What is a CSA?
Community-Supported Agriculture is simply that: a farming model built around you, the consumer, and your community. CSA members commit to buying fresh farm produce for a season—this is called your share—and your farmer commits to growing that food for you. This contract ensures a steady stream of freshly harvested fruits for you and a livelihood for your community farm. It’s also a great way to feel connected to the farm and to mother nature as we navigate together the many challenges of growing and providing quality fruit.
What’s special about Winona Orchards’ CSA?
Winona Orchards only sells what we grow. This may seem obvious, but it’s become a common practice for farms to buy produce from other regions to offer a year-round CSA or fill out a lean growing season. But when the farmer plays middleman between you and your food, it takes you one step further away from the source. At Winona Orchards, we believe you’ve joined our CSA because you have faith in our practices and you trust that our food is fresh, safe, and grown by us!
How do I join?
Head on over to our online store! Once there, select the CSA share and location that is applicable to your needs. We will do the rest. If you live in Tyler, you have two options. We will either deliver your weekly CSA on Thursdays to your home or business , or If you’d prefer, you can pick up at our stand at the Tyler Farmers Market by the mall. If you live in the Dallas Metroplex, you can pick up your weekly CSA from our stand at The St. Michael’s Farmers Market on Saturday morning.
Thank you! Your membership to Winona Orchards CSA reflects your commitment to the well-being of our farm, our environment, and your family. Here’s to the freshest, best tasting fruit possible! Thank you!
How much does it cost to join the CSA?
The 2022 CSA subscription will consist of 9 weekly deliveries. You can either pay for the entire season upfront when you enroll (which helps us with planting, pruning and thinning costs) or you can pay “as you go” for a slightly higher price. The upfront subscription cost for the Half Share is $300; the cost for the Full Share is $420 and the cost for the Corporate Share is $695.
You can purchase any of these shares in our online store!
What will I get in my share?
The contents of your share will vary depending on the season and the weather. We plan for each CSA share to consist of peaches and blueberries (as well as blackberries and plums when available). The Half Share will have 8 peaches and 4 pints of berries. The Full Share will have 12 peaches and 6 pints of berries. The Corporate Share will have 18 peaches and 12 pints of berries. We may also on occasion add a bag of our awesome peach chips or a jar of jam, just to show our appreciation. When we are picking large peaches such as Bounty (which weigh as much as a pound a piece) we may reduce the number of peaches in your share to compensate for the extra volume.
When will my CSA deliveries start?
As you know, Texas weather can be pretty unpredictable. We are currently planning for our CSA deliveries to start the last week of May. As farmers, we are very dependent on the weather. For us to have a successful growing season we need three things: enough chill hours (45 degrees or below) during the winter, no freeze during bloom and no direct hit from a passing hailstorm. The right amount of rain is also important, but we do irrigate our fields so we have minimized that risk somewhat. We’ll keep you informed of what’s happening on the farm each week via email!
What do I do with my empty CSA share box?
The Half shares will be delivered in cardboard boxes which you can recycle as you see fit. The Full and Corporate Shares will be delivered in cardboard boxes or reusable plastic containers (RPCs). If you are picking up your share each week, please bring back the RPC from the previous week (these RPCs are expensive – we’d like not to have to charge a deposit).
If we are delivering to your home our business (Tyler area), we will retrieve the previous week’s RPC at the time of delivery. Please do not discard the RPC, they are washable and reusable.
Farmer-Member Agreement
Your commitment for the season. As a CSA member, you are essentially a shareholder in our farm, reaping the benefits of our harvest, connecting with your food source, and supporting local agriculture. We count on you to help make our season possible. By joining the CSA, you agree to receive a share of our produce each week during the 9 week season. And because we’re a small operation running a tight ship, we take your commitment seriously. We do not refund or cancel CSA memberships.
Please open this document and read the full Farmer-Member Agreement. Thank you again for your support of Winona Orchards!