Community Supported Agriculture
Providing the community with fresh produce and items from local businesses.
What is a CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture supports local farms and provides the community with fresh produce.
CSA members pay for a “share” of the farmer’s produce at the beginning of the season, helping the farm plan their harvest season around exactly what is needed. In turn, the CSA members receive freshly harvested produce- usually coming out of the ground the day before!
Members assume the rewards and risks of the growing season. Weather and other factors can mean more or less of specific items, depending on what happens at the farm that week. Prices are generally lower via a CSA than they would be at a farmer's market, and the quality is top notch.
CSA operates basically the same, relying predominantly on volunteers and straight-to-farm practices.
Sunnyside CSA is not for profit and completely volunteer run. This means volunteers do everything from organizing with the farms & businesses, scheduling seasons, running the pick-up site and keeping finances straight. Every member is required to sign up for 2 volunteer shifts throughout the season, or for positions within the core group.
Our Seasons
We have two share seasons, Summer and Winter. Generally, the Summer Share runs beginning of June to end of October, and the Winter share runs December to April. You can learn more about what’s available on our Food We Offer pages.
Any food not picked up at the end of the night is donated to the Senior Program at SCS.
Subsidy Program
A small number of shares are available at a reduced rate through our Subsidized Share Program.
This program is funded through CSA events and fundraisers throughout the seasons.
Our Farmers
We are honored to be working with the Angel Family Farm in Goshen, NY. The Angel Family does all the farming themselves. They grow many staple veggies you’re used to, but they add a lot of native Mexican vegetables as well, from herbs like Epazote to Pumpkin Blossoms. You can see their current list of vegetables for this year here.
Farming practices
The Angels follow organic practices but are not certified organic due to the prohibitive costs of attaining that certification. The soil in the Black Dirt Region is very fertile, and they use few machines in their farming, so the soil needs little nourishment. The only fertilizer they use is compost which they make from any of their vegetables that are not in edible condition. They do not use any pesticides but sometimes use pepper spray (as allowed in organic certification) as a deterrent to insects and mammals. They use crop rotation to minimize pests and for soil health. They have a tractor, but most of their farming is done by hand. They weed by hand and with handheld hoes.
They mainly buy organic seeds but sometimes buy non-organic, untreated seeds when they can’t find the seeds they want organically certified, as is allowed on certified organic farms. They do not use GMO or treated seeds. They use a well on the farm for irrigation, which is infrequently needed. Most of their electricity is solar. This past winter, they purchased a small plot of land near their primary farmland. This plot has electricity, and they bought a walk-in cooler to keep our harvested vegetables fresh until distribution. Their delivery truck is also refrigerated.
Their History
Here’s a recent article on them in Dirt Magazine! Watch this farm video produced by Just Food in 2012! Or this Brooklyn Beet CSA Farm Visit video! As if that’s not enough, check out their own YouTube videos! They were also featured in the film What’s on Your Plate?