COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE
Each year, we invite the surrounding community to buy a share of our farm's harvest. This means that as a CSA member, you are providing us with important capital at the beginning of the season when a farm's expenses are the highest. Your investment in our business allows us to purchase the seeds, equipment, and infrastructure necessary to provide an abundant supply of food to our community. In exchange for your support, we provide a weekly share of the farm's crops for you and your family while sustainably giving back to the land, donate unsold produce to food-insecure folks, and share the surplus crops during seasons of bounty. We believe that healthy food starts in the soil, so we never use chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or inorganic pesticides on our farm. We use compost, crop rotation, and cover crops to feed the microbes in our soil. They do all the real hard work for us.
As a member of our CSA you will be creating employment opportunities, committing to healthy eating habits for you and your family, and advocating for small scale agriculture. This is our 9th year of providing a CSA for our community, each year we have added more variety and have fine tuned our selections to create a unique experience for our members.
CRANSTON
CSA Box
Our 2024 Cranston Vegetable CSA
is currently open for new members!
HOW IT WORKS
THE CSA BOX
The CSA box is our weekly curated box of produce highlighting the freshest seasonal vegetables and fruits from our farm. Every week, we will send out a newsletter that gives you an update about the farm and lets you know what produce to expect in your CSA box. We'll even include recipes and tips for all of the items of your box!
The Cranston CSA box runs for 22 weeks
Pickup is on Wednesdays between 3 and 6
from June 5 - October 30
Cranston CSA pickup is held outdoors at the
Oaklawn Cranston Public Library
230 Wilbur Ave, Cranston, RI 02921
There are two share sizes:
HALF SHARE (feeds 1-2)
FAMILY SHARE (feeds 3-4)
Half shares will receive 5-7 items, Family shares will receive 7-9 items with larger portions of most items like greens and tomatoes. In the spring and late fall you can expect a slightly smaller selection of produce while in the summer and early fall you will receive more items during the peak harvest season. When we experience a bumper crop and have excess produce (most often tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, or peppers), we will share the abundance with you as an added perk of being a CSA member!
Most of the items will be the same for everyone and there will be a few choices each week (like choose cherry tomatoes or tomatoes, spinach or arugula, or choice of herbs). We will write a list of all the items on each box so you can pick the share that suits you best! The selection and quantity of produce will vary with the seasons.
See the "What's in a share?" section below to learn more.
We also offer extra shares like flower bouquets, eggs, and mushrooms to add on to your CSA!
WHATS IN A SHARE?
Each week will vary depending on the time of the season.
Here are a few examples of a FAMILY SHARE previous seasons:
PRICING &
PAYMENT
For 22 weeks of fresh produce:
HALF SHARE - $545 *
FAMILY SHARE - $787 *
* Receive a 3% discount if paying via cash or check / 2% discount for ACH bank transfer
Cash/check price: half share- $530 family share- $765
Members are required to pay a $150 deposit before the start of the season to hold their place as space is limited. We require that the rest of the payment be brought to the first day of pickup or sent in early via snail mail. The prices we have chosen reflect the cost it takes to run our farm sustainably using regenerative practices and paying our staff a livable wage.
We are devoted to providing affordable fresh food to our community while maintaining a sustainable life for ourselves and our business.
If you consider yourself low-income and are in need of financial assistance, we offer a no interest payment plan, simply select the payment plan option on the sign-up form. We also accept SNAP EBT as payment. Many of our members set up automatic check payments with their bank every month from when they sign up in January through June to spread out the cost.
You are also welcome to split a share with a friend or family member and alternate weeks of pickup.
Payment can be made in the form of
CASH*, CHECK*, SNAP EBT*, ACH BANK TRANSFER*, or CREDIT CARD.
Interested in working in exchange for your CSA share? Learn more on our Workshare page.
* A 3% DISCOUNT will be applied to all cash, check, and SNAP payments and a 2% discount will be applied to ACH bank transfers- keep your food dollars in the local economy and out of the pockets of credit card companies, please pay by check or cash!
Please note: EBT funds can not be used to pay for flower shares.
EXTRA SHARES
We are partnering with other local small businesses to offer you extra shares to add to your CSA! We believe in the power of community to help our local economy grow. These optional shares are offered weekly, bi-weekly, one time pickups, or monthly so please read the descriptions carefully.
