2023 CSA PROGRAM
2023 CSA PROGRAM
Hello! We hope that everyone is enjoying the recent beautiful Spring days. The orchard is simply at it best in the Spring. Follow our Instagram account for updates. Spring is also the time to sign up for our CSA program. Becoming a CSA Member means much more than just a weekly fruit share – see below. We hope that you will consider becoming a member and please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions. As an Autumn Hills Orchard CSA Member, you will receive eight weekly fruit shares that contain the best fruit that we have available each week. Shares will average a minimum of four and half pounds per week over the program. Your fruit will be of the highest quality and freshness and likely picked within 24 hours of your pickup. All fruit at the orchard is grown in a sustainable manner utilizing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) best-practices. Your Membership and support helps to keep this beautiful property in farming use as it has been dating back to the mid 1930’s; improves the viability of a important local food system; allows you to better understand where your food comes from and who grows it; enables the orchard to hire local employees and to pay fair wages; helps the orchard make significant fruit donations to those in need (over 100,000 pounds over the last two years), and importantly, positively impacts our environment. Our weekly fruit shares will begin on either the week of August 20th or 27th and will consist of apples (30 plus varieties), pears, and grapes. We also hope to provide plums and pluots, but as a result of the extreme cold weather in early February impacting stonefruit, there will be no peaches or nectarines as we believe that we have lost our entire crop consistent with orchards across New England. Plums and pluots are also affected but we are hoping to have some to harvest and share with our CSA Members. We will know definitively in a few weeks. As a Member, you will also be entitled to a 30% discount off pick-you-own raspberries and blueberries throughout the growing season which begins after the July 4th holiday. Membership also allows you to participate in planned orchard tours and related activities. Weekly pickups will be on Thursday and Friday afternoons. There will be no requirement to pick a day this season. Despite inflationary pressure facing farmers, we are not increasing our CSA Membership price as a result of the peach/nectarine situation. The price remains $102 and is payable upfront. You can pay by check, credit card ($105 which includes 3.0% credit card fees) or Venmo ($104 which includes 2.0% processing fees). | ||||||||
If paying by check, make check out to Autumn Hills Orchard and mail to P.O. Box 801, Groton, MA 01450. Receipt of payment will constitute agreement with our CSA Program as described in this email. | ||||||||