Produce CSA
If you're looking for delicious, fresh, local produce, you've come to the right place! We offer weekly produce shares through our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, with pick-up locations in Shepherdstown, Charles Town, and Bethesda. In addition to enjoying the best seasonal produce our farm has to offer, members receive weekly newsletters, inspiring recipes, a U-Pick flower and herb garden, kids' garden, farm days, and the opportunity to become a member of the Green Gate community.
What is a csa?
CSA, which stands for Community-Supported Agriculture, is a way for consumers to buy their food locally, seasonally, and sustainably. By joining a CSA you are reconnecting with your food, the land, and the farmer. Members invest in the farm at the beginning of the year and share the benefits and risks of small scale farming. We provide a weekly share of vegetables over the course of the season and offer different share sizes depending on your needs. Being a member means you get to see and hear from the farmer who grows your food. We will send out a weekly newsletter, letting you know what is happening on the farm, what vegetables are in your share, what added value products are available, and a recipe to inspire you to get in the kitchen. We offer both pre-bagged shares and a free choice style pick up at the farm that includes a U-Pick garden, and invite CSA members to attend events on the farm. Becoming a CSA member at Green Gate Farm means becoming a part of our community.
How long is your CSA?
Our 2018 CSA offers 20 week's of produce, beginning the first full week of May and ending at the end of October, with a "summer vacation" break in the month of July. Why skip July? In the past 5 years we've noticed that this is when members take vacations the most and it'll help the farm have a smoother transition into the late summer and fall.
What vegetables will be in the share?
Each week, we will hand pick the items for your share based on your share size and what produce is ripe and ready for your kitchen. With farming, you never know what Mother Nature has in store for you, so we cannot predict exactly what you will get each week. Here are the items of which you can expect to receive an assortment by season:
Spring
Spinach, Arugula, Lettuces, Chard, Kale, Collards, Radishes, Turnips, Beets, Carrots, Brocoli, Cabbage, Peas, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Onions, and Fresh Herbs
Summer/ Fall
Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant, Cucumbers, Summer Squash, Zucchini, Lettuce, Chard, Kale, Collards, Spinach, Potatoes, Melons, Winter Squash, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Beets, Turnips, Radishes, and fresh Herbs.
What added value products are available?
Each week we will let you know what products are available in the newsletter. You will be able to purchase eggs and pork from our farm, along with beef, chicken, and honey from neighboring farms while picking up your share!
What kind of shares are available?
Small Share: $425
Around 6-9 items each week
Full Share: $670
Around 8-12 items each week
Our Wednesday On Farm Pick Up is a free choice share! The idea of a free choice CSA is that a member can pick which produce they want and not be stuck with produce they hate. It puts more choice in the hands of our members and reduces the guilt of unused veggies in the fridge! Our model is pretty simple: if you have a Small Share, depending on how much produce is available that week, you will choose between 6-9 items of whatever you want. If you have a Full Share, again depending on how much produce is available, you will choose between 8-12 items of whatever you want. It’s that simple! If you want three heads of lettuce and five bunches of carrots, it’s yours! You no longer have to feel the need to take something because it’s on the list. As the season changes there will be limitations and abundance available (the first tomatoes and peas being a prime example) but for the most part you get what you want and nothing else.
Our Wednesday On Farm Pick Up also offers a U-Pick Flower, Herb, and Cherry Tomato garden. This is our second year offering a u-pick to members. Last year was a great trial of just U-Pick flowers and we're excited to expand the option to herbs and tomatoes. This will be open for members to pick on Wednesdays from 3-7 and Saturday from 10-6. You’ll be able to cut a small bouquet to take home every week, plus bunches of herbs and a pint of cherry tomatoes. Even though we have a break during July you will still be able to come to the farm for U-Pick on Wednesday and Saturday.
How will I receive my share?
Pick-Up Locations
- Wednesday from 3pm-7pm at the Farm
- Saturdays from 8am-12pm at the Charles Town Farmers’ Market
Delivery to DC (With one-time delivery fee of $75)
- Thursday from 12-1pm at EPE office in Bethesda, MD [MAP]
What kind of Payment Plans are available?
To accommodate our members, we offer payment plans of one or three payments:
– The first payment is due within two weeks of registration to confirm your reservation.
– The second payment is due a month after your first.
– The third payment is due a month after your second payment.
We are always willing to work with you. If these payment plans don’t work for you or you have a special circumstance, let us know and we will try to figure something out.
How can we pay?
We accept payment online (subject to a 2.9% processing fee) or by check. To secure a spot for our 2018 CSA you must complete the full online checkout process, regardless of whether you are paying online or via check.
All checks must be made out to Green Gate Farm and mailed within 2 weeks of signing up.
Please mail checks to:
Green Gate Farm
1665 Persimmon Lane
Shepherdstown, WV 25443
What if I can’t pick-up?
After the CSA pick up is finished all unclaimed CSA shares get recycled back into the farms ecosystem in the most sustainable way possible in order to minimize waste. We only estimate to grow enough produce for one share per member and we harvest all of our produce the same day or day before you pick it up, so, we ask our members to request a change of pick up day at least 48 hours in advance (of your scheduled harvest day or before the day you’d like to pick up whichever comes first). We do not have the capacity to store, rehydrate shares, email to coordinate extra pick up times, etc
If you were unable to pick up on your pick up day we will not accommodate your request to pick up your share on a different day as your share was already harvested for you on your scheduled pick up day.
Can I cancel my membership?
When you sign up for a CSA membership, you are committed for the whole season. We plan for the whole year with our members in mind but farming does have uncertainties and our members are along for the ride with us. You are a part of the risk of our tomatoes getting blight but also a part of the rewards when there is a bounty of pounds and pounds of tomatoes (and we plan for pounds and pounds!). If a circumstance happens where you need to pass ‘ownership’ of your membership to someone else, we can work with you, but there are no refunds.
A note about mother nature
We try our hardest to plan out the season ahead of time so you’re getting a good variety of vegetables each week. But sometimes the weather will prohibit that from happening. Last year we had a couple cases of severe weather that limited the amount of vegetables in the share for a couple weeks. For example; a hail storm damaged all of our collards, chard, kale, cabbage, and lettuce that was just ready for harvest. Some of the plants we’re able to bounce back but it took a few weeks. This kind of unpredictability is just a fact of farming and it’s why the CSA model is so supportive for farmers. Becoming a member of the farm means supporting us through those hard moments and being flexible. Our members are the best safety net small agriculture could ask for.
