When strolling through the produce section of the grocery store, it can be difficult not to imagine how many hands, trucks, and temperatures our fruits and veggies have encountered on their way to the shelf…not to mention how they were treated while still in the ground. There is something to be said about knowing where, and by whom, the food we eat was produced.
Enter local producers, Rise ‘N Shine Farm, a Rome/Floyd community partner since 2004. This 30-acre farm is owned and maintained by Mitch and Elisabeth Lawson, who serve Northwest Georgia and the Metro Atlanta area, and invite all organic eaters and organic inquirers to learn their names and benefit from their fresh, high quality, certified organic produce.
Kicking off CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Week, February 21 – 28, Rise ‘N Shine Farm is rolling out new offerings for current and potential members, which is a nontraditional CSA box full of flexibility, convenience, and even more options.
“The traditional CSA was a one-size-fits-all,” Mitch explained. “Everybody received the same thing and you’d normally pay up front at the beginning of the season before you even get a box. Our CSA is customizable, so people get to pick and choose what they get in a box.”
So, no worries if you cannot stand kale, you never have to receive it!
The customization of the box doesn’t stop with the Rise ‘N Shine offerings of fruit, over 40 types of vegetables, and pastured, non-GMO eggs. Mitch and Elisabeth have built partnerships with other local producers to offer CSA members over 100 different items including produce, meats, dairy, pastas, herbs and spices, jams, oils and more.
“We really wanted to offer a more well-rounded box to our customers.” Mitch explained. “Through the 16 years that we have been doing this, we’ve met a lot of other producers that make some great products. This way our customers are able to get a wider variety of food items from one place.”
With well over two dozen partners, a few include Banner Butters, Uncle Dom’s Pasta, Rockhouse Creamery, Root Baking Company, Sequatchie Cove Creamery, Sapelo Farms Flowers, Storico Fresco Pasta, Ellijay Mushrooms, and Beautiful Briny Sea.
New changes to the Rise ‘N Shine CSA offerings include new sizing, pricing, and payment structure as well. Moving away from the small, medium, and large structure, Rise ‘N Shine now offers four sizes that are sure to meet any household needs. It’s also important to note that you can miss any weeks you need and reschedule your delivery at no extra cost.
“We’ve also changed it to where you pay for the box as you go,” Mitch explained. “You pay for your first box when you sign up, and then after that all your other boxes are paid the week that you receive that box. So, you are eating with the seasons, you’re committed to taking the harvest from our farm, but you get to pick and choose and it’s not as much of an upfront financial commitment.”
The concept of a CSA has been implemented by local farms to establish a direct connection between goods produced and community consumers. Being a CSA member is basically a subscription to the local harvest. Items are packed with care in boxes and delivered, most often, to convenient pick-up locations within the community. Rise ‘N Shine has extended those CSA services and begun offering home delivery as well (see link below).
Quality Rise ‘N Shine Farm eggs and produce can also be found at Between the Rivers Farmers Market in Rome and Freedom Farmers Market (Atlanta), as well from specialty grocers, such as Purple Mountain, Garnish and Gather, Kelly’s Market, Sevananda and Nature’s Pick. Pastured eggs are available at Kroger grocery stores as well.
This family-oriented farm is fully committed to investing in the health and happiness of its community and the environment they live in. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Mitch added. “With organics, it’s been shown time and time again, the more organics you eat, the less harmful chemicals you have in your body. All of that leads back to better overall health.”
“We really wanted to offer a more well-rounded box to our customers.” Mitch explained. “Through the 16 years that we have been doing this, we’ve met a lot of other producers that make some great products. This way our customers are able to get a wider variety of food items from one place.”
With well over two dozen partners, a few include Banner Butters, Uncle Dom’s Pasta, Rockhouse Creamery, Root Baking Company, Sequatchie Cove Creamery, Sapelo Farms Flowers, Storico Fresco Pasta, Ellijay Mushrooms, and Beautiful Briny Sea.
New changes to the Rise ‘N Shine CSA offerings include new sizing, pricing, and payment structure as well. Moving away from the small, medium, and large structure, Rise ‘N Shine now offers four sizes that are sure to meet any household needs. It’s also important to note that you can miss any weeks you need and reschedule your delivery at no extra cost.
“We’ve also changed it to where you pay for the box as you go,” Mitch explained. “You pay for your first box when you sign up, and then after that all your other boxes are paid the week that you receive that box. So, you are eating with the seasons, you’re committed to taking the harvest from our farm, but you get to pick and choose and it’s not as much of an upfront financial commitment.”
The concept of a CSA has been implemented by local farms to establish a direct connection between goods produced and community consumers. Being a CSA member is basically a subscription to the local harvest. Items are packed with care in boxes and delivered, most often, to convenient pick-up locations within the community. Rise ‘N Shine has extended those CSA services and begun offering home delivery as well (see link below).
Quality Rise ‘N Shine Farm eggs and produce can also be found at Between the Rivers Farmers Market in Rome and Freedom Farmers Market (Atlanta), as well from specialty grocers, such as Purple Mountain, Garnish and Gather, Kelly’s Market, Sevananda and Nature’s Pick. Pastured eggs are available at Kroger grocery stores as well.
This family-oriented farm is fully committed to investing in the health and happiness of its community and the environment they live in. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Mitch added. “With organics, it’s been shown time and time again, the more organics you eat, the less harmful chemicals you have in your body. All of that leads back to better overall health.”
