CSA Frequently Asked Questions

What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?

Community Supported Agriculture is a collaboration between farmers and their customers to provide an intimate, season-long relationship between the farm and its shareholders. The CSA model creates a direct and mutually beneficial relationship between farm and consumer. Shareholders know exactly where their food comes from and receive a whole season's worth of fresh, sustainably-grown produce. 

Does Drumlin Farm grow its produce organically? What is Community-based Farming?

To us, Community-based Farming signifies our deep commitment to the people, land, water, and air that support our farm. We grow all our produce using organic principles and more. We build our soil health with green manures, crop rotation, and, with help from our animals, we use only organic matter for fertilizer. We do not irrigate our crops, and we never use any chemical pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. Learn more about our growing practices.

What makes Drumlin Farm's CSA so special?

We work to build healthy soil, and healthy soil depends on the vitality of surrounding ecosystems. We farm with the health of our adjacent woods, meadows, ponds, and vernal pools firmly in mind by actively stewarding these natural areas for birds and other wildlife. Purchasing a CSA share at Drumlin Farm not only supports our farming program, but also Mass Audubon’s overall mission to protect Massachusetts’ biodiversity and ecosystems.

Where and when do I pick-up my CSA Share?

Our CSA shares are distributed weekly from our farm in Lincoln, MA. All distributions are held on Wednesdays from 12:00-6:00 pm, and are conveniently located at the Farm Stand, right next to the admissions area and the parking lot.

How much produce will I receive?

Spring: Bursting with an array of tender greens, head lettuces, herbs, scallions, and salad radishes, you’ll have the makings for a delicious salad every week. As the fields warm, shares will fill out with the first of the season’s carrots, sweet salad turnips, and (weather permitting) sugar snap peas, strawberries, and beets. Weekly values range from $20-50.

Summer & Fall: Our Full Shares will feed a family of four, or 2-4 adults, depending on how often you cook and how central vegetables are to your diet. You can expect to receive between 8-18 different crops per week depending on the time of the season. Our Half Shares are equal to about half the volume of produce included in a Full Share. Please note that some items may differ between Full and Half Shares in any given week.

What kind of produce can I expect to receive in my share?

We grow a wide and beautiful variety of crops here at Drumlin Farm. Crops will vary from week to week, but here are examples of individual shares in different months to give you a sense of the produce you’ll receive:

May: 1 pound spinach, 1/2 pound mesclun mix, 1 bunch salad radish, 1 bunch scallions, 2 heads lettuce
June: 1 pint strawberries, 1 quart sugar snap peas, 1 bunch beets, 4 heads lettuce, 1 bunch hakurei turnips, 2 bunches garlic scapes, 1 bunch rainbow Swiss chard & 1 bunch cilantro
August: 1 bunch carrots, 5 ears sweet corn, 2 heads garlic, 2 melons, 1 lb. onions, 3 lbs. potatoes, 1 yellow watermelon, 3 sweet peppers, 3 summer squash, 1 bunch basil, 8 tomatoes (mixed varieties), 1.5 lbs. paste tomatoes, 1 bunch broccoli raab & 4 mixed hot peppers
October: 2 heads broccoli, 1 bunch red beets, 3 lbs. sweet potatoes, 2 delicata squash, 1 acorn squash, 1 bunch collard greens, 4 leeks, 1 bunch kale & 1 bunch parsley

Do you offer half shares?

We offer half shares for our Summer and Fall programs. Half Shares are equal to about half the volume of produce included in a Full Share. Please note that some items may differ between Full and Half shares in any given week. Spring shares tend to be smaller and manageable for all family sizes, so we don’t offer half shares for that season.

Will I receive a share of all the different types of vegetables that you grow?

While our regular shareholders will receive many of the vegetables that we grow, there are some vegetables that are either limited in quantity or available only if you chose a Pick-Your-Own addition such as strawberries, cherry tomatoes, snap peas. There may also be times when you will see something that has been harvested and offered at our Farm Stand that is not in your share pickup that day. Do to the volume of shareholders we have, some crops may simply have limited quantities and we were unable to harvest enough for your share pickup. We will let you know at the pickup location if there is something different available at the Farm Stand that you might chose to purchase that day.

What is the Pick-Your-Own (PYO) Share? Can I purchase one without purchasing a full CSA membership?

Our PYO Veggie shareholders harvest set amounts of our strawberries, cherry tomatoes, peas, and string beans over the course of the season.

We also offer a PYO Flowers share, where you harvest set amounts of our seasonal flower varieties each week, building a large bouquet.

In either case, you must purchase a regular share or a work share to get a PYO share—these are not available as stand-alone options.

Do I need to be a Mass Audubon member to join the CSA?

Yes, if you are not already a Mass Audubon member, we require that you become one in order to participate in our CSA program. You can sign up at the time of registration or purchase a membership on its own. With your Mass Audubon membership you gain access to over 50 sanctuaries throughout the state as well as discounts on purchases in the Audubon Shop and discounts if you choose to take a program. Drumlin Farm offers a large selection of programs including many Know Your Food programs such as Cheesemaking, Canning, and Backyard Chickens as well as special programs like Stew & Brew—a chance to enjoy a sampling of tasty winter stews and locally made beers. For more information on our programs, pick up a program brochure at the admissions area or go online!

What if, for some reason, I can’t make it to the farm during distribution hours?

We do not have the capacity to distribute shares past 6:00 pm on the distribution day. If you cannot make it on a certain week, we invite you to have a friend come to collect your share. Please inform the CSA manager about any substitutions.

What protocols are you following in response to COVID-19?

We are limiting the number of people in the Farm Stand area at the same time and will do our best to accommodate special requests for handling specific shares. Pick-Your-Own (PYO) shares will operate according to current guidelines from the Massachusetts Department of Health and the CDC.