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Community Supported Agriculture
Participating in our 2023 CSA
Thank you for your interest in East Brook Community Farm’s 2023 CSA! Our CSA members are the foundation of our farm, and because we won't be attending farmers markets this season, becoming a CSA member is the best way to get our produce.
Member support ensures our viability from season to season, and creates lasting relationships that strengthen our community. CSA memberships are also very supportive, in that they provide our farm with funds early in the season, when many of the costs that come with running a farm are incurred. In return, once we start reaping the harvest, CSA members receive weekly or every-other-week shares of abundant vegetables, herbs, and flowers, which we grow with practices that go beyond organic standards. To see what might end up in your share, check out this list of produce we grow!
CSA membership also comes with the benefit of being in community with your farmers! As a CSA member, you are a center of our farming operation, and we are here to answer your questions, help identify any peculiar vegetables in your share (and suggest how you might cook them!), offer tips for your home garden, etc. You will also be the first to know when we host potlucks, tours, workshops and other events on the farm!
Our CSA is based on a sliding scale, which asks members to pay a price that reflects their access to financial resources. When signing up for the CSA, each member must select three aspects of their share
Please read on below to see options for each!
We recommend reading information about our sliding scale prior to signing up
(1) - Determine where you fall on our sliding scale
Our CSA is based on a sliding scale - please read on to determine your appropriate price!
A sliding scale is a payment model that asks CSA members to pay a price for their share that reflects their access to resources. Those able are asked to pay a bit more for their share, so that members with fewer financial resources can pay a price more within their means. It's a form of mutual support between CSA members and farmers to ensure that affordable, fresh, and nourishing food is accessible to anyone who wants it!
We ask each CSA member to reflect honestly on their financial access to determine which of the following price tiers is appropriate for them. We provide some guidelines below to help CSA find their appropriate location on the sliding scale, but ultimately, each CSA member determines what price they are wholeheartedly willing and able to pay.
Any CSA member who is unsure what to pay, or who would prefer not to participate in our sliding scale is invited to pay the market rate of $30/week. If you have any questions about our sliding scale not answered on the website, you may email us!
Our sliding scale is outlined in the table below. If you'd like to know more about what qualifies as "low" or "high " income in Delaware county, we suggest referring to these living wage tables from MIT.
If you would like to contribute more than $40/week, or if $20/week is still not accessible to you, please contact us, and we will be happy to work with you!
However, income alone does not completely reflect one’s financial status. Please also consider the following when deciding what you will pay on the sliding scale.
Consider paying a bit more for your share if you:
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own the home you live in, and especially if you own a second home.
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have investments, retirement accounts, or inherited money
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travel recreationally
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have access to family money and resources in times of need
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work part time by choice
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have a relatively high degree of earning power due to level of education (or gender and racial privilege, class background, etc.) even if you are not currently exercising it
Consider paying a bit less for your share if you:
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rent your home
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are supporting children or have other dependents
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have significant debt
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have medical expenses not covered by insurance
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receive public assistance (such as SNAP, TANF or medicaid)
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have immigration-related expenses
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are an elder with limited financial support
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are an unpaid community organizer
Once you have determined the appropriate rate to pay for your CSA on our sliding scale, continue scrolling down to choose the pickup location and season for your share!
This sliding scale is intended to be a guide and it invites each of us to take inventory of our financial resources and a deeper look at the privileges we carry. Please use the above guidelines when determining the appropriate price to pay for your share, but in the end, pay what you are wholeheartedly willing and able to pay. Feel free to email us at eastbrookcommunityfarm@gmail.com if you would like help navigating our sliding scale.
*We would like to express gratitude for all those who have implemented the sliding-scale model before us and inspired others to do so - these include but are not limited to Underground Alchemy, Soul Fire Farm, Little Red Bird Botanicals, and Rock Steady Farm*
(2) - Choose your pickup location
East Brook Community Farm
Pickup on Fridays, 12pm - dark
2253 County Highway 22, Walton, NY 13856
8-12 pre-boxed seasonal items. Farm pickup also includes pick your own herbs and flowers when available!
Farm pickup is a good option for folks who like to visit the farm and shoot the breeze with the farmers
Wild Common Wine in Andes
Pickup on Thursdays, 12pm - 6pm
49 Main St, Andes, NY 13731
8-12 pre-boxed seasonal items ready for pickup from Wild Common Wine in downtown Andes!
This is a good option for folks who might like to pick up a bottle of wine with their share.
(3) - Choose what season you would like your share
All options are available as weekly shares, or every-other-week shares
Full Season Share
24 weeks
June 1st/2nd - November 9th/10th 2023
(12 weeks for bi-weekly shares)
An entire growing season of veggies for folks who have produce at the center of their diet! The sliding scale price for this share runs $480-$960 (or $240-$480 for a bi-weekly share).
Summer Share
10 weeks
July 6th/7th - September 7th/8th 2023
(5 weeks for bi-weekly shares)
For folks who spend just the summer in Delaware County, we offer a summer share! The sliding scale price for this share ranges $200-$400 (or $100-$200 for a bi-weekly share).
Bounty Share
10 weeks
August 3rd/4th - October 5th/6th, 2023
(5 weeks for bi-weekly shares)
For folks excited about the late summer vegetables we likely have in excess during August and September, like tomatoes, cucumbers and squash! The sliding scale price for this share ranges $200-$400 (or $100-200 for a bi-weekly share).
Flexible Payment Options:
We accept SNAP/EBT and the FVRx Vegetable Prescription Program
In addition to pricing our CSA on a sliding scale, we also accept payment plans, work-trade, SNAP payments and FVRx Market Bucks as ways to make what we grow more accessible. We are committed to growing for everyone in the local community who wants to become a member, and feel that a CSA share cost shouldn’t be prohibitive to anyone who desires healthy, sustainable, local foods. If you are interested in work trade, payment plans, or if there are other ways we can make a share more accessible to you, please contact us!
Our Invitation for your Non-Financial Contribution
We invite all our CSA members to be involved in the farm beyond just picking up their share! We want to offer CSA members opportunities to connect more deeply with the farm in ways that go beyond their financial support. Your involvement puts the Community in Community Supported Agriculture!
Ways of getting involved with the farm could include attending farm events, volunteering on the farm, or organizing an event of your own. Please let us know if there is an event you would like to see hosted here, or one you would like to host yourself - for example, if you have a skill to share with other CSA members, we can offer teaching space! We would love to see you at one of our monthly events, or to say hello when you pick up your share.
There are plenty of ways to get involved! Let us know how you would like to be in community, what skills you have to share, and what forms of involvement are most exciting to you.
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