Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA for short, is a mutual commitment between farmer and CSA member. We, the farmers, commit to providing fresh high-quality produce to our CSA members. The CSA members commit to paying for the produce at the start of the season which in turn provides them with a weekly share of the harvest throughout the season.

Our 2024 Summer CSA season starts on June 4th/5th and runs through Nov. 5th/6th (depending on your pickup day).

We offer two different share sizes and three different pickup locations.

SHARE SIZES:

Full Share - Members pick up every week and is typically good for a family of 4 or more, or for 2 people if they eat more vegetables than the typical person, or if they want to preserve some of the harvest by canning or freezing.

Half Share - Members pick up a Full Share every other week and is typically good for one or two people or those who are new to the CSA concept and want to test the waters. Since we grow and pick all of the produce on or just before pick up day, the produce is a fresh as possible and should last for those two weeks. Half shares also choose if they'd like to start their CSA the first or second week of June, and then continue picking up their share every other week until the end of October.

PICK UP TIMES AND LOCATIONS:

On Farm pick up in Belding on Tuesdays from 4pm-6pm.

Rockford Pickup on Tuesdays from 4pm-6:30pm.

Fulton St. Farmers Market in Grand Rapids on Wednesdays from 4pm-6:30pm.

We ask that members pay a non-refundable deposit of $100 when they sign up to secure their spot. This deposit money helps us farmers buy seeds, potting soil, and other things we need to get the season running before we have produce to sell. We ask that the remainder of the cost is paid by the first pickup. We also have a payment plan available that will have you paying off the share by August. We also offer online payment options with a 2.9% surcharge to cover the fees.

Each week the share is filled with at least $32.27 worth of produce. In the spring it is closer to $34 and in the summer and fall the value tends to rise upwards of $39 or more. The spring is heavier on greens and then in later July-October the variety continues to expand and the share load is heavier.

Each year is different and each crop grows differently every year. As an example, some years you may get enough tomatoes to put up for winter, while other years the tomatoes may get early blight and you might only get a handful before the disease kills off the plants. In our seeding schedules we grow many different types of vegetables and varieties within those types to limit the possibility of crop failure.

We also like to host a farm potluck during the growing season where we welcome you onto the farm for a shared meal, farm tour, and a good time.

CSAs are known for throwing in some veggies that people aren't as familiar with such as kohlrabi, eggplant, celeriac, and bok choy. We email a weekly newsletter with links to recipes which can help guide members in new and simple ways to try out new and familiar veggies. Part of the fun of having a CSA share is learning to cook with different vegetables and experimenting with veggies you probably wouldn’t have picked yourself. Long time members who started off avoiding bok choy now get excited for it’s spring arrival. We know this takes time and effort, but it can also bring a whole lot of fun and beauty. Here are some examples from our 2020 season:

June: 2 heads of lettuce, 1/2# salad greens, bunch of carrots, bunch of garlic scapes, pint of sugar snap peas, bunch of cilantro, bunch of kale or chard, bunch of scallions (valued at $32).

July: fennel, bunch of fresh onions, 3 summer squash/zucchini, bunch of beets or carrots, garlic, bunch of kale, bunch of parsley, pint of cherry tomatoes, eggplant, bunch of basil, broccoli, cucumber (valued at $34).

August: bunch of kale, 2 hot peppers, 1 zucchini, french fingerling potatoes, cherry tomatoes, watermelon, bunch of beets or carrots, 3# tomatoes, bunch of cilantro or parsley or dill, 2 fresh sweet onions, 1 eggplant (valued at $40).

September: sweet onion, bunch of chard or kale, orange cantaloupe, cherry tomatoes, bunch of cilantro, 2 sweet peppers, 1 zucchini, 2 hot peppers, bunch of basil, lettuce, heirloom tomatoes! (valued at $47, including $20 worth of tomatoes!).

October: quart of potatoes, bunch of salad radishes, garlic, celeriac, red onions, rainbow carrots, bunch of cilantro or dill, 2 delicata squash!, green peppers, bok choy (valued at $34).

In 2016 we received our first grant from the National Resource Conservation Service to build a high tunnel to help us extend the growing season. Each year since, we’ve built another hoop house. These structures help us grow early in the spring and late into the winter. Our Winter CSA runs from November - February. Head over to our Winter CSA page for more info about what we have in the winter. We now have three high tunnels, and we’re building a fourth in early 2020.