FLOWER BOUQUETS
Weekly or bi-weekly
Adding a flower share is a different way of enjoying the beauty of the
seasons. Each week, or every other week, you will receive a
bouquet of flowers grown and designed by us! These bouquets
will feature a variety of different blooms that vary with the season.
Our flowers are also chemical-free and grown using organic methods.
If you will be traveling and can't use the flowers for one of the weeks,
they also make a great gift! Flower share begins in mid June. Bi-weekly
shares will alternate weeks by last name.
18 weeks, weekly JUNE - OCTOBER $352.26* +TAX
9 weeks, bi-weekly, JUNE - OCTOBER $176.13* +TAX
*Receive a 3% discount for cash/check payment
FARM EGG SHARE
Weekly or bi-weekly
Nothing compares to farm fresh eggs. You will receive a dozen
eggs weekly or every other week alongside your CSA share. We raise our
laying hens with so much love. Our flock eats certified non-gmo feed
and spends as much time as they want outside. They roam the pasture
daily and enjoy snacking on the worms and bugs living amongst the grass.
Bi-weekly shares will alternate weeks by last name.
22 weeks, weekly $164.28*
11 weeks, bi-weekly, June- September $82.14
*Receive a 3% discount for cash/check payment
THE BREAD SHARE
Weekly
Add a weekly loaf of Melissa's
freshly baked bread to pick up with your CSA! Melissa will create a
different artisan bread each week possibly including sourdough, focaccia,
challah, sandwich loaves, and more. Her breads will be inspired by the
season and will often feature ingredients from the farm. Some favorites
from 2022 were: honey tulsi brioche, blueberry sourdough, jalapeño
corn sourdough, honey whole wheat, roasted tomato focaccia, &
semolina sourdough.
22 weeks, 1 loaf weekly, June-October $186.94
*Receive a 3% discount for cash/check payment
MUSHROOMS FROM RI
MUSHROOM COMPANY
Monthly
You now can add mushrooms to your CSA veggies!
RI Mushroom Company will provide our members a mix of specialty
mushrooms either bi-weekly or monthly. Receive old favorites like
portobello, crimini, and shiitake while learning about more unusual
varieties like oyster, maitake, and pioppino and don't worry- we'll give
you recipe tips!
6 months, 1 box monthly, June - October $74.16
*Receive a 3% discount for cash/check payment
PESTO SHARE
One Pickup
Do you love to make homemade pesto? With this add on,
you will receive a bulk bag of basil when it is it's peak season plus a few
heads of our fresh garlic. We will let you know in the weekly email when
to expect this add on so you will have time to gather your pine nuts and
olive oil! Also check the weekly email for a recipe!
1 Pickup, $16.48
*Receive a 3% discount for cash/check payment
CANNING SHARE
One Pickup
Fill up your pantry or freezer with the fresh flavor of summer! Take home
a bulk box of B-grade tomatoes perfect for sauce, salsa, or any way you
want to preserve them! This share will be one pickup in peak tomato
season in late August or September. We will let you know when it's
coming in the weekly email along with recipes & tips!
1 Pickup, 1/2 bushel box (20-25 lbs) $36.05
*Receive a 3% discount for cash/check payment
THE SOLIDARITY SHARE
DONATION
In response to the increased level of food insecurity in our community
due to the pandemic and as part of our farm's food justice and
reparations plan, we have developed The Solidarity Share.
Our mission with this program is to get our fresh, healthy, locally grown
produce into the bellies of our low-income neighbors. Access to fresh,
nutritious produce is very difficult for our community members that
live in low income urban areas and often disproportionately affects
people of color. With help from your donation, we will deliver our fresh
produce weekly to the Refri PVD- a free community fridge located in
Providence. We dropped off donations every week last season and were
often met with gratitude and smiles from the community members
eagerly waiting for fresh food. Almost every single time we arrived with
a cooler of produce, the fridge was quickly emptied. Community funded
programs make it possible for low-profit, high expense farm businesses
like ours to maintain financial viability and continue to serve
under-resourced communities.
1 share- $25
2 shares- $50
4 shares- $100
Other-Donations are accepted in any amount
