July 11, 2022

Box Contents:

1 lbs Carrots

3 pcs Yolo Yolo onion

1 lb Mixed Squash

2 pcs Slicing Cucumbers

1 bu Basil

1.5 lbs Purple Majesty Potato

1 bu Pink Chard

0.75 lb Green Beans

Farm Notes: Seasons of change!  Summer has finally landed on both feet here at the farm with Summer Squash and Cucumbers finally hitting full tilt boogie, melons making their 2022 debut at market in Berkeley tomorrow (Tuesday) and Green Beans and Cherry Toms tag teaming for a spot in the box this week.  Projected temps are 105 today and above 100 for the rest of the week, which is about normal here but we all really enjoyed about 10 days of 85-95 that just ended.  Sweet Corn will be back again next week and hopefully larger tomatoes will be on by then! 

Other changes are that as the days are growing shorter (not ready!!) and hot nights are setting in (85 last night at 23:00; 75 at 05:00 today) the hens start to slow down. The older hens go on full strike after a few days over 105.  To compensate for the impending slowdown in egg flow:  This is The Last Week to add an Egg Subscription until after the New Year.  Get on the program while it’s open. Email csa@riverdogfarm.com for any questions.

We will have to end Frozen Chickens for Meat subscriptions and all whole chicken store orders after this week as well.  We stopped raising meat birds last fall with the plan to restart in January, but between our house fire in January, ongoing chaos with the USDA slaughter facility and then spikes in feed and fuel costs, we did not restart the flock in January and we are running out of frozen birds.  Depending on what happens with processors and feed, we hope to start again in January of 2023.  Our hog and lamb herds are going strong and we have good supply of both! 

The Yolo Yolo sweet onions are actually a seed from Walla Walla Washington, but since we grow them here we like to call them Yolo Yolo sweets. They are a sweet onion meant for fresh use though you can cook with them – they are best fresh. Their sugars are actually lower that a typical storage onion, they just have less pungency but there is still a little kick kidding in there. THEY DO NOT STORE WELL… please use them in the next 2 weeks, we just pulled them from the field last week.

Riverdog Tim

Site hosts: Please email the CSA manager by the morning following the delivery day about any unclaimed CSA boxes. This way, we can contact CSA subscribers with a reminder email to pick up their CSA orders.

Webstore Features:

·        Pastured pork and lamb orders are delivered frozen to your delivery site or to one of the 4 weekly farmers markets nearest you.

·        Smoked/Cured Hams: Order pastured hams for any celebration by emailing csa@riverdogfarm.com

·        Pasture Raised ½  Smoked Chickens Plain or Cajun style seasoning

·        Pastured Pork Shares

·        Variety of Sausages- check webstore for availability

·        Raw Mission Almonds, Raw Hartley Walnuts by the 1 lb and 5 lb bag

·        Vegetable items are available by the case or half case.

·        Visit: https://csa.farmigo.com/store/riverdogfarmcsa to place your orders. Please place your orders by noon, 2 days before your delivery day to ensure same week delivery.

Please check your CSA account for the most up-to-date information such as your next CSA delivery date and payment status.

Riverdog Farm has an Instagram account. Find us via our Instagram handle: riverdogfarm. Like us or tag us with all of your yummy Riverdog CSA dishes. We share images of crops, farming, re-posts of your farm fixin’ photos and videos and provide market and CSA updates.

Frog Hollow Farm Fruit Boxes are available to add to your subscription: $33.25 per fruit box subscription and $35 for a one time box. Email the CSA manager at CSA@riverdogfarm.com to get a box. ALL orders need to be in by Monday morning at 8AM – that is when FROG HOLLOW box numbers are finalized and sent. See Frog Hollow info below to learn more about their fruit boxes.

Refunds and Cancellations.

* YEARLY subscription that needs to end early will be charged at the $30 box price for boxes already delivered (not to exceed the original purchase price) and the balance may be refunded back to the card of original purchase or a check will be sent to the Member. We ask that you use your balance the best you can.

* MONTHLY subscribers –Please finish your subscription commitment. If your balance does not reach $0, then the remaining amount – below $29 - may be refunded back to the credit card or in the form of a check. You can also choose to donate your remainder to the farm. When your balance reaches $0, then you have fulfilled your subscription commitment and your account will automatically go to “permanent hold” status.

