CSA Member Handbook

 Looking for a quick reference guide for all you need to know as a CSA member? Look no further. We understand that things come up, and we have policies in place to help. Read on to learn more.

Welcome to Winterspring Farm’s CSA handbook. Thank you so much for joining us this season! Read on to find all the information you need to guarantee an enjoyable CSA experience. 

In order to ensure smooth communication, be sure to add farmer Caleb’s contact information below to your email and phone contacts. If you have any questions or concerns, always call first. The sooner you contact us, the better service we can provide. Some email hosts will flag our communication as spam, adding us to your contact list often bypasses this flagging. If in doubt you can always check your spam or promotions folder. 

Phone: (262) 689-9938

Email: caleb@winterspringcsa.com

CSA Explained

Our Summer CSA program runs over the course of 20 weeks from early June through mid October. Our Fall CSA program runs over the course of 5 weeks from mid October through late November. The contents and frequency of your pick-ups are determined by the share option you have selected: small, every-other-week, or full size.

Each week we send a projected harvest list notifying you of the items you can expect to see in your share. We have found that this helps members with meal planning and shopping. It is important to understand that this is a projected list. Weather, pest issues, and other circumstances out of our control may prevent us from being able to harvest some of the items on the projected harvest list. If you see items on the projected harvest list that aren’t in your box, that may be why. That said, it is our pride and joy to send out beautiful, full boxes of excellent quality, and you can count on us to make every effort to achieve that goal. This projected harvest list is typically sent out Monday night or Tuesday morning prior to CSA pick up day. We harvest on Wednesdays and deliver on Thursdays to ensure you receive your produce at peak freshness.

On occasion, we may need to purchase items from another local, organic farm to fill your box. In the case of crop failure, extreme weather events or to provide items that we aren’t producing but want to ensure you receive, we will purchase in these items. All of our partner farms are vetted by us, organically certified, and run a local small business like ours. In our experience, working together makes the local food system more resilient when weather or other obstacles are faced. However, we place huge emphasis on transparency, and you will know when an item has come from another farm by reading the newsletter, where we provide an itemized list of what’s in the box each week.

We know that so much of the traditional knowledge of cooking with whole foods has been lost for many people. Because of that, we are passionate about packing as much educational value and inspiration as possible into our weekly CSA newsletter. Roxanne, who also grows the herbs for CSA, writes the majority of the content found in our newsletters including farm updates, images and crop descriptions, nutrition, recipes, storage tips, and more. Proper storage will drastically improve the shelf life of your produce, so we make sure to get you the item-specific information that you need. You can expect to see the newsletter in your inbox by Thursday afternoon. 

We love when members send us photos of the creative dishes you all make with our produce or the loved ones who are enjoying the box! Feel free to post those and tag us on social media, or send it to us directly. Member engagement is so important to us, it helps other folks access our produce, and you may just make our day!

Box Contents

The size of the share option you chose will determine the quantity and variety of items in your box. You can find this information in your confirmation email AND a reminder email we send out before the first CSA pick-up day, as well as your chosen pick-up location. 

We have a strong commitment to food safety. We believe that cleanliness can make or break the quality of the produce. We place utmost importance on our post-harvest processes, including specific washing, storing, and packing practices for each unique item. That being said, we always encourage you to wash your produce prior to use. It is the best standard practice regardless of where your food comes from.

If you feel that you are missing an item that was listed in the newsletter, or have some concern about the items you received, go ahead and call Caleb immediately at 262-689-9938. In most cases, we can answer any questions and resolve issues easily and quickly that way. We put a lot of care and intention into the quality of your CSA experience and we do our best to provide you with quality customer service. So don’t wait to reach out, if in doubt, give us a ring!

