If you know that you are not going to be able to make the normal time slot you can let us know and we will keep your share aside for you.
If you are planning to go on holiday you can either:
Arrange for someone to collect your share on your behalf (it’s a nice way to thank a friend or neighbour, or whoever’s agreed to look after the cat/hamster/dog/children!).
If no one can come to collect your share let us know in advance the week you are away so we can adjust the weekly harvest to avoid waste.

The reason for this is primarily due to the growing rhythms of the plants. The majority of vegetable plants need temperatures of above 10 degrees to start photosynthesising for growth, which means that here in Scotland this begins around April. Most vegetable plants are dormant between December and March and as we minimise artificial heat and light sources, this means our produce is then only naturally ready to harvest at the beginning of May.

For us, seasonal produce means harvesting what's naturally growing at that time of year. For example abundant greens and salad in Spring, broad beans and sugar snap peas in early summer, tomatoes from July and Squash in late September.
Our focus is on enjoying the wide variety of produce that is naturally abundant throughout the year. Occasionally we might need to supplement boxes with other organically grown produce sourced from other local farms (where possible) if our own supply is running a little short. We will always let members know about where those items have been grown.
We plan to include certain items in the veg shares every week, whereas others are less frequent, and certain items just for a particular season. A rough formula for a veg share is:
salad leaves + cooking greens + fresh herb + roots + seasonal specials

Most of the produce is harvested on the morning of the pick-up day, or the afternoon before. By harvesting on the day, we aim to ensure our CSA members receive produce that is full of vitality, packed with nutrients and is totally fresh. You will taste the difference, nothing beats peas and carrots eaten the same day they have been picked!

We grow quality veg but that doesn’t mean it’s always perfectly formed. We think it’s important to include veg of all shapes and sizes because they’re perfectly good and throwing them away just because of their appearance would be a waste of good food.
You might also get a bit of mud. We try to minimise washing on the farm so the veg is plucked from the field and delivered to you au natural. They may need a scrub, but that’s about it. Vegetables and fruits store better if unwashed as they have a natural protective coating on them and roots stay firmer for longer if some soil is left on them. We encourage our members to hold off washing their produce until they start meal prep.
We do sometimes suffer from natural pests, because we don’t douse our veg in horrible chemicals. We’ll only give you veg with minor blemishes which can be easily cut out. We always try and let you know in our newsletter if a crop is suffering at the hands of a particular pest so you can understand the reason for any blemishes.

The veg share each week will be clearly laid out with plenty of signs helping to guide you to collect right quantity. We want to strive to reduce waste and packaging so we ask members to bring their own bags or containers to put the produce into.
There will be a swap box if you would like to leave any items or exchange an item from your share that week.
A lot of the time we have surplus of a particular crop, we put these out as ‘extras’ separate to the packed veg boxes and you are at liberty to help yourself to your heart’s content – we find a lot of chutney gets made this way.

There is no obligation to do any more than collect your veg every week, and your up front support via your subscription already makes a big difference to how we can farm.
However, as a community-focused organisation, and as a team who work hard to grow great vegetables, we would love it if you did wish to get involved. We love meeting the people who eat the food that we have grown, and you may enjoy meeting both the growers, and the land where your veg has come from. We invite members and their families to walk around the farm and see the crops and flowers growing.
We will run seasonal volunteer sessions so if you want to come and learn more about growing food and flowers and get your hands muddy get in touch!

The idea behind CSA is to share the risks and rewards of food production, and so membership entails an ongoing commitment to getting your veg from the farm. You are not able to opt-in, opt-out on a week to week basis.
Generally, we ask people to make a commitment to the farm for a minimum of the current year. A lot of members will continue to get their veg from the farm for many years, but if you want to cancel your subscription you can of course do this. We just ask that you give us a month’s notice, or even better find a new member to take your place.

Started in the 1980’s, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It is a model of farming which enables people to purchase fresh food directly from a local farmer. This arrangement enables subscribing members to experience first-hand where the food they eat comes from and provides the opportunity to engage with the farmer producing their food.
To find out more about CSA across the UK visit : communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk