FAQ

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It is a way of distributing local food that is mutually beneficial for farmers/community members. At its most basic, the CSA can be thought of as a subscription.  All produce and meat is produced locally by our member-owner farmers and ranchers. 

CSAs help farmers by decreasing the amount of pre-season risk we take on by providing guaranteed markets for our products . CSAs  benefits you as the customer by giving  you access to high quality, ultra fresh produce (often harvested the day before you reive it). CSA members have a direct relationship with their farmers the assurance that your food is being produced in a way that respects our natural resources, supports our local economy, and encourages the continued existence of food production in our community.

We run our Veggie and Meat CSAs for two seasons a year: Spring–>Early Summer and Fall–>Early Winter. The current or upcoming season lengths and dates can be found on the Veggie and Meat Subscriptions page. 

Every Tuesday during the CSA program, CSA members come and pick up their share of fresh, locally produced food at one of our 5 pickup locations.

Our CSA pick-up sites operate on Tuesday afternoons at the following locations:

• San Marcos Self-Service Coolers at Zelicks Ice House from 4 pm – 7 pm
• San Marcos Drive Through at Three Six General Store from 4 pm – 7 pm
• Lockhart at Self-Service Coolers at Good Things Grocery from 4 pm – 8 pm
• Wimberley at Self-Service Coolers at Blanco Brew from 4 pm – 6:30 pm 
• Buda Self-Service Coolers at Zoi Market from 4 pm – 9 pm
• South Austin Self-Service Coolers at River City Wellness from 3 pm – 6 pm

We offer two sizes of produce shares- Our Bountiful Produce Share can typically feed two enthusiastic veggie eaters or a household of people looking to include fresh produce in their diet. The Shares include about 6-10 items a week of a wide array of all our farms have to offer. Our Individual Produce Share can typically feed 1-2 people, or a household who may be working their way into cooking and eating more produce, and will include about a 5-7 item selection from our farms’ availability.

Our Meat Shares are offered once a month on the first Tuesday of each month of the CSA Season, please find information on our offerings and specific dates for the current or upcoming Season on our Veggie and Meat Subscriptions page. All meat comes frozen. We currently offer your choice of shares of all pasture-raised pork, beef, and chicken.

Shares include a variety of prime cuts as well as ground, sausage, soup bones, and more. Each share of meat share will generally feed 2 people, larger families or households may wish to choose to purchase multiple shares of a single type of meat to fulfill their monthly needs. 

One of the advantages of the Central Texas Farmers Co-op’s CSA program is that our CSA members are partnered with a group of farmers rather than just one farm. This means you can expect a greater variety of produce throughout the season, and unlike the traditional CSA model in which the members share the farmer’s risks, we guarantee that you receive the full value of your share throughout the season. The quantity may vary weekly, but we keep track of the value and insure your season haul is plentiful, all while supporting our farms through any inevitable hardships.

Along with the Veggie Shares, members will receive a newsletter with recipes, volunteer opportunities, and information about our farmers and the land they steward. We look forward to holding events and farm tours when such gatherings are able to be held safely for our community. We believe that fostering community is an essential part of a thriving local food economy.

This Spring, members can expect such staples as tomatoes, beets, onions, lettuce, squash, and peppers along with some specialty offerings like sunflower shoots, specialty mushrooms, herbs, unique salad mixes, greens, and much, much more. You can expect your produce to be of superior quality and freshness than you may be accustomed to from a grocery store. You can expect to be cooking more at home and learning about new varieties of veggies, and eating a healthier diet overall. We are confident you will be satisfied not only with the quality and quantity of the produce, but with the knowledge that your purchases through our Co-op are spent entirely and directly with local farmers, helping to support your local economy and the sustainability of the food you eat.