The one thing I miss the most about moving to Portland is Little Ridge Farm, where I had a CSA for…read morearound four years. There was nothing I didn't love about Keena Tracy's farm or the awesome CSA's she offered.
Back when I was participating, I would get the full harvest share which is more than enough for two vegetarians! Each week we'd come to her stand and pick up however many pounds we were allotted that week (usually along with other complimentary goodies like apple cider, pumpkins, or corn). I have heard that CSA's from other Maine farms don't follow this same structure - that they pick and choose what each person gets. I liked the freedom of being able to load up on all the cucumbers and tomatoes, kohl rabi and sorrel (both of which I discovered BECAUSE of Little Ridge), edamame and spaghetti squash I wanted while I watched others get pounds upon pounds of garlic scapes and pac choi.
As a shareholder I also had access to the pick-your-own garden with flowers, herbs, cherry tomatoes, and tomatillos. We also had the ability to pick raspberries and strawberries at a discounted price; there was also fresh bread and cheese for sale as well. And we were always invited to romp around her property exploring the fields, saying hello to the pigs and turkeys, or even volunteering some of our time helping out in exchange for a discount on our CSA.
Keena also offers a Thanksgiving Share and a Holiday Share (both of which include about thirty pounds of your choice from things like onions, sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, beets, garlic, spinach, and sometimes apples, bags of cranberries, or EXTREMELY delicious potato rolls), and a Winter Share as well. For carnivores, there are also pork, beef, and turkey shares which I know very little about (except that people seemed to love them).
Little Ridge does an exceptional job at simply growing organic (they pride themselves on not using hormones, antibiotics, cages, or chemicals) with a keen eye on both environmental and animal health as well. After writing all of this, I believe I've made a grave mistake not continuing my CSA here - what's a forty minute drive for the best produce you've ever had, right?