What is a CSA?
CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture— it’s a model where members pay in advance for food from a farm. Having a CSA gives us major support during the spring, before the veggies are ready to harvest. In return, the farm offers our best produce every week to our members, at market-style pickups. It’s a meaningful way for consumers to connect with local farms & producers on shared values and get the freshest produce straight from the source.
As first-generation farmers in an area that is increasingly developed, we’re grateful for the opportunity to feed and employ folks from our community, learn and improve every year, and be able to farm in such a unique time and place. We’re inspired by the connections we’ve made and the impact we’ve been able to make, mostly through our 300-ish-person CSA. The CSA has become the driver of our farm, and the heart of our operations. We love bringing our neighbors here to share the beauty and connection to the land that we value so much.
At Urban Roots Farm, we use only organic growing practices and offer a diverse mix of different veggies every week. Members are part of our community and get access to on-farm events, discounts and a weekly newsletter of what is available at pickup, recipes, suggested pairings and updates about what’s happening in the fields.
The 2024 season will start the last week of June and last for 21 weeks. We offer two different share sizes at $30 and $40 per week. More information below.
Our 2024 sign-ups are now closed. If you are interested in joining the CSA, please email or call us. We may be able to accommodate you.
Share Options & Payment
-
EARLY DISCOUNT (available until Mother’s Day):
Large Share $930 ($40/week) - SOLD OUT!!
6-12 types of produce. Varies depending on how many items. Smaller portions of 12 items for example or larger amounts of 6-8, or somewhere in between.
Includes $75 credit. Every week there will be additional items from our farm and other local producers available to add-on with a credit system. You will support our farm by paying up-front for these credits using an easy punchcard system. Now your share can vary more, week by week, in a flexible, convenient way.
Includes $15 compost/admin fee - bring your bucket of compost each week, reduce waste, and feed it back to the soil!
Small Share $715 ($30/week)
4-6 different tpes of produce, multiples of each type. Ex. few pieces of corn, few lbs of heirlooms, quart of sweet peppers, couple zucchini, one head of cauliflower
Includes $75 credit. Every week there will be additional items from our farm and other local producers available to add-on with a credit system. You will support our farm by paying up-front for these credits using an easy punchcard system. Now your share can vary more, week by week, in a flexible, convenient way.
Includes $10 compost/admin fee - bring your bucket of compost each week, reduce waste, and feed it back to the soil!
PICKUPS ARE TUESDAY & THURSDAY 3:30 - 6:30PM
NOTE ON SHARE SIZES:
Large Share Ideal For:
Great for families of 2+ or those who really love vegetables and are looking for diversity each week
Past members who loved the $45/week share. You’ll pay a little less up front, and be able to do more picking out and paying for what you want each week. You might expect to make up the difference between last year’s price and this year’s price, but in doing so be able to pick out exactly what you want, not pay for anything you don’t, take more when you are planning to use more, and spend/waste less on weeks you are not cooking as much.
Small Share Ideal For:
Smaller households
Those who want the basics, lower rate, and prefer using credit punchcards to select and purchase additional produce or other items they really want each week
-
When you are ready to purchase your CSA membership, fill out the Sign Up Form. After signing up, we will email you to confirm your balance and help you submit a payment. You will select your preferred payment method when you fill out the signup form.
Payment Options:
Pay in Full
Pay by check
Bank Transfer or Credit Card with processing fee
Pay 50/50
50% due upfront, 50% due by 8/1.
By check: you must provide two checks upfront, 1 post-dated for 8/1
By credit card with processing fee: you must provide a card on file, which will be charged on 8/1 for the remaining 50%
You will select your preferred payment method when you fill out the signup form.
Interested in work opportunities? Special circumstances that the above options do not work for you? Please contact us directly at info@urbanrootsfarpa.com. We want to do our best to provide equitable access to our CSA.
-
Pickup days are Tuesday & Thursday 3:30-6:30pm.
CSA is 21 weeks starting the week of June 24, with a week break Sept. 23-29, and ending the week of November 18.
