CSA Policies and FAQ
By joining the Somerford Gardens CSA, you become a shareholder in the farm for the year, and a part of our farming family and community. For that commitment and investment, you will receive a portion of the farms harvest for 24 out of 26 weeks from May through October/Early November. Two weeks are omitted to allow for vacation and travel plans. These individual “skip weeks” if unused can be purchased at the end of the year for the weekly rate of $25. The total cost for the year is $600/$300. You can opt to pay in full at the beginning of the year, or to make 4 equal recurring monthly payments.
By becoming a shareholder in a local farm, you are sharing in both the risk and the reward. CSA membership allows for a relationship to be built with your food and the farm at which it was grown. Your investment pays for seeds, crop interventions such as row cover and insect netting, and labor for harvesting. It is therefore a season long commitment.
You will also receive weekly updates from the farm to let you know what is happening around the farm and what to expect in your weekly share. And of course, you are welcome to come out for a farm visit anytime, we love having visitors!
What will my weekly share include?
Your share will consist of 6-10 vegetables and the occasional fruit. There are always at least 1 green leafy vegetable like lettuce, spinach, arugula, kale, and lettuce mix and often 2-3 at the beginning and end of the year. Typically at least 1-2 root vegetables like carrots or beets are included, then other vegetables as available. Consistently found in the share are cucumbers and tomatoes. In 2020 there were about 40 different varieties of vegetables included over the year. When in season (roughly weeks 7-22) tomatoes are in each share, as are peppers (roughly weeks 14-25).
Deliveries? Thats great!!
Our 2021 CSA program includes delivery to your doorstep. Deliveries are made from a refrigerated truck and so will stay cool for several hours, however they should be refrigerated and taken care of as soon as possible. It is highly recommended that a designated cooler and cold pack be set out to receive your veggies. It doesn’t take long for a 90 deg summer day to turn a wonderful bag of veggies into mush.
What about last minute schedule changes? What if i forget my share?
It is your responsibility to remember the date and time of your delivery or pick up. While we will try to be flexible with last minute schedule changes, the farm does not issue credit for missed shares. There is a built in 2 week grace to allow for the modern busy schedule which we understand is unpredictable at times. If you will miss additional weeks, consider having a friend or neighbor pick up your share if need be. It may be possible to negotiate additional skip weeks, or “double share” deliveries on an as needed basis, contact Farmer Joe if this is a concern or is needed.