we heat our greenhouses with our renewable fuel.

So How Does It Work?

You come to our farm (every Thursday afternoon in the summer, and twice a month in the winter) between 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm, and we will have lots of vegetables ready for you to bag up and take home. Starting in June 2010 we will establish a Portland drop off point. As the season progresses and more vegetables become available, you will have some choices within the share, like “choose beets or broccoli,” or “choose 3 of these 5 items.” This will help you tailor your share to your family’s favorites.

You will also have the chance to cut your own flowers and herbs.