Frequently Asked Questions

What is a CSA?

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. We as farmers are looking to form a good standing relationship with you the community. We would like to share with you the joy of eating local, and in season food. It is our goal to help you become more connected to this wonderful area and all the great food it has to offer! By joining our CSA you are making a commitment to us that you are in it for the long haul, that you will not only share in the bounty of a great harvest but be understanding and help us as farmers thru the many struggles we face from year to year. This means that from time to time when we face crop failures or less than perfect products we expect our members to understand that by joining a CSA you are assuming some of the risk. We do our best to communicate with our members sharing with them all of our success and also our failure. Part of the program is helping people to better understand our food system and what actually goes into growing things.

A CSA is not buying in bulk,  we are not a grocery store, and we are not a farmers market.You get a mixed box of vegetables and fruit, it will not look like it was packed in a grocery store, it will look like it was harvested and packed on a farm! We do not wash our produce so there will be dirt from time to time, we also try to use extra packaging as little as possible. Every year we get people that complain early on that they do not think they are getting their money worth. Please consider two things 1. The season will always start out slower, it is the way nature is, it takes time to grow things! 2.  when considering the value of our program please remember it takes lots of time for us to organize the program, pack the shares and deliver them. While we think the value is there and we try very hard to always make sure our shares are worth what the members are paying, If you are looking for the most bang for your buck we suggest growing your own or coming out for u-pick. The value in a CSA is that you belong to something that helps you be connected to the people growing your food.

What if I can't pick up my share?

If you know you can not pick up your share, simply place your share on hold on your online dash board when you log into your account, this is very easy to do. Simply highlight the day you would like your share on hold and choose hold delivery. On the calendar green highlighted days indicate you are scheduled for pick up and grey highlighted days mean you are on hold. PLEASE

NOTE: we offer a pretty good discount for people who pay for the full 20 weeks up front, that being said if you choose this option you will NOT be able to make up any missed shares. You can however have a relative or friend pick up your share,  change pick up to a different day, or donate your share, the last 2 options can be done thru your member dashboard.

Are we organic?

Short answer no. We use IPM integrated pest management, which means we use a very minimal amount of pesticide. Fruit especially is very difficult to grow organically. We use far less chemicals than any non organic fruits and veggies you will find at the supermarket. A lot of the produce you get at the store is picked before it has ripened and is treated with chemicals to help it ripen en-route. We don't use any  fertilizers or chemical growth enhancers on our produce. 

How much is in each box??

This will vary depending on what produce is in, the small share is for 2 or 3 people the large is for a family of 4-5. Shares vary in size greatly because when we include high value fruit items the volume will be less, and when we include more veggies which are lower value items the volume will be greater. We will try and split the shares equally between fruit and veg. But certain times you may see more fruit and others more veg. 


Length of program/Dates??

We offer a 20 week program running from the week of June 15th thru the last week in October. .

What fruits and vegetables will be in my box??

The produce you will be getting will be very fresh but it will not be washed and it will not always look perfect, if you are expecting perfect looking produce our CSA may not be for you. When we say not perfect we mean it may be a weird shape or could have a few superficial blemishes that in no way affect the taste. If you receive produce that has beyond minor blemishes where quality and taste are affected we will always replace it, it does not happen often. 

You will see repeat items from week to week, sometimes you will see an item often, sometimes a few weeks in a row and sometimes just once. This is all based on what’s in season and how things grow, some items grow all season, some grow for a few weeks and some have very short windows. It is sometimes hard to understand seasonality when we live in a culture used to having every thing under the sun available all year! If you are looking for different variety every single week a CSA may not be for you.

Items that may appear in your box are listed below:

Vegetable: green, purple and yellow beans, beets, broccoli,romanesca, green, red, savoy, and caraflex cabbage, brussel sprouts,pak choi, carrots, cauliflower, sweet corn, cucumber, head lettuce, romaine, kale, snow peas, hot peppers, green, purple, orange and red bell peppers, delicata, acorn, buttercup, carnivale,and other winter squash, spaghetti squash,  summer squash, plum (roma),steak and orange tomatoes, several zucchini varieties, red, white, and blue potatoes, onions, garlic. and garlic scapes

Fruit: 8 different apple varieties, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, concord grapes, peaches, strawberries, cantaloupe

 More questions? Please email us at  beckerfarmscsa@gmail.com