FAQs

What is CSA?

Community supported agriculture (CSA) is a model for food distribution where individuals purchase a share of a farm for a season in exchange for produce delivered fresh. These individuals become stakeholders or members, and share both the benefits and risks of food production. CSA members typically pay in advance for the season, helping the farmers with upfront costs and planning for the season with a greater degree of certainty. CSA members are encouraged to get to know their farmers and visit the farm where their food grows. There is much flexibility in how a CSA is set up, and everyone approaches it differently. Frequency of delivery, sizes of shares, on-farm events, pick-up sites and terms, and so on, may vary; learn about how we run our CSA shares at Plowshares & Prairie.

Where do I get my food?

You can get your weekly share at any of our pick-up sites in Madison, Fitchburg (at the farmers' market), or Argyle (at the farm). Pick-up days are Tuesday or Thursday. See the Our CSA Shares page or online store for details on exact locations, pick-up windows, and prices.

It is the CSA member's responsibility to pick up his or her box from the selected drop-off location each week between the designated hours.

What if I'm out of town one week?

There is one flex week built into the season so you can skip one week and still get a full 19 weeks of CSA deliveries. If you cannot pick up your box another week, find a substitute (family member, friend, etc.) to pick it up, and give them instructions for where and when to get it. If no one picks up the box, it will be donated.

I really hate / am tired of (insert loathed vegetable here).  Can I skip it?

We think part of the fun of being a CSA member is being exposed to less common vegetables and encourage everyone to give them a shot. We send out a weekly newsletter along with your share, and work hard to provide a diverse set of recipes and tips, so you might discover that you actually enjoy that vegetable when cooked a different way. Being part of a CSA also means you're supporting sustainable, local food production, and understanding that the weather and climate dictate what food is available when. Our weekly shares reflect what food is freshest on the farm, and is governed by mother nature. We hope you enjoy learning about what it means to eat seasonally, and learn some new ways to prepare our produce in the process.

To provide more flexibility, we offer extras/swap boxes at our sites to give members an opportunity to swap some produce based on personal tastes and take extra produce as available.