CSA stands for community supported agriculture, a popular model for buying food and supporting farms throughout the world.  Many different models exist.

Weekly shares reflect the growing season and the type of produce varies as the season progresses. The cost of your share each week reflects a discount from what we charge at the farmers market.  Spring shares contain lots of lettuce, spinach and other greens as well as herbs, scallions and early root crops like carrots, beets, turnips, and radishes.  Late summer shares include many of the fruiting crops like tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, beans, squash, and melons.  Fall shares will feature winter squash, sweet potatoes, spinach and other greens as well as carrots, beets, potatoes and onions. We try to grow as much variety as we can throughout the entire season so you don’t get too bored of any one item and always have enough to keep you eating well.

We have two different sizes of vegetable shares. A large share includes 8-10 different vegetable varieties per week, a small shares has 5-6 different items.  While you don’t get to pick and choose what exact produce or quantities you will receive, you are provided with a great variety of produce of the best quality.  We also offer flowers shares in addition to veggie boxes.  Other specialty items may be offered for sale at the pick up site as well.

It is quite difficult to say how many people a certain share can feed as everyone has different eating habits.  Depending on your diet (omnivor, vegetarian, vegan, etc), what your kids are willing to eat, and how often you cook at home, the number can vary greatly.  A small share will be about half to 2/3 of the quantity of the large share. Small shares contain 5-6 items per week, enough in our estimation for 1-2 people.  A large share will contain 8-10 items per week, enough for a family of between 2-4 people, in our estimation.   

sPersonal Health – our food is healthy because it is grown without chemicals, it is seasonal and fresh, usually harvested and delivered within 48 hours.  Some members say that they receive more produce than they might buy otherwise, but this forces them to eat healthier and they truly appreciate it.

Economics – you get a substantial savings over the price you would pay for the same items at the farmers market.  By supporting a local business you also keep your money circulating in your community.  When you shop and eat, you vote with your food dollars for how you want food to be grown, farm lands to be managed and  natural resources to be allocated.

Food Security – supporting a local farm ensures that farmland and farming knowledge stays in the community, which is great for the landscape but even more importantly ensures that local food will be available into the future.

Environmental Health – buying local uses less fossil fuel for transportation and farming without pesticides keeps harsh chemicals out of the environment; it’s better for the farm workers, the land and the consumer.

Community Building – Knowing your farmer and know where your food comes from is a huge piece of creating a stronger community. 

Ask a friend, co-worker or neighbor to pick-up and enjoy your weekly allotment, maybe you will convert them into members for the following season. If no one picks up your share, it will be donated to a local charity or fed to the chickens.

We will have an exchange table for people to swap out unwanted items with items other members have left behind.  This is super helpful for the few things you really can’t stand or you have just had too much of.  But if you are very selective about what vegetables you will eat, then the CSA probably isn’t for you.  Extra vegetables can be purchased in addition to your share, if availability allows.   We are always open to suggestions of how to adjust the shares to meet your needs.  We are trying to find a middle-of-the-road approach that makes most people happy, yet everyone has different tastes.  Which is to say that participation in a CSA does require flexibility and creativity on your part.

We provide recipes on our website to help you learn to use your newly discovered vegetables.  We will also send out weekly emails in advance of pick-up, informing you of what you will be receiving that week and helpful tips for how to use and storage the produce.