CSAs & Buying Clubs
The following list, organized by state, provides basic information about all the CSAs and buying clubs that are available through
Farm to City's partnership program. To get more information about any of the organizations in the list or to become a member,
simply click on the name of the CSA or buying club to view its home page.
What are CSAs and buying clubs?
Pennsylvania
| Meadow Run Farm |
 |
| Region: |
Philadelphia area |
| Availability: |
Year-round |
| Type: |
Buying Club
|
| Description: |
Pasture-raised meats and eggs. |
|
 |
| Philadelphia Winter Harvest |
 |
| Region: |
Philadelphia and suburbs |
| Availability: |
November to April |
| Type: |
Buying Club
|
| Description: |
Buying club with 25 pickup locations in Philadelphia, Montgomery and Delaware County and Collingswood New Jersey. Food items from farmers in Lancaster, Berks, Chester, and other counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. |
|
 |
| Lancaster Farm Fresh |
 |
| Region: |
Philadelphia region |
| Availability: |
Mid May - October |
| Type: |
Traditional CSA + Buying Club
|
| Description: |
Co-op of Lancaster County, PA farmers |
|
 |
| Red Earth Farm |
 |
| Region: |
Philadelphia and regions North & West |
| Availability: |
June - November |
| Type: |
Member Choice CSA + Buying Club
|
| Description: |
23-week CSA with supplemental buying club |
|
 |
| Wimer's Organics CSA |
 |
| Region: |
Lancaster County to Philadelphia |
| Availability: |
May through November |
| Type: |
Traditional CSA + Buying Club
|
| Description: |
CSA with supplemental buying club. New in 2009. Farmer with deep experience in organic farming. |
|
 |
New York
| Rondout Valley Organics |
 |
| Region: |
Ulster county and vicinity |
| Availability: |
early June - mid-Oct |
| Type: |
Buying Club
|
| Description: |
A collaborative CSA - with personal choice - featuring certified organic & local products from Farm & Granary, Rusty Plough Farm and August Farm |
|
 |
New Jersey
| Philadelphia Winter Harvest |
 |
| Region: |
Philadelphia and suburbs |
| Availability: |
November to April |
| Type: |
Buying Club
|
| Description: |
Buying club with 25 pickup locations in Philadelphia, Montgomery and Delaware County and Collingswood New Jersey. Food items from farmers in Lancaster, Berks, Chester, and other counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. |
|
 |
Delaware
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CSA and Buying Club Definitions
Community Supported Agriculture, or "CSA," is a mutually-beneficial arrangement between community members
and a local farmer in which the farmer provides produce and other farm products during the growing season in
exchange for payment before the season begins. Each week of the growing season, the farmer harvests the mature
crops and divides the produce into "shares," typically one for each member of the CSA operation. In most CSAs, the
produce supplied in the weekly share boxes is the same for each member. In some CSAs, members can select the
crops they want each week from a list of mature crops that are ready to harvest. Farmers deliver the shares
to pre-arranged locations for members to pick up, or members pick up their shares directly from the farm. Since CSA members pay
at the beginning of the season, they share with the farmer the benefits and risks of farming that result from yearly variations in the weather.
Traditional CSA: a CSA operation in which a farmer divides the week's crop yield equally among the
member's share boxes. Members pay for their shares at the beginning of the season and receive weekly share deliveries of
whatever produce is available at the time.
Member Choice CSA: a CSA operation in which members are given some choice about what seasonal products appear
in their share boxes from week to week. Members pay at the beginning of the season, and then submit their orders each week
from a list of available crops. Members who do not submit weekly orders still receive a share box filled with "farmer's choice" items.
Buying clubs allow their members to order food for periodic delivery, typically once a week. In some clubs, members
place their orders at the end the month for the next four or five weeks; in other clubs, members place their orders more frequently.
Unlike CSAs, buying clubs operate on a "pay-as-you-go" basis, allowing their members to order as much or as little food as they want
from week to week. As with CSA deliveries, buying club members pick up their weekly orders from designated drop-off locations. The
items offered in local food buying clubs are often not available to consumers anywhere else: artisan meats and cheeses, pastured and
raw dairy products and heirloom varieties of local fruits and vegetables. Ordering food from local buying clubs is a great way for
consumers to support local farmers and preserve the local environment, while at the same time enjoying fresh, seasonal and nutrient-rich foods.
CSA and Buying Club Combinations Some farmers offer a traditional or member choice CSA in addition to a buying club. In these cases,
members still pay for a CSA share at the beginning of the season and then have the option of supplementing their weekly CSA deliveries
with items from the buying club.
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