Q & A        Member's Answer Zone Potential Member Q's New Member Q's Current member Q's

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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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