Fifer Orchards CSA Club Information and Sign-up. You'll love our19 week CSA, Community supported agriculture program that provides customers in Dover, Camden, Wyoming, Milford, Smyrna, Clayton, Newark, Middletown, Wilmington, Felton, Harrington, Laurel, Seaford, Milford, Milton, Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach, Fenwick Island, Delaware, Ocean City Maryland with fresh local produce each week. The program is fun for the whole family or for neighbors, friends and co-workers to share each week. It's a nutritious, delicious and social way to enjoy homegrown fruits and vegetables each week. Coupons, newsletters and recipes are also included. The CSA Club creates a partnership between the grower and the end consumer that is direct which means fresh. You can experiement with a wide vareity of produce including heirloom tomatoes, canary melons, Italian eggplant, marconi peppers, orange radishes, lima beans, bi-color sweet corn, Belle of Georgia peaches, Ginger Gold apples and more. Each box contains are nice mix of local fruits and vegetables and occasionaly free range eggs, turkey meat or local cheeses.

Fifer CSA Club

2012 Fifer Orchards CSA Club Membership

Become a member and discover a fun and unique way to eat, fresh, healthy and local in 2012.

Click here to register online!

(You will receive a confirmation phone call within 48 hours from our CSA specialist Jessica)

Click here for 2011 CSA photo gallery

What is a CSA?

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a partnership established directly between farmer and consumer. The CSA concept is becoming a popular way for customers to purchase seasonal, fresh, locally grown produce. This mutually beneficial relationship is also sometimes referred to as 'produce cooperatives' or food co-op’s. The partnership begins with an annual commitment to one another. The consumer member provides a pre-season investment to purchase a “share” of the upcoming fruit and vegetable harvest. Once harvest begins, the farmer is committed to providing members with a weekly box of fresh fruits and vegetables hand selected for quality and harvested at the peak of ripeness and flavor.

What's the excitement about?

CSA's provide an adventure each week with an almost treasure hunt like experience. Most CSA members will find new and exciting fruits and vegetables in their weekly share that they would not typically purchase at the grocery store. Many folks find that they enjoy the anticipation and excitement that your weekly share box can provide as you discover new favorite fruits and vegetables. The challenge of learning about and preparing new and unique types of fresh produce can be very rewarding. You'll find your share box will provide an exciting family experience in your kitchen as your experiment together and appreciate new foods.

CSA formats:

There are many different CSA formats that exist globally. The first CSA’s were established in the 1960’s in Europe and Japan and included manual labor requirements from all members in addition to monetary investments. CSA’s can be seasonal or year round.

Fifer CSA Club format details:

The Fifer CSA Club season runs from May 10th-September 13th 2012

New for 2012! Satellite pick-up points will be offered for convenience based on demand.

*Please note: A minimum of 20 members will be required to proceed with each satellite pick-up location. If a pick up point fails to meet this requirement than you may cancel your membership or pick up Thursdays at the main Camden-Wyoming location instead.

Main location

Camden-Wyoming, Delaware (Fifer Orchards Farm and Country Store)

Thursdays - 2:30pm-5:30pm

*Additional pick-up points*

Smyrna, Delaware (Smyrna Rest Area parking lot)

Thursdays - 3pm-5pm

Milford, Delaware (Abbott's Grill parking lot)

Wednesdays - 3pm-5pm

Dewey Beach, Delaware (Fifer's Local-Fresh Market, Route 1 north)

Wednesdays - 3pm-5pm

Members will receive a CSA Club Card by May 1st upon receipt of application and payment. This card will be presented at pick-up each week.

The only responsibility for members is to pick up their share box each week at the designated time and enjoy! No other work is required.

Members come from surrounding towns of Newark, Middletown, Smyrna, Clayton, Odessa, Dover, Camden, Wyoming, Felton, Harrington, Georgetown, Milford, Milton, Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, Bethany Beach, Fenwick Island, Laurel and Seaford Delaware and Chestertown, Easton, Ocean City and Federalsburg Maryland.

CSA's take commitment

You'll need to be committed to picking up your share each Thursday afternoon if you choose to become a member. You may find it difficult to participate in a CSA if you travel a lot in the summer.

You'll also need to have a desire to experiment in the kitchen a bit. CSA's are most enjoyed by individuals and families that enjoy cooking, trying new things and have an interest in healthy, fresh, quality food. If you eat out more than you eat at home, than this program is probably not for you. You may also need to can, freeze or dry produce if you are unable to consume all of it fresh. This also takes some time and effort.

If you're only interested in a small variety of crops during the summer or think that the box may be too big, than you may want to consider simply shopping our Country Store for the items you need each week instead of becoming a member of the CSA Club. Either way you will be enjoying the freshest seasonal fruits and vegetables.

What will the share box contain each week?

Our sustainable family farm grows a wide selection of both fruit and vegetables which enables us to offer tremendous variety. Each share box will keep your senses dazzled with beautiful colors and flavors throughout the season. The recyclable box will be filled with a mix of produce that is hand selected by Fifer Orchards each week. Substitutions are not available with our share boxes so that everyone will receive the same value.

Membership:

The 2012 share = $565 for 19 weeks (under $30 per week) due by April 1st 2012

*A $50 deposit is required at the time of registration to hold your membership spot. This deposit will be deducted from the $565 at final payment.

We welcome sharing! Find a friend, family member, co-worker or neighbor to split the cost of membership.

Additional Fifer CSA Club benefits:

Weekly notes page with unique and fun recipes, educational fun facts and tips
Great tasting, sustainably-grown fruits and vegetables
Weekly surprises featuring other local products such as breads, eggs, cheeses, fresh cut flowers and more.
Connect with seasonal eating
Get your family, friends and neighbors involved and excited about eating fresh, healthy, nutritious, local foods
Members have enjoyed the social aspects of sharing the box with friends, co-workers and family each week and making pick-up day a weekly routine. Many also have weekend dinner parties to celebrate and enjoy the foods they receive.
Consume produce that is harvested the day before, or the day of pickup, when the fruits and vegetables are at peak freshness and nutrient value.
Community Supported Agriculture keeps your food dollar within the local economy
You'll find your weekly box is like unwrapping a gift each week that creates anticipation and excitement.

What payment types are accepted?

Visa, MasterCard, Discover, debit, or personal checks are all acceptable. Payments are non-refundable.

What if I am on vacation or unable to pick up my share for some reason?

CSA Club members are encouraged to have a guest pick up their share box any given week. This is a great way to share the harvest with your family members, neighbors or friends. Just simply leave your Club Card with them for easy pick up that week. If a share is not picked up at all, it will be donated to the Delaware Food Bank. There are no refunds or exchanges for boxes that are not picked up.