Questions?

Here are some common questions we get asked. If you can’t find an answer here, contact us any time.

When and how can you sign up for CSA shares?

CSA sign-up is easy. Just let us know you would like a share and which size. You have several payment options. Cash/check, from our website, or PayPal (link on top of the farm store page).

We do Not offer payment plans. We did allow this a few times, and it is not working for us. (More general payment/retail info further down)

You can sign up anytime you see shares available on the website, but you don’t have to buy them from there unless you want to. Just give us a call.

If you do not see shares on the website, contact us anyway. Often we can still make it happen.

If we’re sold out of shares, we are happy to take your information and will get back to you if something changes and another share becomes available.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

Important: Can I share a CSA share with someone?

We no longer support shared shares

What happened to your Quarter Share? What happened to the prices?

The simple answer is, we finally fixed our CSA after basically selling a lot more for a fraction (less than half) than what other farmers offered. We knew that for some time, but did not want to upset or lose customers, but with what is going on with inflation and corporate greed, we are just not able to do business at such a loss anymore.

The Quarter we invented was the size of everyone’s Half Share all along, only we did not know that. And since everyone found the Quarter like that just right, we don’t need the Quarter. Since then, others are offering Samplers and Quarters, but it’s not what we had.

Our Market style pickup is also unique, since there is no fixed amount of items you can take. The only time we limit something is to make sure everyone gets something. If there is not enough for everyone, these things will be for sale only. But generally there is lots of abundance and you take what you want.

We still do offer Custom Shares if you feel that Half or Full does not need your needs. Contact us to inquire.

I often get asked if we grow our fruit and vegetables ourselves

Yes.

That’s it, the only good answer.

I do have to wonder why this question comes up more and more, and what that implies. It might have something to do with people getting fruits and vegetables marketed as local and then finding Florida sticker on them. That is completely unacceptable and we do not engage in or endorse that.

If we have anything that we did not grow, I will be sure to let you know. For example, we had the honor to team up with Ralph Mosher in Bloomfield and carry his amazing Honey. And whenever he has extra Honey, we will be happy to do so again.

Wholesale

Yes, we do offer wholesale accounts. Contact us to apply. There have been some changes, however. We no longer offer wholesale just because you re-sell.

Required is a minimum purchase of 200.- or more at wholesale pricing. Prices are based on the most current Dept Ag Wholesale Price List. We reserve the right to make adjustments since some things are often not priced in CT. Our own harvest is also a factor. Wholesale accounts also qualify for free samples and extras as available. Contact us for more info.

If you re-sell, but do not meet wholesale requirements, bulk pricing still works, since it is usually not too far off wholesale.

We offer bulk pricing on a lot of seasonal favorites. If you don’t see something you’re looking for, please check with us. There might be enough for your order, just not enough to post on the website, or we might be able to tell you when we expect to have it.

What is a “share-like crate”?

That is essentially a CSA share, but not at the same price and without commitment, yet still at discount over retail. You purchase that when you want to, and as many as you want to. This is also a great way to “test drive” a CSA to see if it is something you might be interested in.

Why does it cost more than a CSA? That is because CSA is a pre-paid commitment and risk-share (see explanation under CSA info). That is the discount.

How do I pick up my Order or CSA share

-We have a Market at our location several days a week. Stop by anytime it is open

-Orders will need a scheduled pickup, so we know when to get them ready for you

-We offer scheduled curbside pickup

You schedule a 5-minute slot for pickup. Your order will be on a table with your name on it. And/Or we also bring your order out when you arrive. Call us when you get here

It’s easy to schedule (or reschedule) a time slot. Just go to our scheduling page here.

When you schedule, you will get a confirmation e-mail as well as the address for your convenience. This will also have the phone #…but please do not text to that number. It is a Landline.

Can you just show up for shopping?

Yes, you can again shop during our Business Hours. We have a Market set up at our location that is open to Retail as well as CSA pickups.

Orders, Bulk Pickup and Wholesale Pickup do need to be scheduled since we have to get your order ready for you

Can we ship or deliver?

No, we can not. We are not set up for shipping fresh produce and do not have the personnel to deliver.

What is a CSA?

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, an easy way for people to buy fresh, seasonal vegetables directly from local community farmers. For one low payment in the Spring, you get to pick up fresh produce all season long. We also offer Fall shares.

Learn all about our CSA—on this page.

Can I share a CSA share with someone?

You can, but the distribution of the contents are up to you. For example, a Half Share, since this is most often split between two parties: While we allow this, it is NOT the same as a Quarter share for each. There are some things, like melons, cabbage, and limited items that are available in specific amounts per share, not per person. In other words, you might have to split one melon. You can not get two if you split a share with someone.

What are your farming practices?

We are Minimalistic-Alternative, which means we reject strong toxins and GMO. We don’t have a farm but we lease land—one of the reasons we won’t be certified organic.

Learn all about our farming philosophy here.

What vegetables do you grow?

Everything we grow is Non-GMO.

