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?
VirginiaPennsylvania
| Winter Harvest Philadelphia |
 |
| Region: |
Philadelphia and suburbs |
| Availability: |
November to April |
| Type: |
Buying Club
|
| Description: |
Buying club with 20 delivery 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.
|
|
|
| Crawford Organics CSA |
|
| Region: |
Center City Philadelphia & Lancaster County |
| Availability: |
January-April, May-August, September-December |
| Type: |
Traditional CSA
|
| Description: |
Traditional CSA. Local, certified organic vegetables year round. |
|
|
| Delaware Valley Farm Share |
|
| Region: |
Philadelphia & Surrounding Areas |
| Availability: |
May - October & November - April |
| Type: |
Traditional CSA
|
| Description: |
Delaware Valley Farm Share offers Farm Share deliveries to workplaces and places of worship. Other locations having a minimum number of members will be considered depending on location.
Farm Share is a partnership of Farm to City and Common Market Philadelphia. We provide 12 deliveries, every other week, of a handpicked assortment of fruits and vegetables plus a dozen eggs for $325. An optional add-on dairy share, that offers items such as farmstead butter, cheese and yogurt from local family dairies, is available at an additional $11 per delivery. We source directly from local family farms in PA, NJ & DE who follow earth-friendly farming methods.
We offer 2 "seasons" of shares each year. Our Winter Share runs from November - April and our Summer Share runs from May - October.
Members can pay for their entire share upfront, with bi-weekly installments through PayPal, or through payroll deductions where applicable. If your company, organization, or place of worship may be interested in Farm Share click on this link for more information:
|
|
|
| Livengood Family Farm |
|
| Region: |
Lancaster County |
| Availability: |
exclusive to UGI Wellness Buying Club members |
| Type: |
Buying Club
|
| Description: |
Offering our organically raised produce and pastured meat products with additional fruits offered by partnering farms and orchards. This buying club offers delivery directly to the work place. |
|
|
| Meadow Run Farm |
|
| Region: |
Philadelphia area |
| Availability: |
Year-round |
| Type: |
Buying Club
|
| Description: |
Sustainably-raised meats and eggs from Meadow Run Farm. *Cheese, Yogurt, & Butter. *Homemade Bakery Items. *Sweeteners. |
|
|
| Neighborhood Foods |
|
| Region: |
Delivery sites in Philadelphia and several nearby towns |
| Availability: |
22 weeks from late May through late October |
| Type: |
Traditional CSA
|
| Description: |
Urban farm CSA located in West Philadelphia. Full and half produce shares. Also fruit, bread, honey, jam, and coffee shares. Opportunity to donate urban farm produce to families in need. |
|
|
| West Philly Foods |
|
| Region: |
Philadelphia |
| Availability: |
May 23rd through October 24th |
| Type: |
Traditional CSA
|
| Description: |
The Enterprise Center CDC is supporting a local food economy, from farmer to food entrepreneur through a unique CSA model that incorporates our newly opened kitchen incubator. Fruit and Veggie shares paired with optional value-added products such as jams, bread, fresh-cut flowers, and local beer! Support our community by donating shares to families in west Philly. |
|
|
| Lancaster Farm Fresh |
|
| Region: |
Philadelphia Region |
| Availability: |
Mid May - October |
| Type: |
Traditional CSA
|
| 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: |
22-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
| Community Food Compact |
|
| Region: |
Northern Columbia & Southern Rensselaer Counties, NY |
| Availability: |
Year-round |
| Type: |
Buying Club
|
| Description: |
The Community Food Compact is a new kind of local community agricultural cooperative, with both producer and consumer members, that extends the community supported agriculture (CSA) model. A group of producers cooperate to offer a product list of basic food staples for weekly local food shopping and home cooking: fruits and vegetables, protein-rich foods (meats, milk, cheese, eggs), grain staples (artisan breads, whole grains), and flavorings (sauces, dressings, sweeteners), plus local frozen foods that extend harvest eating. The co-op's emphasis on cooking with local foods and nutrition support the transition to a new better local way of eating with a higher percentage of healthy local foods in our diet. The Community Food Compact assures consumers of a stable source of the best possible food direct from their community. |
|
|
| Rondout Valley Organics |
|
| Region: |
Rondout Valley in Ulster county and eastern Sullivan county |
| Availability: |
early June - mid-Oct |
| Type: |
Buying Club
|
| Description: |
A collaborative CSA - where YOU choose what you order - featuring certified organic & local products from Rusty Plough Farm and other area farms. |
|
|
New Jersey
| Winter Harvest Philadelphia |
|
| Region: |
Philadelphia and suburbs |
| Availability: |
November to April |
| Type: |
Buying Club
|
| Description: |
Buying club with 20 delivery 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.
|
|
|
MarylandDelaware
| Delaware Valley Farm Share |
|
| Region: |
Philadelphia & Surrounding Areas |
| Availability: |
May - October & November - April |
| Type: |
Traditional CSA
|
| Description: |
Delaware Valley Farm Share offers Farm Share deliveries to workplaces and places of worship. Other locations having a minimum number of members will be considered depending on location.
Farm Share is a partnership of Farm to City and Common Market Philadelphia. We provide 12 deliveries, every other week, of a handpicked assortment of fruits and vegetables plus a dozen eggs for $325. An optional add-on dairy share, that offers items such as farmstead butter, cheese and yogurt from local family dairies, is available at an additional $11 per delivery. We source directly from local family farms in PA, NJ & DE who follow earth-friendly farming methods.
We offer 2 "seasons" of shares each year. Our Winter Share runs from November - April and our Summer Share runs from May - October.
Members can pay for their entire share upfront, with bi-weekly installments through PayPal, or through payroll deductions where applicable. If your company, organization, or place of worship may be interested in Farm Share click on this link for more information:
|
|
|
| Lancaster Farm Fresh |
|
| Region: |
Philadelphia Region |
| Availability: |
Mid May - October |
| Type: |
Traditional CSA
|
| Description: |
Co-op of Lancaster County, PA farmers |
|
|
Washington, D.C.
Top of page
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.
Top of page
Copyright Farm to City, LLC, 2000-2006
|
