What is a CSA?

Soooo, what is a CSA?

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. When you join a CSA, you are buying a 'share' or becoming a ‘member’ in a farm's season before it begins. By becoming a CSA member, you’re supporting a small farm’s growing season with your upfront payment (whether it be a deposit, full payment, payment plan, it all helps). This model is super common, and extremely helpful for getting a small-scale farm started up through the late winter and early spring months when there aren’t vegetables or herbs to sell. And for when the bills and costs are still rising. Plus, you’re signing on for a full season, so you’ll get the best of the best throughout the growing months. We want to build a community with Odd Crop Farm, and to plan for future (fun) events for our CSA members to enjoy.

What do you get as a CSA member?

Well, you’ll receive a weekly share of extremely fresh (organically grown) veggies and herbs. At Odd Crop that season typically begins mid-June and ends in November. Everything you’ll receive is harvested fresh the day before or day of, which means it will be harvested, washed and packaged within 24 hours. Plus, CSA events, celebrations, bulk item access and additional discounts.

Why is joining a CSA so helpful to a small farm?

It’s tough to have a small business in general, and can feel even more challenging to start a small farm. There are many unknowns, but you’re also working with and against mother nature throughout your entire career. For small farms to get started without existing infrastructure, then it requires a decent amount of capital to build out the basics for a new location. This can be even more challenging if you’ve been working at other farms to get the experience necessary, and making $15/hr for several years on end. CSA’s tend to be the best step for small farms to get their footing, and is a great way to get to know the local community and to build a lasting relationship to food and place.

CSA FAQ’s

  • We're offering three size shares (small, large and flex). All CSA members for all size shares have access to pick-your-own flowers and herbs.

    What size are the small, large and flex shares?

    • Small Shares (4-6 items) $20/week, $400/season

    • Large Shares (7-10 items) $35/week, $700/season

    • Flex Shares* (3-4 items) $18/bi-weekly $180/season

      **For flex shares, members will be able to pick from that week’s selection for their 3-4 items.*

  • Our growing practices and standards are organic (no chemicals used) at our farm. We are not certified because the process takes at least 2-3 years of business to qualify for certification. And to be honest the certification process can be quite costly. When the time comes, we will see if it is worth the hefty fee.

    We do not and will never use chemical pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers or non-food grade materials at the farm.

    To be fully transparent, we believe we do even more than the standards of organic certification with crop rotations, cover crops, minimal tilling, hand-tended beds, sacrificial beds, intercropping, and more.

    For us, we aren’t about just pretty looking and fast growing vegetables. It’s about the nutritional content, soil health, and the use of long-term practices to slowly improve the location we’re on in Lebanon, New York.

    Still curious? Read more about our practices here.

  • Typically our CSA begins the second to third week of June and end the first or second week of November. 20 weeks total!

    After that members will have access to bulk winter items, select vegetables and herbs for the holiday season, and first pick for next year’s CSA.

  • If you’re picking up at the farm, then all of the food will be out and ready for you to pick up and put into your carrier or bag of choice. Like a fresh farm stand, and you get to hang out, catch up, and meet other members. We always love the farm pick-up because it’s a good time to pick flowers and herbs too.

    For anyone with a pick up site: your share will be packed into a recycled paper bag and stored in a cooler to maintain freshness. All cut greens like salad mixes, microgreens and other cuts like fresh mustard greens will be stored in individual plastic bags. All salad mixes will be sealed.

    Other items that are more sensitive like tomatoes will be stored out of the bags until arrival so that they remain in prime condition.

    And best of all, these shares are delivered to you (your pick-up location of choice).

  • Each week it’s different! But you can always expect peak season vegetables and herbs, so whatever is looking the best and in prime condition that week.

    In the small share, you will receive 4-6 different vegetables and herbs in your box, and in the large share you will receive 7-10 different vegetables and herbs. And for the flex share you receive 3-4 items bi-weekly. The options will change every week so that you can experience the range of varieties that we grow, and to enjoy the seasonality of rich, peppery spring flavors, hot/bold summer foods, and the hearty comfort of fall roots, winter squash and greens.

  • CSA Pickup will be every Wednesday afternoon. Pickup at the farm from 4pm-7pm. Or choose from one of the pickup locations closer to you from 3-6pm. Want to pick up from the Hamilton Farmers Market? You can do so on Saturdays from 8am-1pm.

    Pickup from the farm includes pick-your-own flowers and herbs. Visiting the farm, and hanging with other members.

    Pickup Locations

    • The Farm, Lebanon, NY
      4:00-7:00pm

    • Hamilton, NY (Location TBD)*
      3pm-6pm

    • Sherburne, NY (Location TBD)*
      3pm-6pm

    • Morrisville, NY (Location TBD)*
      3pm-6pm

    • Cazenovia, NY (Location TBD)*
      3pm-6pm

    • Fayetteville, NY (Location TBD)*
      3pm-6pm

    *We have reached out to a few centralized pickup locations for these areas. Once confirmed we will update any members that have selected those destinations.

  • If you can’t pick up, let us know ahead of time and we can pack it away for you to pick up the next day.

    Can’t pick it up that week?

    Feel free to have a friend of family member pick up and enjoy your share. Or let us know and we will donate and deliver your share to a local community member on our Community Supported Shares list. Our Community Supported Shares are for folks that cannot currently afford their own share, and/or do not have transportation to pick-up a share.

  • Well, we truly hope not. But if one crop fails, our plan is already in motion to have multiple replacement options to move ahead with.

    If something extremely bizarre happens like our entire farm gets wiped out by extreme weather (tornadoes), flood or disease than we will replace your share items with local veggies and herbs from other nearby farms. The CSA would still follow, so you'd still receive your share every week. No loss for you!

  • Yes, absolutely reach out! We want everyone to be able to have access to high quality, slow grown food. We offer payment plans and are actively working to set up Community Supported Shares for folks who do not have the extra income to participate.

    We are here to feed our neighbors.

Have more questions about our CSA?

Reach out to us at oddcropfarm@gmail.com