To see a full basic list of what we grow, in order of arrival, click here. However, we try new things every year, and you will see them as well. Not always addressed in this list are the various varieties that each item has, or new things we try for more variety and fun.

What are my payment options?

We prefer cash transactions, but we are set up for a wide range of payments. If you want to pay with Credit/Debit, Apple etc., please do purchase off our Website to minimize contact at this time. If what you want is not on the website, contact us to arrange your order and I will put it on the website just for you. PayPal is also an option.

We also accept FMNP vouchers. These can only be used as cash when you pick up. You can not pay with them on the website. These vouchers spend like cash, but we are not able to give change back. Your total will have to be a multiple of 3 (i.e. 3,6,9..) and you can use cash for the difference if you like, or tweak it to the exact amount. Let us know if you need help. You can ‘shop’ the website to see what is available, then let us know what you would like.

We also offer Gift cards. A great way to send someone healthy, delicious food without having to go shopping or need for contact. Gift cards take the guesswork out of shopping.

We no longer offer POS (Point of Sale Card Acceptance), and we no longer allow payment plans. It definitely does not work for us.

Can I buy gift cards?

Yes, we have eGift cards (virtual gift cards you can use in our online store) available. Just click here, select the amount, and checkout online. It’s that easy.

If you feel there is a discrepancy or if you have a complaint

Be it real or imagined, we would appreciate it if you talked to us first to give us a chance to correct things if there was something out of order.

Should you choose to initiate a discrepancy claim with the credit card company for something that was correctly priced and charged, for a return, of… let’s say 1.- (that happened) we will reserve the right of not wanting to conduct business with you anymore, or for cash only. This causes a lot more trouble than just monetary.

So please, whatever it is, do talk to us first. Our goal is to have happy customers that enjoy coming back.

What is meant by “risk” and “policy” in regard to CSA?

A CSA share is priced lower than if you would buy the items individually. It is for one a pre-payment, but the concept is also that you share the risks the farm of your choice might face. There are ups and downs in farming and harvest, and in the worst-case scenario, crop failure.

We have seen a lot of this over the last two years with extreme drought and flooding, a Hurricane, Tornadoes, and such. There were many farmers that had to close early because their crops were destroyed. We had huge losses, but we managed to keep the CSA tables full, even overflowing. We did, for a while, have to limit certain items, however. Some of our members even asked about this, they were ready and willing to share the loss. But we try to avoid that if at all possible. The risk, however, is real. That is part of why there is no refund for CSA. And that is why we are extra generous with our shares, unless this is not wanted, because of that trust that you place in us. If there are losses, we deal with them, placing filling CSA shares above retail sales.

We have been asked if we qualify for any of the many programs that were offered for crop loss or small business loans or any of the financial support that was out there. No. Not for any of it. Apparently, we are too small and do not have enough income to qualify. We also do not have insurance on anything. How can you insure, let’s say, a patch of corn or a few rows of Zucchini… you can’t. That is why we appreciate your support so much. And we are especially grateful when our CSA members also feel like purchasing extras with us, instead of in the store when they get their groceries. And we show that appreciation in how we work our CSA.

The other part is your commitment to picking up your share each week or making arrangements to have someone else pick it up. Let us know, however, since we’re not giving your share to just anyone. Unlike anyone else we know, we also let you pick up extra the next time if you tell us ahead of time that you won’t be able to pick up.

However, if there is no communication, and you do not pick up your share, you lost that pickup. Much like any other membership, gym, for example.

Communication is the key to not having any pickup missed, even if you can’t make it. But, there is a limit to how often we can do this.

When you buy a share, you agree to this by default. We also make it clear in the descriptions. The other option would be a contract you have to fill out, and we found that nobody is happy about that. That would be either filled out physically and returned to us, or you would have to fill it out online, and yes, return it to us.

Since it is clearly stated and explained multiple times, this serves as a binding contract. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not purchase a CSA share with us. If you are OK with it and trust that we will take good care of you, to the very best of our ability, and try everything in our power to make this a pleasant experience for you, please DO join our CSA. We would love to serve you. As someone noticed, “everyone is leaving with big smiles and full bags”. As it should be

For any questions you may have, we are happy to answer them.

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We reserve the right to change prices without notice. There might be different sales on the website and on location, as well as cash-only deals or cash discounts that are not available on the website. Keep in mind that we pay fees for accepting payments on the website, and for some things, when we drop prices really low for quick sale, it is as low as we can go, without room for additional subtractions as fees.

And no, we are not adding those fees to prices, because Farmers have to do a different math, and nobody thinks about those fees. The price of an item is compared to what it costs in the grocery store, and what the farmer down the street gets, that doesn’t have a website, but might make his main profits from other things, as many do now. It’s just the cost of doing business in these times.

But stop by and bring cash, and you too can take advantage of these extra deals when available.

Another reason might be a quick sale of something that is available in limited amounts. Like really ripe Tomatoes for example. They are Grade A deep red only for a short time.

Or seconds of anything… always discounted, they usually don’t get put on the website. Ask us about that if you’re interested.