Tonopah Rob's Vegetable Farm

The above picture is a special blend of 14 different types of lettuce Tonopah Rob mixes to create his All Salad Mix.  One of many salad mixes grown on the farm that is available on the CSA program.

If you have not been following my recent blogs regarding the purchase of land I want to add to my existing farm please scroll down and catch up on what I’ve been up to.  If you have been following my recent blogs, here’s the new news.

My super duper realtor, Debi McCreary has been diligently working by my side trying to help me seal the land deal.  Debi called me this morning and said, all the paperwork has been filed with the title company and hopefully this Wednesday we will hold a pow wow and smoke’m peace pipe.  Debi didn’t say pow wow and smoke’m peace pipe, that was me paraphrasing the conversation.  After Wednesday, I will know if the deal is sealed.  In the mean time, I’ve been asking for families and individuals to contribute to a program called the Super Duper CSA membership.  CSA is short for Community Supported Agriculture.

This nearly ancient program was invented by farmers for city folks that don’t have the time, space nor the green thumb to grow produce around their homes or backyards.  And, farmers need start up money to help offset some of their yearly expenses so they may begin another production year or do late additional projects such as myself and thus the CSA program was created.

My CSA membership program has been running now for four years.  The first season began with a weekly box program.  Members came to my farm to pick up their weekly wares that was harvested and boxed for them.  Some were not fond of  turnips, beets nor radishes but wanted more broccoli and cauliflower.  So my great mind came up with the idea to discontinue the weekly pre-filled box program and create a shop what you want when you want to come to the farm or market location program.  It’s the best and most convenient program of its kind.

Now, I’m offering my super duper CSA program along with my regular membership program. My farm is expanding and I need more financial contributions. Over the past few weeks I have campaigned for financial contributions and have collected 18,750.00 dollars but I still need more super duper members. Between the contributions and the 16,000.00 dollars I’m investing, I’m still about 12 thousand dollars short.

For now, my plan is to trench, lay pipe, electrical wiring, fire up the well and cultivate about half of the land. This will cost nearly ten thousand dollars.  I would like to cultivate all the land but this is where I’m falling a little short on cash.   Fencing supplies and irrigation hoses will cost around 7,000.00 dollars.  I went out on faith two months ago and bought my fourteen foot wide by 5000 foot long roll of bird netting because I just knew that land would soon be incorporated into my farm, but now I’m in need of a few more pricey items and to make payroll for the newly acquired farm hands requires more moo-la.  I hope to break ground the second week of February.  By the end of March to the first of April, if all goes as planned the first of my new crops should be ready to harvest from the North 40.

These firecracker marigolds are one of many companion planting flowers grown on the farm.

For your contribution, you will receive an extra 500.00 dollar full CSA share. Items available on the CSA program are; fresh raw honey, fresh eggs, fruits, vegetables and fresh cut flowers.  Your thousand dollar commitment begins with 1500.00 dollars.  Here’s how it works; you come to any Tonopah Rob market location and choose as much produce you or your family can eat for the week. I weigh it out, total it up, you sign a receipt and take a copy for your records. I keep an account in your name in my ledger book and every four to five weeks I send an email to you stating the remaining balance in your account.  Also, this account/contribution does not have an expiration date.  It will roll over and over and over year after year until you use up you investment.  It’s a fantastic deal.  I’m offering this deal until the end of February of 2012.  Please, tell others about my great endeavor.  If you know restaurant owners, families or school lunch program directors please pass this information onto them.

Please, I need a few more bucks to help me open up my new spread.  If you are interested, please send me an email to tonopahrob@gmail.com letting me know of your contribution.  You can click on to the above tab CSA contract, download the application and send it to me.  If you cannot afford the whole share, find a friend or another family member to help split the cost. Or, find four people to split the super duper, it’s a smoking deal.  Below is the veggie list:

•  Broccoli
• Carrots
• Cilantro
• Diakon Radish
• Watermelon Radish
• Assorted Turnips
• Tangelos
• Lemons
• Grapefruit
• Kale
• Chard
• Spinach
• All Salad Mix
• Tonopah Salad Mix
• Salad Sweeties
• Swiss Chard
• Green Onions
• A few beets
• Fresh Eggs
• maybe a few tomatoes-farm stand only
• maybe a surprise or two