FARM SHARE MEMBER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is CSA?

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and it is a partnership between you — the consumer — and the farm. As a CSA member, you sign up for a share in advance of the growing season; this is crucial as your commitment helps us plan our growing and fund our early season purchases. In turn, we commit to deliver delicious organic vegetables to you, no matter what the season brings. Joining our CSA means you become a member of our farm community; we share in the risks and rewards each season has to offer, we support each other, and we work towards a more sustainable and viable local food system. 

Okay, so what’s a "free choice” csa?

In a traditional CSA model, the farmers decide what goes in the share every week, and the pick ups are during small time windows each week. This can be limiting for both the farm and CSA members; we’ve decided to change the system.

In our free choice CSA, members will still sign up and submit payment for the CSA in advance of the farm season, and the CSA season will still begin in June — we’ll send out an email in advance of the beginning of the season. Instead of a set 24 weeks of pickups, your share value will be loaded onto a member account at the store, and you’re free to spend down the balance as you’d like, with a rough limit of $60/week, meant to ensure we have enough for all each week. The farm store will be open Wednesday through Sunday; a CSA “week” will begin on Wednesdays when the farm store opens for the week, and will continue through Sunday at close of business.

Your CSA membership will cover all veggies available in the store, both Obercreek-grown and those from other local farms, as well as the local fruit and mushrooms available in the store. This will allow you to have access to crops that we don’t grow here at Obercreek, such as certain winter squash, storage potatoes, and sweet potatoes. All Obercreek produce is certified organic, but please note that certain crops from other farms will not be organic; everything will be clearly marked as to whether it is organic or not, so you’ll always be able to choose what you’d like, and leave what you don’t. Your CSA membership will not cover any other items available in the store, but they remain available for purchase with other forms of payment; when you get to the register we’ll simply separate out the produce, charge that to your account, and then ring up your other items for payment with card, cash, or Apple Pay, as usual.

tell me more…

You’re welcome to let a week pass by without picking up your share, and you’re welcome to spend more when you want to stock the fridge, have company coming over, or want to preserve the season. With the full share, we recommend spending at least $30/week in order to be able to use up your entire share balance within the season, but as noted above, you’re able to spend up to about $60/week. With the small share, we recommend spending at least $15/week in order to be able to use up your entire share balance within the season. The $60/week limit isn’t hard and fast; for example, if your total comes to $65, $70, or even $80, in a week, that’s usually just fine; the limit is just there to help us plan how much to put in the store each week to have enough for everyone, and so that a share doesn’t get used all at once, and we don’t get shopped out in one big swoop. If you know in advance that you’d like to make a very large veggie purchase, a heads-up via phone call or email is always welcome and appreciated so that we can keep the store well-stocked for everyone!

You can come visit the store as many times in a week as you’d like, to spend up to that ~$60 amount. Want to stop in each day it’s open to grab ultra-fresh veggies and some other fixins’ for dinner, spending $10 each time? Have at it! Want to make one trip per week to stock up for meal prep? We’ve got you covered!

Please note that certain items may be limited; we aim to grow enough of everything to have enough for everyone, but farming is ultimately a very weather-dependent venture. We’ll do our best to announce any items that will be limited each week so that you can plan ahead. Additionally, certain items may be limited at the beginning or tail end of their seasons, such as cherry tomatoes, and some items, such as heirloom tomatoes, may be limited by total available poundage per week. All of this will be clearly noted in the store, and please always feel more than welcome to reach out in advance, or ask the store associate on duty should you have any questions.

How will i know what’s available each week, or how to use it?

If you’re not sure what veggies would go together in the best way, stay tuned to our weekly newsletter! This contains recipes, suggestions on what other farm store products might pair well with our veggies, and notes about farm happenings. You will be automatically subscribed to our newsletter when you sign up for a share; check your ‘Promotions’ or ‘Spam’ folder if you’re not seeing it in your inbox.

We want you to enjoy your share’s worth of our veggies; you can check in about your share balance any time you’re in the store, or by emailing marketing@obercreekfarm.com. You are responsible for spending your balance down in a regular way ($30 - $60/week) before the end of the CSA season, which will be the week of Thanksgiving. Letting more than two weeks go by without using your card for $~30 worth of produce will make it difficult to spend your full balance. Any unspent funds remaining on your member card at the close of the season will be considered a donation to the farm. You are always welcome to send a friend, family member, coworker, personal assistant, caregiver, or otherwise to collect your share for you; they need only provide your name at checkout in order to use your membership.

what veggies can i expect to see available?

Here are some examples of what you can expect during the season, weather permitting:

Early Summer: Bok Choy, Radishes, Kale, Swiss Chard, Lettuce, Fennel, Turnips, Scallions, Beets, Carrots, Spinach, Red/Heirloom Tomatoes, Mustard Mix

Mid-Summer: Summer Squash, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Onions, Broccoli, Sweet/Hot Peppers, Scallions, Red/Heirloom Tomatoes, Eggplant, Lettuce, Kale, Swiss Chard, Turnips, Escarole, Bok Choy, Spinach, Mustard Mix, Collards, Cilantro, Dill

Fall: Beets, Fennel, Broccoli, Radishes, Leeks, Winter Squash, Lettuce, Swiss Chard, Kale, Onions, Turnips, Carrots, Collards, Cilantro, Dill

HOW WILL I KNOW OF ANY CHANGES OR UPDATES?

As mentioned above, we send a weekly newsletter containing share contents; you will be automatically subscribed when you sign up for your share. Should there be any last minute store closings or other time-sensitive updates, we will send a direct email from marketing@obercreekfarm.com.

DO I HAVE TO PAY THE FULL AMOUNT UP FRONT?

We understand the upfront cost of a CSA may be difficult for some people at this time. If you’d like to inquire about paying for your share in installments, please email marketing@obercreekfarm.com and we will be happy to discuss.

I still have questions

We’d be happy to answer them! Email marketing@obercreekfarm.com with any questions you may have about the CSA and we’ll get back to you within a day or two.

I’m ready to sign up!

That’s great, we’re so excited to have you join us for a summer and fall of delicious local produce, fruit, and mushrooms. Click the button below to be redirected to our main CSA page and reserve your spot. Don’t forget, we love receiving payment by check (it helps us save a bundle in fees!) so please consider mailing in your sign up with a check, if you’re able. If not, no problem, we’re happy to take your signup online.