WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING CSA APPLICATIONS FOR SUMMER 2012!
Thank you for your interest in Greensgrow Farms' 2012 CSA! Here you will find a description of our share, membership details, and a few sample shares to give you an idea of what you will receive at each pickup. If you would like to become a member, you can apply online or mail or drop off a completed and signed copy of the attached application and agreement with your deposit or full payment to our office at 2503 E. Firth St. Philadelphia, PA 19125 (Attn: Summer CSA). If you are not paying in full, you must submit credit card information for your application to be complete. If you have any questions, contact the CSA hotline at (215) 380-4355 or email csa@greensgrow.org.

Your CSA Share
We put a lot of thought into what goes into our share, and over the past 10 years, we have fine-tuned our offerings according to members' input and our local farms' output. We provide a balance of staples and new, exciting items to try. We won't overwhelm you with a volume of unusual vegetables that you cannot use, and we try not to give you one thing too many times. We do our best to make CSA items available for purchase at our farm stand while they are in season. Get six ears of corn in your share but having guests and need 12? You can grab them right there at farm stand on your pickup day.

We source produce, dairy, vegan protein, and prepared goods from within 150 miles of Philadelphia for our CSA shares. Our sources range from generations-old farms in southern New Jersey to an established organic co-op to an orchard in Delaware to a fledgling Lancaster County co-op of single-family farms. We bring our region's best to you!

IN THE SHARE EACH WEEK, MEMBERS WILL RECEIVE:
• A seasonal assortment (5-8 items) of locally grown, fresh vegetables and 2 fruits from rural farms and orchards
• A locally produced cheese. Some favorites include LeRaysville's Sharp Cheddars, Shellbark Hollow Farm's fresh chevre, and Mancuso's handmade mozzarella
• Another dairy/protein option. Your choice of; 2 cups of Pequea Valley Yogurt, ½ lb. butter, 1 dozen eggs (cage-free and antibiotic-free), 12 oz. Michael's Savory Seitan made in Florence, NJ, Certified kosher and organic tofu from Fresh Tofu in Allentown, PA
• A minimum of 3 times during the season, you'll receive $5 worth of Greensgrow Bucks, which you can
use at our farm market to pick and choose your own selection of produce, cheese, meat, etc. - whatever
your hungry heart desires

IN THE SHARE THROUGHOUT THE SEASON, SOMETIMES YOU'LL RECEIVE:
• A loaf of fresh baked bread from a local bakery like Metropolitan
• Apple cider from a local orchard
• Local honey
• Fresh pasta
• Local prepared foods
• A favorite amongst everyone: Philadelphia Brewing Co. Beer produced here in Kensington

Full Share vs. Half Share Option
The full share is not for everyone. Some of you may eat out more often or want a break from cooking. The half share option is well suited to many one-person households. With a half share, you'll get the same amount of food as a full share, but you'll pick up every other week. We'll let you know when your start date is, and whether to pick up on Week A or Week B.

Here are some sample shares from the 2011 season:
June: 1 piece organic Colby, sharp cheddar, or smoked cheddar cheese • Choice of 1 dairy item • 1 pint blueberries • 1 lb. green or yellow beans • 6 ears sweet corn • 2 lbs. new potatoes • 2 lbs. peaches • 2 fresh onions • 1 head butter lettuce • 1 bunch arugula • 2 slicing cucumbers

August: 1 piece Swiss, smoked Swiss, or hot pepper Swiss cheese • Choice of 1 dairy item  • 5 oz. organic spring mix • 1 bunch parsley • 2 lbs. peaches • 2 red bell peppers • 2 lbs. tomatoes • 2 lbs. eightball squash • 2 lbs. red potatoes • 2 slicing cucumbers • 1 sugar baby watermelon

September: 1 tub Shellbark Hollow Farm chevre spread • Choice of 1 dairy item  • 2 lbs. Gingergold apples • 1 mini Musketeer melon • 1 bunch mustard greens • 1 head organic green leaf lettuce • 2 lbs. Yukon potatoes • 1 lb. organic pattypan squash • 2 lbs. tomatoes • 2 Sicilian eggplant

