Welcome to the Waiheke Island CSA website!

This homepage is the place to come for latest news but first here are a few useful links to direct you where you might need to go first.

  • “What is a CSA?”
  • “I want to join up to the Waiheke CSA and become a subscriber”
  • “I want to know some other stuff please…” - well check out the links on the right my good friend although please be patient as there’s a fair bit under construction at the moment and its more of an indication of what will be here in the coming weeks.

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JANUARY 17 2010: NEWSLETTER #3:

Hurray, we’ve all been eating some CSA produce for a wee while now! Time to take a moment to reflect on the success of a number of Waiheke families eating unsprayed island-grown nutrient-dense organic produce that hasn’t travelled halfway round the world (or at least around New Zealand), all from a standing start not so very long ago.

So a big pat on the back to all of us - subscribers, volunteers, growers, organisers… everyone involved! It may seem a little bit casual and rough around the edges at the moment (maybe just a little bit Waihekean?!), but everyone is trying their damnedest to get this working on a limited budget. Here’s to this being the first step on the road to a reliable long-term Waiheke organic food supply.

Enough of that anyway. Some other stuff…

1. HELP NEEDED:

Until the Waiheke CSA is more mature its continued existence is going to rely on generous unpaid volunteers. The only person being paid a regular wage is the grower, Claire.

If you feel you could spare any time to help with the things listed here then please email info@waihekecsa.org.nz stating what you’d be interested in. Thanks in advance. It is the kind donation of time and expertise that will lead to the Waiheke CSA taking off.

- PICKING, WEEDING, SHARE OUT: Occasional or regular help needed for weeding sessions, harvesting, and logistics.

- NETTING AND POLE CONSTRUCTION: A one-off task that needs to be done out at Te Matuku asap to get additional space covered for more growing. Might be a half-day to one day task but would be a massive help in getting more crops in the ground.

- TRUSTEES AND STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS NEEDED: The Waiheke CSA Trust needs between two and four more trustees and the steering committee would also welcome more bodies and hands. If you’d like to get involved but want to find out more about what this would involve then just say so and a someone will give you a call.

- FUNDING APPLICATIONS ASSISTANCE: We are needing to make funding applications to be able to set up winter growing land and need help with the applications. If any of you are able to help with this process and especially if you have experience with wordsmithing such applications your help would be gladly accepted. It would be a role of helping one of the Trustees.

2. NEW PICTURES: Go to the gallery (actual pictures posted externally on Picassa) to take a look at some recent shots of the field and plants from late December.

3. CROPS, VALUE AND RECIPES: As you know, beans (aplenty), zuchinni, cucumber and beetroot have been coming off the land at a good rate giving a great start to the pilot season. The grower, Claire Mummery, is looking to put some more seedlings in as soon as there is more netted area at Te Matuku.

The harvests are being recorded each week with the aim of establishing the value of food given out to subscribers. How is that value being assessed? It’s not an exact science as you can imagine, but by recording the price of these different crops if purchased via a co-op bulk order, and by keeping an eye on the corresponding prices at smaller organic retailers (generally about 90% more), we can start to get an idea. At this point each full subscriber has received approximately $73 worth of food based on a halfway point between those two markets. Obviously it’s a bit hit and miss in ensuring that every subscriber gets exactly the same amount of everything every week but over the course of the season it should be a case of swings and roundabouts.

We’ll try to get the odd recipe up here soon. If you have a recipe you’d like to share on here with your fellow Waiheke CSA folks then email it to info@waihekecsa.org.nz and we’ll stick it on the site on the recipes page and highlight it next newsletter. There’s a few up there already so check them out.

Oh, and take a look at this page perhaps if you want tips on blanching and freezing beans!

4. FOOD COLLECTION: The plan is to continue with collection taking place from Flourish (8 Putiki Rd) on a Saturday morning between 10am-12pm. This time may occasionally vary so please continue to check the notifications that are coming via email on a Friday. Rob (a.k.a. the Collection King) has asked one big thing though - PLEASE BRING AS MANY PLASTIC BAGS AS YOU CAN TO THE COLLECTION AS THEY WILL CONTINUE TO RUN SHORT DUE TO RIPPING ETC and, of course, you can always bring your own bag and transfer the produce to that and leave the plastic bag.

If you are unable to collect your food on any given week then please let Rob (or the person who makes the Friday notification) know to arrange pick up by a friend or another arrangement.

5. MEMBERSHIP UPDATE: The CSA now has 19 full-subscriptions and 12 half-subscriptions. We really would like to get more new subscribers still, so if you know of anyone that you think would be interested then please direct them to the join up page or just tell them to email info@waihekecsa.org.nz

If you have any good ideas about how we can boost the membership of the CSA, whether for this season or later, then all thoughts welcome. And of course your personal recommendations will be crucial for word of mouth success.

