CSA Questions & Answers
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What is the Kuhn Orchard’s Winter CSA?
How often will Kuhn Orchards delivery their CSA boxes?
Where will I be able to pick up my CSA box?
I don’t shop at the Vienna or 14th & U St. Farmers Markets. Can I still participate in the CSA?
What is the cost of the CSA?
What will be included in the CSA box?
What other services will Kuhn Orchards offer me?
What does Kuhn Orchards expect of me when I participate in their winter CSA?
Will my CSA box be delivered when we have inclement weather?
Can I split a CSA share or do you have half shares?
How do I get in touch with Kuhn Orchards?
This all sounds great! How do I apply?
What is the Kuhn Orchard’s Winter CSA?
Kuhn Orchards has been selling their produce at farmers markets in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. for a number of years. We have had many inquiries from our customers about purchasing Kuhn Orchards produce over the winter months after our farmers markets have ended for the season. We feel that we have now reached a point in our business growth that we can sustain a subscription based winter CSA. What is a CSA?? CSA stands for “Community Supported Agriculture,” and it has a range of definitions. We are proposing to start a “CSA” and deliver boxes of Kuhn Orchards produce and dry goods in Washington, D.C. and Vienna, VA to subscribers of our winter CSA. CSA members share both the bounties and risks of the farmer. This being said, there must be some flexibility in the products that Kuhn Orchards will provide to subscribers in their CSA box. Since this is our first year undertaking the winter CSA, we are limiting the subscription to the first 150 applications.
How often will Kuhn Orchards delivery their CSA boxes?
Kuhn Orchards will deliver CSA boxes to subscribing customers on a bi-weekly basis on Saturdays. Since our markets end at different times in November, the Fairfax County delivery will start on Saturday November 12, 2011, and Washington, D.C. will start on Saturday, November 26, 2011. We will deliver on a bi-weekly basis until April 28, 2011, at which time our farmers markets will begin. Deliveries of CSA boxes will be between the hours of 9am and noon.
November 12 (Fairfax County only) & 26 (D.C. delivery begins)
December 10 & THURSDAY the 22nd from 4pm to 7pm. (We opted to not deliver on Saturday, December 24th which would have been the regular delivery schedule)
January 7 & 21
February 4 & 18
March 3, 17, & 31
April 14 & 28
Total of 13 deliveries for Fairfax County customers.
Total of 12 deliveries for D.C. customers.
Where will I be able to pick up my CSA box?
For subscribers wishing to participate in the Vienna, VA CSA, you may pick up your CSA box at the Red Caboose Parking lot located at 131 Church St. NE, Vienna, VA 22180. This is the parking lot where we are located for our Saturday Farmers Market in Vienna. http://www.viennafarmersmarket.com/
For subscribers wishing to participate in the Washington, D.C. CSA, you may pick up your CSA box at the St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church & School Parking Lot/Basketball Court next to 1914 V Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20009. http://saintaugustine-dc.org/. Because parking may be limited because of weekend church and school activities, we are asking that all customers find on-street parking.
I don’t shop at the Vienna or 14th & U St. Farmers Markets. Can I still participate in the CSA?
ABSOLUTELY!! We simply chose Vienna to serve as our CSA “hub” for our Fairfax County customers, and the 14th & U St. area for our Washington, D.C. customers. While these are the only locations we are delivering to this year, there is the possibility that we will expand and deliver to other locations in future years.
What is the cost of the CSA?
We will prepare the boxes for each delivery so they are valued at $35 per box. For Fairfax County deliveries, the cost will be $455 for the entire CSA, and for D.C. deliveries the cost will be $420. (The price difference is because Fairfax County customers will have 13 deliveries, whereas D.C. will have 12 deliveries.) We will also have an additional $10 crate deposit and/or fee. Each week, if you exchange your empty crate with your filled one, we will check you off and your balance will be zero. If you forget your crate, you will be charged $10 for the crate. At the end of the winter CSA season, if your balance is zero, you will receive a refund of your $10 crate deposit.
Payment must be received in full at the time you submit your CSA Subscriber Application. This is not a month to month subscription policy. Subscribers must participate in the full 12 or 13 delivery schedule, depending on delivery location.
What will be included in the CSA box?
What is included in your CSA box will change over the season. What you could expect to see is:
APPLES
You will be given two varieties of apples in your CSA box; one may be tarter, the other may be sweet, or one might be good for baking and the other good for eating fresh. With each delivery, you will receive a five pound bag of apples. Honeycrisp, Gala, and Ambrosia will be varieties included in the CSA box but only until December, as they do not store well for extended periods. Other varieties we hope to include are: Fuji, Pink Lady, Goldrush, Empire, Stayman, York, Granny Smith, Braeburn, Idared, Spencerville Red, and Mutsu. The regularity and quantity of each variety included in your CSA box will depend on availability after our farmers market season.