November: 1 cheese of your choice • Choice of 1 dairy item • $5 Greensgrow Bucks • 1 bottle Harvest from the Hood Ale • 1 jar Honey from the Hood • 2 lbs. apples • 1 lb. cranberries • 1 head lettuce/bok choy • 1 lb. rutabagas, kohlrabi, or turnips • 1 bunch carrots or beets • 2 lb. white potatoes or red sweet potatoes

Work Share Option: Not available to Camden or West Philly Members
Each season we make a few work share spots available. For a reduced price on the CSA, work shares help us get shares ready, stock the CSA table, and other CSA-related tasks. Work shares must complete 8 4-hour shifts throughout the season to receive $200 off the full share price. (There is no work share option for the half share.) This year, we are requiring prospective work shares to fill out an application so that we may make best use of members' skills and schedules. You will be asked to schedule your time well in advance and time slots are first come first serve. Failure to show up for your shift means you will be charged full price. The work share option is very popular, so sign up early. If you are interested in the work share option, click here to apply.

Cost and Payment: We have not raised the price of our shares in 3 years - that's bang for your buck!
Full share (24 weeks) costs $775 ($32.30/week)
Half share (13 weeks) costs $435 ($33.45/week).

WE OFFER A FEW OPTIONS FOR PAYMENT:
Up Front: Submit payment for the entire cost of your share now, so you don't have to worry about it later.
Installments: If you pay in 3 installments, please only include your first payment with the application. Pay the other installments according to due dates on the below Agreement. We will invoice you via email. If you are paying in installments you must submit your credit card information for your application to be considered complete.
Cash: Do not mail cash. Please bring it to our office with your completed application.
Check: Checks can be accepted with your completed application by mail or in person at: Greensgrow Farms, Attention: CSA, 2503 E. Firth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19125.
Pay Pal/Credit Card: ONLINE ONLY. For the first time, we are offering members the option of paying for shares via credit card, through PayPal. We require a 3% convenience fee to process these payments. If you are filling out the application online, you will get the Pay Pal option once you click on the "SUBMIT" button.

NOTE: On the Agreement form, you will notice a spot for credit card information. We ask for this information in the event that you are 30 days delinquent on your payment. Unfortunately we have found this necessary. We do not share this information. EVER. It is secured in locked space. Your spot in the CSA cannot be reserved until we have received application, payment, and credit card info. It's a pain in the ass for us too. 

Pick-Ups
The CSA season is 25 weeks long, beginning on Thursday, May 24 and ending Saturday, November 10. You are responsible for arranging the pick-up of your share on your chosen pick-up day. We will provide a Google group for those interested in sharing rides, swapping pick-ups, or swapping contents of the share.

You can only choose one pick up. You can pick up Thursdays OR Saturdays at the farm. This year there are a couple of other locations at our neighborhood markets (see below). We cannot grant switches of day or location. Thursday's are great if you like to cook on the weekend or travel a lot on weekends. Saturday's nice if you know you'll always be stuck at work late on Thursday.

Please familiarize yourself ahead of time with other members in your neighborhood so that when the inevitable happens, you have another option for getting your share (or warn a friend or neighbor who owes you one). If there is an emergency and you are unable to pick up, PLEASE contact us by phone ASAP. We are often asked if we can deliver CSA shares. The answer is no, because all of our staff are busy with tasks that take place at the farm. 

PICKUP OPTIONS
• Greensgrow Farms, 2501 E. Cumberland Street, Philadelphia, PA, Thursdays • 2pm-7pm
• Greensgrow Farms, 2501 E. Cumberland Street, Philadelphia, PA, Saturdays • 10am-3pm
• West Philadelphia, 38th & Lancaster, Philadelphia, PA, Thursdays • 3-6pm • FULL SHARES ONLY
• Camden, Cooper Grant/Rutgers Campus, Friends & Penn Streets, Thursdays • 3-7pm
• Camden, Camden Center for Environmental Transformation, Waterfront South Farmers Market, 1729 Ferry Avenue • Fridays • 4-7pm

Vacation Week
We know there will be times when you need to escape to the beach, mountains, or a family affair. That's why all full shares and work shares are given one "vacation week" when you do not pick up your share. So, although the CSA season is 25 weeks long, you will only pick up 24 shares. You must let us know at least 2 weeks in advance when you will take your vacation week so that we may adjust our ordering accordingly.

