FAQ
What is a CSA?
CSA, short for Community Supported Agriculture, is an arrangement between members of a community and our farm. It is a pre-paid share of fresh, organically grown vegetables that we will harvest for 26 weekly pickups. CSA memberships are important because they help support our farm with revenues early in the season for seed purchases, fertilizer and other season startup costs. It is a way for the community to eat great food, and help preserve open space with our working farm. It allows you to personally know who grows your food. By purchasing your vegetables locally, you help farmland remain in vegetable production and at the same time reduce your individual carbon foot print by having less vegetables trucked in from distant areas. CSA Members benefit by having simply the best, and freshest organically grown and local vegetables available.
What will I get?
For the 26 week duration of the membership, we will harvest a 1/2 to 1 Bu. box of Organically Grown, and local fresh vegetables. There will be approximately (8 - 10) items in the carton. A week's CSA box may have individual heads of Boston, Butterhead Lettuce, bunched carrots, beets, baby Bok Choy, summer squash, asparagus, (when in season), and other seasonal vegetables from sugar snap peas to waxed beans or Heirloom tomatoes. Because individual consumption is so varied, it may be adequate to meet the vegetable needs of (2 to 4) people for the week. The partial share will contain less items and less quantity than the standard share and have an approximate retail value of half the standard CSA box.
The actual mid Summer, Full CSA box from August 25, 2009, Week # 14 , was: (1) bunch of Fresh Cilantro, (3) Salad Turnips, (1) bunch of Guy Lon, Chinese Broccoli, (1) lb. Fresh Snap Beans, (2) lbs. Norland Red Potatoes, (2) bulbs of Kohlrabi, (1) head of Green Romaine Lettuce, (2) lbs. of Summer Squash, (2) pieces of Eggplant, (2) lbs. of Slicing beef Tomatoes, (2) lbs. Cherry Tomatoes, (1) head of Red Leaf Lettuce.
Our best efforts will be to maximize the value of your weekly share. Excluding any major inclement weather issue, our pledge is to provide you with an abundant weekly supply of delicious, Naturally-Grown and Certified Organic, "Fresh-Lee-Cut"@ vegetables in a mix and variety that will please you. For the 2010 season, I hope to continue to expand the variety of vegetables we grow. On occasion, this weekly share may be supplemented with other Fresh locally grown vegetables or fruit which may be organically or conventionally grown.
For a more detailed list of actual shipments made to our CSA members, go to one of our NYC CSA member's website and click on the left hand column for past deliveries. please note that the Brooklyn neighborhood's CSA schedule and rates vary slightly from the 'On farm' CSA pickup. All CSA boxes Full or Partial, are identical in vegetable content and variety regardless of neighborhood or pickup/drop location. Rates vary between Brooklyn and the farm CSA because of the length of weeks that the farm CSA runs.
For a Standard Membership paid before March 14th, 2010, an Early Bird Discount of $50.00 will be granted off the Standard Membership cost of $645.00.
When does this start?
Our first week of pickup for 'on farm CSA' members will start during the week of May 24th, 2010 and extend for 26 weeks until November 15th, 2010. Our CSA memberships will be granted on a first come basis for the 2010 season. We may limit the number of CSA shares depending on the number of memberships received. Partial share members are scheduled to pickup on Tuesdays and Full CSA members will pickup on Wednesdays.
What if I start after the May 24th date?
If there are memberships still available, the cost would be prorated for the remaining number of weeks at $29.50 per week. For example, if someone wished to start on August 4th, 2010, (11) weeks after the initial start date, the cost would be $442.50, ($29.50 per week times the number of weeks remaining, i.e. 15 weeks ).
Where do I pick up my weekly share?
We have a barn at the farm for members to come and pickup their boxes of vegetables. Of course, families on vacation or unable to pickup their share on a particular day can have others, such as a neighbor or friend, pick up their share at the farm. Pickups can also be made at the Westhampton Beach Farmer's Market, the Northport Farmers Market or the East Hampton Farmer's Market only while those markets are operating. Since the CSA share schedule extends ahead of and after the operation of some of the Farmer's Markets by a couple of weeks, the members normally picking their shares up from those markets will have to come to the farm to pick up their shares on those weeks that the market is not in operation. This arrangement of picking up CSA shares at a picticular Farmer's market is by prior arrangement only. Members can not switch back and forth for their pickup arrangements by week.
New for 2009, We have added (2) locations for CSA share pickups. The first is at the Peconic Lant Trust's Charnews Farm in Southold off Youngs Avenue, and the second is at the Greener Country Store in Jericho, Long Island, next to The Whole Foods Market.
Our Farm CSA pickup day is Wednesday afternoon, from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM for full shares. We may designate Tuesday or Thursday as the pickup day for Partial share pickups depending on the number of members that sign up for each membership. It is your responsibility to pick up your share on the designated day for your membership. We can not promise to hold your box if it is not picked up on the designated day.
If groups of (40) members/families or more can designate a particular site away from the farm, delivery options can be considered. We will look at the options to facilitate efficiencies in distributing the weekly shares to certain neighborhoods depending on the distances of those groups from our farm in Peconic.
What happens to my box if I don't pick it up?
Your box will be given away to a family of need or donated to a local Food Pantry. During the 2008 and 2009 CSA season, we made many donations to individuals and families, CAST of Greenport and North Fork Parish Outreach.
If you are interested in joining any of our Brooklyn community CSAs, please contact the coordinators directly for these neighborhoods:
Dumbo Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn, NYC
Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn, NYC
Become a Member today by filling out your membership form--->
