Frequently asked questions

When and where IS HARVEST PICK-UP?

Harvest pick-up takes place on Saturdays from 9am - 2pm and Tuesdays from 1pm - 6pm. The fields and garden are open 7 days a week for u-pick and enjoyment.

All produce is picked up in our barn at 1720 Cooper Rd. Sebastopol, CA 95472. The fields and gardens are a short walk from the barn over level ground. For more thorough directions, please see our Contact page.

how does FREE-CHOICE HARVEST SELECTION work? Can I really take whatever I want?

Take what you’ll eat! New members receive a West County Community Farm tote bag. The tote is large (18" wide x 14" tall x 6" bottom). Couples, and even three-adult households, rarely find the need to exceed one tote bag per week. This tote bag limits the total volume of pre-harvested produce your share can take from the harvest bins each week.  All u-pick crops, berries, flower bouquets, herbs, “out-of-bag” bulk crops like cabbages and cucumbers for preserving, large melons and squashes are icing on the cake and do not need to fit in your bag. Bring an extra!

We post weekly limits on certain crops when they are scarce (for example, “1 bunch Bok Choi per share” or “2 pints strawberries per share”) but other than that, harvest is free-choice. Don’t care for beets? Don’t take any. Need to make a huge salad? Take 5 heads of lettuce!

YOUR SHARE PRICES SEEM HIGH COMPARED TO OTHER LOCAL CSA PROGRAMS. WHY?

In a nutshell: More flexibility, more produce, bulk options, and no-limit cut-flowers and herbs. Most CSA programs in California are box services where members receive a small, defined amount of produce each week. Our CSA model offers members a free choice selection of more options (usually 15+ pre-harvested items) so members usually take home a larger quantity of produce catered to their tastes. The share also includes access to all our u-pick crops like strawberries, frying and hot peppers, culinary herbs, and a no-limit cut flower garden. We also offer specialty crops (like heirloom cornflour and Jack-O-Lanterns for Halloween) and ample opportunities for members to make preserves from bulk farm produce like pickling cucumbers, green beans, pestos, and canning tomatoes.

When does harvest pick-up start...And when does it end?

Each year’s exact start date depends on the rains that year but we usually run harvest from early or mid-June until early or mid-December. Harvest pick-up runs for 26 weeks no matter what date we start. In 2017, one of the wettest years on record, we started harvest pick-up on June 17th and ran until December 12th. 

Can I come on either harvest pick-up day?

Members can come on either Saturday pick-up or Tuesday pick-up, whichever you choose. You don't have to tell us which day you're coming, and it can change each week. Members may only fill their tote bag with pre-harvested produce once per week.

Members are welcome to come to the farm for u-picking, flowers, herbs and enjoyment 7 days a week, sunrise to sunset, as many times as they’d like while respecting any weekly limits.

I’m NOT SURE WHICH SIZE SHARE I SHOULD SIGN UP FOR.

To determine which share size to sign up for, ask yourself: How many adults are going to be regularly eating from my share each week? If you live with someone and share meals with them, you should sign up for a Two Adult Share. If you live with someone but do NOT share food or meals with them, you would sign up for a One Adult Share. If you want to share your harvest tote each week with a friend that you do not live with, you would sign up for a Two Adult Share. Each adult regularly consuming food from your harvest share should be included in the share size you select. Kids ride free. Please contact us if you have any questions about your household size before signing up.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE LOGIC BEHIND CHARGING PER ADULT?

Our model is based on the original Community Supported Agriculture farms in Europe and the East coast. When you sign up to become a member of the farm, your dues are paying for a relationship to the farm — and a free-choice share of the farm's harvest, access to u-pick crops and the garden, invites to events — rather than a set quantity of produce each week. 

The main question that informs our pricing is, "How much does the farm need from each adult member of the farm in order to grow bountiful food and flowers for them while taking care of our soil, ecosystem, and farmers?" Read more about the history of Community Supported Agriculture and the philosophy behind our share pricing structure here.

I’d like to become a member, but I can’t afford it. Do you offer share price assistance?

Yes. Please request Share Price Assistance in the sign-up form. (Share price assistance is funded by other members donating!) We also offer monthly payment schedules to spread out the cost, and we accept EBT/SNAP payment.

Can I SHARE MY BOUNTY WITH friends and relatives?

Potlucks? Yes! Dinner parties? Definitely! Pickle gifts? Of course!

Your harvest share is meant to provide for the daily culinary needs of you and your household… including visitors, potlucks, soirées, and all that life throws at you. However, taking extra produce each week to give away fresh to friends or relatives not included in the share you signed up for is not appropriate use of our model. Any adult regularly eating from your share should be counted as an adult member of your household when you sign-up.

Does the share include fruit?

We do not offer tree fruit or stone fruit at this time, though fellow members often donate backyard tree-fruit extras in the Fall. We do grow melons, strawberries, husk cherries, and fruiting vegetables like squash, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, etc.

What about missing weeks or vacations in the middle of the season?

If you are going to be away for part of the harvest season you're welcome to have friends or family pick up your share in your stead. Off weeks / vacations are a great opportunity to give the gift of the CSA experience to someone you love.

Can I join the CSA on a monthly or weekly basis?

No, membership is for a full 26-week harvest season.

can I come visit the farm before signing up?

Yes! We'd be happy to show you around the farm! Please contact us to schedule a visit.

Can I join late into a season?

Yes, if there is space open once a harvest season is underway we can pro-rate the cost.

What if I want to end my membership? Are there refunds?

Membership dues are not refundable because they are used early on in the season to pay for the upfront costs (seeds, compost, labor, etc.) needed to plant your food & flowers! Please sign up for a season membership only with the assurance that you'll be able to enjoy the harvest. Exceptions are made for unforeseen circumstances, illness, life-changes, etc.

CAN I SHARE A SHARE / Alternate weeks with another household?

Yes, you may alternate weeks with a household of similar size (for example, two couples or two individuals alternating weeks). Households alternating weeks are charged an extra $200 fee. Groups alternating weeks must make sure they do not double up by both coming to fill their tote on the same week. In order to alternate weeks, please choose a point person to coordinate payment and sign-up.