CSA Offerings

We offer locally grown CSAs throughout the year. Exact dates for each share and detailed descriptions are found on the CSA Purchase Page.

LexFarm CSA FAQs

What is a CSA?

CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a model of farming in which farmers sell shares of a season’s harvest directly to community members. The model is based on mutual trust shareholders commit to support the farm for the season and the farmers commit to providing high- quality, nutritious food to their shareholders. Community members purchase shares before the season begins, in order to provide cash flow when farmers need it the most, and to allow farmers to focus on farming, rather than marketing, during the season.

Joining a CSA is an investment in your community, in open spaces, in the health of the land, the farmers and your family. Your upfront payment allows us to buy seeds, soil and supplies, as well as pay staff, all before we start to “realize the profit” of delicious veggies. It’s important to mention that a catastrophic weather event could wipe out weeks worth of crops, and in that instance, shareholders might not receive the full value of their shares. However, despite droughts, floods and pests, our shareholders have always received more than the full value of their shares.

A CSA is an adventure, inviting you to become a better cook, allowing you to use your creativity to make use of the freshest ingredients each week! It also allows you to have a deeper understanding and connection with the seasons and where your food comes from.

LexFarm has operated a CSA program since the farm’s inception in 2014.

What does a Winter Share Consist Of?

Red Fire Farm in Granby, MA, curates the winter veggie share. The farm is certified organic, and typically provides 8-10 items in each weekly share.

As this is a winter share, items are more likely to be root and storage veggies, such as potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, and winter squash. Red Fire Farm often incorporates a special item in the share as well, a bottle of their hot sauce, a jar of their pureed tomatoes, or a frozen out-of-season veggie.

What does a Summer Share Consist Of?

The quantity of veggies changes from week to week. The Summer Share starts off a little lighter with fresh spring greens, herbs and veggies like peas and carrots and becomes heavier and more abundant as the summer goes on with classic summer veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini later on.

Your mileage will vary depending on how many vegetable enthusiasts you live with. Our shares (along with your FarmBucks) are generally enough to provide veggies for an average family of 3-4, but could be the right amount for 1 or 2 folks who eat a lot of veggies. Weekly shares generally include between 7 and 12 items.

Early season shares will have things that grow well in Spring (leafy greens, scallions, strawberries, peas and herbs). They tend to be smaller in size than shares later in the season. In July, beets, carrots, cucumbers, summer squash, and zucchini will begin to appear. By August, we’ll have tomatoes, melons, eggplant, potatoes, peppers, and sweet onions. September yields garlic and winter squash in addition to the peak summer veggies. In the last month of the Summer Share, we’ll have sweet potatoes, leeks, and savory herbs. In years where we have certain “bumper crops” you’ll likely be able to preserve some of the harvest for later in the year. There’s nothing better than a can (or freezer bag) full of tomatoes preserved at their peak from your own farm share!

Every week, our farmers try to provide a variety of fresh-eating and cooking greens, an allium (onion/garlic family) vegetable, and something bulky to provide a substantial meal.

Our farm store manager and farmers love to cook and will be happy to share recipe ideas with you if you’re trying something new! We provide a recipe each week in the newsletter that highlights at least one of the items in the share that week.

Prices

You are making an investment in LexFarm when you pay for your share at the beginning of our growing season; that’s when we most need capital to purchase seeds and other supplies.

*If the cost of our summer CSA is prohibitive to you and you are not a SNAP customer, we offer a limited number of subsidized CSA shares on a sliding scale starting at $425. Please reach out to [email protected] for more information!

All CSA shares must be paid in full at signup, except for the SNAP-Subsidized Summer Vegetable Share.

How Can I Order?

If you choose to pay by credit card, we ask that you consider a 3% “tip” to cover credit card fees. Detailed instructions for paying by check can be found here. If you choose to pay by check, you will enter a coupon code (paywithcheck) at check out. Detailed instructions for paying by check can be found here. Please mail your check to LexFarm, PO Box 554, Lexington, MA 02420. Checks must be received within one week in order to reserve your share. You are welcome to split a share with another household, but we will record only one name per share. That name will appear on the sign-in sheet at share pickup and receive any email correspondence we send out.

