The Wednesday Farm Stand

Part of our mission at Henry Got Crops is to make local, healthy food accessible to the community in which we grow. We realize that the CSA model is one of many means of distributing vegetables and it’s a system that doesn’t work for everyone. In light of this we set up a farm stand every Wednesday on Henry Ave, right next to the farm driveway. After we finish the harvest on Tuesday morning we divide up the harvest in such a way as to prioritize the share members. No matter how you work the numbers though, there is always a small amount of food left over that can’t be divided evenly among the families who pick up their shares on Tuesday. We also over plant in an effort to make sure we cover all the shares. This extra food is what we sell on Wednesday. We accept cash and WIC checks. The farm stand is great for someone who doesn’t want to commit to the weekly supply of vegetables that the CSA delivers. It’s also great for someone who wants to pick and choose specific vegetables according to their preferences on that day.
We had the farm stand last summer as well. Last year our sales averaged $40 a week. This year we are almost doubling the sales. I attribute this to the wonderful phenomenon of word of mouth, getting our location printed in a local pamphlet, and our beautiful new, hand painted sign! One of the interns, Kirsten, impressed us with her professional finger painting skills at the beginning of the summer!
The farm stand not only serves as an additional mode of distributing food to the community, but it also serves as an educational opportunity for everyone on the farm. Since the CSA is based on transactions that occur earlier in the season, the farm stand is a great way for seasonal interns to learn about face to face money transactions, customer service and accounting.
Our stand is open every Wednesday from 2:30 to 5:30: tell your friends!