CSA F.A.Q.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is a CSA?
CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, is a partnership between a farm and a community of subscribers which provides a direct link between the production and consumption of food. Members make a commitment to support the farm throughout the season. Members purchase a share of the harvest which is delivered to them weekly at a local drop location. All the food provided to the member will be fresh from the fields of our farm or other local farms. We provide items from other farms in order to keep the boxes diverse.
What sorts of foods do you grow?
We grow a wide variety of All Organic fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs. Visit our product list for more information.
How much food does a member get each week?
We offer one size share for each family which is usually sufficient for a family of four for one week. This really does depend on how much your family eats vegetables. If you are a vegetarian family who rarely eats out, you will probably need more than a family that only prepares meals on the weekend when they have time. We recommend for those that find that the box is too big to share with another family, and those that eat a lot of vegetables to purchase two shares.
If you would like to see what the boxes have contained recently, they are all listed at the top of each weeks newsletter.
To see recent newsletters, visit our Past Newsletters Page
A sample Spring Veggie Box
1/2 pound of spring salad mix
1 bunch of carrots
3 leeks
2 pounds of navel oranges
2 pounds of potatoes
1 bunch of rosemary
1 bunch of Swiss chard
A sample Summer Veggie Box
2 pounds of tomatoes
2 pounds of peaches
4 lemon cucumbers
2 sweet red onions
1 pound of eggplant
1 bunch of basil
4 gypsy sweet peppers
A sample Fruit Box
Apples
Mandarines
Lemons
Tangelos
We also include a weekly newsletter which are updates of what is happening on the farm, stories from Annie, Jeff and the kids, farm art work, and recipes for the items you received each week, especially for the more unusual items. The Recipe Page has many of the weekly recipes for you to refer back to.
How long is your season?
We harvest seasonal vegetables and deliver boxes 48 weeks out of the year. Fruit is harvested from May to February. Flowers are picked from April through December. See our product list for seasons. We do take some holidays and celebrated dates off, so check our calendar.
WHAT ARE THE SHARE OPTIONS?
The Veggie Box
When you become a subscriber to our “veggie box” you will be committing to weekly deliveries for a twelve week period of seasonal vegetables and some fruit. You can start at any time during the quarter and will be prorated for the remaining weeks. You will receive bountiful harvest in peek season and may experience the leaner times during the season’s transitions.
How many will our veggie box feed?
Our weekly box will feed a family of two to four although this may vary depending on your familiarity of the produce and number of meals eaten outside your home. The CSA way to shop may challenge you with some unfamiliar vegetables, but it helps you to learn about nutritious new foods that you would never buy otherwise. We include a weekly newsletter about the farm activities, and recipes, both in the weekly newsletter and here on the website, that you will find helpful with preparing these new foods. You will find that eating from the veggie box will help you to eat seasonally and discover the abundance that surrounds us in this rich Central Valley.
We strive for a diverse box of produce from week to week and depending on the season, your box will contain 7-9 of the above items throughout the year. We enjoy working with our organic farming neighbors to help us fill out the variety in the box.
The Fruit Bag, Flowers and Bread
The Fruit Bag is a variety of 3 to 5 different types of seasonal fruit.
The Flowers are a mixed country bouquet of seasonal cut flowers. We do not offer flowers in the winter because nothing locally is blooming.
The Bread is made in Davis by Village Bakery. Each week two different types of bread will be delivered for your choice. Some bread is made from organic flour, some are whole wheat, and all are fantastically yummy.
How much does it cost to become a member?
We deliver boxes weekly, and charge by the Quarter (12 weeks) There is an option through PayPal that allows you to pay by the month if you prefer. For This option, see the JOIN page under CSA.
Quarterly vegetables------------------- $250
Quarterly fruit only--------------------- $200 (NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME)
Quarterly flowers----------------------- $120
Quarterly bread-------------------------- $46
Can I do bi-monthly boxes?
Yes! We do offer a bi-monthly options which would be every other week for the 12 week quarter. A total of 6 boxes, the price would be half of the normal cost and we would send the dates you would pick up.
Can I try this out for a short time to see if I like it?
You may join at any time during the quarter and be pro-rated to the end of the quarter. Join near the quarters end and you will only receive few boxes. However, we do not do trial boxes.
Can I pick which items I receive?
No. We predetermine what is in the box according to what is in season and everyone receives the same box each week. We grow as much diversity as we can in its season and harvest at the peak of ripeness. Many members find that each week is like opening a Christmas package, it is a surprise and helps them discover new and tasty vegetables. We try to make sure that in each season we have the basic items that most people use, and then vary more the unusual items from week to week.
Can members visit the farm?
Yes, we offer a few opportunities for farm visits each year. See our calendar of events for dates. We have to keep a balance between harvest, markets and farm visits, so we ask that you prearrange with us if you would like to visit. Also check out our Farm to School Program. This is a program where school classes can visit the farm for on or more days and learn what it is like to be a farmer
How do I pick up my produce?
We Deliver Pre-made boxes of Veggies, Fruit as well as bread and flowers to locations around Sacramento, Davis and Woodland. We deliver on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Addresses and maps are on the CSA main page. There is a Home Delivery option, for a small fee, at the Edible Pedal (Downtown Sacramento) location. Call us if you are interested.
On the delivery day, go to your drop location any time after our delivery time and pick up your box for the week.
If there is no location that is convenient for you, you can start your own drop site. All we ask is that membership at your site stays above 10 members.
What happens if I'm out of town on distribution day?
You have until noon the day after your drop to pick up your boxes
If you are out of town, we ask that you find a friend to pick up their box for them, or let us know in advance and we will donate to Families First in Davis (we don’t give credits for missed boxes or vacation boxes)
If you forget to pick up your box, the families that live at the drop location deal with the boxes.
How do you keep a good variety throughout the season?
We have a continuous planting schedule to keep a diverse variety of fruits and vegetables in you box. To ensure a good variety we also source produce with our neighboring organic farms. Nothing in your box will ever come from anywhere but Northern California, and predominantly Yolo County.
I want to join! How do I sign up?
All The information you need to sign up is listed on the JOIN page. You can pay by check or via PayPal with a credit card. For first time members, you will need to call or email us first so we can pro-rate you for the remainder of the Quarter (12 weeks of deliveries)