WHAT IS COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE (CSA)?
CSA stands for “Community Supported Agriculture.” A CSA directly connects farmers and consumers. Consumers purchase “shares” of a farm’s harvest in advance and receive a portion of the crops as they’re harvested. The money collected in advance helps us during the off-season when there is little produce to sell. If you are a returning Little Bit CSA member, welcome back! If this is your first experience with our farm, thank you for considering a season-long purchase of local veggies and flowers! We grow using all organic methods.
HOW DO I PARTICIPATE?
By purchasing a Vegetable or Flower CSA Share for the 2023 CSA season, you will become a member and receive a weekly share or basket of fresh produce and/or weekly flowers. Additionally, you will have access to farm visits, free events, recipes, and more! The farm is located in North Kingstown, RI.
HOW IS IT DELIVERED?
There are two options:
Pick Up. Pick up your order at the farm on Tuesday of each week from 3pm – 7pm. Pick up is located at the farm shed (across from the large barn located at 57 Little Bit Lane in North Kingstown, Rhode Island). If you choose to pick up, you should check the SHIPPING: LOCAL PICK UP option during check out.
Delivery. Pay an extra $8 PER TRIP for delivery (fees will apply at checkout). Please note that deliveries are calculated during check out as a “SHIPPING: FLAT RATE.” We deliver to North Kingstown, East Greenwich, and certain zip codes in Warwick, Cranston, and Providence. If you live outside of these areas you are more than welcome to PICK UP your orders each week. Deliveries take place on Tuesday mornings.
CAN I PURCHASE BOTH VEGETABLE AND FLOWER CSA SHARES?
Absolutely! Many of our members purchase both. If you purchase both and choose to have both delivered, you will only be charged one delivery fee.
DO I SAVE MONEY?
The short answer: yes! Little Bit Farm fills your basket with seasonal produce, most of which is harvested just days before you eat it, each week. Every week we make sure the total value of the veggies inside of your basket are at least 15-20% more than what you’d pay at retail value. Flower bouquets are also sold 15-20% higher at retail value.
HOW DO GIFTS WORK?
Little Bit Farm CSA shares make wonderful gifts!
If you purchase a flower CSA share as a gift and plan to have it delivered, please check the appropriate boxes on the product page, add your message, and add the recipient’s shipping address at checkout. If you choose to have the flower share picked up, you will have to deliver the news of this special gift to the recipient or pick it up yourself for that person each week.
HOW DOES LITTLE BIT FARM COMMUNICATE WITH OUR CUSTOMERS ABOUT THEIR CSA SHARE?
One week before the start date of your share, we will send an email with all of the information you will need for the season including your start date, pickup details, delivery details, and how to reuse your baskets and bags. For all Vegetable Shares, we will send an email every Friday morning with details about the new products that upcoming week. For the Veggie Farmer Choice Basket Shares, the Friday email will also include information about the veggies you will receive that upcoming week so you can prepare your grocery list. All CSA and Flower Share members will receive a reminder email on Tuesday morning to pick up your share or that your share will be delivered that day. If you don’t receive any of the emails listed above, please check your SPAM folder or reach out anytime to littlebitfarmri@gmail.com
WHAT CSA SHARES ARE AVAILABLE?
CSA Shares are divided into two categories: vegetables and flowers.
WHAT DO I RECEIVE IF I PURCHASE A VEGETABLE CSA SHARE?
Each week you will receive a bag/basket of seasonal vegetables. The Little Bit Farm Vegetable CSA runs for a full season of 14 weeks and a half season of 7 weeks. This means Full Season Share members receive a total of 14 baskets, Half Season Share members receive a total of 7 total baskets, and SPRING/Half Season Share members receive a total of 4 baskets.
WHAT IS AN EXAMPLE OF A BASKET OF VEGETABLES IN A SHARE?
Part of the fun of a CSA is the diversity of produce from the beginning of the season to the end of the summer season. A basket in June is very different than a basket in August. For example, a basket in June might include arugula, sugar snap peas, beets, radishes, kale, and a couple bags of herbs. While a basket in August might include a couple pints of cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, green beans, and peppers. Please see our list of vegetables and estimated harvest dates by clicking here.
WHAT VEGETABLE CSA SHARES DO WE OFFER?
