Organic veg shares at School Farm
Covid 19 update: We continue to provide organic locally grown vegetables for our community and have in place necessary additional hygiene measures in place for harvesting and distancing measures for collection. For anyone who is not able to collect we may be able to offer a delivery – please contact us if this applies to you to discuss options.
As a member of School Farm CSA you will receive a box of fresh, organic vegetables grown primarily here on the farm at Dartington.
Choose from a standard weekly box of organic vegetables for a larger household or a smaller box for smaller households. Each week will be packed full of organic veg, and will change with the seasons: from broad beans and peas at mid-summer, juicy tomatoes in high summer, and hearty squashes for autumnal feast.
We have come up with three options for when we will provide our weekly produce and will continue to offer all of these options as standard or small size shares, from our collection points at the farm in Dartington, or in Totnes or Buckfastleigh. This is what our new offerings will look like:
The year-round option
We want to offer a reliable weekly share of veg, every week. By increasing our own production, growing some new crops, and working with a few select other Devon growers, we’re excited to offer a truly seasonal, local, organic – and we very much hope – good value share of veg through all of the seasons. Simply, this is both of the two below options combined.
Prices per month will give best value to those who subscribe and support the farm year-round: £67.50 standard; £40.50 small share
In addition to the year round option, we will continue to offer our Main Season share and our ‘Roots and Shoots’ hungry gap share as stand alone options:
Main season veg share (June – December inclusive)
We will continue to offer this as a stand-alone subscription. During this, the main growing season, you’ll receive a share of our own produce each week, with no or very very few (less than 5%) bought-in items. You’ll receive the full summer & autumn bounty, along with whatever extras the farm produces in line with the CSA model.
Prices per month remain the same as the previous year: £75 standard; £45 small share
Roots and shoots share (January – May inclusive)
Through winter and the hungry gap we will be offering a share of the harvest, combining our own field’s production with that of other local, organic producers. We’ll be growing many of the ‘shoots’ – the leafy above-ground winter vegetables, and we’ll be sourcing the roots from others. It will be a high priority of ours to keep the quality as high as ever. This could suit the household that has lots of their own garden produce in the summer.
Prices per month will be cheaper than the main season since produce will not be so abundant during these months: £60 standard; £36 small share
We harvest our veg every Tuesday, ready for members to pick up from our farm on the Dartington Estate, at our pick-up point in Totnes or our new collection point in Buckfastleigh.
We offer a monthly payment scheme and a limited number of subsidised boxes to make it easier for you to join us. We will adjust the cost of a standard or small share to your start date, so please enquire for price details.
You can sign up for our organic vegetable harvest shares here, or you can contact us at info@schoolfarmcsa.org.uk. If you’re new to the scheme here’s our ‘story so far’ and you can check out our membership FAQ’s page for more info.
Still not certain membership is for you?
Our member Sandy, explains why she made the leap from knowing about the CSA to signing up.
Why do we farmers love CSA?
Community supported agriculture (CSA) is a partnership between farmers and the local community, where the responsibilities, risks and rewards of farming are shared. Benefits are enjoyed by all sides: farmers for instance can receive a more stable and secure income and closer connection with their community, and members can benefit by eating fresh healthy food, feeling more connected to the land where their food is grown and learning new skills.
How is our CSA radically different to the supermarket?
We don’t put a monetary value on our veg, which means that instead of packing up a box of veg that is equal to a particular cost we ask members to subscribe to the farm and for that we’ll do our best to grow as many vegetables as possible, in a variety that will tickle your palette. Each week we divide up what is ripe and share it out equally with our members. If the weather is terrible our members know we’ve done our best and accept a less of some produce, and if the weather is amazing then our members are rewarded for their commitment with a share of the abundance. Your share of the harvest will vary from week to week, season to season, and year to year.
