Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) at Clark Farm

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, which is an operational model of a farm where customers pay for a share of the harvest upfront, then receive produce dividends as they become available.

Besides supplying you with delicious, super-fresh organically-grown produce on a weekly basis, joining our CSA will give you the opportunity to learn how your food is grown, get to know the farmers who grow it, and get to know other community members who care about where their food comes from.

CSA membership also allows you to participate in picking your own specialty crops like peas, strawberries, blueberries, string beans, herbs, etc., to spend time on the farm, and to take part in all CSA community events.

You’ll pick up your CSA share at Clark Farm, 185 Concord St., Carlisle MA in the CSA room, the white barn with the sliding doors by the big white silo.

The pickup days/times are:

• Tuesdays from 3-6 pm

• Wednesdays from 3-6 pm

• Thursdays from 9 am to noon

• Saturdays from 9 am to noon

Nope! CSA members are welcome to come to whichever CSA distribution is most convenient for them each week. We ask that you select a preferred pickup day when you sign up because we harvest fresh crops each day and want to have a general idea of how many CSA members will pick up on each day. That said, you don’t need to stick to your preferred day/time.

During the growing season, we hold CSA distributions on:

• Tuesdays from 3-6 pm

• Wednesdays from 3-6 pm

• Thursdays from 9 am to noon

• Saturdays from 9 am to noon

All CSA distributions are held at Clark Farm, 185 Concord St., Carlisle MA in the CSA room, the white barn with the sliding doors by the big white silo.

That depends on the season! We design each week’s distribution to include a variety of all of the different types of produce that are currently in season.

A typical share in June might include: lettuce, arugula, scallions, radishes, strawberries, peas, summer squash, beets, broccoli, cabbage, spinach and other greens.

A typical share in September may include: lettuce, greens, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, eggplant, garlic, onions, winter squash, and broccoli.

During the Spring and Winter seasons, distributions might include things like beets, carrots, potatoes, squashes, radishes, spinach, microgreens, eggs, and a value-added item such as our own pesto or kimchi.

If you have more specific questions about our produce and harvest calendar, feel free to email us at info@clarkfarmcarlisle.com.

We use a weekly email newsletter as the primary method of communication with CSA members during the growing season. Our newsletter details what’s going on at the farm, any important information regarding distributions, and info about the week’s share, among other things. Please read it!

During the off-season (January through March), we send out email communications about once a month. If you are not signed up for our newsletter, you can sign up here.

We also use our Facebook and Instagram accounts to post about important farm happenings and events.

A general rule of thumb we use is that a small share feeds 1-3 people per week, while a large share feeds families of 4+. Please note: this is highly dependent on how much you cook and how much produce you eat!

Small and large shares include the same number of weekly items (roughly 8-12 items per week), but large shares receive a larger quantity of most of the items in the week’s distribution. Large shares also receive a larger quantity of most Pick-Your-Own crops while PYO is in session.

A Pick-Your-Own share includes crops that are harvested by you, rather than harvested by the field crew.  Our PYO crops include things like peas, strawberries, blueberries, herbs, cherry tomatoes, trellis crops, string beans, and flowers.

The PYO Share, if purchased a-la-carte on its own, does not include the produce in the weekly CSA share distribution that members pick up in the CSA room.

The Pick-Your-Own share is somewhat weather-dependent, but generally runs from June through October for at least 16 weeks. During the timeline of the PYO share, we list available each week's PYO crops and respective quantities of each in our weekly newsletter and on a chalkboard at the front of the CSA room. Members may come to the farm once per week at any time during daylight hours to do PYO.

Nope! The field crew custom-harvests each crop for each pickup day. This is why we ask members to choose a preferred pickup day, so we can ensure there are correct quantities of each crop ready for each pickup. As a result, factoring in crop seasonality and availability, some crops may be available earlier in the week but not at the end of the week, or vice versa. We will substitute with similar crops if need be, to keep share distribution values consistent between pickup days.

This is part of the risk of joining a CSA. You are investing in Mother Nature’s cooperation and in our expertise as farmers. There is no refund if there is a crop failure. Normally, though, conditions conspire for a bountiful harvest.

Yes! We love this and highly encourage it! Simply have whoever is picking up for you give your name when they pick up your CSA share, and tell us that they are picking up for you. If you cannot find someone to pick up your share for you when you are unable to pick it up, your share will be donated.

Contributions in any amount to our Sponsored Share program help provide local families access to healthy organic produce. We partner with the Carlisle Council on Aging as well as Carlisle Public School to confidentially identify potential families to join our CSA through this member-supported program.

A Work-For-Share is a barter relationship that is treated like an employment agreement. Work-For-Share folks must be in very good physical condition and work a minimum of one day per week for at least 4 continuous hours. The Work-For-Share season begins in mid-April and ends in September and positions are limited. Drop us a note to learn more, or let us know that you're interested.