Red Shirt Farm CSA
No box. No pickup day.
How our CSA works
A woman came in on a Wednesday morning. She picked out her vegetables, some High Lawn milk and a fresh loaf of sourdough, and set them on the counter.
"I've been a member of a lot of CSAs," she said, "and this is my favorite. I don't have to come on a certain day. I pick whatever vegetables I want, and I do the rest of my shopping while I'm here."
That's how it works. You join, and we set up an account in your name. When you come in, you choose what you want, and your balance goes down at the register. There is no card to carry. Give us your name.
Come once a week or three times. Come after work or on a Saturday. The rest of the store is open to you too: bread, eggs, milk, meat, soup from our kitchen. You pay for those the usual way.
Why people join
Some join to back a small farm. Your payment arrives in the fall and winter, when we are buying seeds, compost and transplants and paying for labor, and the harvest is months away.
Some join for the vegetables. We harvest Mondays and Thursdays, and the best of it is in the store the next morning.
Some join to know their food. Who grew it, where, and how. We grow without pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers. Ask us about anything on the table.
And you pay 10% less for the share. Details are below.
What it costs
You pay 10% less than the value of your share. The full value goes on your account.
$400 Share: you pay $360
$600 Share: you pay $540
$800 Share: you pay $720
$1,000 Share: you pay $900
That is the whole discount. It happens when you buy the share, so there is nothing to figure out at the register.
If cost is a barrier, ask about Share the Bounty, our reduced-cost membership with Berkshire Grown. Write to csa@redshirtfarm.com. We keep every inquiry private.
What your account covers
Vegetables, herbs and flowers that we grow ourselves. In a season that is about 50 kinds, including:
Greens Lettuce, spinach, arugula, kale, chard, collards, Asian greens, bok choy
Cabbage family Cabbage, broccolini, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts
Roots and onions Carrots, beets, radishes, turnips, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, ginger, onions, scallions, garlic, garlic scapes
Summer vegetables Tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, summer squash, zucchini, peas, green beans
Winter and the rest Winter squash, pumpkins, fennel, rhubarb, herbs
Not covered
Not everything in the store is on the CSA. Bread, eggs, dairy, meat, prepared food and plants are paid for the usual way. So is produce we buy from other farms, like corn and watermelon. That produce is labeled "Not available for CSA."
Members also get the pick-your-own herb and flower garden, up the driveway from the store. It is a few minutes' walk or a quick drive.
Exclusive access to pick-your-own
flower and herb garden
Two ways in, two start dates
Early sign-up closes October 31. Your credit is ready to use starting February 1. From February through April we have what grows with little heat and light: spinach, kale, chard, arugula, lettuce mix, collards, and some radishes and salad turnips. Storage crops come in too while they last: potatoes, beets, Asian radishes, winter turnips and winter squash.
Late sign-up closes February 28. Your credit starts when the main harvest begins, sometime between May 15 and May 30, depending on the weather. We will email you the date.
The price is the same either way: 10% less than the value of your share.
Your balance expires December 31, 2027. Pick a size you will use. If you have a balance left, ask us before that date and we will convert it to a store gift card worth what you paid for it. You paid $90 for every $100 on your account, so $100 left becomes a $90 gift card. We email you the gift card.
Choosing a share
Pick a size you will use.
$400 (you pay $360).
One person who cooks a few nights a week. Someone who travels and won't be around all season. A good first year if you want to try it.
$600 (you pay $540).
Two people who eat vegetables most days. Or one person who eats mostly plants.
$800 (you pay $720).
A couple who cook from scratch, or a small family. Also one person who eats well and puts some food up for later.
$1,000 (you pay $900).
A larger family. People who freeze, can or ferment extra. Anyone who cooks for a crowd. If a big share ran out too soon in the past, this is the one.
Not sure? Think about how many nights a week you cook and how many people sit down to eat. Or write to us.
How to Join
Choose a share size and fill out the sign-up form.
Pay. The page after the form shows how. Pay by card with the button there; Square adds a 3% card fee and shows you the total before you pay. Or mail a check to Red Shirt Farm, 60 Williamstown Rd, Lanesborough, MA 01237, or bring a check or cash to the store.
When we receive your payment, we email you a confirmation with your amount, your start date, and how to use it at the register.
Come in on or after your start date and give your name at the register.
CSA FAQ—Everything you need to know
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You pay a farm ahead of the season. In return you get its vegetables. Most CSAs hand you a box each week. Ours is an account you spend in the store.
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No. Come any day the store is open: Tuesday through Saturday 10 to 6, Sunday 10 to 4. We are closed Mondays. We harvest on Mondays and Thursdays, so Tuesday and Friday mornings have the most to choose from.
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Vegetables, herbs and flowers we grow. Everything else in the store is paid for separately, including produce we buy from other farms, like corn and watermelon. That produce is labeled "Not available for CSA."on text goes here
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You, your household, and anyone you send in. They give your name at the register. The account is in your name, so what they spend comes off your balance, and we can’t refund purchases made by someone you sent. The account is for personal use, not for restaurants, resale or business purchases.
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Because we don't grow it. The 10% you save comes out of what we earn on our own vegetables. On produce we buy from other farms, our margin is already slim. Take another 10% off and we would make nothing on it. So the account covers what we grow, and you pay for the rest the usual way.
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No. Shares are sold only in the two sign-up windows, so you can't add money once you have joined. If you use up your balance, you can keep shopping the store the usual way, and consider buying a larger share next year.
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It expires on December 31, 2027. We do not refund or carry over what is left. Ask us before that date and we will convert it to a store gift card instead, worth what you actually paid for it. If you have $100 left, you paid $90 for that $100, so you get a $90 gift card. We email you the gift card.
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We do not refund for crop failures. A share is a bet on the season, placed alongside us, and weather and pests are part of farming. A bad year for tomatoes does not empty the store. Your account works on everything else we grow.
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No. A share is not refundable, and there is no trial period. If you have a balance left at the end, see the gift card answer above.
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No.
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Yes, bring your own bags or a cooler. We have bags if you forget.
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Not in the store. State health law keeps dogs out of food stores. Service animals are welcome. At the herb and flower garden, please keep your dog in the car. We have two dogs of our own and other animals on the farm.
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csa@redshirtfarm.com or (413) 822-9250.