HARVEST BOX

HARVEST BOX & FLOWER CSA MEMBERSHIPS

2023 CSA registration is still open, just 8 more of our 75 veggie shares available, and counting down… Sign up now to reserve your share of the harvest.

Not sure yet? Sign up to our notification list and we’ll be in touch in 2024.

Lookin’ for more info? See below.

“I just wanted to send a short note to let you know how much I and my husband benefited from and enjoyed your fresh veggies this year. It was our first year buying from y’all, and we both agreed it was so worth it. I think it helped to absolutely revolutionize and revitalize our relationship with vegetables (from trying some things for the first time, such as kohlrabi and pattypans; to learning with delicious results that carrots tops can be made into pesto; to eating greens every day). We also enjoyed the newsletters, from which we learned new cooking tricks and heard about the goings on at the farm and the harvesting process. We also appreciated hearing about the harder stuff regarding that process. So thank you from both of us.“
CSA (now perennial) Member, 2019

What is a CSA?

CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) revolutionizes how most people access food. It’s a commitment between eaters and growers towards a more sustainable and equitable food system, forging meaningful relationships with each other, with the plants that feed us and the soil that sustains us. CSA members are an integral part of the farm in our shared commitment to sustainability, fairness, community and education building towards a resilient future.

We grow a wide variety of vegetables to ensure crop success and support a diverse life-sustaining ecosystem. We employ organic growing techniques to fill your boxes each week with the freshest and tastiest food and most beautiful long-lasting flowers you can find. For 20 weeks the last Tuesday of May through mid-October you get a weekly box of veggies. You also have the option of receiving flowers alongside your veggie box, or flowers all on their own.

Check out our blog for more reasons why the CSA model is good for farmers, eaters & our food system.

Veggie Box & Flower Bouquet Options

From late May until mid-October you will be provided a WEEKLY box of freshly harvested, seasonal produce. The contents of the harvest box varies from week to week with a selection of 7-11 items each week. Each week you can count on receiving leafy greens, a root and/or fruit (ie. tomato, zucchini, eggplant), and a herb at an average weekly value of $32. Check out our 2020 Member Survey results to see how folks find great value in the veggies they receive via our CSA Harvest Box program.

The Full Harvest Share works differently for different folks! We have singleton vegans who can munch the whole box up themselves. Some of our members share their share and don’t buy produce elsewhere the whole summer long. Some folks finish their share by the weekend and visit the farmers’ market or grocery store for more. People find friends, colleagues and family to share their share with if they think it’s too much for just themselves. For best value and to reduce food waste we provide a weekly harvest newsletter with tips on how to get the most out of your harvest box.

We grow tried, tested and true varieties that grow well in our climate: Sugar Snap Peas, Salad Greens, Arugula, Kale, Swiss Chard, Spinach, Mizuna, Pac Choi, Napa Cabbage, Gai Lan, Radishes, Daikon, Kohlrahbi, Broccolini, Rutabaga, Hakurei & Purple Top Turnips, Beets, Carrots, Beans, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Peppers, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Winter Squash, Onions, Potatoes, Bulb Fennel, Garlic, Leeks, Scallions, Mint, Basil, Dill, Cilantro, Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Chives.

See photos of past weekly harvest shares on Instagram.

Weekly or bi-weekly bouquets of beautiful cut flowers are also available alongside your veggie box mid-June to September or just on their own. Beautiful on your kitchen table or to give to a special someone.

Veggies

Early Bird Veggie Share: $640= Avg $32 value for 20 weeks
After March 15th, Veggie Share: $650= Avg $32 for 20 weeks + $10 admin

Flowers

Full Season Weekly Flowers: $350= Avg $25 value for 14 weeks
Full Season Bi-Weekly Flowers: $185 for 7 weeks

An initial deposit or payment in full reserves your share, with balance of payment (in 2-3 installments) due by the first pick-up day. If you are able to pay all at once we certainly do appreciate that as it keeps our administrative costs low.

If our payment plans don’t work for you, let us know and we can figure out a personalized payment schedule.

Pick-up

Pick-up of weekly shares are Tuesdays, 3-6pm at the Farm, near 57th & Cambie, Vancouver, with self-serve after-hours and next day access to your veggie box or flowers. Flower shares are also available Fridays for self-serve pick-up noon onwards. We are at 780 West 57th Avenue on the western lawns of George Pearson Centre accessible via Heather Street.

What if you are going away, or can’t pick up one week?

We will have 1 extra week of veggie harvest at the end of the season for people that missed a week and notified us by 8am Tuesday morning to put their share of the week’s harvest on hold. This assures the harvest does not go to waste.

If you are away for an extended period of time, offer your share to family or friends that can pick up while you are away. They’ll love you for it and it provides us the continuous community support we need to keep doing what we do the whole season through. If you can’t find anyone to pick-up let us know and we will either redistribute your produce to fellow CSA members, share your produce with volunteers or donate your share to our neighbours at Reiderman Residence.

Reusable Produce Bag Option

We work with our CSA members to reduce our use of packaging as much as possible. Most items are bunched in the field with rubber elastics or twist ties, which can be returned for reuse the following week (COVID-19 safe).

Our weekly salad or braising green mixes, and a number of other items do need to be bagged (ie. snap peas, potatoes, beans). Our Reusable Produce Bag option relies on the commitment of CSA members to provide, wash and return laundry machine washable produce bags each week. Members provide us with a total of 6 bags before first harvest the last Tuesday in May. Bags need to have your First & Last Names written boldly and very visibly at the top of the bags, or on a tag attached to the drawstring of your bag. The best sized bags are somewhere between 12”x9.5” and 15”x13” and are made of mesh or cloth. Nice if they have a drawstring at the top of them. Many sewing projects have been inspired by this program! Old t-shirts or tea towels could do it.

Produce is bagged directly into member’s reusable bags Tuesday at the farm and taken home by members to air-tight containers in the fridge (ie. large food storage tubs) starting 3pm Tuesday afternoon. Even better if the containers you transfer your produce to are transparent so you can easily see what you have in the fridge. Best if you can avoid buying new bags and containers and repurpose fabrics and containers already kicking around.

If you can bring back clean, machine-washed bags each week and are equipped with air-tight food storage containers to assure the utmost quality of your farm fresh veggies we invite you to sign up for the Reusable Produce Bag Option. And you know what? No worries if you can’t. No judgement here.

Our Farm Community in the City

We encourage our members to visit the farm anytime. It’s a beautiful spacious outdoor green space right in the city. Farm staff & volunteers are on site Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 9am-3pm March to October and are happy to chat. June to mid-October farmers are also on site during CSA pick-up Tuesdays 3-6pm. Get to know us! We are your neighbours & a wealth of ecological gardening & garden-fresh eating knowledge. We love getting to know the people who eat the food we grow.

To Join

2023 CSA registration is still open, just 8 more of our 75 veggie shares available, and counting down… Sign up now to reserve your share of the harvest.

Not sure yet? Sign up to our notification list and we’ll be in touch in 2024.