CSA

Here are some Frequently Asked Questions about our Shares.

How do your Shares give me choice?

Each week, Farmer Tom will pre-fill your Share with organic produce with a total average value of $25.  The contents of your Share can then be edited by you, and items can either be added or removed based on what you wish to receive and our harvest availability.

If you do not make changes to your Share or put it on hold for the week, you will receive the pre-selected contents.

What is the price of the Share?

The average value of the pre-selected items added to the Shares will be $25, yet the actual price of the Share will vary each week if you add or remove items.  When you make changes, the minimum value a share can be is $25.00.

Can I add and remove items from my Share?

Yes, based on the week’s harvests and availability, you can both add to and remove from the pre-selected items already in your Share.  For instance, the Share could contain beets and carrots, and you will be able to remove the beets and add more carrots if you wish.  There may also be other items, available in limited quantities and not included in the pre-selected contents, that you can add to your Share.

What happens if I don’t edit my Share contents?

If you do not edit the contents of your Share, you will receive the pre-selected items as your Share for the week.  All Shares will be labeled with the name of the member to whom it belongs.  The total average value of the pre-selected Share contents will be $25.

Is there a minimum and maximum value of the Share?

The minimum value a Share can be is $25.00.

There is no maximum to the amount you can order, so if you want to double up on your Share one week, you could double the quantities of each item in it.  You will also be able to add other items, not part of the pre-selected contents, that may be available in limited quantities.

When will I be able to see and edit the contents of my Share?

You will be able to edit your Share over the weekend prior to the upcoming week’s delivery.  The exact hours are:  8:00 AM Friday thru 11:00 AM Monday.

How do I edit the contents of my Share?

Basically, the items in your Share are an “order” in our “Web Store” that you can add and remove items from.  Click here for more details

Can I add as much as I want of individual items?

Based on the week’s harvest there may be enough of a specific item, like heads of lettuce, that you could order up to 5, while there may be a maximum of only 2 for other items from a smaller harvest.  When making changes to your Share, click on the item in the Store to see what the maximum order quantity is.

When availability allows, we will also offer larger bulk quantities, like flats of berries and boxes of tomatoes, for adding to your delivery.

Will there be produce from other farms available, too?

The majority of produce items available will be from the Farm.  There will be times, though, when we source items from other nearby farms, and these “Other Produce” items will be available to add to your Share (and may even be part of the pre-selected contents).

How does the Extra Fruit Option work?

If you are subscribed to the Fruit Option, additional fruit items will be included in the pre-selected contents of your share. The items are listed in weekly reminder-to-edit emails, and can be added to or removed when making changes.

Do I need to sign-up again for a Share at the end of the Season?

You do not need to re-sign up at the end of a Season.  Your CSA subscription is ongoing and you will receive a Share, based on our seasonal delivery schedules, unless you place a delivery hold or choose to cancel your subscription. (Please see info about Ongoing Membership Payment Terms and our CSA Policies)

[button link=”http://www.farmigo.com/join/liveearthfarmchoice”]Become a CSA Member[/button]

Changes to your subscription can be made from 8:00 AM Friday to 11:00 AM Monday.

Adding Options

Adding Options like Companion Bread or Extra Fruit can be done through your online account.  Once logged in look for the Summary box on the right, at the bottom of it is a blue button that says Change Subscription.

Clicking on the button takes you to where you can add a Share, so click the Options tab (it’s just under the Change Subscription header) to get to where you can add the Option you want.

You will receive an automatic email confirming the change to your subscription shortly after you make it.  If you do not receive a confirmation email the changes you made may not have been saved, so check your account to see if they were.

Removing Options

Options can be removed through your online account.  Once logged in look for the Summary box on the right and click on the blue Change Subscription button at the bottom.

In the Summary box you should now see a little green box with an X in it to the right of the Option you want to remove.  Click on the box to remove the Option.

You will receive an automatic email confirming the change to your subscription shortly after you make it.  If you do not receive an email the changes you made may not have been saved, so check your account to see if they were.

Additional Info

Your Share cannot be removed by you.  If you wish to cancel your subscription, please click here for our Cancellation Policy.

Click here for instructions for changing your Pick-up Location

Click here for Delivery Hold instructions

If a paper check or an ACH/Electronic Check payment is returned for any reason, we reserve the right to collect a fee equal to the amount of the bank fees we are charged, plus $25.00 to cover the logistical costs inherent in correcting the situation/arranging for replacement payment, etc.

See all our CSA Policies here: http://liveearthfarm.net/csa/member-responsibilities/

As a CSA member, it is your responsibility to schedule and manage Delivery Holds.

Holds need to be scheduled no later than 11:00am on the Monday prior to your upcoming delivery.  Holds can be for one or more weeks at a time and are placed through your online Account.  Here’s the link:  https://www.farmigo.com/account/liveearthfarmchoice

Once logged in to your Account, click on the Delivery Hold tab located above your subscription history to get to where you can schedule the hold period.

Tip: schedule the last day you do not want to receive a Share as the end date of the hold period.  This way your subscription will be active the following Friday so you can edit Share contents without having to remove the hold first.

Once you have placed the hold by clicking the blue Save button, an automatic confirmation email will be sent to you shortly after.  If you do not receive an email your hold may not have been properly saved, so check your subscription again to make sure the hold is scheduled.  Also, check your junk/spam folder since the automatic emails sometimes end up there.

During a hold period, nothing is delivered and nothing is debited from your account Balance.

