foto by Tracy Perkins Accepting new members now!
We just opened up registration for this coming season. This year the CSA will start the end of May and continue through the last delivery date before Thanksgiving. Click on the CSA registration link to your left to print out the registration form.
NEW THIS YEAR:
add a flower share
pick up at any of our Farmers' Markets
get bulk discounts on items on our wholesale availability list each week...
and (Wednesday only) order beef from our neighbors the Markegards to be delivered with your box last Wednesdays of the month.
What is a CSA?
CSA stands for "Community Supported Agriculture". Customers invest in the farm by committing to buy a weekly box of produce for the whole season. The benefits for the farm and members are many: eat healthier, try new things you might not otherwise, build real community with your farmer and neighbors, enjoy learning about your food & where it's coming from, get fresher and better food than you would at a grocery store...
In addition, not only does having committed subscribing members provides us with guaranteed income and and help us pay for expenses early in the season when cash is tight, it also means we can harvest just what's needed which means less waste. In addition, the longer term commitment between farmer and customer leads to a more personal relationship and greater community building between producer and eater as well as between CSA members who share an interest in sustainable agriculture and good food. Want to preserve the beauty of San Mateo's Coastside? You can do it one bite at a time by forging a connection between your family and a sustainable, organic farm.
What do I get if I join?
Aside from the satisfaction in knowing that you are committing in a serious way to help support local, organic farms...
As a member you will receive a $25 value box of produce each Wednesday. You can also opt to add a dozen or a 1/2 dozen of our eggs a week as well as a bouquet of flowers each week. Want to do same canning, make jam, or freeze local strawberries for the winter? We offer our members access to our restaurant/wholesale prices on bulk purchases.
We also encourage and welcome your visits to the farm. We hold an annual farm Open House which is a great time to meet us, see the farm, and meet fellow CSA members and Fifth Crow customers. Last year we had a fabulous potluck dinner, made homemade icecream and all around had a wonderful time. We are also working on a self-guided farm tour so you can drop in anytime.
In addition we also facilitate deliveries of beef from our neighbors who are grass-finished beef producers as well as pastured chicken from a friend's farm as well. We want to help connect you to other sustainable local producers
Our CSA runs 27 weeks, from the end of May till the last delivery day before Thanksgiving (weather depending). If the Spring is especially wet we may have to adjust the start date, but we will extend the deliveries to make sure you get a full 27 weeks if this happens.
Each week your box will include 6-10 items, rotating between items within the following categories:
1. baby head lettuce/greens (varieties vary week to week)
2. a root crop (carrots, beets, turnips, or radishes, potatoes)
3. a bag of pre-washed baby greens (baby arugula, mesclun salad mix, or spinach)
4. a brassica (broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, or cabbage)
5. an allium (leeks, onions, shallots, spring onions, garlic)
6. 2 baskets of strawberries (chandler, seascape, or albion)
… and another 1-2 seasonal items: summer squash, winter squash, dry-farmed tomatoes, padrone and poblano peppers, tomatillos, kale, chard, collards, and more.
You will also receive durable goods including whole grain pancake mix , blue cornbread mix, wheat berries, popcorn, heirloom dry beans, and jams... sundried tomatoes, etc.
How much does it cost?
A produce share costs $675. You can add a dozen eggs a week for $8/week or half dozen for $4/week. A flower share is $216 ($8 a week).
How do I sign up?
To sign up click on the link to printable CSA registration or the online version on your left. Download the registration form, fill it out, and either mail it with payment or bring it with payment to our stall at the San Mateo Farmers' market. If you're a Pescaderan, come introduce yourself and drop it by the farm across from 3800 Cloverdale Rd. (Double Dog Ranch).
How do I get my weekly box?
Members pick up their boxes at sites determined at the beginning of each season. You could pick your box up at the farmers' market, or at the other sites listed on the registration form. Other sites are usually other members homes that have convenient parking and a covered shady area for the boxes. If there isn't a site in your neighborhood, think about hosting. We need a minimum of 8-10 people to add your site as a delivery/pick up location. If it makes a difference, we can also offer a discount for hosting.
For Wednesday pick up, we start harvesting Tuesday afternoon and
complete the harvest Wednesday around 12 noon. The delivery truck then makes the rounds and delivers to our pick up sites. There are currently pick up locations in Hillsborough, Belmont, and at the farm in Pescadero and The Castro Farmers' Market in San Francisco. Pick up hours are 3-8pm for most sites, 4-8pm for the Castro Market.
Saturday and Sunday pick up is available at the San Mateo Farmers' Market, Saturdays 9am-1pm; the Inner Sunset Farmers' Market, Sundays 9am-1pm; and the Northbeach Farmers' Market Sundays 9am-1pm.
Flower shares are not available for Saturday pick up at this time (we are not allowed to bring flowers to that market as there are already many flower producers).
Boxes that are not picked up will not be available or held till later.
What about if I take a vacation?
In order to consistently grow the produce you want, we have to plan months in advance.
For this reason (and the complicated logistics) we do not postpone or refund boxes while you are on vacation.
Your options are:
1.) Find a neighbor or friend who will pick up your box in your stead (makes a great bonus for your house-sitter).
2.) Give us a week’s notice and we will donate your box to a local non-profit. (If you like we can provide you with a tax-deductable donation receipt)
3.) If you definitely know your vacation dates at the time of registration, you can give us the dates now and subtract the weeks you will be gone from your payment ($25.00/wk, $8.00/doz. eggs, $10.00/bouquet) But we must know dates by the beginning of the season and we will not change dates later.
A little something on pick up etiquette:
Each pick up site will have specific hours for pick up though may vary depending on the specific host. Farmer’s Market pick ups happen during market hours. Most other pick up hours are mid afternoon to 8:30pm). The site hosts are volunteers and are not paid. They are not required to make special accommodations if you can’t pick up your box or forget. If you do not pick up your box within pick up times your box will not be held for you. If you know you can’t pick up your box please let us know in advance.
What are the advantages of a CSA over shopping at a farmers' market?
- You'll develop a closer connection with where your food is coming from (true traceability), and an opportunity to come see the farm and learn more about how food is grown organically, it's challenges, seasonality etc. It's definitely a great learning opportunity, especially for kids.
- It's an opportunity (to some a challenge) to try foods beyond what you may be familiar with and it's a great way to help yourself eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and change your diet in a healthy way.
-You get produce delivered to somewhere close to you without the need to go shop for it.
- It's a great community building mechanism: meet other like-minded people in your own neighborhood as well as personal relationships with us, the people growing your food.
- There's also knowing that you are making a commitment to help support a small, sustainable local business that feeds, clothes, and houses 3 farmers and provides employment for 7-10 other people as well.
- and I'm sure there are several more that will come to us later...