Pickups are located at Urban Roots Farm on Garrett Williamson’s campus at 395 Bishop Hollow Rd. Newtown Sq, PA 19073
Veggies
-
Small Share $30/week - 4-6 items
Large Share $40/week - larger portions or 4-6 items and/or up to 4 additional items
Option to use credits to purchase more produce or other products, like eggs, meat, kombucha, sauces and more
We try to include veggies that you can prepare in different ways— some for salads, to eat raw, to roast, or to make into sauces. We grow lots of basic staples that everyone loves, and specialty items to keep things fun and interesting.
-
* July/August: Heirlooms, cherry tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, melon and watermelon, corn, yellow and red potatoes, onions, beets, lettuce, fennel, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, summer squash and zucchini, cucumbers, basil, parsley, oregano and mint
* September/October:Beans, more heirlooms, cherries, pepper and eggplant, melons and corn overlapping with, then giving way to sweet potatoes and delicata squash, Potatoes, onions, leeks, beets, carrots, salad, lettuce, fennel, turnips and radishes bunches and for storage, the start of spinach and radicchio, sage, thyme, parsley, oregano
* November: Butternuts and kabocha squash, sweet potatoes, potatoes, onions, more leeks, radicchio, spinach, lettuce and arugula, carrots, beets, purple top turnips, watermelon radish, daikon, cabbages, kale, more cauliflower and broccoli
-
We're not certified organic, but we don’t use anything on the crops that is not certified organic. We generate much of our fertility on the farm through composting, animal manure, and cover crops. This is good, healthy food grown the best ways we know how. Come out to the farm and see for yourself! We are always happy to share the dirty details of farming—that’s what the CSA is all about.
-
We are no longer offering delivery or off-site pickups. On-farm is pretty magical because you get to connect with the land where we grow.
Add-Ons
In addition to your Urban Roots vegetable CSA, you can choose many delicious add-on items from other farmers and local producers to your share. Our network of partners expands every year, and we’re excited to offer a new credit system for customers to take advantage. Below are the items that are either available to add-on to your share or will be available on-farm or pre-order during the season.
Eggs, flowers, fruit, bread, cheese and mushrooms are available to add to your share. When you sign up to support those producers in advance, you get guaranteed access to those items on a scheduled distribution at the best possible price. We also hope to have those items available for purchase when you need them, without needing to sign up for a full season. But if you want to lock in these 5 items every week, we strongly recommend you sign up for the share!
Every week there will be additional items from our farm and other local producers available to add-on with a credit system. You will still support our farm by paying up-front for these credits using an easy punchcard system. You still get a great deal on our best produce in return, but now your share can vary more week-by-week in a flexible, convenient way.
How the CSA Pick-up Works
-
Each week you will receive an email before pickup of what items will be included in the small and large shares, add-ons available for purchase, updates on what’s happening at the farm and recipes/preparation suggestions.
-
Bring your own bag or box. If you’re new, maybe a bigger one than you think. Go in the red barn. This week’s share will be written on the chalkboard. It will say what the small and large sizes are getting. The items themselves will also be labelled.
Please don’t come early. First of all, the school asks us not to. Secondly, we are using every minute of our time to get prepared to have a good, smooth pickup for everyone, not just the folks who are able to show up first, and we need that time to set up.
Please sign-in when you arrive. There will be a checklist of names on a table by the chalkboard. It will say whether you have a small or large share, and what add-ons you have. If your name is highlighted on the sign-in sheet this week, we are showing that you have an outstanding balance so please go see our staff first.
Where do I start? There will be a loosely clockwise flow to pickups, starting with the sign in list and chalkboard. After you check off your name, you’ll help yourself to the items in that week’s CSA, at the quantities indicated for your size of share. Then you’ll help yourself to your weekly subscription add-ons.
What about my credits? After the subscription add ons will be all the different items available by using credits. These will include additional vegetables and flowers grown by us, as well as other local products, and maybe some extras from the producers of the subscription add ons.
