- What is a CSA?
- How does Tomato Mountain's CSA work?
- What's the benefit of sustaining memberships?
- Can I sign up and pay online?
- Why home delivery?
- Doesn't delivery add to costs?
- When can I expect my home delivery?
- What are your delivery boundaries?
- Can friends get together for combined deliveries?
- What is the right size for me/my household?
- What do the shares look like?
- I'd like one-stop shopping - eggs, milk, etc?
- Your CSA deliveries have already started - can I still join?
- What if I don't want something in the box?
- What if I'm not home at the time of delivery?
- What if I need to skip a week or two (or more)?
- Can I purchase some jars or cases with my box?
- Can't I just purchase it at farmers' markets?
- How do you value the price of the produce?
- What size cooler should I get?
- What if I don't like being a member or don't like the produce?
- Wholesale
What is a CSA?
CSA is an acronym for Community Supported Agriculture, which refers to a relationship-based approach to the business of growing, selling, and distributing produce and other locally produced foods. While conventional food production systems are extremely efficient at the point of production, they forfeit most of this efficiency (not to mention freshness, taste, and nutritional value) by shipping produce thousands of miles, and ultimately by throwing much of it away because it goes bad before being sold at grocery stores. Food delivered in this system is relatively inexpensive because the two main players—namely farmers and the environment—are not sufficiently valued and compensated. The waste inherent in this system is roughly equal to the extent to which farmers and the environment are compromised and undervalued. As a result, the conventional system is not sustainable.
Over the last two decades or so, CSAs have become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farm. A more familiar way to think of a CSA might be as an investment. In short, a farm offers a certain number of “shares” to the public in exchange for payment, and the farm pays the shareholder “dividends” during the growing season in the form of a weekly box of vegetables. Shares of a CSA are also often referred to as a “membership” or “subscription,” which our monthly payment option emphasizes.
CSA is an acronym for Community Supported Agriculture, which refers to a relationship-based approach to the business of growing, selling, and distributing produce and other locally produced foods. While conventional food production systems are extremely efficient at the point of production, they forfeit most of this efficiency (not to mention freshness, taste, and nutritional value) by shipping produce thousands of miles, and ultimately by throwing much of it away because it goes bad before being sold at grocery stores. Food delivered in this system is relatively inexpensive because the two main players—namely farmers and the environment—are not sufficiently valued and compensated. The waste inherent in this system is roughly equal to the extent to which farmers and the environment are compromised and undervalued. As a result, the conventional system is not sustainable.
Over the last two decades or so, CSAs have become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farm. A more familiar way to think of a CSA might be as an investment. In short, a farm offers a certain number of “shares” to the public in exchange for payment, and the farm pays the shareholder “dividends” during the growing season in the form of a weekly box of vegetables. Shares of a CSA are also often referred to as a “membership” or “subscription,” which our monthly payment option emphasizes.
This arrangement creates several rewards for both the farmer and the consumer.
Farmers...
- Are able to anticipate how much food to grow based on the number of CSA members they have -- streamlining the food-growing process and preventing waste both of food and of labor.
- Receive payment directly from food consumers, cutting out the "middle man" of grocery stores and distribution channels, which creates an environment where a small-scale farmer has a shot at making a living wage.
- Have an opportunity to get to know the people who eat the food they grow or produce
Consumers...
- Eat ultra-fresh food, with all the flavor and vitamin benefits
- Get exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking
- May get to visit the farm during the season
- Find that kids typically favor food from "their" farm – even veggies they've never been known to eat
- Develop a relationship with the farmer who grows their food and learn more about how food is grown.
(adapted from localharvest.org)
Like most CSAs, Tomato Mountain receives payment from you for the season -- select which of our Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall seasons you would like; you can also sign up for the full year, or make flat monthly payments with the monthly membership. With that investment, we provide you with produce for each week (bi-weekly during Winter).
The sign-up process goes like this:
1) Select your share size
2) Determine your delivery zone, and whether you'd prefer "primetime" delivery.
3) Select your season(s) and whether you'd prefer a season-to-season membership, or a sustaining membership and sign up! You may change sizes anytime throughout the season - just let us know.
2) Determine your delivery zone, and whether you'd prefer "primetime" delivery.
3) Select your season(s) and whether you'd prefer a season-to-season membership, or a sustaining membership and sign up! You may change sizes anytime throughout the season - just let us know.
We implemented our sustaining memberships with the hope that we can build a member base of folks who would like to stick with Tomato Mountain on an ongoing basis. The ongoing membership supports us through the year, so we have less of a "bust and boom" cycle of funds every year. Read more about our sustaining memberships here.
Keep in mind that the sustaining memberships take the full cost for the year, then divide that by 12 -- it's the same dollar amount every month, no matter the number of boxes received that month.
Can I sign up and pay online?
Yep! Head on over to our sign-up area to get started.
Why home delivery?
We love direct home delivery for several reasons: (1) One vehicle delivering 50 boxes is far more efficient, and has a smaller carbon footprint, than 50 cars driving to a drop-off site; (2) You’ll get your produce in the best condition possible. For most situations, we strongly suggest leaving a cooler for us. We’ll transfer produce into your cooler to keep it safe and fresh; (3) You won't have to remember or make time to retrieve your box.
Yep! Head on over to our sign-up area to get started.
Why home delivery?
We love direct home delivery for several reasons: (1) One vehicle delivering 50 boxes is far more efficient, and has a smaller carbon footprint, than 50 cars driving to a drop-off site; (2) You’ll get your produce in the best condition possible. For most situations, we strongly suggest leaving a cooler for us. We’ll transfer produce into your cooler to keep it safe and fresh; (3) You won't have to remember or make time to retrieve your box.
But home delivery adds so much to the cost of your CSA, doesn't it?