Rodd Family Farm Community Supported Agriculture

The Rodd Family Farm CSA is a Community Supported Agriculture subscription which means that consumers are directly connected to the producer which strengthens local food production systems 

A CSA is a relationship of mutual support and commitment between local farmers and community members  who pay the farmer an annual membership fee to cover the production costs of the farm. In turn, members receive a weekly share of the harvest during the local growing season.

The arrangement guarantees the farmer financial support and enables a sustainable organic family farm to remain in business.

A CSA strengthens local economies by keeping food dollars in local communities and directly links producers with consumers allowing people to have a personal connection with their food and the land on which it was produced.

Members of the CSA pay a fee or an installment of the fee at the beginning of the growing season which provides the farmer with operating capital for the growing season. Beginning mid July, depending on weather factors, members receive a weekly basket/bag of freshly picked vegetables and fruits for the next four months/sixteen weeks until about the end of October. 

The Rodd Family Farm CSA produce is organically grown without pesticides and they practice sustainable agriculture and biodiversity. The farm welcomes visits from subscribed members who are thirsting for contact with Mother Earth and would like to spend a few hours roaming the quiet solitude of the veggie patch!! So don't be shy.... bring your grubby clothes and pitch right in!!!! ...... a day in the garden patch is a great way to get fit, have fun, and teach kids about nature and the interrelationships between the land, animals, plants and people!!

The Rodd Family Farm includes Sarah and James, Toby,  one very large Belgian horsebeastie and some very sustainable beef cattle.... all friendly and hoping for company!!

This year the Rodd's are planting:

Spinach, lettuce, snow peas, snap peas, beans of various ilks, beets and beet greens, zucchini, herbs, cucumbers, corn, onions, swiss chard, tomatoes and tomatoes, carrots, potatoes and potatoes, cabbage turnips, apples and winter squashs ..... also available a limited amount of free range (yippee!! say the hens...) eggs .....

The fee for 16 week single basket of organic veggies and fruits is $290.00 (over a four month period that works out to be $18.12 a week for a basket of organic veggies which is really your BEST insurance policy against disease and premature death so actually one can say it is subsidizing your long-term health care costs  ...saving long term costs associated with prescription drugs and other medical equipment and technologies associated with long term degenerative diseases.) We are very flexible and if you feel the whole cost up front is a little more than you can afford at once we can arrange to break down the payments over the season. Please speak to James about this.

The Family Sized Basket (two to four people) of freshly picked organic veggies is $480.00 for 16 weeks (that works out to be $30.00 a week over a four month period for a family of four which is also cheaper than buying organic at the SuperUknowWhere based on my shopping experience.... as well as providing the ultimate preventative health care tool for your whole family....the long term health care savings are incalculable to say nothing of the comfort which comes from knowing that you have done the most and given only the best to your family!)

Veggie Pick-Up is every Thursday at 4:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at the UPEI parking lot A across from the Farmers Market on Belvedere.

Contact James or Sarah at 902.566.2030 or email SoulFoodFarms@gmail.com, or James.Rodd@pei.sympatico.ca!!!!

Contact ......

Contact us at SoulFoodFarms@gmail.com or call 902.218.2887/902.566.2030 or visit our Facebook Page!

From the farm to your table....

Soul Food Farms' Marketplace is about hooking up familes and consumers with local Island producers of Organic produce.

O.K. so, why should we eat organic?

Eating organic is important for several reasons:

In order for our bodies to obtain "optimal health" it  means we must detox our bodies at the cellular level. This means eating pesticide-free foods and  drinking clean and nutritious water.

The quality of the food eaten affects the degree of well-being experienced. Only natural, wholesome foods can produce the degree of health that brings peace of mind and enjoyment of life. The properties of natural nutrients are best described by these four words: natural, alive, and good quality, according to Danielle Perrault a registered holistic nutritionist and director of the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition.

Natural , as in unprocessed, unrefined foods, such as whole grains and legumes.

Alive, meaning that it still contains live enzymes, such as fruit, vegetables, and sprouts.

Good quality, meaning grown in soil rich in essential nutrients, such as, organically grown foods (pesticide free and grown without synthetic fertilizers).

These four simple words: natural, alive, good quality, can serve as a guide to everyone wishing to improve his/her health. Awareness and understanding of the simplicity of our natural needs will inevitably lead to individual and collective good health. We need to look at good nutrition not as a means to stop our diseases, but as a tool to create our own immunity and overall good health.

As more and more consumers demand the quality of food that we are entitled to, we will find that food manufacturers and suppliers will be forced to provide it.

Nutrition is the ultimate preventive health tool.

Wholesome food remains one of the most essential elements of health.

Mainstream medicine does not emphasize or even recognize the significance of poor nutrition as a major cause of a wide range of health disorders. 

There is an inescapable link between the source, the food, and the healthy consumer

City tap water is considered by holistic nutritionists to be a processed, unnatural substance of no nutritional value. Chemical added to the recycling process in treatment plants are harmful to health and should be avoided.

As well, supporting your local organic producer ensures that your food dollars are going directly toward local farmers, who in turn buy supplies etc from local businesses, they pay local employees, pay local municipal, and provincial taxes and so on.... support yourself, support your neighbour, support your local organic farmer!

Supporting local organic farmers means supporting a way of life that does not add more poisons to our precious water table and rich Island soils.

It means supporting farmers who use sustainable agricultural technologies rather than harsh industrialized factory farming techniques that scar our beautiful Island landscape and harm the natural plant and animal ecologies.

And finally, eating organic is important because it is your health care policy for a healthier tomorrow and the beginning of your journey toward Optimal Health!!