CSA Information

APRIL 26, 2012 – UPDATE
We are full for the 2012 season. Thank you for your interest and please contact us to be put on a waitlist for next season.
APRIL 26, 2012 – UPDATE

So you want to join a CSA?  Well, you have come to the right place then.  If you are unfamiliar with what a CSA is, here is a brief and general description of it.

Community-supported agriculture( or Community Shared Agriculture), is a form of an alternative food network, CSA is a socio-economic model of agriculture and food distribution. A CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farming operation where the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production. CSAs usually consist of a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables and fruit.

By joining a CSA program you are helping to farmer to:

  • secure money to help with the seasons start up costs when there is very little or no income available
  • more accurately develop a crop plan for the season
  • develop a relationship with the people buying their food
Our CSA program, and many others in this region, differs from a traditional CSA in terms of the risk and reward factor.  I would call most programs in BC a harvest box program in which the amount of produce in the box is equal to the amount you are paying for the box and related to the retail price of the produce.  For example, if you are paying $25/week for your box, you will be getting around $25 work of produce in that box.

Why join our CSA?

Thats a good question and one I think about a lot.  There are as many reasons to join a CSA as there are different CSAs.  So I am going to try and sum it up in one word: SECURITY.

  • The security that you will have access to the best food that is coming off our farm.
  • The security that you will know who is growing your food.
  • The security that you will know how your food is being grown.
  • The security that the food you are eating will improve your health, not degrade it.
  • The security that you are getting the best value for your money.
  • The security of knowing that your are helping to support local food production and securing the land that produces the food.

What will be in your box?

When opening your box each week, it should feel like you are opening a gift, you should be excited and suprised(pleasantly) and it should be something to look foreward to all week.  Part of the experience of belonging to a CSA never knowing what your box will look like until you open it.  Each week your box will be full of fresh, delicious and nutritious produce.  You can expect the best of what is in season at that time.  This means that in at the beginning of the season, there will be lots of greens.  During the middle of the season you can expect a mix  of everything.  By the end of the season, your box will be loaded with lots of storage produce that you can keep for many weeks to enjoy after the program has finished.  Here are some of the crops that we are planing to grow this year which you should expect to find in your box at some point:apples, basil, beans, beets, blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cilantro, collards, cooking onions, corn, cucumbers, dill, fennel, garlic, green onions, kale, leeks, lettuce, parsley, parsnips, peppers, peas, plums, potatoes, pumpkins, radicchio, radishes, raspberries, rhubarb, rutabaga, salad, spinach, squash, strawberries, sunchokes, sweet onions, swiss chard tomatoes, turnips, watermelon, zucchini.  Hungry Yet?

Want Eggs?

We are working on putting eggs in the boxes for this years CSA program for the first time.  Eggs can be requested on the sign up form and will cost $3/week which will get you a half dozen, certified organic eggs each week.  These eggs are produced by another farmer here at Glen Valley(Sheila Poznikoff of Mighty Fraser Farm Goods).  Once we have confirmed that a supply of eggs is available for you, an additional $60 will be added on to the total cost of your CSA.

So what does the Pitchfork Farm CSA program look like?

When I set out trying to plan our CSA program, I wanted to provide a service that gave people a lot of high quality food at an affordable price. I also realized that this is the first year I will be offering a CSA on my own, and I wanted to start simple.  As I gain knowledge from this experience, I hope the CSA will grow into something much greater. But for now, I am simply going to KEEP IT SIMPLE.

For 2012, here is how things will look:

-We will have an open house at some point in the summer(probably in July or August) to allow everyone to come out to the farm for an organized day of food and fun.  This is your change to engage the people growing your food and see the plants in their native habitat.   You are welcome to come out to the farm at any time to see your food in the field but the farmers will probably be busy growing the food and therefore unable to spend much time with you.  Volunteering on the farm is possible but must be scheduled in advance.

-The program will run for 20 weeks. It will begin in the middle of June(weather dependent) and continue for 20 weeks which should take us to the end of October.

-Each share has a base price of $500. If you pay early, you get a discount. If you pay late, you get a penalty. If you pull out your calculator, you will see that you get a box of amazing produce full of the freshest food that our farm has to offer for only $25/week.

-In order to save costs and make sure that all your money is going to the farm, we prefer payment by cheque.  If you are unable to pay by cheque, it will be possible to pay by credit card but there will be a small fee to cover the addition cost which goes to the credit card companies.

-Once we have your deposit($100), you are guaranteed a spot in our program.  Early birds get a discount if you pay in full by April 1st.  The regular full payment deadline is June 1st.  If you are unable to pay up front in full, it may be possible to pay in installments.  If you choose this last option, there will be an additional fee and the details will be worked out on an individual basis.  Cheques can be mailed to:

Pitchfork Organic Farm
8550 Bradner Rd
Abbotsford, BC
V4X2H5

Refund Policy

If you are unsatisfied with our program, we will completely refund the remaining, unused portion of your share.  If you would like to cancel your share before the season begins, we will completely refund your share minus a $25 administration fee.

-You will have 4 options on how you get your box:

  1. You can pick up your box at the farm.  If you live close to the farm and want to pick up your box yourself, this is the best way to do it.  There are no additional fees to pay and you can walk right into our cooler and pick up your box full of produce the day it was packed(or another day if you can’t make it).
  2. You can pick up your box at a farmers market.  We will be able to deliver your box to one of 4 farmers markets that are supplied by producers at Glen Valley Organic Farm.  These include the Langley market on Wednesdays, the New West Market on Thursdays, the Lonsdale Quay market on Saturdays and the White Rock Market on Sundays.
  3. You can be a host which means that you will be a depot for other CSA members to pick up their box at.  For each member that uses your location as a depot for the whole season, you will get a free box.  You will also get your box delivered to your door for no charge.
  4. You can get a home delivery.  If it works out logistically, it might be possible to deliver your box directly to your door for a charge.  The charge will depend on your location and the difficulty in scheduling the delivery.

Ready to sign up?  Go to our CSA Signup page and complete the form to get involved!