Traditional CSA FAQ

We send a sneak peak email the day before you receive your CSA share. This email will tell you what veggies you are most likely getting in your share this week. This is can change last minute, but it’s mostly 99% correct most of the time. Each week we craft your Farm Share to include a diversity of seasonal vegetables. On your pick up day we will send you out a Newsletter along with an exact contents list of your share as well as storage tips, recipes and cooking tips.  This helps our members plan their menus and additional shopping accordingly.   The harvest plan sometimes changes in the fields and so too can the share contents.  

We offer three share sizes, small, medium and large.

The small is perfect for an individual, a small family, or a family that cooks one to two times a week. 

The medium share is perfect for a family that likes to cook three to four times a week. 

The large share is perfect for a family that likes to cook five to seven times a week. 

Spring CSA begins the week of April 21st. and end the week of May 19th.

Summer CSA begins the week of May 26th. and end the week of Oct 27th.

Fall CSA begins the week of Nov 3 and end the week of Dec 15th.

It’s best to contact us at info@whocooksforyoufarm.com or call or text 814-221-7177.

A down payment is due at the time of registration. 

Payments can be made online through our website.  You can pay with a credit card, we accept all major brands. You can also choose e-check or ACH.  Here you will enter your Bank routing number and account number for a direct withdraw payment. We also accept good old fashioned papers checks. Please make all checks out to Who Cooks For You Farm and mail to 383 Mill Seat Run Rd. New Bethlehem, PA 16242.

Yes. We have several payment plans available.  The goal is for the share to be paid in full before you start receiving any vegetables, so once the share is dispersed you are home free enjoying the season with no more worries about payments. We offer a payment plan of 5 payments, 2 payments and a one time payment in full.  If you would like to join our CSA and need a plan different than our generic offering, please write us at info@whocooksforyoufarm.com and we will be glad to create a unique term agreement with you. *** We are working on accepting SNAP for 2024 Season!

Yes.  If you would like to change your Vegetable Share Size, you may do so.  If you choose to downgrade your share size, we will refund you for the difference in the share price going forward on shares not yet received, or you may choose to receive a credit that can be used to order bulk tomatoes, peppers, etc. If you are uncertain about the best share size for your household, we encourage members to purchase smaller shares to start.  If, as the season progresses, you find yourself wanting a larger share, you are more than welcome to upgrade at any time and we will prorate the balance. We can also cancel any optional shares that aren’t working for you. If you need a change to your share please email us at info@whocooksforyoufarm.com

Yes.  You can change your pick up location by logging into your member account or by emailing the farmers. To change your pick up site location, please follow the steps below:

• Login into your CSA Member account

• On the right-hand side of the screen there is a “Summary” button. Hit the button to open the pop up window.

• Once open, the tab will say “Pickup Location | Change”

• There will be two options, “Permanent” or “Next Delivery”

• Select the choice that is applicable to you. We recommend that if you need to change sites for only one pick up, please reach out to us so we can help. For permanent changes, select the “Permanent” button.

• This will open a new page that will give you a list of available pick up sites. Select the site you would like to permanently switch to, then scroll to the top and hit the brown “save” button.

• You should receive an email confirmation once it is complete. Please contact us with any questions.

Yes.  This is a popular option and nice to do with a neighbor or friend, either meeting up at the pick up site for a weekly friend date or alternating weekly pickups.  One person will sign up as the primary member and then you will enter the contact information for the person you are sharing with as the secondary member.  You will need to add their name, address, phone and email.  This way both of you will get all the weekly emails.

When you purchase a CSA, you are making a commitment to our farm for one growing season.  However, there are situations that arise in which a member may need to cancel a share, like serious illness, an unexpected move, loss of a job, etc. If you are in these circumstances please be in touch and we will be able to refund you for all orders yet to be received minus a $50 fee within 30 days of cancelation. If you need to cancel before the season begins in June, you will receive a refund minus a processing & handling fee of $50 within 30 days of cancelation.

If you arrive after the pick up window it’s entirely up to the host at this point.  We will, however, do everything we can to try & save that share for you!   If you know that you are going to be late or not be able to get to the pick up site at all please contact your host, or call our cell phone number as soon as you suspect you’ll be late or miss your pick up. You can find your hosts contact information by logging into your account and clicking on the pick up directions tab. Here you will find your pick up site hosts phone number and email address.

No.  Because of the nature of farming, we do not guarantee any crop.  What we do guarantee is diversity, honesty, integrity & quality.  We never compromise our growing practices and we will do everything in our power to bring you the seasonal favorites!  

