About CSA

Community Supported Agriculture

 

What is CSA?

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.

 

CSA allows people who can’t or don’t choose to garden to have direct access to high quality, fresh produce grown by local farmers. When you become a member of a CSA, you're purchasing a “share” of vegetables from your farmer(s) and supporting a small, local farm.

 

What You Do (CSA Members)

• Sign up before the start of the season & pay your membership fee.

• Show up on the designated days to pick up your produce (For BGF, Tuesdays for 20 weeks, June-Oct).

• Remember to bring along last week’s empty box to trade for this week’s full one.

• Read the weekly newsletter to learn about what is included in the delivery (as well as storage & recipe ideas) and learn about goings-on at the farm and other important information.

• Attend special events at the farm (like our July Ice Cream Social), if interested.

• Participate in our online CSA community group to share recipes, ideas & questions with other CSA members, if interested.

• Contact your farmer with questions. 

 

What We Do (the Farmers)

• Grow more than 100 chemical-free food crops for members & customers.

• Schedule crops so that boxes always contain the maximum quantity, quality & variety possible.

• Research and write newsletters to further educate members about their produce and provide them insight of life on the farm.

• Harvest, clean and package fresh produce to maintain the highest quality possible.

• Pack and deliver weekly boxes to various pick-up locations so we can meet our members in person.

• Collect and return empty boxes to the farm to reuse for future deliveries.

• Host special on-farm events to celebrate the “Community” aspect of CSA and to connect members with their farm, their farmers and each other.

• Answer questions from our members and customers.

• Continue our own research to learn how we can better serve our members and improve our stewardship of the farm and all its resources.

 

How to become a CSA member?

E-mail us with your interest along with your city/town.  If we don't have immediate availability we will place your name on our waiting list for future seasons. 

 

Newsletter

Check out our Newsletter, which is full of information, updates, and recipes to help you make the most of your CSA box. ​http://beyondthebluegate.blogspot.com/

 

Have a question or want more information? 

e-mail us at mail@bluegatefarmfresh.com or

call us at 641-203-1709.

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2019 Pricing

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Produce (base membership)

Weekly delivery $500/season

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Add-on Options

Eggs - One dozen free-range, pasture raised eggs

Weekly delivery $100/season,
Bi-weekly  delivery $50/season

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Herbs - Freshly harvested, in addition to base CSA, including basil, chives, parsley, sorrel, sage & dill.

Weekly delivery $45/season

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Our CSA season generally runs from early June to mid-October with typically 19 - 20 weekly deliveries.

 

Deliveries are made on Tuesday evenings from 5-6pm at the following locations:

• Des Moines: Peace Tree Brewery, 317 E. Court in the East Village

• Knoxville: Grand Theater on Robinson St. on town square

• Blue Gate Farm: 749 Wyoming St., Chariton

What is included in a weekly box?

Box contents changes throughout the growing seasons. The following is a sampling of the seasonal offerings.  For a detailed, week-by-week listing, look to the Newsletters. For more information and lots of photos, see our Products page.The following is a sampling of the seasonal offerings.