What is a CSA?
CSA stands for community supported agriculture. It’s a wonderful concept where consumer and farmer share both the risks and the rewards of fresh local food. As a member of a CSA you pay before the season begins to help us get the seeds and supplies started and planted. Then, you share in the risk and reward of the season ahead. If nature blesses the season, your portion of the harvest is full of the bounty that we all share in. If nature is harsh, we all share in the diminished harvest. Our particular CSA is of the subscription model. A subscription CSA does not require field time from the participants (but you are always welcome to help – and can often snack when helping).
Tell me about your CSA
Our vegetable CSA runs from late June to late September. We don’t have EXACT dates because nature will tell us when the harvest begins and ends – not a calendar. It may start or end a few weeks earlier or later because it’s not a grocery store – it’s real, locally grown food. Once the season begins you can expect a weekly “share” of the harvest. You should expect about a 1/2 bushel box filled as full as the produce and season allows. Over the season, the share size varies; smaller quantities in the early weeks contrast to the bounty of late August. We provide 3 options for getting your weekly box of goodies : a pickup at the Penfield Library on Tuesday nights, a pickup at Finger Lakes Community College on Thursdays, or a discounted pickup on the farm Thursday nights (with the ability to add extras).
If you want to see the history of all our CSA shares (and the recipes we include every week) check out this listing of all the CSA shares here.
One thing about our CSA that we think is quite different from most others is the kinds of vegetables we try to include and focus on. We really like to provide old world varieties known as heirlooms. Want to learn more about our thoughts and decisions on heirlooms - follow this link.
The cost of our CSA is $275 for the season. However if you opt for on farm pickup the price is only $250!
What if I’m interested?
If you are interested in participating in our CSA, the first thing you need to do is make sure you are on our mailing list by signing up for our newsletters. Once you have done that here’s how it works:
Sometime in mid-January, after our planning for the upcoming season, we offer the opportunity to participate in the upcoming season to those who were part of the community last year. Then, after the responses are tallied we will offer the remaining openings to interested parties.
Should you find yourself with the opportunity to become part of our community farm we will request a $100 non-refundable deposit to hold your spot and the balance by March 15th as the first seeds of the season are started. Part of the process includes completing an agreement form where you’ll select the day and location that best suits you for picking up your weekly harvest.
What if I don’t make the cut?
Don’t take it personally – we are not a large operation and have a very limited number of slots. But also don’t give up – there’s always next year. In the meantime you don’t need to forget about us! You may want to learn about utilizing local and seasonal food or may just be looking for a source of fresh produce that you trust. Either way, we plan to provide our best recipes every week on this website when the veggies are delivered. So by staying tuned in, you can learn which vegetables are harvested together and what you should be looking for at local farmers markets.