Kuhn Orchard’s Summer and Fall CSA Questions & Answers

What is the Kuhn Orchard’s Summer/Fall CSA?

Kuhn Orchards has been selling their produce at farmers markets in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. for over 15 years.  These farmers markets typically operate from May thru October or November.  We have also incorporated a Winter CSA program which we started in the winter of 2011-2012.  We continued in 2012-2013 and the number of CSA participants doubled from the first to second year; we had 175 Winter CSA members in the 2012-2013 CSA. 

While we still want to continue our summer-time farmers markets as our primary retail focus, we have a number of customers who are interested in a Summer/Fall CSA which would coincide with the traditional farmers’ market season.  Customers may find the CSA appealing because of the variety of produce items and the convenience of simply picking up a box of fresh produce each week.  So we have decided to pursue this new market route to meet the needs of our customers. 

What is a CSA?? CSA stands for “Community Supported Agriculture,” and has a range of definitions. The Kuhn Orchards CSA is a program where we will deliver boxes of produce and dry goods to subscribers in the Vienna/Oakton/Fairfax region of Virginia.  CSA members share both the bounties and risks of the farmer.  This being said, there must be some flexibility in the products that Kuhn Orchards will provide to subscribers in their CSA box.  You may read further to learn about what will be included in the CSA box.  We are limiting the subscriptions to the first 75 applications. 

How often will Kuhn Orchards deliver their CSA boxes?

Kuhn Orchards will deliver CSA boxes to subscribing customers on a weekly basis on Thursdays from 4-6pm. 

We have opted to divide the Summer/Fall CSA into 2 parts to make it easier for customers to make a commitment and to remain flexible.  We understand that folks go for long vacations, and one part of the CSA just might not work with your schedule.  Customers are given the option to participate in Part 1 (Summer), Part 2 (Fall), or both if they wish.

Delivery dates are as follow:

Part 1 (Summer)

July 11, 18, 25
August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
8 deliveries total

Part 2 (Fall)

September 5, 12, 19, 26
October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
9 deliveries total

Depending on how many participants we have, we may have to adjust the delivery time slightly to accommodate the number of participants.  The above timeframes are our best estimates; if we do need to change the pick-up time it will be very slight and we will notify CSA participants before the first delivery. 

Where will I be able to pick up my CSA box?  

The Summer/Fall CSA pick-up location will be at Emmanuel Lutheran Church located at 2589 Chain Bridge Road, Vienna, VA  22181.  CSA members will be instructed of the specific area of the parking lot where we will be meeting them via email before the start of the CSA. 

What is the cost of the CSA?

We will prepare the boxes for each delivery so they are valued at $25 per box.  There will also be an additional one-time $10 crate deposit which will be included in your total when you register for the CSA.  Each week, if you exchange your empty crate with your filled one, we will check you off and your balance will be zero.  At the end of the Summer/Fall CSA, if your balance is zero, you will receive a refund of your $10 crate deposit.  If you have not returned all of your crates by the end of the CSA season, you will be charged for your outstanding crates.  During our Winter CSA, many members brought reusable bags to transfer their CSA items into, and never took the crate home.  We appreciate this practice, but it is not required. 

Part 1 of the CSA runs from July thru August and is a total of 8 deliveries, costing a CSA member $200, plus a $10 crate deposit ($210 total). 

Part 2 of the CSA runs from September thru October and is a total of 9 deliveries, costing a CSA member $225, plus a $10 crate deposit ($235 total).

If a CSA member would like to participate in both Parts 1 & 2, they will receive a total of 17 deliveries, costing $425, plus a $10 crate deposit ($435 total).

We have chosen to split the Summer/Fall CSA in two halves to give CSA members some flexibility as to which portion they would like to participate in (to accommodate vacation and summer travel plans).  But it can also be viewed as a payment plan if a CSA member wishes to participate in both Parts 1 & 2, but only wants to make half of the investment up front.

On the application form, you have the option to pay for Part 1, Part 2, or both.  There is also a check off box if you are interested in participating in Part 1 and Part 2, but are only paying for Part 1 (this will help us gauge how many individuals anticipate to participate in Part 2). 

 We will permit a rolling admission, and the cost will be prorated.  Please call the office if you need to prorate your total before submitting your application. 

What will be included in the CSA box?

What is included in your CSA box will change over the season.  

One hesitation that a lot of people have about participating in a CSA is regarding the quantity of food.  For instance, we’ve heard lots of folks say, “I have a friend who participated in another CSA and they got a ton of [insert product here]; so much that they didn’t know what to do with all of it.” 

The Kuhn Orchards CSA will not put you in this kind of predicament.  We will give you variety in your CSA box with fruit, berries, melons, vegetables and corn, and cider.  We really strive to not overwhelm CSA participants with too much of one item.  We think that the quantity of food included in the CSA box can easily be consumed by two individuals. 

What you could expect to see in your CSA box is: 

For the Winter CSA, we have harvested the majority of crops and we can easily plan and allocate what is available through the winter. 

For the Summer/Fall CSA, it will be more challenging to plan and allocate for the Summer/Fall CSA and all of our farmers markets.  Plus, we will be in the hands of Mother Nature as to what is available to harvest, when it is ready to be picked, and the quantity that will need to be harvested to satisfy the needs of the farmers markets and the Summer/Fall CSA.

While we can ensure that you will receive a variety of items in your CSA box, and that we will not overwhelm you with any one item, it is important for you to understand that the produce items listed above may not be included depending on availability.  And on the flip-side, an item that is not listed above may appear in your CSA box if we have abundance. 

We hope that all of our CSA members will understand the variability and will be flexible with the items included in their box.  We can ensure you that in each CSA box members will enjoy delicious, nutritious, and ripe produce harvested from our farm.