| Q &
A Member's Answer Zone |
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When can I
start?
Valerie will contact
you as soon as payment and sign up info is received. The box
delivery
lists are made Friday through Monday so you'll be contacted before the
next list is made.
Can I pick
what
comes in the box and how much is in it?
The
boxes are not packed individually, so no. However, the three
different
box sizes reflect three different household meal types. We have a
Quiz
you
can take to determine which would suit you best. Each
box is still put together by Pablito and Pablote, who make their own
meals
from the box each week and have provided CSA subscribers with very well
planned box contents for years. According to our long time
subscribers, this accounts for our long term success as organic farmers.
But you do
have
a say in the box contents.
..
We are fully open
to input from our members, which we use to help guide us. If there is
an
item you want more or less of, just let us know. We're always
listening.
What if I try
it, but it's too little/too much for me?
Please
feel free to change your subscription to a larger or smaller box.
Households change, appetites change. Our subscriptions are easily
changed as well. We'll always need seven days
to
accommodate, but you'll see which box size was sent for you on the sign
off sheet.
I'm not the
greatest
cook...
The
secret of cooking is ingredients. The second is reliable, easy
recipes.
Pablito provides us with recipes every week that coordinate with the
box
contents. The CSA boxes are planned carefully so that you have
the
staples you need to cook with as well as gourmet main courses (some
recipes
do suggest a few ingredients you would need to buy.) The Back
to Basics page is a handy online
reference
to how to cook each individual item so you can invent your own recipe
creations.
What else do I
need to know?
If you haven't
already,
refer to the policyletter
to review the basic agreement between city dweller and farmer. We all
need
to be on the same page.
Thank you for Supporting Sustainable Agriculture!! If you are unsure as to how sustainable agriculture will affect your environment, contact CAFF (Community Alliance with Family Farmers), CCOF (Certified Organic Farmers) at http://www.ccof.org/
How
do I do this?
1. Complete
How
Do I join?
2. Once I've
confirmed your membership details you'll know where to pickup and when
to start. When your first box is delivered, go to the
pickup
site, cross your name off the sign off sheet, and grab a newsletter
from
the clipboard. Always peruse the newsletter for farm
updates. Thanksgiving and year end tend to be the
only
weeks there may be changes in delivery. Get acquainted with the
balance
sheet (stapled to the sign off form) which is our way of
communicating
what your balance is and lists payments you've sent ~ it's made a week
in advance so allow a little time for that. The lists
are outgoing communication only, for notes or checks contact the farm
via
voice, e-, or regular mail.
3. Return
the wax boxes folded down and without the papers to the pickup site the
next week. Stack them neatly.
4. Remember
that the charge for your service comes the first of the month,
and
make whatever reminders or payment arrangements are necessary to keep
your
account prepaid. To make payments, just mail them in to our P. O.
box, or pay online.
If payments are late there may be late fees or disruptions in box
deliveries.
5. Continue
to check off your name each week so that if your account is in arrears
you aren't accidentally taking someone else's goodies. The boxes
are labelled with your name, please only take that box with your name
on
it. If you've asked a friend to pickup for you, be
sure
they know to check for the name and box size. Spouses and
household
employees are notorious box absconders, and you will be held
responsible
for their actions.
6. Remember
to respect the site hours. If you find yourself having
difficulty,
check our site list for a more convenient site, or start your
own.
But we can't control what happens to your box after the pickup times
are
over, so please don't contact us for a credit of any type if you didn't
make it on time.
What is my
account
id?
Please be
sure to include your name as on the sign off sheet in all
communications.
You would not beleive the number of e-mails I get that don't include
names.
Your "account id" will be listed on the sign off sheet ~ on the first
line.
Most often it will be your last name, accompanied by initials if we
have
multiple people with same name. Please use it when making payment
or contacting the farm for any reason to avoid being mistaken for
someone
else . Also so I can process a change in service for you faster.
What
if I'm going on vacation?
We need seven days notice
before a vacation hold. We're growing the veggies for you
based
on a monthly subscription, and the credits for vacations are
proportionately
small. This reflects the cost to us of the unused produce, and we
are hoping to discourage overuse of vacations. Vacations are
credited
as: $10 small, $16 medium,
or
$21 large . If you have a friend pickup your
box,
and they enjoy it and become a member, you'll get a referral credit of
$18. If you have seven days notice, you can ask me to find a
worthy cause to donate your box to. To donate with less
then seven days notice, you can call Food Runners
directly 415-929-1866. They
are all volunteer and need only one hour notice.
What if I want
to pick up at a different site?
To
switch sites just contact Valerie and she'll confirm the switch date,
exact
address and site hours. All we need is seven days notice.
What
do I owe? How do I pay quarterly or yearly?
Our
accounts are billed monthly on the first. Statements are e-mailed
mid month to allow time for you to make payment for the next
month.
There is an account sheet stapled to the sign off form each week which
will give you your current month's balance and let you know which
recent
payments we have received. The account sheet is formatted like a
checkbook where you will find the bottom right number being the
balance.
~ a positive number is the amount due, and a negative number indicates
a credit.
Anytime you want to make a quarterly payment, just pay off the past due
balance and then add in the quarterly rate for the next three following
months ~ same for yearly. Everyone is billed the monthly
rate
to allow you the freedom to pay monthly or quarterly at any time.
If you pay quartelry, a line entry will indicate your discount, and
your
total payment will be shown for the additional amount.
Can I leave a
check at the drop off site?
Our site hosts are friends and members of the farm who nicely share
their spaces for our boxes. They do not handle billing or farm
correspondance.
Mail or e-mail checks and notes directly to the farm..
I sent a
check,
but it's not listed on my account~ What should I do?
Allow at least ten
days for snail mail, and another seven because the box lists are made a
week in advance. If it's been over two weeks and the payment has
cleared your bank, contact the farm with the check number, date and
amount
so I can search for it. If it has not cleared, a substitute
payment should be made to avoid interruption. Late fees may be
applied
on the 15th, so it's best to prepay with a little extra time if paying
by US mail.
What if my
name
is not on the list?
If your name
is not on the list we have unfortunately not arranged a box for
you.
Please contact Valerie. On rare occasions our driver has
left
the wrong list, so if it's titled "Jamaica" then just take your usual
box
and run. Otherwise, please check the account sheet to see what
your
balance is, and if necessary, make a payment. If your name was
crossed
off, and you are an everyother week member, you may also have mixed up
your weeks. Don't take someone elses property!
I'm running
late
or I can't make it tonight- do I still get a box?
We can't
guarantee that you will get a box if you don't pickup during the site
times.
You may want to drive by and see if it was left out. In
consideration
for the many families with sleeping children who host our sites, please
don't go late at night, check for your box in the mornings. If
your
site host has expressed preferences on late pickups, follow that, but
please
don't forget the farm is no longer involved after the pickup time is
over.
What's an
"every-other
week" subscription?
This was an option
that we had before we introduced our size options. If you are
currently
in this option, you may continue indefinitely. However, we are no
longer offering it to new subscribers. The weekly small box
option
is better suited for the smaller household appetite, with greater
variety
and smaller portions.
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