(HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP) – New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Ed Wengryn today highlighted National CSA Week in the Garden State with a visit to Chickadee Creek Farm in Mercer County. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and allows customers to pay for a season’s worth of produce, meat, eggs or other specialty products in advance. That provides farmers with working capital so they can prepare for the growing season, and the CSA member receives locally produced goods during harvest season.

“CSAs are an important part of our local food system,” Secretary Wengryn said. “It is this true partnership between the farmer and the consumer that permits the farmer to plan planting and harvest cycles knowing there are consumers that have invested in the farm and who will benefit from the harvest.”

According to the CSA Innovation Network, which marks CSA Week as February 16-22, the most popular time to join a CSA each year is mid to late February.

Chickadee Creek Farm is a USDA Certified Organic operation owned and operated by Jess Niederer on 80 acres of permanently preserved farmland in Hopewell Township. Chickadee Creek features a farm membership CSA, which allows for fully customizable share pickup at different locations as well as access to pick-your-own crops during the summer and fall. The farm also has a farm to workplace membership, which delivers fresh produce to work locations. The farm grows fresh produce and plants year-round, featuring leafy greens during the winter season, and a wide array of fruits and vegetables during the summer and fall months.

“The CSA is an important aspect of what we do here on our farm,” said Niederer, who was a National Outstanding Young Farmer winner in 2016. “More and more people want to know where their food comes from and care that it is safe and clean. When they pick up their produce from the farmers markets or from the farm, it is always a great opportunity to talk with our customers to make sure their needs are being met. Our farm memberships provide an opportunity for people to deepen their relationship with our farm and see the care that is taken in growing our organic produce.”

Chickadee Creek’s CSA farm memberships and farm-to-workplace memberships are open and can be found at https://chickadeecreekfarm.com. During the winter months, Chickadee Creek is at the Pennington, Princeton, Denville, West Windsor, and Morris markets, and then at six markets during the summer months.

Go to www.findjerseyfresh.com to find one of the many CSAs throughout the state that are nearest your location.

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