POTATOES
We do not grow potatoes, hence why you have never seen them in our market stand. However, our neighbor who grows potatoes has agreed to include them in the CSA boxes. The majority of potatoes will be standard white potatoes, but we may be able to include sweet potatoes occasionally.
CIDER
We will include a half gallon of cider every other delivery week in your CSA box.
JELLY & JAM
A jar of jam or jelly will be available to you 2 – 3 times during the period of the CSA season.
APPLE SAUCE
CANNED PEACHES
DRIED APPLES
We will include a bag of our dried apples every other delivery week.
ITEMS AVAILABLE ON A LIMITED BASIS (may be included 1 to 5 times depending on availability after the conclusion of our market season):
PEARS
ONIONS
GARLIC
SHALLOTS
CHESTNUTS
WINTER SQUASH
HONEY
HORSERADISH & SUNCHOKES
ASPARAGUS & RHUBARB
Obviously, we will not be able to bring to you our fresh picked asparagus and rhubarb in the middle of the winter, but by the end of April we hope to include our tender tips of asparagus and stalks of rhubarb as a “Welcome Spring” treat!
What other services will Kuhn Orchards offer me?
We will send you a reminder email the Wednesday before the scheduled delivery; we will also include a list of items that will be in your CSA box so you can menu plan, if you wish. We will also include tips on how to store and prepare your produce, and recipes utilizing the items in your box.
We will establish a page on our website specifically for our CSA members that will have resources just for you, such as: a calendar of pick-up dates (just in case you forget), contact information for the drivers delivering your CSA boxes, the list of items you can expect in your CSA box for each week, recipes, and storage & preparation tips.
If you have not shown up to pick up your CSA box, the Kuhn Orchards Delivery Employee will give you a courtesy call 30 minutes prior to the end of the three-hour pickup window. If no direct contact is made or response is given by the subscriber, the Delivery Employee is not obligated to wait the 30 minute tardy extension. Please see the next question “What does Kuhn Orchards expect of me when I participate in their winter CSA” for additional information.
What does Kuhn Orchards expect of me when I participate in their winter CSA?
We want the CSA members to understand that they are subscribing to a service which we are providing, and we would like you to respect that service. If a subscriber cannot pick up the fruit within the three hour window, they need to do one of three things:
1) They can send another individual to pick up the box (it is not necessary to notify Kuhn Orchards that you will have a proxy)
2) If the subscriber is running late and will be at the pickup location within a 30 minute grace period of the three-hour pickup window, we will wait for the subscriber to arrive, IF they call the delivery employee (this contact information will be included in the Wednesday Reminder Email) to notify us of their tardiness. This, however, cannot become a regular occurrence.
3) If the subscriber will be out of town, and would not like to receive their CSA box, they can contact Kuhn Orchards via email or phone before the delivery that they wish their box to be delivered to a food pantry (unfortunately, no money can be refunded to the subscriber)
Will my CSA box be delivered when we have inclement weather?
If inclement weather (snow, ice, or sleet) is expected in south-central Pennsylvania, Northern Virginia, or Washington, D.C. and travel is risky, we will notify you via email or phone that we will be post-poning the delivery. There may be occasions that we will deliver earlier than the scheduled date to avoid a predicted storm. Either way, we will contact you as soon as we have made a plan of action.
Can I split a CSA share or do you have half shares?
We do not sell half shares, but it is fine if you’d like to split a share with a friend or co-worker. Some people split the share after pick-up or you can go one week and your friend the next. If you decide to go this route, when you sign-up, please make sure to include the name, contact information, and email address of the individual/family with whom you are splitting your CSA share.
How do I get in touch with Kuhn Orchards?
You can email us at KuhnOrchardsCSA@gmail.com, use the contact link on our website and fill out the form, call us at (717)334-2722, or post a note on our Facebook account. We will get back to you as soon as we are able!
This all sounds great! How do I apply?
We are very pleased that our CSA service will satisfy your fruit and vegetable needs during the winter months! Since we are very busy at market we will not be accepting applications or payment at any of our farmers markets. Here’s how you can apply for the Kuhn Orchards Winter CSA:
- Download the application here!!
- Enclose a check (made out to Kuhn Orchards, LLC) OR include your credit card information on the application and we will process your credit card information at our office.
- Mail the completed application and method of payment to:
Kuhn Orchards, LLC
P.O. Box 95
Cashtown, PA 17310
After we have received and processed your application, we will mail you a copy of your application and credit card receipt or copy of your check for your files.