Email Newsletter: Recipes, Preserving Tips, and More
With 2 "reformed" chefs and amateur cooks from BBQ experts to vegans on staff, we have no shortage of recipes and food advice for you. Each week you'll receive a newsletter tailored to that week's share. We'll send it to you via email and post it in PDF format on our website. The newsletter is full of recipes for unusual items and new ideas for old standbys. We'll also give you info on how to store and prepare your food and a little background on its origins. We'll let you know which items to use first so you don't miss the opportunity to enjoy more perishable items.

Come Party with the Greensgrow Crew!
Each year, we host an Opening Party and Orientation for new and returning members. This gives you a chance to see the farm, meet other members, share some local food with us, and learn the pick-up routine. This is a popular event, as well it should be! It will be spring, the work day is over, there's really great food and drink, cool people, and Greensgrow is in full bloom.

This year, the party will be held at the farm on Thursday, May 17. We'll send out more details as the date approaches. Mark the date and join us for this kick off to the season!

Volunteering
If you or someone you know are interested in volunteering at Greensgrow, please contact us at volunteers@greensgrow.org. During the season, there is an endless amount of weeding, planting, picking, and marketing to be done. We always appreciate an extra pair of hands. Contact us in advance so that we can schedule time together. Please note that volunteering is not a mandatory part of joining the CSA!

What Makes Our CSA Special
• Our CSA includes items besides produce (pasta, dairy, breads, dips, etc). The share mimics the way people actually cook and eat, rather than providing just one of the food groups. We've often used the tagline "restaurant-quality" to describe our share, because many members recognize farm names and products from trendy restaurants in town that advertise the fact that they source locally.
• You pick up at an urban farm. Each week you'll get a chance to observe a working urban farm in action while creating relationships with the Greensgrow staff and like-minded neighbors.
• You can shop at our farm stand and nursery while picking up your share. In addition to the CSA, we carry a quality selection of produce, pastured and grass-fed meats, artisan cheeses, breads, locally produced goods, and plants galore.
• You are supporting other initiatives of the nonprofit Greensgrow Philadelphia Project. Your dollars fund education programs, our community commercial kitchen project, and mobile markets increasing food access in underserved neighborhoods. A significant portion of the CSA profit is used to support these programs because that's what we're all about. Triple bottom line, social entrepreneurship, call it what you like; we make money to make good.

Here's What Some of Our Members Are Saying About the CSA

"I enjoy the challenge of cooking with vegetables that I might not have purchased on a routine grocery visit. And I really love heirloom varieties of produce."

"The food variety is more inclusive than other CSA's that contain mostly vegetables. Love the regular addition of fruit, cheese, and protein!"

"I like the surprises and planning meals around every week's produce."

"Love the variety, too -- honey, beer, breads are great fun!"

"I felt very informed through the newsletters. I appreciated knowing what to expect at the pick-up site and would get excited about upcoming recipes, etc."

"I love Greensgrow Bucks! It's so fun to pick something out from the farm stand!"

"Greensgrow Farms is the reason I moved to Kensington. You are the lifeblood of the community and I am so excited to be a part of it/you/us!"

"I've been a member for about 5 years now - you guys are doing a great job! Every year it gets a little bit better!"

"I absolutely loved the CSA! It was my first time in a CSA, and the experience was great. I loved trying some produce I had never heard of before, and everything was always really fresh. Great job!"

A Few Final Words of Wisdom
The CSA is not for everyone. That's why we have a farm stand. If you know that you hate trying new things, or you jet-set out of town every weekend, or you are just too addicted to eating out, you'll probably be much happier visiting our farm stand and picking out what you know you'll use. The same items that we put into the CSA share are usually available for sale that day at the farm stand.