Using the punch cards will be easy. We keep them all so you don’t have to. They have your names on them. It’s that easy: you come up and we tally up what you got in addition to your share, and we cross off that many credits. 1 credit is $1. If you use the $75 you already got to start with, we can sell you another with cash, check, or card. You can purchase them in advance, or wait until you need them.
Need assistance? Please don't hesitate to ask a staff member if you have any questions or don't see the item you are looking for. If there’s something we can do at pickups to improve your share, let us know. It is almost always the case that we have more of every item in the fridge. And if we don’t have more, we’ll probably have an alternative for you. We always appreciate any feedback you have and will do our best to address any concerns you may have.
-
If neither day works, best thing to do is send someone in your place. They would just cross off your name, take the size of share you got, and get your add-ons as well. You do not need you to tell us if you are missing a pickup entirely.
Please tell them to visit the website for more info. It’s also nice to forward them the email of the week they are picking up, as it often has information designed to enhance their enjoyment of that week’s food. We love it when you send someone, as it gives a new person a chance to try our CSA.
We appreciate the requests to “donate your share” and we want you all to understand that, in a literal sense, we try to donate all vegetables that haven’t been claimed or sold. We donate as much as we can every week, although we don’t literally like take what you don’t pick up and set it aside.
-
Pickup times are Tuesday & Thursday 3:30-6:30pm.
The CSA is 21 weeks with a week break Sept. 23-29, and ending the week of November 18.
Our days are flexible so if you need to change the day you pick up at any time, you can do so without notifying us.
If you can't make a pickup, you can send someone in your place - they simply cross of your name on the sign in sheet. You do not need to notify us.
-
We are located at 395 Bishop Hollow Rd. Newtown Sq, PA 19073 at the Garrett Williamson campus.
Pull into the main drive with the tree logo and proceed straight through the stop sign. Turn left at the red barn into our farm.
Parking - We have expanded the parking available to next to the deer fence gate on the right hand side as you enter.
Please park facing the fence either inside the gate of our farm, or outside on the grass.
Be mindful of other members when parking and pulling out. If you park on the grass, you of course don’t have to exit through the farm BUT: please do not park on the grass if it is real wet out.
When you exit you will follow arrows towards the other end of the farm.
We have also cleared a path through the farm to a back exit, to make traffic easier.
You go down the gravel drive between the greenhouses, further into the farm. Follow the arrows and take a left when the road hits the deer fence on the opposite side of the farm and exit through a gate in the back. There will be a big left arrow on the fence pointing to the gate.
After exiting the gate, you go straight between the garden and stone barn, and take a left to head back to the stop sign you went straight through on your way in. Take a right at the stop sign to get back on the driveway and exit the way you came in.
-
Your share includes composting, which means you can return the vegetable scraps to us each week and reduce waste! Important compost instructions are outlined below. You are required to use your own bucket, so we recommend picking up a 5 gal Lowes or Home Depot bucket and lid if you don’t have one already. There will be a large macro bin behind the barn where you can dump your bucket and hose it out if you’d like.
COMPOST GUIDELINES:
What can I compost?
Vegetable scraps
Fruit scraps
Nuts and nut shells
Brown paper, shredded paper
Coffee grounds, paper filters
Grains: bread, crackers, cereal, cookies, pasta, flour, rice
House plant trimmings, cut flowers
What CAN'T I compost?
"Compostable" plastics (no bio bags, no bio-plastic cups or cutlery)
Meat, fish or bones
Pet or baby waste
Tips for composting newbies!
For convenience and space saving, secure a small compost bin or container that you keep on your kitchen counter or under your sink, which you can empty into the bucket as needed. Of course, you are welcome to solely use the 5 gallon bucket.
Store the compost bucket in a garage, porch or outside, preferably in the shade. Sometimes squirrels can be very determined to get into the plastic buckets so if you notice them gnawing away at the plastic lid, consider covering it with a plastic bag, box or towel.
NO bio-bag liners! You can use a large brown shopping bag if you'd like to line your container.
Hosing out your bin after emptying it each week helps reduce smells and the yuck factor.