Pickup

We have a lot of pickup sites and each site has its unique perks. We will send out a reminder email about a week before your first pick-up that will include details about your pickup location and tailored directions. We strongly recommend familiarizing yourself with the dropsite and its hours of operation before the first pick-up day. Most locations have friendly staff members available who can direct you to the spot where boxes are located in the store. Your kindness and appreciation of those hosting a CSA pick-up in their business is very important, as they have volunteered their space for the purpose of supporting a small local farm and our members. If they don’t have all the answers to your questions, don’t worry, Caleb likely will if you give him a call. 

Upon arriving at your location, look for the member sign off sheet. You will find your name sorted by the last name associated with your account. Next to your name you will find the share details including add-ons that you signed up to receive that week. Check the box and initial so that we know you picked up.

If you don’t see items listed after your name that you were expecting to get, or you don’t see your name at all, call Caleb immediately. Do NOT take any items that aren’t listed next to your name on the sign-off sheet. Additionally, each box will include a sticker on the side with each member’s name, share type, and any add-ons they ordered. If you take an item that is not listed next to your name on the sign-off sheet, or not labeled with a sticker containing your name, you are taking someone else’s item. This creates a hectic situation for other members and us, so conscientious use of the sign-off sheet and the labels will ensure a smooth experience for everyone.

When you pull up to the pick-up site, make sure you bring a box or bag to transfer your produce into. Then, gently disassemble the CSA wax box and stack it neatly at the pick-up site. You will receive an email containing a link that shows you how to disassemble the wax boxes without damaging them. We reuse the wax boxes several times, which is essential for the affordability and sustainability of our CSA program.

We will include your pick up dates under your share description in your share reminder email. We strongly encourage you to put the dates on your calendar to ensure you don’t miss your pickup.

On occasion you may need to ask someone to pick up your share. We require that they read the protocol detailed in this handbook. Nearly all of the mistakes that happen are from guest pick-ups who are not familiar with our pick-up procedure. There is nothing worse than going to pick-up your CSA share, only to realize that someone else walked off with it because they didn’t follow protocol. We must all work together to make sure this doesn’t happen to you or anyone else!

Vacation Holds and Guest Pickups

We understand that many people take vacations during the season, and we have several options to accommodate. 

  1. Guest Pickups - We recommend having a friend or family member trained in on the pick-up procedure to step in if you are unable to collect your share. We’ve found that sharing food is a magical gift and people are often excited for the opportunity to try out a CSA share for a week. As long as your guest is using the sign-off sheet and following pickup procedures, it’s all good! 

  2. Vacation Hold - You can schedule a vacation hold using your Farmigo Member Portal. Vacation holds must be submitted by TUESDAY at 6 PM prior to that week's harvest and delivery. We will send an email with a direct link to the portal. Simply log into your account and you will find the vacation hold button. On the first page, Farmigo will ask you the dates you will be gone. Once you submit your dates, a second page will pop up asking you to select the “make-up” dates. This means that you will receive a share for every week you miss on the date of your choosing, in addition to your regularly scheduled share. Make-up dates must be selected from within the delivery parameters of your subscription, meaning during the 20 week summer CSA season. If you aren’t able to schedule the dates you are hoping for, call Caleb. You can schedule up to 3 vacation holds in a season. 

Failure to Pick Up

As a CSA member, the main way you hold up your end of the deal is by picking up your CSA share on the day it was delivered. Our pick-up site hosts share their business’ space out of the kindness of their hearts, and in return we must respect the use of that space. We cannot expect them to hold unclaimed CSA boxes beyond the pick-up day. Not all of the locations have walk-in coolers, and as you can imagine, the freshness of the produce cannot be guaranteed when not refrigerated for over 24 hours. Therefore, to reduce waste, unclaimed shares are donated to the workers at the pick-up site at closing time. Some spaces will hold a box for you after hours if you prearrange it with them. However, they may not be able to and are not required to do so. We strongly recommend making friends with your site host and having a good relationship with them, so that in the event that you need them to hold a box, they will be a lot more likely to do you a favor. In the event you are unable to pick up your share, notify Caleb immediately. Our number one goal is to see all of the produce we grow make it to your table. However, we hope to be able to do this for years to come, so we cannot afford to send out extra shares in cases of unclaimed boxes. Neither Winterspring nor the pick-up sites are responsible for the failure to pick-up on pick-up day. That said, if for some reason the error is indeed on our end, you can bet we will do everything in our power to make it right.

