ENJOY A WEEKLY BOX OF NUTRITIOUS, SEASONAL PRODUCE FROM OUR COASTAL PERMACULTURE FARM.

About Our CSA & Farm

CSA stands for community-supported agriculture, a system connecting farmers and consumers in a bioregion. If you’ve ever wanted to feel closer to the land where your food is grown, to know the processes involved, and to join a community of folks delighted to eat with the seasons, our CSA is for you!

The Santa Cruz Permaculture Farm is located on a beautiful 26 acres where fresh ocean breezes blow and the sound of barking seals can be heard in the distance. During our successful first growing season in 2023, we embarked on a journey that will lead us to no-till, ecological farming – bringing life to the soil and diversifying the vegetation and animals to grow a complex and healthy food forest. A diverse group of students, local supporters, and regional leaders will bring their curiosity and knowledge, helping us to create a center for permaculture education.

how it works

You purchase your CSA share before the season

We use your funds for seeds and equipment

Each week of the season, we harvest produce for you

We deliver your CSA box to a convenient pickup location

At the end of the season, we celebrate together!

What’s Included in Membership?

Our CSA season runs for 25 weeks, from late May until mid November, and includes:

  • A weekly share (great for 1-1-4 people) of fresh, organic produce from our regenerative farm, available for pickup at our farm or in Santa Cruz or Los Gatos
  • A weekly newsletter with recipes, ideas to use every part of the plant, and updates from the field
  • Special access to farm dinners, events, & tours
  • Invitation to our CSA member potlucks
  • The opportunity to support regenerative agriculture & permaculture in our region and grow community around healthy, ethical food

What’s in the box?

A CSA share includes 6-8 vegetables weekly and typically includes:

  • Salad greens 1-2 items
  • Staple vegetables 2-3 items
  • Extra snacking vegetables 1 item
  • Onion family vegetables 1-2 items
  • Berries 1 item
  • Herbs occasionally 

Pickup Locations

If you’re interested in becoming a pickup location, either at your home, place of business, or community center, please fill out our form here. 

Current pickup locations include:

  • Ocean Street Extension, Santa Cruz – Friday
  • Westside Santa Cruz Farmers Market – Saturday
  • On the farm at Ano Nuevo – Friday
  • Los Gatos, south side – Friday

If you’re unable to pick up your CSA box at one of these locations, but would like to join our CSA, fill out this form to express your interest and tell us where you could pick up from.

Payment Options

The 2024 CSA season runs for 25 weeks, from late May to mid November. A share is $30 per week.

Click here to see what’s included in a share.

CSA Share: $750

Can’t pay all at once? That’s ok! We offer payment plans. Email info.santacruzpermaculture@gmail.com for more information.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Farm

The Santa Cruz Permaculture Farm is new to this beautiful 26 acres and our growing methods will evolve as we transition soil that was cultivated organically, but traditionally, to a no-till, biologically complex ecosystem. We use organic methods of pest control, and integrate compost, worm castings, cover crops, and beneficials to regenerate the soil, increase resilience, and build biodiversity. We welcome CSA members for a farm tour to learn more!

Our farm hosts many events, including dinners, potlucks, internships, classes & more. CSA members will be invited to a tour at a pre-season event and will continue to have many opportunities to join us throughout the year.

Pickup

If you need to miss a week, no problem – your food won’t go to waste! You can either donate your box to a friend or family member who can pick it up in your place, or we will donate your box to a family in need or community group.

Email info.santacruzpermaculture@gmail.com as far ahead of time as possible and we’ll let you know what items we can offer extra of.

If you’re unable to pick up your CSA box at one of these locations, but would like to join our CSA, fill out this form to express your interest and tell us where you could pick up from.

If you’re interested in becoming a pickup location, either at your home, place of business, or community center, please fill out our form here.

Payments

Sure! Upon signup, we offer the option of spreading the cost of your membership over two payments. If you need to spread your payments out further, please contact us at info.santacruzpermaculture@gmail.com and we’re happy to work out a custom option for you.

Before January, we’re still forming our crop plan and can fully refund any payments you’ve made. After January, we’ve ordered seed to grow your produce. If you’d like to cancel your membership, you can contact info.santacruzpermaculture@gmail.com with a description of your situation and we’ll happily work out some arrangement. It can be helpful for you to ask friends/family/coworkers if anyone might like to take over your membership.

Our CSA box offers an excellent value of organically grown local produce at a price that is usually much lower than groceries. However, we know that these prices are still out of the reach of many folks. As we head into our first season and are working hard to get our infrastructure in place, we’re unable to offer low income discounts without a sponsor (see below), but hope to in the future. If you’re interested in joining our list of those needing assistance, please email info.santacruzpermaculture@gmail.com

Yes! We happily accept a full or partial sponsorship of a low income member. Email info.santacruzpermaculture@gmail.com and we’ll let you know if we have any low income prospective members who need a contribution.

Our CSA box offers an excellent value of organically grown local produce at a price that is usually much lower than groceries. However, we know that these prices are still out of the reach of many folks. As we head into our first season and are working hard to get our infrastructure in place, we’re unable to offer low income discounts without a sponsor, but hope to in the future. In the meantime, we hope to pair those with abundance with those without.

We love hosting volunteer days to offer our farm as a learning venue where our community members can connect with nature and gain experience and knowledge. We’re unable to offer CSA discounts to farm volunteers currently. Email info.santacruzpermaculture@gmail.com if you’d like to be added to our volunteer contact list.

The Food

This is our favorite question! How to best enjoy all that goodness?! Our weekly CSA newsletter is full of recipes and suggestions for how to use your produce. Though eating seasonally hasn’t been typical of western culture in recent generations, we find it to be deeply fulfilling and extra nutritious. We aim to make this challenge very approachable for you with our tips & suggestions! If you’ve been wanting to incorporate more fresh veggies into your diet, a CSA membership is the perfect way to get started.

Part of the CSA model is shared risk and shared bounty. Though CSA members might occasionally experience less of a crop that has not performed as well as hoped, more often you’ll find extra goodies in your box when a crop has exceeded expectations. We will always ensure our CSA members receive extra bounty!

Members should bring their own bag to transfer their produce from the box. They’ll leave the box at the pickup site, so we can load it up with new produce the next week.

Though some established CSA programs do offer customization, we’re starting out with the traditional CSA model and don’t offer swapping or item selection. Each week, we’ll choose the freshest items at their peak of ripeness, and fill your box with these. This isn’t a grocery store experience, but we hope you’ll enjoy the delicious challenge of finding new favorite ways to use all different kinds of produce. If you end up with something you can’t use, share your abundance with a friend!

 

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