So, think about it, discuss it. You are signing a binding contract. You wouldn't sign any other contract without thinking about it, would you? Ask questions, ask other CSA members. We want your CSA experience to be a good one and we work hard to insure that it is. If you have never been part of a CSA before, choose the half share and try it out. And don't forget...you can talk to us. We are here all year long. Quite honestly in some CSA's you may have one chance a season to meet the people responsible for your weekly share. No other CSA offers so many options, so much diversity, so much communication, so many opportunities for you to know the faces behind the names and titles. With the Greensgrow share we are here, open to chat or hear constructive criticism, issues, problems and work with you to make your CSA experience a positive one.

To Apply Online Click on the CSA Pick Up Location You Prefer:
Farm/Cumberland St.     Camden, NJ     West Philadelphia    Pennsylvania Hospital

>Download the Summer CSA 2012 Application
>Download the Credit Card Info Form

Thank You for Supporting Greensgrow and Local Farms!
If you have any questions, contact the CSA hotline at (215) 380-4355 or csa@greensgrow.org.

Want to Eat Better & S-T-R-E-T-C-H your SNAP/ACCESS Benefits? 
Join Greensgrow's LIFE program for 15 weeks of affordable, local farm fresh food, plus free cooking and nutrition classes!  The cost is $15 per week, payable bi-weekly with a SNAP/ACCESS card. Maximize your benefits by earning $2 farmers' market coupons for every $5 spent in SNAP/ACCESS benefits during shopping weeks at our farmers' market.  

Where: Greensgrow Farm, 2501 E. Cumberland St, Phila, PA 19125
When: June 22nd through Sep 29th
Who: Recipients of SNAP benefits (a.k.a. ACCESS/EBT/ food stamps)

For questions or to sign up, contact Noelle at noelle@greensgrow.org or 267-283-6787. 

The Winter CSA is full for this year-sign up for the Summer CSA starts February 13th! Eating locally doesn't have to stop when the summer season ends: you can support local farmers and producers while reducing your carbon footprint all winter long. Stay tuned for the Summer 2012 CSA, sign up starts in March. Sign up for our newsletter and friend us on facebook to get the latest CSA updates and news from the farm.

How is the Winter CSA different from the Summer CSA?
If you've participated in our summertime CSA before, you know that summer members receive weekly shares of seasonal produce, plus a local cheese and the choice of one additional dairy item. In the winter, members pick up a share every other Saturday (with a three week break in there for the late December holidays) from early December through mid-April. There are no half shares for the winter CSA, nor is there a work share option. That doesn't mean your choices are limited, though: we offer shares that include meat, no meat, and additional produce, or vegan items in the Winter CSA.

Members receive an email newsletter full of info about the items in the share, recipes, Greensgrow news, and other useful tips. As always, we make it our mission to grow and gather a selection of the best produce and local food items from within 150 miles of our fair city for each share!

CSA traditionally stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Consumers buy a "share" in a farm’s season and each week get a box of produce and fruit produced on the farm. Given our roots in the heart of Philadelphia, we refer to the Greensgrow version as City Supported Agriculture. Greensgrow operates a weekly summer CSA that runs from late May into November and a Winter CSA from early December through late spring. CSA’s are not the right buying vehicle for everyone. If you are considering it, we suggest that you purchase a half summer share to see how it works for you and your household.

You can read more about our CSA below. For more on CSA's in general, visit the Robin Van En CSA Center at Wilson College.

We've put together a general guideline and example of what will be available throughout the CSA season. Please note that this is only a guide and that actual crops received in the share are dependent on the cooperation of Mother Nature.

With a chef and a vegan on staff, we have no shortage of recipes and food advice for you. 

Each year we host an Opening Party and Orientation for new and returning members.

There are lots of reason to join the CSA...

Our CSA sells out every year. For good reason.

Here’s what some of our past CSA members have had to say:

The CSA is a season-long commitment, and is not for everyone.  That’s why we have a Farm Stand!