Financial Hardship

We strive to make our CSA shares available to everyone in our community.

If you would like to apply for a subsidized CSA share (summer vegetable shares only) in the case of financial hardship, a Google Form to fill out is coming soon. Your information will be shared with the CSA administrators and you will receive information about your application via email from [email protected].

If you receive SNAP benefits and would like to use them towards purchasing a Summer Vegetable Share, we will need to collect information from you to share with the Department of Transitional Assistance. A Google Form will be put up soon, and we will be in touch with you via email from [email protected].

How Does Pickup Work?

1. Exact season start date for each Share type is subject to the weather and field conditions. We will send you an email a week or two prior to the start of each share informing you of the season start date and other relevant pickup details. For 10-week Summer Vegetable Shareholders, this email will also tell you whether you have been assigned to the odd or even week group.
2. Pick up your share on the designated days when the farmstand is open. View our farmstand hours here.
3. If you can’t make the regular pickup for your share, you may:
   • Seek a swap (this applies only to Summer Vegetable share). We will set up a Google group to help you swap dates with someone else if needed. Finding a swapmate is not guaranteed but it has worked well in past years. Each of you is emailed an invitation to join the Google group at the start of the CSA season. (Email [email protected] to have your invitation resent if you cannot find it.) Have the swapmate check in under your name. You do not need to let us know.
   • Send a friend. This is a wonderful opportunity to introduce a neighbor, friend, or co-worker to the farm. Have the friend check in under your name. You do not need to let us know.
   • Donate your share. If you don’t pick up your share, the food will not go to waste. We donate all extra vegetables to food rescue organizations twice every week, and we are happy to make your share available to those who will use it!!

You can pick up your CSAs any time the farmstand is open. We are not staffed to make pickup arrangements other than the ones described above. We cannot hold shares beyond the specified pickup dates. Thank you for working with these options.

What are FarmBucks?

The Summer Vegetable Share includes our “FarmBucks” program to provide additional variety and/or volume to weekly shares. FarmBucks can be used to purchase any seedling or produce for sale in the farm stand during the Summer CSA season.

• 20-week Summer Vegetable Share includes $70 in FarmBucks
• 10-week Summer Vegetable Share includes $35 in FarmBucks

FarmBucks allow you to purchase produce in the farm stand that are not included in the shares. Space constraints and disease and pest pressures are the major reasons for not growing 200+ of certain crops (like fennel)! But, we can offer a smaller quantity of a wider variety of produce in the farm stand, and we created Farm Bucks to give you access to that produce.

FarmBucks are tracked at the farm stand (no need to remember a card) and may be used to purchase any produce or seedlings in the stand, any time we are open during the Summer CSA season.

FarmBucks EXPIRE on the last pickup day of the SUMMER CSA SEASON. No exceptions.

Refunds/Cancellations

Any refund or cancellation is contingent upon our ability to sell your reserved share. A $35 administrative fee will be deducted. Any refund or cancellation request must be submitted at least one month before the start of the distribution of your share. Refunds are given at the discretion of LexFarm. You can request a cancellation and refund by contacting [email protected].

Season Disclaimer

As a CSA member, you are supporting the farm and sharing both the bounty and risks of farming. By signing up for a CSA, you understand that those risks include poor harvests of crops due to unexpected weather, pests and disease, and while unlikely, there is a chance of total crop loss due to flood, drought, or other natural disasters.

(Common tomato diseases are spread more easily when leaves are wet).

What is a Workshare?

A work share is an opportunity to volunteer 4 hours of time a week in exchange for a full summer vegetable CSA. There are two types of work shares. Harvest work share participants join the farm crew in harvesting vegetables to be distributed through the CSA program. Farm stand work shares help with setting up, replenishing, breaking down, cleaning, and customer service during CSA distributions in the farm stand. Work share positions involve physical work, a weekly commitment to work at the farm, and involve a formal interview. Please email [email protected] if you are interested in a work share, as we only have a limited number to offer.