Alternatives to putting your subscription on hold are: to share your CSA program with those who might be interested – have a friend or neighbor pick your share up while you’re gone, or give it to the person who house- or pet-sits for you while you’re away (please, be sure anyone picking up for you is well versed in the Pick-Up Protocol and knows the address and hours of the pick-up site!); or you can arrange to donate it to Loaves and Fishes by changing your Pick-up Location to Donations.

Refunds are made by check within 30 days of receiving your request or from your last delivery date, and are mailed to the address in your account contact info unless you let us know otherwise.

Any “Bonus Credit” added at the time a payment was made will NOT be included in the refund amount.

There is a $25.00 processing fee for refunding of any credit balance that results from changes to your subscription initiated by you (including downgrading your share size or discontinuing options, delivery hold, or cancellation).  This means balances less than $25.00 will not be refunded.

There is NO processing fee if an error or change on our part necessitates a refund.

See all our CSA Policies here: http://liveearthfarm.net/csa/member-responsibilities/

NOTICE OF CANCELLATION IS TWO WEEKS

Please email the office – farmers@cruzio.com – with your request for cancellation.

A $25.00 cancellation fee may apply.

Subscriptions are for a minimum of 4 deliveries and Notice of Cancellation is 2-weeks; as an example, if you decide to cancel your subscription three weeks into it and give us 2-weeks notice, you will receive a total of 5 deliveries.

Saved ayment details will be removed and any scheduled automatic installment payments will be canceled.

If there is a remaining credit balance in your account after all deliveries, it will be refunded to you by check less a $25.00 processing fee (see our Refund Policy).  Or, you may choose to make a tax-deductible donation of the credit to our food education non-profit, Farm Discovery.

Here are some recent comments from CSA Members –

“You guys are great, and your products are second to none!”  –  Steve J.

“Just picked up my first CSA box from Live Earth Farm, it is fabulous!!!!  Everything is so fresh.  There is a good variety of vegetables, not too many or little of anything.  I munched on the radishes as I put things into my fridge.  Thank you so much.”  –  Elena L.

And about our new Choice Share –

“I’ve been meaning to write and tell you how much we love the new Choice share! I know it has to be much harder to coordinate because everyone is getting something different, but it’s perfect for those of us who are control freaks. 🙂 I can max out on celeriac when it’s in season, whereas someone else will be thrilled to have the turnips I don’t adore. I CAN’T WAIT FOR SUMMER!!”  –  Leslie R.

“…it has been great getting to choose vegetables each week.  My family has many food allergies and it will be especially handy during the main season!”  –  Karen S.

“I just picked up my first choice share and I am thrilled.  Hooray!  so glad you are doing this. I took the winter season off from LEF CSA, but was soon missing my LEF fresh veggies.  Now I’m back and able to choose. So nice.  I’ve never been fond of cilantro or radishes and mine frequently went to waste.  No longer. Thank you for making the extra effort to make these choices possible.  It’s renewed my commitment to LEF.”  –  Laurel P.

“I love the new choice box. It is fitting so much better with what I need.”  –  Suzy W.

[button link=”http://www.farmigo.com/join/liveearthfarm/2014main”]Join with a Traditional Share[/button] [button link=”http://www.farmigo.com/join/liveearthfarmchoice/box”]Join with a Choice Share[/button] [button link=”http://liveearthfarm.net/?p=215330″]4-week Trial[/button] [button link=”http://liveearthfarm.net/?p=79851″]More Info[/button]

I want to give everyone a heads-up that next week, as we always do at this time of year, we will open the registration for the 2013-14 Winter and Main Season CSA membership. I want to remind and reassure everyone that your participation and commitment plays a fundamental role in the health of the Farm; it is directly woven into the life of this land, its people, plants, animals, and soil.

Like planting and sowing seeds in the field to ensure an abundant harvest, this is the time when we “plant the seeds” to ensure that the life-cycle of our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program continues healthy, vibrant and abundant. The CSA is, in essence, who we are as a Farm.  It is a partnership with you, our members, and a journey through the growing seasons, where we commit to sharing both the risk and bounty inherent in growing your food. Every week you receive a sampling of our efforts, which in turn becomes a part of your family meals throughout the season.

The sign-up details will be spelled out in next week’s newsletter and e-mails. We are grateful for your commitment and continued participation in Live Earth Farm’s mission to build a healthy, sustainable, local food-shed; to inspire and educate others, especially children and youth through our hands-on farm education programs; and to celebrate as a community the importance of growing and eating healthy, tasty, and just food.

Saturday, June 29th
10:00AM – 3:00PM
CSA Members ONLY
Apricot U-Harvest

Apricots are here, and ripening fast. The next 2-3 weeks the Blenheims will be our focus of attention. It’s important to not fall behind since the ripe fruit tends to drop to the ground. Every share and extra fruit option will receive a portion of this year’s bounty

This may not be enough however for many of you who would like to enjoy them in larger quantities, especially if you like to preserve them. To accommodate our CSA members’ cravings, we decided to hold a CSA MEMBERS ONLY Apricot U-Harvest, this Saturday on June 29^th.   (CSA members may bring friends.)

The farm will be open between 10:00AM and 3:00PM. We encourage you to bring your own bags and containers (our boxes cost $1.50 each). This year’s price is $2.00/pound, and we may have a harvest limit of 30-40lbs per family. It depends how ripe and abundant the fruit are.

Please use the Litchfield Lane entrance to the farm.  If you don’t mind walking up a steep hill, you can also use the second entrance on Green Valley Rd and park by the main barn. You are welcome to explore the farm, bring your own food and find that perfect picnic spot.

Click here for directions to the farm