Frequently Asked Questions
When will the program start?
The program is expected to start the begin
June 15th and run through October 13th.
When do I pick up my bin?
Our plans are to deliver to Waterloo on Wednesday and London on Thursday, Stratford may be on either day.
The pick up times for each location are generally in the evenings ie (5-7 or 6-8, etc).
Where do I get my basket each week?
A designated pickup location will be selected for each area that we service. Please see the pickup location page for details. If you have a group of 25+ co-workers, family, friends or neighbours who
also join the CSA you may request a pickup location, ie your workplace or neighbourhood. Home delivery may be available at an additional charge.
What happens when I go on holidays?
You may have a friend or family member pickup your bin for you.
Alternately you canchoose to have your bin donated to one of
the charities August’s Harvest works with.
You may choose to have it directed to any of the charites, it does not have to be the one in your city.
London - Rotholme Women’s & Family Shelter jointly with Mission Services
Waterloo – The Food Bank’s Second Helping program.
Stratford – Optimism Place
Stratford – House of Blessing
What happens if the farmer has a crop failure?
From time to time a crop fails…
”just cause ma nature says so”.
We try to cover this eventuality by planting more,
but it doesn’t always work. Crop failure is
rare, but also, part of the risk share in a CSA.
May we come visit the farm?
Yes. We plan to have an official CSA Farm Day (likely to be held in July), where we would be pleased to have you, your family and friends come out. If you would like to come on a private visit please contact us to schedule a time and we would be happy to have you come see what we do.
What would a typical basket included?
Please see the link 2010 Bins on the left hand tab for examples of the 2010 bins for each size.
The boxes will vary quite a bit and you will see any of the items listed on the brochure/website come in the box. Smaller items such as “potatoes”, “tomatoes” “corn”, you will get several of these items in the basket. We will always attempt to put some sort of greens in the box every time.
How does the cost compare to buying at the grocery store?
We went and purchased the equivalent of the regular share basket at Zehrs and the cost came out to $42.57 our basket cost is $38.50 for this size share. There were 7 organic items and 3 convential items (for lack of the organic version). The basket included Romaine Lettuce, Leaf lettuce, eggplant, red potatoes, apples, cauliflower, carrots, peppers, tomatoes & parsley.
Grocery store shopping can become challenging if you are looking to meet both the local and the organic criteria. The CSA offers you the added benefit of meeting both these criteria, aswell as giving you a larger variety of items than can be found inside a traditional grocery store. The CSA also offers added benefits such as recipes and storage tips on how to use the vegetable.
What size share should I go with?
The small share has 6-8 items in the bin per week. It generally feeds 2 moderate vegetable eaters or 1 really good vegetable eater.
The regular share has 8-12 items in the bin per week. It generally feeds a family of 4 (2 adults + 2 kids) or 2-3 really good vegetable eaters.
The large share has 12-17 items in the bin per week. It generally feeds 5-6 people.
The boxes will vary quite a bit and you will see any of the items listed on the brochure/website come in the box. Smaller items such as “potatoes”, “tomatoes” “corn”, you will get several of these items in the basket. We will always attempt to put some sort of greens in the box every time.
Is it possible to select what goes in my bin each week?
Yes, the We Grow Your Garden Program allows you to customize your bin. To join this program you must have regular email access. Every Friday you will receive an email with a Microsoft excel sheet to fill out and return to us by the Monday afternoon. This sheet will vary each week and be based on what is harvesting the upcoming week. Some items may have a maximum on them due to availability or cost. (some items may have a maximum on them one week and not the following week ie early or late in the harvest the quantities coming off the field may be low).
For an example please click on the link beside - We Grow Your Garden Selection Sheet
Hi, we are considering a large share for this season. Normally in the summer I will put up quite a bit for the winter. So, if I wanted to special order extra bushels of tomatoes or other products, is that possible? Do I have to order well in advance or do you produce enough to cover the needs of a crazy canner like me? I see from your pictures that you plant heirloom varieties of tomatoes, is that correct? Would we be getting a mix of varieties in the weekly boxes?
Appreciate your help with this.
Pamela Loughton and Sean Hirtle.
Pamela thank you for your interest in the CSA – A few extra bushels of tomatoes or other items are not an issue. If you can please let us know at least 3-4 weeks ahead that would be helpful.
We grow heirloom varieties of tomatoes. Is there something specific you are looking for if we know before we plant we may be able to accommodate planting another variety?
Provided all the tomatoes crops turn out well, we should have lots to spare.
We are planning on providing a variety from cherry tomatoes to beefsteak tomatoes.
Sounds very interesting BUT are these fruits and veggies totally organicaly grown?. This is a big concern of my family and friends? Thanks London On.
Nearly all the vegetables and fruits will be from our farm which is Certified Organic. I can provide the certification upon request. We will be working with some other local certified organic and transitional farms (meaning they are not certified but do not use chemicals to spray the crops) to provide items such as Apples, etc. If you wish to join but only receive items that are Certified Organic please specify on your application form and we will only supply you with the crops grown on our farm or from a certified organic farm.
I have been looking into various CSA programs around London. How does the cost compare to buying food at a local grocery store. As a student I like the concept of buying organic and local but I am also on a budget. Can you speak to the amount of food your receive each week.
Thank you.
Simon
Although we intend to be sure the value you receive will be in line with that of the grocery store prices, We will spend most of our time focusing on producing high quality, organic produce rather than the consistent task of monitoring ever fluctuating grocery store pricing. If you compare the program as a whole (18 weeks) you are sure to find the value in our CSA program much greater than that would you would receive grocery store shopping.
Thank you,
Teresa
Sonja
Please visit the pickup location page for details on the pickup location that we currently have in London, I do my best to keep it up to date as the information comes in. If you are interested in becoming a pickup location in your area please contact me for more details.
Thank you.
I have just received your brochure and am very interested, especially the idea of supporting local farmers and producers. I fumed last weekend about buying green onions, ay $0.69 per bunch, AND THEY WERE GROWN IN MEXICO..
However, I am single and live in an apartment, can I purchase a smaller amount, suitable for one? I am also on warfarin, and cannot eat cruciferous vegetables. Would it be worth my while.
I salute you for taking this initiative. Good luck.
Hi im looking for the prices of the different bins?