Learn about turnips, garlic scapes and the loveliest of lettuces this spring. Eating your vegetables gets easier, tastier and more enticing when a locally grown selection just shows up each week. Even better, your subscription to local produce — and more — through a community supported agriculture (CSA) program enables farms to grow and harvest more effectively through the entire growing season.
A CSA program is a mutual commitment between food growers and their community — eaters, customers, you. Members purchase a share of the harvest before the growing season begins, providing farmers with much-needed and much-appreciated capital in the leanest and most expensive period of the year. Shareholders secure an allocation of the farm’s harvest, usually in weekly boxes of fresh, seasonal veggies, plus the good feelings and bragging rights that come with supporting sustainable food systems of the great nearby.
How the CSA works varies from farm to farm, but most Sea to Sky CSAs run for 15 to 20 weeks. When it comes to the timing of the growing season in these parts, nature is the ultimate decider, but it generally runs from mid-June to late October. Some CSAs offer pickup on the farm or at one or more convenient central locations, while others offer delivery. In the more traditional models, farms pack the boxes with the “farmer’s choice,” curating the contents themselves and surprising members, but some farms allow members to build their own box each week by logging in to an account and choosing from available items. With either model, many farms offer extras for purchase, weekly or as available, including eggs, dairy products, flowers and canned or preserved products.
CSAs allow anyone to create a relationship with the people who grow their food, and they form the backbone of the business for many local growers. The returning and steadfast support of CSA memberships allows farms to grow with security over the years.
Get to Know Your Local Growers
Consult this list of local CSA programs to find the one that is right for you
Blackwater Creek Orchard
Devine, BC
Season: 17 weeks, from June to the end of October
Includes: A wide range of vegetables and at least one fruit option
Delivery: D’Arcy to Mt. Currie
Pickup: Pemberton
Options:
- Personalize your box online
- Add-ons
- 5-week spring share
- Vacation holds
Website: www.blackwatercreekorchard.com/csa
Four Beat Farm
Pemberton, BC
Season: 20 weeks, from June to December
Includes: Weekly organic produce in small and large sizes
Delivery: Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton
Options:
- Customizable weekly vegetable selection
- Option to add eggs, fruit or flowers
- Weekly farm newsletter with recipes and tips
- Summer and winter shares
- Vacation flexibility
Ice Cap Organics
Pemberton, BC
Season: 20 weeks, from June to October
Includes: 8 to 10 varieties of produce for a family of 2 to 4
Delivery: Pemberton, Whistler
Options:
- Newsletter with recipes
- Pickling cucumber packs, canning tomatoes and bulk garlic
www.icecaporganics.com/harvest-boxes-csa
Laughing Crow Organics
Pemberton, BC
Season: 17 weeks, from June to October
Includes: 6 to 12 “farmer’s choice” seasonal vegetables per box
Delivery: Pemberton, Whistler, Squamish
Options:
- Flower CSA
- Farm canned, pickled or fermented items in bulk
- Add bulk orders of tomatoes, onions, garlic, potatoes, and squash to their delivery
- Meal suggestions and recipes
https://www.laughingcroworganics.com/csa
Nutrient Dense Farm
Upper Squamish Valley, BC
Season: Up to 26 weeks, from June to November
Includes: 6 to13 seasonal organic vegetables per box
Delivery: Squamish
Pickup: Brackendale, Squamish, Vancouver
Options:
- Choose summer and/or fall
- Shares for 1 to 5 people
- Recipes
- Egg share
- Bulk add-ons available online: pickling cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage
www.nutrientdensefarms.net/about-3
Plenty Wild Farms
Pemberton, BC
Season: Up to 34 weeks — sign up by April 24th for May to December
Includes: Over 50 types of certified organic produce
Pickup: Pemberton, Squamish, Whistler
Options:
- Share amount is added to a card that you use to shop in the online store
- Monthly newsletter
- Farm tour
- Dried beans, cornmeal, eggs, fruit, flowers and mushrooms
- Unused share amount rolls over to next year
www.plentywild.ca/what-is-a-farm-share.html
Rootdown Organic Farm
Pemberton, BC
Season: 15 weeks, from June to October
Includes: Mixed vegetables
Pickup: Whistler, Pemberton
Options:
- Add-on to each box
- Fully customizable box
- Early and late season add-ons
- Egg shares
- Early-bird bonus
- Refer-a-friend bonus
- Vacation holds