It looks like a promising year for community-supported agriculture, according to Kate Anstreicher, manager of the Hudson Valley CSA Coalition, which has supported area farms offering CSA shares — or regular allotments of their harvests — to consumers since 2016.“CSAs were hugely popular during COVID in 2020 and 2021, and although sales have dipped a bit, they’re still above pre-pandemic levels,” Anstreicher said.
The CSA model, with origins in Japan and Europe in the 1960s and later popularized in the United States in the ’80s and ’90s, is straightforward: Customers pay a set fee, typically upfront, for a selection of farm’s harvest weekly, biweekly, or monthly. For consumers, the arrangement offers fresh, high-quality produce at lower prices than farmers’ markets or grocery stores. For growers, it provides financial stability, allowing them to receive income before harvest.
Several farms in the Herald’s coverage area are currently signing up members for CSA shares. But time is limited. “They generally sell out in April and May,” Anstreicher said.
“In the Hudson Valley, there’s a strong sense of community in our small rural towns, where people know each other. They like to know where their food is coming from and to get to know the people who work the land.”
These four local farms are just a sampling of those offering CSAs. Within 25 miles of Pine Plains, there are nearly two dozen options, which you can search for using Hudson Valley CSA Coalition’s find-a-farm tool.
Sisters Hill Farm
127 Sisters Hill Road, Stanfordville
“The first week you might get radishes, hakurei turnips, spinach, two or three heads of lettuce, and bok choy,” said Dave Hambleton, farmer and director of Sisters Hill Farm, who has run their CSA since 1999. The CSA is sponsored by Sisters of Charity, a community of Roman Catholic women in the Bronx.
The 24-week CSA runs from the last week of May through the first week of November.
“During the summer, you may get beets, carrots, basil, scallions, peppers, eggplant, and in the fall, potatoes. It’s always a good mix, with a choice of three or four greens as you put your box together.”
Sisters Hill Farm offers several CSA plans. A weekly share ($960) provides about 14 pounds of vegetables, enough for an average family or two vegetarian adults. An “every-other-week” share costs $480, while a flexible “pick-your-own” option is available for $140 (weekly) or $75 (biweekly).
Pickups take place on Saturdays (8 to 11 a.m.) or Tuesdays (4 to 6 p.m.) at the farm or in the Bronx. Members fill a box from bins that have labels indicating the amount to be taken.
Sisters Hill follows organic practices, though it is not certified. “We use organic fertilizer, compost, rotation and extensive cover crops,” said Hambleton, also known as Farmer Dave. The CSA, he added, “is all we do —no farmers’ markets, no wholesale. We’re pretty efficient, so we can provide great quality produce that gives people a great deal and allows us to make a reasonable income.”
About 400 members participate in the CSA, and the farm donates 10% of its produce to local food pantries. If members miss a pickup, their share is donated.
Sign up here.
Rock Steady Farm
41 Kaye Road, Millerton
A Rock Steady Farm CSA box in spring might include arugula, beets, bok choy, carrots, and scallions. In summer, members might receive basil, cantaloupe, cucumbers, tomatoes, and watermelon, while fall shares include garlic, kale, radicchio, and winter squash. The CSA also incorporates produce from other farms, such as corn, sweet potatoes, and pea shoots.
“Each week, we have a preset list, but you have options, so you might be able to choose beets or radishes,” explained CSA manager Luca DiMambro.
The 22-week CSA, which started about a decade ago, offers a sliding scale payment system. A full share (eight or nine items per week) costs $858 at the market rate but ranges from $660 to $1,155. A small share (five to seven items per week) ranges from $480 to $840. Those paying above market rate help subsidize lower-cost shares, including discounted and free options. Rock Steady also offers limited specialty CSAs, such as bread or meat shares. Unlike many CSAs, it allows members to pay in five installments.
Pickup locations include the farm (9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays), Brooklyn, and Chelsea. “We also have after-hours at the farm, so you can come later and pick up a pre-packed box,” said DiMambro. This year, for the first time, Rock Steady is accepting SNAP benefits.
DiMambro has seen the importance of helping people afford fresh produce: “One of our CSA members has prediabetes and shared how glad she was to be able to follow the advice her doctor gave her by getting fresh vegetables at an affordable price, being able to make lifestyle choices on her current income.”
Sign up here.
Chaseholm Farm
115 Chase Road, Pine Plains
Chaseholm Farm’s Holmgoods CSA offers biweekly shares of meat and dairy. “It might be pork chops one week or sausages, and in the summer spare ribs or steaks for the grill, plus yogurt and cheese,” said co-owner Sarah Chase.
The CSA, which runs year-round, offers flexible pickup times and locations, including Pine Plains, Red Hook, Kingston, and Poughkeepsie. Members choose between a small share ($49 per box) or a large share ($86 per box) with a six-month commitment. Preferences can be accommodated. “If you want ground beef in each box, that’s what you’ll get,” Chase said.
Since transitioning to a CSA model, Chaseholm has focused on organic land and animal management. The CSA’s financial stability has allowed the farm to improve both employee conditions and animal welfare. It allowed construction of a new “hoop” barn, where the cattle are free to roam, with a loafing bed of hay that is refreshed daily and eventually composted. (In spring, the cows go out to pasture.) Without the need to tether the animals in the barn, the employees no longer need to clean each stall daily and deliver food directly to each chained cow. That saves hours each day. “Our employees used to come in at 5 a.m. and leave at 6 p.m., but now they can come in at 8 and leave by 4,” said Chase. The CSA, she added, “is a reciprocal relationship between producers and food eaters. It’s direct and mutually supportive. We need each other.”
Sign up here.
Foxtrot Farm & Flowers
6862 Route 82, Stanfordville
Foxtrot Farm & Flowers, established in 2020, offers seasonal flower CSAs. The Spring Bouquet CSA runs from mid-April through June, while the Fall Bouquet CSA runs from late August to mid-October. A pick-your-own summer CSA allows members to harvest flowers and raspberries over 10 weeks.
“The first week in the spring is likely to be narcissi, specialty daffodils, foxglove, flox, snapdragon, ammi [a member of the carrot family], lupin,” said farm owner Kate Farrar. Over the spring, flowers include ranunculus, peonies, feverfew, anemones. In summer, zinnias, cosmos, dahlias, argeratum. She also has raspberries in summer. In late August, there are lisianthus, more dahlias, chrysanthemums, snapdragons.
Shares range from $300 to $500 on a sliding scale. Pickup locations include the farm, Kingston, Hudson, Wassaic, Rhinebeck, and North Canaan, Conn.
“If you’re going on vacation and will miss a week, you can pick two buckets another time,” said Farrar. “The CSA provides income in the off-season, when there’s no harvestable income. It allows the farm to cover its own expenses in the winter.”
Sign up here.