* You are able to re-subscribe at any time. Just go to “MANAGE PAYMENTS” and add a payment to your balance to become an active member again. Subscribers who are set up for recurring payments need to turn off recurring payment in order to make any cancellations to your account. You MUST do this on your account before your account reaches $30 or less to receive a refund or cancel your account.

• PLEASE note if your subscription has recurring payments. This can affect the amount of deliveries you are expected to receive. Such as; 4 week delivery plans with some months having 5 weeks.

•Your subscriptions and pre-payments are greatly appreciated. To make this CSA program successful, we count on your advance payment to plan our seed ordering, planting seasons and harvest amounts.

•To ensure that your subscription continues uninterrupted, please make sure your payment is up current on your CSA account. You may also put your account on a DELIVERY HOLD if you will be gone for 1 delivery or periods of time. Your balance will be the same when you return.

•For any changes you need to make to your account, the cut off time is 12:00 NOON, 2 days before your delivery day. Remember to make any changes to your account such as payment renewal, webstore orders or delivery holds by 12:00 NOON, 2 days before your delivery day. Thank you!

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Please pick up your veggie box on your delivery day so that it stays fresh and we can ensure quality. During the hot days of summer, the earlier you are able to pick up the better. You can check with the office the average drop off time.

**Riverdog will not give refunds for any missing items/quality issues for pickups made the day after delivery day.** CSA site hosts may donate any unclaimed items after 24 hours (3pm following the day of original pickup time) unclaimed/forgotten orders may no longer be available and the subscriber absorbs the subscription cost for that week’s order.

Missing items/quality issues must be emailed same day of pick up day for refund consideration. Please include a photo of any quality issues. We appreciate your feedback.

Reminder: A/B delivery schedules are every other week. They aren’t always 1st/3rd or 2nd/4th weeks due to some months having 5 weeks. Make sure your name is on the list AND you only take the items listed next to your name. Call or email with any issues regarding this policy.

Encourage family, neighbors, friends and colleagues to sign-up for the Riverdog Farm CSA. You can create an account for the member and pay the balance with a check sent to the farm or credit card. Print or email the “WELCOME” email or mail your generous gift to the recipient.

The weekly box contents are subject to change (from the box contents listed in the weekly newsletter). We include a list of box contents in the newsletter to give you an idea of what to expect but it may differ from what is packed. Crop quality, daily yields and weather conditions will determine final box contents and what is sent each week.

Give your account 48 hours to update when making changes. For example, when changing your account status from permanent hold to active by charging your credit card, the process may take up to 48 hours to update. The auto-pay option button is at the bottom of your account page. Please click it for auto-renewal of your CSA subscription and to ensure uninterrupted weekly veggie box deliveries.

The Frog Hollow fruit box is available to add to your CSA account. Due to logistics, the Frog Hollow Fruit Boxes are only available to the Wednesday/Thursday/Friday subscribers. CSA subscribers who pick up on Tuesdays/Thursdays/Saturdays, at the Berkeley farmers markets may purchase directly from Frog Hollow. 12:00 pm Sunday is the deadline to change your account for the fruit box. If you enter a hold any time after that, we can cancel delivery of the box, but your account may still be charged the full amount for the fruit box. Frog Hollow CSA boxes come with 3-4 varieties of seasonal tree-ripened, exceptionally tasty stone fruits. As part of their commitment to sustainability, Frog Hollow works hard to avert food waste. You can expect to see ripe, cosmetically imperfect fruit and small or large pieces of fruit in the fruit boxes. These characteristics should not affect the deliciousness of what you receive. Visit their web site to learn more about their CSA program, farm philosophy, fruits and recommendations: www.froghollow.com

Reminder: So that your subscription continues uninterrupted, please make sure your credit card on file is up to date on your CSA account. For those who need to end the CSA subscription before your balance is at $0, email the farm to request cancellation. You may put your account on a DELIVERY hold if you will be gone for periods of time.

For any changes you need to make to your account, the cut off time is 12:00 NOON, 2 days before your delivery day Remember to make any changes to your account such as payment renewal, webstore orders or delivery holds by 12:00 NOON, 2 days before your delivery day. Thank you!