If you have transportation, mobility, or other barriers that prevent you from getting your share from the pick-up site to your home, consider using a 3rd party grocery delivery app (Shipt, Instacart, etc). As long as you provide specific instructions, including using the sign-off sheet and collecting the correct items listed under your name, they should be able to collect your items and anything else on your shopping list as well. It’s one way to get home delivery for your CSA veggies!

Changing your Pickup Site

We understand that life comes with many changes and that each pick-up site is different.There are many reasons why members may want to switch to another pick-up site, and whatever your reason is, we’ve got you covered. You can change your pick-up site in the member portal as many times as you like. The only thing we require is that your location changes be made by Tuesday at 6 pm prior to that week's harvest and delivery. If you have any questions, call Caleb.

Payments

Upon signing up online, you will be prompted to set up a payment plan. You may choose to pay in full or to separate your payments into monthly increments. We offer several payment options such as Cash, Check, Card and Paypal. The sign-up software will prompt you to submit your payment according to your payment plan selection. 

We are proud members of the Fairshare CSA Coalition, who offer some financial assistance via their member share program. Visit them to find out more.

Extra Produce

We sometimes have more produce than we can fit in the CSA boxes. Our surplus produce is usually sold at markets, restaurants or wholesale. The option to purchase additional produce is available to our members as well. If there is something you are interested in, reach out to Caleb to inquire about it. We may also notify you about extra produce availability in our newsletter. 

One big perk unique to picking up on-farm is that all of our lower grade produce is made available to members at no charge. This perk is a canners dream and we love to see our members filling their pantries and freezers with our unsellable seconds!

Refund Policy

As a policy, we do not offer refunds for shares. When you take out a share for the season you are reserving a membership. If you purchased a share and cannot participate in the season reach out and we will try and help. Once the seasons spots are full, we open a waitlist. We will attempt to contact prospective members to “buy out” your spot. If we are able to find an interested party we will facilitate the buy out. There is a $25 fee for this service that will be deducted from the refund. Similarly, we may also accept transfers if you are unable to continue your subscription. There is a $10 fee for this service. Caleb must be consulted before you sell your share and has final approval of transfer of membership. 

CSA Commitments

As Winterspring farm we commit that we will:

  1. Grow the highest quality and best varieties of produce possible, using organic and regenerative methods that protect soil from erosion or pollution, support pollinators, and eliminate human exposure to unhealthy substances present in conventional agriculture.

  2. Distribute CSA shares that are carefully curated for desired use and diversity of its contents in a timely manner

  3. Maintain a culture of food safety with best practices in the field, the wash area, the packing station, storage, and delivery. 

  4. Practice excellent customer service with communication via email, newsletter, and phone 

  5. Share relevant, useful, and engaging content that inspires members to diversify their diet, form lasting relationships with the whole foods they enjoy, and continue to learn more about new and familiar foods. 

As a Winterspring CSA member, you commit that you will:

  1. Pick up your produce the day of delivery, and communicate in advance with Caleb and the dropsite if you are unable to do so.

  2. Bring a vessel to transport your produce and leave your csa wax box at the dropsite, disassembled and untorn.

  3. Use the sign off sheet, and ensure that guest pickups follow pickup instructions.

  4. Communicate with Caleb about any questions or concerns that may occur.

  5. Treat the host site and its workers with dignity and respect.

We treasure your CSA experience and want you to be happy with our produce, our service, and our farm. We will include a midseason survey after week 10 and a season’s end survey after week 20, which we encourage you to use to offer feedback and suggestions. The survey contents are shared with our crew and help us all grow to be better farmers. Again, if you have any questions or concerns, always reach out to Caleb by phone or email. 

Thanks again for being with us! Cheers to another beautiful and bountiful harvest season.