CSA Full Season Vegetables/You Choose. Little Bit Farm offers a limited quantity of “You Choose” vegetables shares. We will send you a form each week with available farm items. Choose 8-10 items each week and/or multiples of each. This package feeds a household of 3-4 people. “You Choose” is available as a full season package only and runs for 14 weeks.
CSA Full Season Vegetables/Farmers Choice or Half Season Vegetables/Farmers Choice or SPRING/Half Season/Farmers Choice. Little Bit Farm will choose 8-10 items of produce for your basket each week. This feeds a family of 3-4 people. A full season runs for 14 weeks, a half season runs for 7 weeks, and the SPRING/Half Season share lasts for 4 weeks in June.
WHAT DO I RECEIVE IF I PURCHASE A FLOWER CSA SHARE?
Each week you will receive a bouquet of seasonal blooms harvested just the day before. The Little Bit Farm Flower CSA runs for a full season of 11 weeks and a half season of 6 weeks. The full season begins in July (date TBD) and ends in September. Half season begins in July and ends in late August or early September. This means full season share members receive 14 baskets in total and half season share members will receive 7 total baskets.
WHAT FLOWER CSA SHARES DO YOU OFFER?
SPRING
CSA Spring Flower Share. Bring home the first of the season flowers in all of their glory. An example of flowers included in the spring shares range from early allium, iris, and lupine, and will include a few weeks featuring peonies among many other flowers. Spring Flower shares run for 5 weeks and begin in late May and run through June.
CSA Peony Bunches. Rare peony bunches are just two short weeks as is their glorious season. The customer will receive around 10 beautiful peony stems in each bunch. This share runs for two weeks from late May through early June or as soon as the peonies are at their peak harvest point.
SUMMER
CSA Full or Half Season Flowers. Little Bit Farm will curate a beautiful bouquet of fresh blooms for you each week and wrap them in brown paper. An example of flowers included in early summer would be snapdragons, lilies and allium while a later season bouquet would include dahlias, zinnias, lisianthus and sunflowers. Full season runs for 11 weeks and a half season runs for 6 weeks.
FALL
CSA Late Season Dahlia Bunches. Dahlias get going later in the summer/early fall and are some of the most beautiful flowers we grow. Each week you will receive a bouquet of dahlias wrapped in brown paper. Late Season Dahlia Bunches runs for 6 weeks.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BECOMING A CSA MEMBER?
Eat Healthy. At Little Bit Farm. there are no secrets about how your food is grown: clean, free of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, seasonal, handpicked and sent to you within days. The food arrives from the field without losing the nutrients that can get lost while it ships and sits on a shelf at a grocery store. We are in the process of becoming certified organic.
Save Money. A full season CSA at Little Bit Farm saves the consumer money. For example, at $300 for 14 weeks, it averages to about $21 per week. An average Little Bit Farm CSA weekly basket/bouquet is filled with at least 10-20% more veggies/flowers than the retail priced products. It’s easy to do the math and see how much money is saved.
Smaller Footprint. It’s no secret that the planet suffers largely due to national and global food industry practices. Buying locally is a small step toward rebuilding a healthier earth. Local Flowers also contribute to a smaller footprint.
Experiment with new products. Are you ever stuck in the same rut with your weekly meals? The Vegetable CSA is a perfect opportunity to experiment with new vegetables and herbs.
Interested? Sign up for the Little Bit Farm CSA today!
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Refunds: Little Bit Farm is able to refund all Vegetable and Flower CSA shares until April 15. If you move or decide you do not want to participate after April 15, we suggest finding a neighbor or someone in your community that can take over your share.
Late Pick Ups: The pick up window each week is on Tuesday afternoon/evening from 3pm – 7pm. We encourage everyone to honor this window of time. If you miss your pickup, we will hold your order for 24 hours. Please email us and we can leave it in the pick up area the next day. If we don’t hear from you within 24 hours, we will donate your share that week.
Missed Weeks: We realize the summer is busy and occasionally you might be away from your home. If you miss a week, please email us and we can provide you with a double share the following week.
Another option that we’ve heard works well from past CSA customers is to coordinate with a neighbor or friend to pick up your share the week you are away. It’s easy and fun to share the veggies/flowers with friends.
If either of these options don’t work for you, we are happy to donate your share that week to North Kingstown’s local food pantry.