FAQ's
What is a CSA? How does it work?
Community Support Agriculture. Community members monetarily support farms with limited capital/equity at the beginning of the growing year. This is likely a time when cash flow is minimal. The member's support is in exchange for a season's worth of fresh produce and other farm goods. Members have the opportunity to build a relationship with the farm, have access to incredibly fresh food, become exposed to vegetables they may not be familiar with, as well as the chance to visit the farm they are supporting. There is a shared risk between members and the farmer that builds a strong sense of community and responsibility. The risks vary-for example: a certain crop fails due to weather damage, abundance is slim, or the farm loses an employee. However, these failures bring the members and farmers together by sharing the excitement for the success of other crops and opportunities arise on the farm. We have a fantastic group of CSA members and strive to provide an adequate balance of produce, especially of excellent quality, week after week.
What are the advantages of buying a CSA Share?
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Members receive a regular supply of very fresh, local produce
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Grow a deeper connection to understanding the growing season in our area
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You directly place your money where your principles lie
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Try vegetables you haven't eaten before
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Taste the incomparable freshness of our produce vs. the grocery store
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Visit our farm and get to know us and how we grow!
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How do I decide what CSA share is right for me?
This will largely be determined by how much produce you currently eat and/or if you'd like to incorporate more fresh produce into your diet. Our Market Share CSA is great for farmers' market goers and people who prefer to choose their produce and quantity each week. Our Traditional CSA is a prepacked box (based on the week's harvest) delivered to a drop-site on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly status. Our weekly shares are perfect for families, couples, and those who cook regularly. Whereas our monthly share is good for those who just want to test out our CSA or possibly have many travel plans during the growing season. If you want produce for even longer into the season, sign up for our Fall CSA!
What does an average share look like? What can I expect?
Expect to get roughly $35 worth of organic vegetables. Large shares are 1.5 times the size of a standard share. Depending on the time of the year expect 8-12 items in each box. Included in the box is always a rotation of staples (salad greens, head lettuce, green onions, carrots). We grow over 40 different varieties of produce. You will definitely get a new vegetable or two along with seasonal classics (just to name a few): snap peas, brussels sprouts, cabbage, garlic, and of course tomatoes! Our goal is to offer a robust box of produce to our members as often as possible so they do not need to support industrial agriculture when our farm's produce is available. If you'd like to see a photos of last season's shares - Click Here!
What if I don't know what to do with something in my box?
Try it out! Taste it raw or cooked. Depending on the item, try it steamed, baked, or roasted. When we send out our email with the coming week's box contents, we will include a recipe or idea for the lesser common items. We love cooking ourselves and lean on so many wonderful cookbooks. Some of our favorites include: Six Seasons, The Moosewood Cookbook, Thug Kitchen, & The Complete Encyclopedia of Vegetables and Vegetarian Cooking (an oldie). We love when members share recipes of their own. If all else fails, ask us!
What if I get an item in my box that I don't like?
No problem! We have a have a 'Swap Box' at each CSA pick up location for this very reason. We load each 'Swap Box' with a few surplus items after packing CSA boxes. Members can put anything from their box they don't want in there. The idea is to 'take something, leave something'. Ideally, you leave behind an item you don't want, and in exchange, you take home something you do like! The options can vary based on what our farm put in the box or what another member left behind.
What happens if this season has bad weather or the farm experiences a crop failure? Will I be out of my share?
Our farm produces over 40 varieties of vegetables for our CSA. Having diversity helps offset any unexpected crop failures. If we experience a crop failure (ie: no basil due to downy mildew) our members will be notified in our weekly share emails and newsletters. Thankfully, we have never experienced such a disaster that we were unable to provide any produce to our members and farmers' market customers. In order to work with our changing climate, our farm constructed two caterpillar tunnels and utilizes low tunnels in the 'shoulder' seasons as well as for over-wintering crops. Providing crops with this type of protection ensures a more successful harvest, yield, and more controlled variables. (water, temperature).
What type of produce do you grow and what part of the season is it ready?
We grow over 40 varieties of vegetables. Each year we experiment with a few new crops and we also discontinue growing some crops. This is the best way for us to learn what grows well for us and what our customers enjoy most. Click Here to check out our Seasonal Calendar to learn more about our produce availability!
How do I join your CSA?