6. THANKS: Mr Rob Fenwick. It somehow hadn’t come up before but the kind donor of the piece of land on which our veg is currently growing deserves the greatest thanks of all.


DECEMBER 3 (PLUS UPDATED DECEMBER 15), 2009: NEWSLETTER #2:

1. PLANTING DAY AND OTHER GROWING INFO: For pics go to the gallery or look below! On Friday 13th November, 23 volunteers and friends joined our grower, Claire Mummery, to plant out Waiheke CSA’s first crop of vegetables.

Corn, beans, courgettes, cucumbers, beetroot, pumpkins, kumi kumi, potatoes and kumara were all planted out during an afternoon’s hard work. At that stage, unforeseen technical difficulties resulted in only half the prepared land being covered with netting. It was, in fact, still being erected when the planting was getting underway!

By the end of the day, all but a few of the pumpkin and kumi kumi plants were safely under netting. The survival rate of each group of seedlings is between 90 and 95%, which we are all very happy with.

As of December 15 the poles and netting are in fantastic shape courtesy of Claire’s work with Will, one of Rob Fenwick’s farm workers out at Te Matuku. Will, by all accounts, is a LEGEND. So thanks Will. The pukekos will be kept well and truly at bay. The remaining unnetted areas are coping pretty well anyway without pest-protection.

At this point Claire is thinking there may be something ready for subscribers in early January.

2. IRRIGATION: The irrigation system was collected and installed on Wednesday 18th Nov. Again, some teething troubles have arisen but steps have been identified to finalise the system as soon as possible. As at Dec 15, all the plants are getting the water they need and action is underway to add a fertilising tank to the land to get some nutrients out there.

3. DISTRIBUTION OF PRODUCE TO SUBSCRIBERS: The plan for distirubtion is being worked on and more information will follow in that. If you have any questions then please email info@waihekecsa.org.nz

4. AUTUMN/WINTER CROPS: More seedlings are being grown at Claire’s base at Flourish. These will eventually be planted in the other half of the prepared land at Te Matuku Bay. Land suitable for winter crops is in the process of being identified and discussions with owners are under way. More news in future newsletters.

If you have any preferences for autumn and winter crops post them below or email info@waihekecsa.org.nz with “Autumn/Winter crops” in the subject line. The plan at the moment is to grow leeks, garlic, beetroot, cauliflowers, broccoli and cabbages but keen to hear from subscribers!

5. FUNDING: A local charitable organisation, The Next Step Trust, has granted the CSA $2,700 for the purchase and installation costs of irrigation equipment. The CSA Trust would like to offer their sincere thanks for this generous offer.

We also have been loaned $10,000 to help us through tight times. However, we are still very keen to enrol additional subscribers. The Steering Committee asks each of you to try to enrol one new subscriber! New subscribers need to contact Sue Connor at info@waihekecsa.org.nz or by phoning 372 6183.

6. THANKS: Many individuals have made contributions above and beyond the call of duty to get the scheme to its present position. Claire Mummery has worked her butt off and deserves special mention. Others to do so include Simon Harvey of Business Lab, Lloyd Canham and Rob Vaassen, Charlie and Will, as well as Rob Fenwick.

7. TRUSTEES NEEDED: The Waiheke CSA Trust needs between two and four more trustees. If you or someone you know has a little spare time and is committed to the ideals of CSA, contact Sue Connor at 3726183 or Meriel Watts at 372 2034.

NOVEMBER 18, 2009: CROPS IN THE GROUND!

First planting at Te Matuku Bay

On lucky Friday, November 13th, our very first crops went into the ground.  Twenty-three members and supporters turned up to help plant out the corn, beans, beetroot, potatoes, kumara, pumpkin, kumi kimi, cucumber, and courgettes in a companionable afternoon session.

PICTURES HERE:

Waiheke CSA planting day Nov 13, 2009

We started off at Flourish in Putuki Road where Claire had raised the seedlings, loaded them into five vehicles and headed out to the land at Te Matuku. Planting was all finished just after 6pm. The nets were still being secured above our heads as we worked. The irrigation system has gone in and all is looking great for a highly successful first harvest. More seedlings are already underway at Flourish for the next planting. Anyone wanting some of that wonderful FRESH local organic sweetcorn – an Island first – is welcome to join up with the CSA, as we still have some vacancies for members this year.

Huge thanks to our grower Claire for raising such first class seedlings and getting us to this stage; to Lloyd for all his hard work in organising tractors, irrigation and a myriad of things; to the steering committee for their dedication and on the ground practical work; and to our planters: Brian, Sue and Jan, Graeme and Sally, Kamalesh and Prashanti, Don and Glenda, Pete and Katherine, Meriel and Jo, Marta, Natasha, Minka, Fiona and kids, Lincoln, Sylvain, Janine, and two Woofers.