In order to accomodate everyones needs, we offer 2 different share size options, with either full time or part-time pick-ups:
Our CSA always runs a bit differently than most. Here at Natural Roots, your CSA share size determines which sized canvas bag you receive when you sign up. Each week, you can come the farm and fill up your bag with whatever veggies you like, and don't ever have to take the veggies you don't need or like. This offers you the most flexibility and choice a CSA can offer, while still giving you the opportunity to try new things. Certain items will have limits, especially during the beginning and ends of that particular harvest, and some large items are "out of the bag" but essentially, the size of your CSA bag is the limit of what you can take home. Our main season runs for 22 weeks, beginning in mid June and ending in early November.
Please make sure you read and agree to our CSA Membership Agreement, and also review our CSA Member Handbook if you decide to sign up for a CSA Share with us. The member handbook is also helpful for anyone visiting the farm to read, as it contains important safety information.
We are to committed to providing transparency to our members, and work towards pricing that reliably covers our costs each year. In considering ways to sustainably address our budget challenges, we use a tiered model of CSA share pricing, which we explain in detail here. A initial $150 deposit is required to reserve a share (unless you plan to pay with SNAP/HIP) and payments in full are appreciated.
Sign up for a Main Season CSA Share HERE
Full Time Share Options
Regular Sized Share
Sustainer - $1,000 or above
Standard - $800
Low-income - $650
A regular share usually feeds a small family, couple or the lone vegetable enthusiast for all 22 weeks of our main growing season. The photo to the left represents a sample of what you might fit into a regular size bag plus one "out-of-the-bag" winter squash. The photo was taken during a late-September distribution. We typically have at least one out-of-the-bag item (meaning you don't have to fit that item in your bag) for much of season, depending on our vegetable supply.
Large Sized Share
Sustainer - $1,250 or above
Standard - $1,000
Low-income - $815
A large share is suitable for larger families or those who eat a lot of vegetables and/or want to preserve a portion for the winter. Full time members pick up for all 22 weeks of our main growing season. The photo to the left represents a sample of what you might fit into a large bag plus one "out-of-the-bag" winter squash.
Part-Time Share Options
These are intended for folks who might be away for part of the season or have a hard time making it to the farm every week, or for those who don't want to begin share pick-ups until later in the season, in August. This option allows you to come fill a share bag for any 10 weeks of our 22 week season.
Regular Size Part Time Share:
Sustainer - $555 or above
Standard - $490
Low-income - $390
Large Size Part Time Share:
Sustainer - $695 or above
Standard - $615
Low-income - $490
Natural Roots Pre-Paid Gift Card Option
This is intended for folks who find that a regular share is just too much food for their needs, but still want to be a commited member of the farm. This option gives you the most flexibility, but you pay our full retail price for each item. This option does not guaruntee that all produce will be avaialble for purchase every week. During lean times, in the event of poor crop yields, times of bad weather etc. we will prioritize shareholders first, so if you are looking for consistent veggies, please sign up for a share! Sometimes we do offer discounted gift cards, in higher denominations - check in with us about when those promotioons will happen each season.
You-pick opportunities
You may also enjoy our you-pick crops, which include some perennial herbs right up near the CSA barn, plus peas, beans, flowers, raspberries and blueberries down in the main field. You may pick these once a week when they are in season, and you can come to pick whenever it suits you.
Connection to the community
Each distribution offers a great opportunity for connecting with friends and neighbors. Many families come and stay for hours. Kids love to climb the pine tree near the distribution barn, splash in the shallows of the river, watch the horses at work, and race to the berry patch together. Our occasional festivals and gatherings are joyful celebrations that are a delight for all ages.
Connection with the land
Our farm is truly a beautiful place. A wooden footbridge leads over the South River to the rolling pastures, lush fields, and the light-dappled forest beyond. The farm is a haven for wildlife, farm life, and human life as well. By becoming a shareholder you can help to preserve and enrich this treasured resource of our community.
Bountiful Harvests
We are blessed with the opportunity to cultivate some of the finest cropland in West County. On our rich bottomland we grow a plethora of delicious, nourishing vegetables. Tender salad greens, herbs, and spicy radishes whet our appetites in June for the bounty that soon follows, so that before long your bag will be heavy with beautiful, vital food for you and your family each week until well past the first autumn frost. Some crops make brief or periodic appearances during the season, and others are steady performers throughout.
Our season begins in June and ends in October. For our community we grow:
You Pick Crops: perennial herbs, peas, beans, raspberries, blueberries and sunflowers!
In JUNE: arugula, mesclun, head lettuce, spinach, bok choy, broccoli raab, kale, chard, chinese cabbage, Happy Rich (an Asian green), dill, cilantro, parsley, garlic scapes, scallions, salad turnips, radishes, and daikon.
In JULY: arugula, mesclun, head lettuce, kale, chard, chinese cabbage, dill, cilantro, basil, parsley, scallions, salad turnips, daikon, beets, carrots, squash & zucchini, cucumbers, fennel, eggplant, and peppers.
In AUGUST: arugula, mesclun, head lettuce, kale, chard, dill, cilantro, basil, parsley, beets, carrots, squash & zucchini, cucumbers, fennel, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, watermelon, cabbage, broccoli, celery, garlic, and potatoes.
In SEPTEMBER: arugula, mesclun, head lettuce, bok choy, kale, collards, chard, dill, cilantro, parsley, beets, carrots, squash & zucchini, cucumbers, fennel, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, watermelon, cabbage, broccoli, garlic, potatoes, edamame, leeks, and the start of winter squash.
In OCTOBER: Until frost: squash & zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. And otherwise: arugula, mesclun, head lettuce, bok choy, tatsoi, kale, collards, chard, dill, cilantro, parsley, beets, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, potatoes, onions, leeks, turnips, parsnips, celeriac, and winter squash.