We really enjoyed our weekly trips to Lansing for our CSA share pickup and also to pickup extra…read moreproduce and goodies at their farm store. The five-star experience boils down to the freshness of their items in season, the friendly and hardworking people running the farm, access to local goods and partnerships, and feeling like a member of the community.
They offer a CSA membership, which means you purchase a share of their harvest for an entire 21-week season (June-October, with a start or end that may vary slightly) and pick up it up one day a week. Previous years we had signed up for other CSAs closer to where we lived at the time, this year we decided to try out Lansing and we made the right move!
They are able to offer a good variety of their produce and it even includes fruits time to time like blueberries, melons, apples, etc. Some CSAs do not include any fruit and some you need to add-on a fruit option. Another CSA used to include fruits from CA and Mexico, which I felt is no different from going to a chain supermarket. This is not the case with Lansing with their CSA. Other share add-ons include weekly milk (through Battenkill Valley Creamery) and egg shares, which are well worth it! They also have an herb garden for members to snip some fresh herbs for themselves (bring your own scissors).
In their store, you are supporting their farm and other local purveyors mostly. There may be a few non-local items like bananas (which is helpful if you don't feel like making a separate trip to a big box grocery). I've picked up yogurt, cheese curds, olive oil, candles, bacon from local partners. And every week Lansing rotates different food items made in their kitchen. I always end up bringing something home- my favorites include applesauce, apple cider donuts (freshly fried), cinnamon sugar dusted apple chips (best chips I've ever had), non-mayo potato salad, rosemary bread, and lemon bars. I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting. They also make soups, tzatziki, peach salsa, pies, other baked goods, etc.
The people running the farm are friendly; farmer Al is always around working hard and pointing out certain produce that week that you should have your eye on and Jessica (who runs the CSA) is always so personable and observant. One day I was standing in front of their fridge, perusing the goods they made that week, and Jessica called out to me that she was finishing up an applesauce batch. She had remembered that I bought applesauce a few times, amazing.
I wish there were more places like this around--the way to keep them is to integrate them into your routine! I have enjoyed coming here every week for the CSA and feeing like a part of the community.