Aluma Farm: Community Supported Agriculture
The 2022 CSA Season starts April 14th!
Summer, Fall, and Full Season shares now available for purchase.
Join us in strengthening our local food system
What is a CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture in the United States can trace its roots to the work of Dr. Booker T. Whatley, a professor at Tuskegee University in the 1970s and 80s. Dr. Whatley championed small, sustainable farms, and created his vision of a farm business that provided fresh food and employment to its community year round, through pick-your-own crops and “Clientele Membership Club.” Customers in the Clientele Membership Club pay an annual membership fee that would ensure a guaranteed market for the farm, creating long term viability and sustainability. We honor the research and contributions of Dr. Whatley and are indebted to his work supporting small farms like ours. (If you want to learn more about Dr. Whatley, I recommend reading this interview with him from Mother Earth News. ) In our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, members (or shareholders) buy a share of the farm’s harvest at the beginning of the season, and receive their vegetables every week after that.
There are many benefits of joining a CSA, for both the farmers and the CSA members. The upfront investment by the members supports farmers growing local and sustainable food, and strengthens a food system that puts its community first. Members experience a personal connection with the land and the farmers who grow their food. Farmers grow deeper relationships with their community. Members experience the changing seasonal bounty of the farm's produce and gain a deeper understanding of the natural growing cycles in their area. Farmers achieve greater stability in their operation and create thriving and long-lasting farms.
The 2022 Aluma Farm CSA Season Schedule
Summer Season (16 weeks): April 14-July 28
Fall Season (14 weeks): August 18-November 17
Full Season (30 Weeks):April 14-November 17 (save $$$ when you buy a full season)
All CSA shares will be available for pick-up at the farm on Thursdays from 4-7pm
Aluma Farm CSA share options
Full Share: 5-7 weekly vegetables hand picked by your farmers! Perfect for families who love to cook! The regular price for the full share is ($28/week), plus credit card processing fee. (Sliding scale pricing is available. See below for details.)
Value Share: 3-4 weekly vegetables hand picked by your farmers! Perfect for smaller households and folks with busy schedules who don’t always have time to cook! The regular price for the Salad Share is is $18/week, plus credit card processing fees. (Sliding scale pricing is available. See below for details.)
Flower CSA share: We are offering our flower share again this year! Pick up a weekly bunch of beautiful flowers, grown on the farm and arranged by your farmers! The Flower Share costs ($12/week) plus a credit card processing fee.
Spring Flowers: 12 Thursday pick-ups that run from May 12 through July 28. Spring flowers include, Bachelor Buttons, Snapdragons, Cosmos, Larkspur and other fancy and delicate beauties!
Summer Flowers: 8 Thursday pick-ups that run from August 18 through October 6. Summer flowers like zinnias, sunflowers, strawflowers, tithonia and celosia will be the stars of this show!
The Full Flower Season: 20 Thursday pick-ups that run from May 12 through October 6. This option allows you to travel the entire season of the farm’s floral landscape. (no pick-ups on August 4 or 11)
Microgreen CSA Share: We have added a microgreen share to our CSA offerings this year. The Microgreen Share costs ($5/week) plus a credit card processing fee. The microgreen CSA is great all by itself or purchased as an addition to your regular CSA Share. The Microgreen CSA Season follows the same schedule and dates as the Regular CSA.
Microgreens are baby plants grown in soil and harvested just a 1-4 weeks after germination. They add a nutritious and flavorful boost to whatever you are eating. Toss a handful in your salad, put a little haystack of them on your favorite sandwich, throw them in a smoothie, or sprinkle them over your main course to make a gourmet presentation. The possibilities are endless with these nutrient dense powerhouses.
Prepaid Market Card CSA: This is our most flexible option for folks with busy schedules who can’t always make it every week to pick up their share. Purchase a reloadable pre-paid card that allows you to spend as you go while offering the flexibility to choose exactly what you want at any of our Thursday or Sunday farmstands. No need to worry about going out of town and missing a pick up, or getting a vegetable you don’t like! Simply pre-pay for the gift card and come to the farmstand whenever you like!
The Price Scales:
EBT Price: Full Share $14/week — Value Share $9/week
The “EBT” price is a 50% discount from the true cost of the food. You must have EBT/SNap benefits to purchase this option. Thanks to the Georgia Wholesome Wave Fresh for Less program (GF4L), we are able to offer this benefit to customers using EBT/SNAP benefits. The GF4L program pays the remaining 50% so that your farmers still earn the true cost of the food!
Reduced Price: Full Share $16.80/week — Value Share $10.80/week
The “reduced” price is a 40% discount from the true cost of the food. This price scale is intended for households that need help affording a share, but who do not qualify for EBT/SNAp benefits.
***If you are looking to purchase a reduced price share and there are currently none available, you can select “reduced price waiting list” and checkout at no charge to reserve the next reduced price share that receives funding. We will contact you if a spot opens up.
True Cost: Full Share $28/week — Value Share $18/week
The “true cost” price is the actual amount we need to earn in order to operate the farm and grow your food. It allows the farm to purchase seeds and soil amendments, maintain equipment and infrastructure, and pay your neighborhood farmers a living wage.
Farm Community Supporter: Full Share $56/week — Value Share $36/week
The “Farm Community Supporter” price is 200% of the true cost. Each week you get a share and we provide a free share to a neighbor in need.
“Help a Neighbor” One-time contribution: starting at $10 (equivalent of just $0.33 cents / week)
The “Help a Neighbor” contribution allows you to choose an amount of support that works for your budget. These voluntary one-time contributions help us provide free and reduced price shares for those who need it.
*Prices at checkout reflect the season price (the weekly share price added up over the number of weeks in the season) plus credit card processing fees.