We grow about 50 different crops and with each crop we grow several different varieties.  Planting different varietals gives us some safety measures between climate and other disease stresses that kill plants.  We plant multiple successions of many of these varieties to ensure that we can provide a diverse harvest every week.  This diversity is a reliable crop insurance for our members.  

Because each season has its own unique weather conditions,  one crop may be better one year than the next.  Due to the inherent risks in farming, there is always the threat of a natural disaster.  

1. You can always have a friend pick up your share. 

2. You can donate your share. 

3. You can, also, schedule a “hold” on your share and receive a double pick up the following week( this is the default reschedule), or another pickup day that is more convenient for you to have a double.  You can have as many “double shares” during the season to make up for missed weeks.  When you schedule your hold you will also schedule when you will receive a double share. You do all of this by logging into your member account and click on “Delivery Hold” tab, then follow the prompts. You can also email the farmers. We ask that you please put in all vacation holds or request a vacation hold at least 1 week in advance. This makes it so we have less math mishaps at 4am, when we are pulling harvest lists.

4. We can also give credit in our online market, or credit towards the next season, if you don’t want to get a double share.

We’re here for you!  Part of the whole CSA experience is learning how to eat locally and seasonally.  This means trying new foods as they come into season.  We offer a few ways to help:

• Recipes:  Every week we include several recipes specially catered to the contents of your share.  We try to include simple ingredients making the recipe one that our CSA members can easily cook at home.  

• Cooking tips: We share general cooking tips for each kind of vegetable offered in our share.  This way, members can gain basic cooking knowledge without needing to stick to a given recipe.

• Storage tips: Our produce is harvested just days or the day before you receive your share.  It is the freshest produce available! If stored correctly in your home, your produce will show remarkable shelf-life!  We offer our members storage tips to ensure premium quality.

• We encourage communication!  Never hesitate to send an email or pick up the phone to call if you have any questions about a vegetable and how to use it.  Food…it’s what we do!

Sure! You don’t need to contact us about this.  Although PLEASE give your sub detailed instructions about being sure to look at the sign in sheet to see what exactly they should be picking up for you. Signing in and taking only what you take for your share size, is very important. If you have any add on share items be sure to give them detailed instructions on this as well.

Yes. We do customize boxes.  If you have aversions to any veggies please list this when you are registering for your share. This is sort of incognito under the payment section of the registration. Please look for it if you don’t like certain veggies we will be offering during the season you are purchasing.

If you have major diet restrictions we recommend shopping with us at one of thefarmers markets we attend and joining our Market CSA rather than signing up for a Traditional CSA. Being a Market CSA member you shop at either our Saturday Bloomfield Farmers Market or Sunday Squirrel Hill Farmers Market, and get what ever you want from our stand, you can come whenever works for you and get whatever you like. Your investment in the Market CSA you receive 10% more value than your share price. For example if you purchase a $100 share then you get $110 in veggies!

When

Please come to your pick up site during the designated pick up times. If you are going to be late, please notify your host. If you miss a pick up by accident and realize late at night or early the next day, please contact your host to see if your share is still available for pick up. You can find your pick up site time and host contact information in your CSA Account. To find your pick up site time, please follow the steps below:

• Login into your CSA Member account

• At the top of the screen, there will be four separate tabs that read “Overview, Contact Information, Pick-up Directions, Delivery Hold”

• Select the “Pick-up Directions” tab.

• Once on this tab, you should see your host-site contact information, directions to your pick-up site, and a map. The pop-up tab on the map that is a white box will list your site name, address, and pick up date and time.

Where

To find your pick-up site address, please login to your CSA account. It will also be listed in the weekly sneak peek emails we send. Please follow the steps below:

• Login into your CSA Member account

• At the top of the screen, there will be four separate tabs that read “Overview, Contact Information, Pick-up Directions, Delivery Hold”

• Select the “Pick-up Directions” tab.

• Once on this tab, you should see your host-site contact information, directions to your pick-up site, and a map. The pop-up tab on the map that is a white box will list your site name, address, and pick up date and time.

• To open Google Maps directions, select the “More Info” button right above the map in the “Directions to Your Site” section.

To contact your pick-up site host, please login to your CSA account and follow the steps below. Remember to be courteous when contacting your host. To contact your host, please follow the steps below:

• Login into your CSA Member account

• At the top of the screen, there will be four separate tabs that read “Overview, Contact Information, Pick-up Directions, Delivery Hold”

• Select the “Pick-up Directions” tab.

• Once on this tab, you should see your host-site contact information, including an email and/or phone number that you can use to contact your host. For urgent inquiries, if the host cannot be reached, please reach out to us at 814-221-7177 or info@whocooksforyoufarm.com

Any other questions?

Please contact us!