Farm Share FAQ
Below you’ll find answers to our most common questions, to help make your CSA experience the best it can be.
Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Email us at farmers@taprootfarmpa.com
Most Common Questions
Community Supported Agriculture, also known as a “CSA” or a “Farm Share” is a way to support your local farmers by subscribing to a box of a weekly seasonal harvest.
By subscribing to a CSA, you are helping to build a more local, equitable, and sustainable agriculture system, one that allows farmers to focus on land stewardship and still maintain a profitable small farm. You are now a partner with the farmer, creating a stable market for their crops while benefiting from local, organic food production.
Members of the Taproot Farm CSA receive a weekly organic seasonal harvest of produce, handpicked on our farm that week. We offer 3 share sizes to best fit the needs of different households.
Taproot Farm CSA members also have the option to add on shares of local cheese, eggs, fruit, coffee, pasta and mushrooms. We are incredibly lucky to live in a community with so many passionate farmers and food artisans and are proud to partner with them for our CSA offerings.
When you join the Taproot Farm CSA as a member you also receive weekly recipes from local chefs, an inside look at what it takes to run a sustainable organic farm in Pennsylvania, and invites to exclusive farm events.
Each week we craft your Farm Share to include a diverse bounty of seasonal vegetables.
At the beginning of each CSA week, we email the list of veggies along with descriptions and cooking tips. This helps our members plan their menus and additional shopping accordingly. However, we ask members to please keep in mind that this is a pre-harvest list. The harvest plan sometimes changes in the fields and so too can the share contents. We do not send out a post-harvest list with changes unless the changes are significant.
Take a look at our CSA Share page for more information about the share.
We offer three share sizes, small, medium and large.
The small share is perfect for an individual, a small family, or a family that cooks one to two times a week. 5 items ($22 a week)
The medium share is perfect for a family that likes to cook three to four times a week. 7 items ($28 a week)
The large share is perfect for a family that likes to cook five to seven times a week. 10 items ($39 a week).
Our CSA seasons runs the first week of June through the first week of November.
Click here to browse our different locations and schedules.
It’s best to contact us at csa@taprootfarmpa.com. However, we give our cell phone number out to all registered members so they can contact us on the day of their pick up, if necessary.
CSA Payments can be made via Credit Card, PayPal, Electronic Check or SNAP/EBT.
Payment is due at the time of registration, and payment plans are available.
SNAP/EBT payments must be phoned in weekly during the season CSA season and paid for on a weekly basis.
We do!
SNAP/EBT payments are paid weekly throughout the season must be phoned in.
At the time of registration, just choose the SNAP/EBT payment and we will follow up with details via email.
No. Our host locations are not staffed by Taproot Farm employees and cannot accept payment. We encourage all shares to be paid in full before the CSA begins. However, if at any time over the course of the season you need to make a payment, please do so by mailing a check through the mail or through PayPal.
No. We offer no refunds on payments towards your CSA Farm Share. If you are interested in this share, but aren’t sure if the CSA style is right for you, give us a call. We’ll be happy to talk through the CSA experience with you to make sure it’s a good fit for your household. We understand that CSA Shares aren’t for everyone. We’d be happy to help guide you to other wonderful ways of eating fresh, local & organic food.
No problem! We understand that the CSA season is also vacation season! Members can schedule a vacation hold online, then double up on another week to make up for the missed share.
All vacation holds and made up shares must be requested prior to the week they are needed.
Holds and doubles will include all of the shares you are registered for (i.e., veggies, eggs, cheese, etc.)
There is no limit to the number of vacation holds for a given member, however we encourage no more than 2 vacation holds per member.
Members are able to go into their own account online, and schedule their vacation hold and their make up share through the CSA Member Login button in the footer section of the website.
Yes. Members can always switch their location, no problem. If you need a temporary location switch, we ask that you please do so with a 1 week notice. Members can go right into their own account online and schedule their location switch.
If you need a complete switch at any point in the season from one location to another, that is also no problem. Please contact the farm to make a complete location switch.
Yes and no. If you would like to add on any of our additional shares at any point after the season has begun, you may do so as long as we have them available. Some of these shares, however, do tend to sell out.
If you would like to change your Vegetable Share Size, you may do so as well. We do not offer a refund if you choose to downgrade your share size. If you are uncertain about the best share size for your household, we encourage members to purchase smaller shares to start. If, as the season progresses, you find yourself wanting a larger share, you are more than welcome to upgrade at any time and we will prorate the balance.
Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee any CSA share past the allotted time of your pick up, even 5 minutes past. We will, however, do everything we can to try & save that share for you! Please call us as soon as you suspect you’ll be late or miss your pick up.
No. Because of the nature of farming, we do not guarantee any crop. What we do guarantee is diversity, honesty, integrity & quality. We never compromise our growing practices, and we will do everything in our farming power to bring you the seasonal favorites!
We’re here for you! Part of the whole CSA experience is learning how to eat locally and seasonally. This means trying new foods as they come into season. We offer a few ways to help:
- Recipes: Every week we create an original recipe specially catered to your share. We try to include simple ingredients, making the recipe one that our CSA members can easily cook at home. These recipes are also posted on our Recipes Page, so members can use them whenever they like!
- Cooking tips: We share general cooking tips for each kind of vegetable offered in our share. This way, members can gain basic cooking knowledge without needing to stick to a given recipe.
- Storage tips: Taproot produce is harvested just days before you receive your share. It is the freshest produce available, and if stored correctly in your home, even your salad greens can last surprisingly long! We offer our members storage tips to ensure premium quality.
- We encourage communication: Never hesitate to send an email or pick up the phone and call if you have any questions about a vegetable and how to use it. Food…it’s what we do!
Sure! You don’t need to contact us about this. Please just be sure to pass along our cell phone number to your friend, and please be sure to give them all if the information they need for a smooth pick up.
No. We do not customize boxes.