Travis Key with two Kellogg ’ s Breakfast tomatoes .
most every week . It ’ s interesting to see how much food you can grow off of such a small area of land . T : We really came up with our own model . In the typical CSA model , you pay upfront for a monthlong or season-long supply . I didn ’ t feel comfortable doing that , especially in the first year , because I didn ’ t know how much success I could count on given the insect pressure , the unpredictable weather , the risk of crop failures … So we did it on a week-by-week basis . We had some customers that ordered every week , some that ordered twice a month , once a month , it varied . True , it was more work on a weekly basis to take orders than if we had followed the standard CSA model and accepted money upfront , but on the other hand , we didn ’ t have any outstanding commitments . We only sold what we had . B : Right . And it was important to us to grow things that you couldn ’ t buy in a grocery store . So , if we grew a zucchini , it would be a special zucchini that you had never seen before . We grew white eggplants instead of purple . We really tried to diversify and be different in that way . I also work in three different counties , so that broadened where I was able to deliver the bags .
T : Yes , that really helped expand our customer base in the beginning – made us feel like it was worth it to keep it going . B : The reason we stopped the CSA , though – because everyone was like , whoa , it was doing so well , why did you stop ? – is that our children were getting a little bit older . We have a five-year-old and a three-year-old . Travis had gotten so busy with his career , and my job wasn ’ t slowing down either , so we had to make a decision as a family . Something would have to drop so that we could have more quality time . And what was the one thing that could drop ? It was the CSA . T : The one big benefit that I ’ ve seen after the cessation of the CSA is that I can grow a lot of things now that I couldn ’ t grow when we were selling for profit . Watermelons , for example – we couldn ’ t put watermelons in the bags because they were too heavy , same story with pumpkins and squash … but this year , we grew seedless watermelons . The kids loved them . B : We also grew popcorn .
I see . And leaving the CSA behind , that also meant y ’ all were able to focus more on video and social media , right ? T : For sure . B : Travis has always been a teacher at heart . He ’ s very good with editing , the camera , that ’ s his vibe . Me and the kids , we just sorta got thrown in there . The YouTube channel was his thing at first . Then he broke his back on Father ’ s Day weekend .
Yikes ! B : Crushed a vertebra . Couldn ’ t bend or twist or do anything for eight weeks . So it shifted from just Travis to just me with the videos , I had to do everything . It was a real learning experience for us . Because though I ’ ve always helped with the garden , I didn ’ t have real working knowledge . Now I ’ m really into it as well , whereas before I was mostly keeping the kids from stomping the peas .
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