Community Supported Agriculture

Bavarian Potato Cheese

On a weekend morning when you spend time with the family, few things are better than a trip to the Prescott Farmers Market.

Here you can browse the local growers and producers, have a snack like tamale or sope, or just a fresh brewed cup of coffee. One of my favorite stops when shopping for Watson Lake Inn is Whipstone Farm, and they also manage a Community-Supported Agriculture where we have a membership.

What is community-supported agriculture?

Commonly referred to as a CSA, community-supported agriculture is a system that connects the producer and consumers within the food system more closely by allowing the consumer to subscribe to their harvest. It is an alternative socioeconomic model of agriculture and food distribution that allows the producer and consumer to share the risks of farming.

In return for subscribing to a harvest, subscribers receive either a weekly box of produce or other farm goods. This includes in-season fruits and vegetables and can expand to dried goods, eggs, milk, meat, etc. Typically, farmers try to cultivate a relationship with subscribers by sending weekly letters of what is happening on the farm.

How is CSA different from a Grocer or supermarket?

There are significant differences between joining a local CSA and purchasing from a Grocer, Supermarket or even a Farmers Market. Joining a CSA does not mean that you can select from 19 farmer vendors who will bring only those crops that were successful that week to the Farmers Market. It does not mean that you select from hundreds of international farmer vendors that a Grocer has under one roof. What joining a CSA means, is that you share in one local farm’s harvest. You share in the risks and rewards of farming, with one farmer, not 19 farmers. When purchasing from a Grocer or a Farmers Market, at the end of the day, you may or may not know how those vegetables have been grown or how they’ve been handled. When you join a CSA, you gain the ability to walk through the fields of crops and see your food being grown. And, you get to know your farmers on a first name basis.

How do Watson Lake Inn’s patrons and guest benefit?

• We incorporate products from the Prescott Farmers Market and the Whipstone CSA in our daily breakfast menu planning.
• As the season progresses, we utilize these produce for our dinners and special events at the Inn.
• Local, indigenous and foraged foods are also used for education in our cooking classes.

Stay local – eat local at Watson Lake Inn and choose from one of our four suites for your stay in the Granite Dells. We know you’ve got many options for lodging; but staying with us at Watson Lake Inn, you will indulge in a memorable experience and culinary discovery.

Watson Lake Inn – “Where culinary pleasures and experiences become lifetime memories.”

CSA Pickup Day

Tepary Bean Cakes, Roasted Pepper, Chimmichurri

Greens, Turkey Carnita, Jicama, Edibles, Prickly Pear vinaigrette