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Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I pick what crops I will receive in the CSA?
- Are all of the crops in the World PEAS CSA Organic?
- Can I change my pickup locations during the season?
- What if I can’t pick up my share?
- What if I forget to return my box/ Can I leave my box and pack my share into bags?
- How do you unfold boxes?
- Can I split a share with another household?
- Can I use a credit card to register for the CSA online or do I need a PayPal account?
- How can I log back into my account if I registered for share online but didn't pay?
Can I pick what crops I will receive in the CSA?
One of the tenets the Community Supported Agriculture model is that farmers know how many shareholders are participating and what crops they plan to distribute each day throughout the season. This avoids growing crops that farmers don’t have a market for, and keeps costs down for the farmer and consumer. It also means that the produce is as fresh as possible, as farmers know exactly what and how much to harvest, and can harvest the day before distribution to shareholders. We have refined our CSA offering over the years based on survey feedback, and feel pretty confident that it offers a great balance and variety.
Nonetheless, we understand that not everyone likes beets, and some people can’t get enough beets. That’s why at most pickup locations, we will have a "Swap Box". We will leave a few extra items in the swap box each week. If there is something in your share that you don’t particularly like, you may exchange it for something in the Swap Box.
To get a better sense of what we are planning for the 2012 season check out the Large and Extended Season Share Projections
and Small and Extended Season Share Projections for the 2012 season.
Are all of the crops in the World PEAS CSA Organic?
Program farmers are prohibited from using synthetic pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, fertilizers, and GMO seeds. Crops sourced from other local farms are either certified organic, compliant but uncertified organic, or raised using Integrated Pest Management (mostly for local fruit and sweet corn)
Can I change my pickup locations during the season?
Switching shareholders’ pickup locations is very tricky for us, as we must change all of the production numbers for each farmer. However, we realized that circumstances beyond shareholders’ control may make changing locations necessary. We will therefore offer to change shareholders’ pickup location for a nominal donation of $25, which will be used to support our efforts to bring produce to low-income populations. Shareholders should notify me by email at mhimmel@comteam.org, at least two weeks prior to the desired relocation date, and continue to pickup in their original location until I have confirmed that the change has been made.
What if I can’t pick up my share?
Shareholders should arrive at their chosen pickup location for the season, during the designated pickup time window (details for each location are below). Shares that are not picked up at the end of distribution will be handled at the site coordinator’s discretion, often being donated to a food pantry, or other needy households. Unless otherwise stated for your pickup location, please do not contact site coordinators to ask if you can pick up your share outside of the stated pickup window.
If you know in advance that you will not be able to pickup your share, please send me an email (kfitch@comteam.org) by Thursday morning of the prior week so that I can make arrangements to donate your share directly (to the Lowell WIC office, East Boston WIC office, etc.) rather than delivering it to the pickup site. Alternatively, you can have someone else pick up your share on your behalf. To do this, simply have the designated person inform the site coordinator when they arrive at the distribution point, and/or have the designated person check off the shareholder name on the check-off list when picking up the share. You need not contact me or the site coordinator to have someone pickup on your behalf.
What if I forget to return my box/ Can I leave my box and pack my share into bags?
You have the option to either unpack the contents of your share into bags or take the box home with you each week (Except at if you pick up at Market Street Market or the YMCA in East Boston, where space is too limited to open boxes). We recommend repacking your share into bags for those traveling on foot, bikes or public transportation or for those who do not wish to have wax from the boxes rub off onto their clothes while carrying. If you choose to take the box home, it is important that you remember to return it the following week. We only have a few extra boxes and need the returned boxes to pack the following week’s share. Simply collapse your box (see directions below) and stack with the others at the distribution point.
To ensure that everyone is reminded to return their boxes each week, we have included a separate column on the check-off list that asks whether you returned your box from the prior week. If you forget to return your box one week, simply bring it back the following week; you need not contact World PEAS. If you unpack your share into bags, you can simply check off the box for return of your box for the following week. We will charge $5 for each unreturned box, one month after its intended return date.
How do you unfold boxes?
The CSA boxes collapse to be flat for storage. When unfolding boxes, it is very important that you do not bend or rip boxes, only fold along perforated/ pre-folded lines. These boxes are expensive and non-recyclable (due to the wax coating that makes the boxes water-resistant), but when properly handled they will last several seasons.
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#1 – To open both the large and small share boxes, slide the top flap (the one that says "perishable, keep refrigerated") away from the center. Do not pull up. |
#2 - To collapse the Small Share boxes (the boxes with the green writing), first open the top as described in #1. Turn the box over. Then slide the two narrower flaps on the bottom of the box, away from one another. Do not pull up. |
#3 - To collapse the Large Share boxes (the boxes with the red writing) first open the top as described in #1. Turn the boxes over. Then push in on the flaps as pictured above. Do not pull up. Do not bend the corners. Once the box flaps have disengaged from one another, pull them back out of the box cavity, so that it will lay flat. |
To see a quick (and amusing) video on how to unfold boxes, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMhRw28m9fY
Can I split a share with another household?
Multiple households that are splitting a single share should make pickup arrangements with one another to either have one partner pick up the share or meet at the distribution and split it up. If share partners choose to meet at the pickup to split the share, they must split up the share away from the pickup site (for example at a shareholder’s car). Under no circumstances should anyone leave a partial share at the pickup site for their partner to pick up, as someone else may mistakenly take it thinking it is a full share. Please do not ask site coordinators to hold a partial share for your share partners.
Can I use a credit card to register for the CSA online or do I need a PayPal account?
You do not need to have a PayPal account to make the purchase, however, all purchase activity goes through our secure PayPal service. When you are ready to purchase, you will be directed to the PayPal website. There, you will have the option of using your debit or credit card, without having to set up a PayPal account. PayPal simply provides the online security we need to securely process credit card orders.
How can I log back into my account if I registered for share online but didn’t pay?
If you have already registered online, but not paid, you can log back into your account by going to www.ctiworldpeascsa.org and clicking on "Sign-In" under My Account.
Then select Review orders/track packages.
Your order(s) should appear. Click View Or Change Order
Then Click Pay via PayPal. You can pay using your Visa, Mastercard or PayPal account through our secure PayPal site.
