What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?

CSA is a mutual relationship between a local farm and the community that consumes its produce. The members pay a fee to cover the cost of producing the food and in turn receive a weekly share of the harvest during the growing season.

This arrangement guarantees the farmer financial support and allows many small to medium scale organic farms to remain in business. It benefits the members by knowing the person who is growing their food and by receiving their food straight from the farm.

Another characteristic of CSA is the agreement to pay in advance for a predetermined amount of produce. In most cases, this commitment implies a willingness to share with the farmer both the harvest from the land and at least some of the inherent risks of production.

Participation in a CSA leads to a deeper understanding of the effort it takes to produce quality food and our dependence upon God to sustain us.

What are some of the benefits of this CSA?

When does the season start? How long will it last?

The Early Start CSA is a four-week share for those who are eager for early spring vegetables. The season begins April 8th and continues for the rest of the month.

The Spring/Summer CSA brings you a wide assortment of all your favorite summer vegetables. It begins in May and continues till September 2nd. The standard share lasts a total of 18 weeks. With the Early Start option, you will recieve 22 weeks of produce from April through early September.

The Fall CSA continues where the Spring/Summer ends. It starts in September and runs through December. You will still find a few of summer's treats such as tomatoes and green beans. But now it is combined all of fall's bounty. Enjoy broccoli, sweet potatoes, various greens, and sweet crunchy carrots. The Fall shares last for a total of 16 weeks.

The summer Fruit Share will begin in May with different varieties of apples until the strawberries are ready (usually in early June). Once the strawberries are in season, the fruit share will offer a wide variety of fresh summer fruits. The summer fruit share contains 1-2 low spray (not organic) fruit items each week.

The fall Fruit Shares will enjoy the last of summer's bounty in September and early October before transitioning to apples and pears in late October and through December. Our fall fruit share contains 2 varieties of apples or pears per week.

What is a share and how does it work?

As a member of Crawford Organics CSA you will receive a weekly box with an assortment of in-season fresh vegetables. A standard size box will contain 7-9 items in quantities designed for 2-4 people. The Mini share box will contian 5 to 6 items per week in quantities designed for 1-2 people (depending on menu preferences). (See Early Start, Spring/Summer, or Fall for a list of items) The box may not supply all your vegetable needs, depending on your normal vegetable consumption.

Our fruit share contains 1-2 fresh fruits per week. In general, the items in the fruit share and the vegetable share do not overlap.*

You will pick up your items once a week (every other week for a half share) either at the farm or at one of our dropsites.

Where do the products come from?

The vegetables we send are certified organic. We grow many of the items we send, but we also supplement some items from other local farms. These other farms are also certified organic using quality growing methods. We will inform you before we send any items that are not from our farm.

The eggs and yogurt come from other local farms. These farmers do a good job of taking care of their animals and producing a quality product.

The fruit we occasionally send in the CSA boxes is certified organic from our farm and other local orchards. The Fruit Share is low spray (IPM) from local orchards.

Can I choose what comes in my box?

We do allow limited customization of the CSA boxes. Each week we choose the items based on what is in season. We try to keep a nice variety, but not send too many unusual items. If we do send something unusual, we will give recipes for it in our weekly newsletter.

If you see something listed on the newsletter that you would prefer not to receive, you may email us before Monday at 7:00am to request a removal or replacement of some item. We will usually be able to accomodate such requests, but cannot guarantee it every time.

We also offer the option to order extra of any item through the same method. We require a deposit (any amount $25 or more) to be placed on your account for this option. Each time you chose to order something, the value of your special order will be deducted from your deposit. There is no fee for this option--the full deposit is redeemable for produce. If you have any deposit left over at the end of a season, you may order additional items to use it up or else the deposit will be automatically applied to your next signup. There are no refunds for the deposit.

Other additional Shares:

Eggs

We also offer eggs from pastured hens. The hens have daily access to roam the fresh grass around their portable house. These hens are not organic, but are fed a 100% GMO free diet. The fresh grass, exercise, and sunshine makes for happy hens.

A share of eggs consists of one dozen every week.

Fruit

We offer two fruit shares each year. We primarily raise vegetables, however, we have partnered with a couple of local orchards to bring you a variety of fresh fruit through the summer. These orchards are not organic, but they have found ways to reduce their sprays as much as possible while still producing a quality fruit.

A fruit share contains 1-2 fruit items each week.

Yogurt

The yogurt we offer is from Seven Stars Farm in Kimberton, PA. Their yogurt is made from certified organic whole milk without flavorings or thickeners. It is a very good, creamy textured yogurt with a mild flavor.

A share consists of one quart of plain yogurt per week.

Mini Share:

Our Mini share contains 5-6 items each week. The portions are sized equal or slightly smaller than our standard share. We plan for this box to feed 1-2 people depending on menu preferences. Most, but not all, of the items that are in the standard share will also be included in the mini share—just less frequently.

What is a Bi-Weekly share?

A bi-weekly share is a full box delivered every other week. Nearly all of the produce we send will easily last for two weeks if properly stored. We try to send a wide variety of items to both our Weekly share and our Bi-Weekly share members. However, due to the nature of the bi-weekly share, there may be some items you won't receive. If possible, we advise you find a friend to split a Weekly share with. This will allow both of you to have access to everything we send.

What if I go on vacation?

If you plan to be away certain weeks, and you can let us know when you sign up; there will be a deduction for the time you will be gone (See Early Start Vacation, Spring/Summer Vacation, Fall Vacation, or Fruit Share Vacation for more details). If after you sign up, you realize you will be away some week; there will be no refunds, but you may either have a neighbor pick up your box for you, or you may cancel your box and receive a credit. The credit can be used on another delivery date of your choice. Credits must be used by the end of the season unless other arrangements are made.

To make a change to your delivery schedule, you must give us one week advance notice by either e-mail or phone.

We harvest an exact amount of produce for each week’s boxes. Therefore if you fail to pick your box up within the designated time without informing us in advance; we will donate it to a worthy recipient.

Boxes

We pack our CSA shares in reusable boxes. Please return your box to the dropsite each week so we can pick it up and reuse it.

Prices

Please see our Prices page for the current CSA prices.

Discounts

For a list of all our discounts, click here.

Dropsites:

See our list of dropsites.

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* Please see our Early Start, Spring/Summer, or Fall pages for specific CSA information.
* To go to our signup form: Sign Up
* To view the current version of our flyer: View Flyer

If you have any questions, please contact us.