CSA, with pickup in central/midtown-ish area? (Phoenix: buy, live)

[jmsca]

Hi all! Continuing my "I'm finally feeling settled enough after a year here to start looking into things beyond the necessities" line of questions:

Can anyone recommend a good CSA box that has pickup around the central-ish/midtown-ish Phoenix area?

Again, searching the forums reveals only really old threads on the topic, and while Google has been helpful, it's not giving me the nitty-gritty, like "these boxes are mainly lettuce and turnips"

I'm currently eyeing Maya's Farm as they have a pickup right around McDowell/16th St, but in case it's sold out before they get to me on the waitlist, I'd like more options.

Thanks!

ETA, on the advice of another member, what a CSA is - It's "Community Supported Agriculture" - basically you pay in advance (usually, though some do it week-to-week) for a share of a local farm's growing season and get a box of produce every week that contains whatever they grew that's ready that week!


(and, yes, I could just buy produce at the store or a farmers' market, but I like the surprise of random things every week - having to find ways to use something I may have never had actually encourages me to eat it, rather than die in the fridge like most of the veggies I buy at the store!)

[singlegirlinaz]

Maybe you will get some good answers if you can explain what a CSA is. I never heard of it.

[jmsca]

Originally Posted by singlegirlinaz

Maybe you will get some good answers if you can explain what a CSA is. I never heard of it.

Oh goodness! Sorry! It's "Community Supported Agriculture" - basically you pay in advance (usually, though some do it week-to-week) for a share of a local farm's growing season and get a box of produce every week that contains whatever they grew that's ready that week!

[observer53]

I hadn't heard the term either, but I googled "community supported agriculture Phoenix" and got several hits. If no one gives you a recommendation based on personal experience, there is info out there.

[exit2lef]

Crooked Sky has a CSA service with a few distribution points. The closest one to your desired area is at the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. When I buy produce there, I always see other people picking up their CSA boxes.

More information: https://www.crookedskyfarms.com/csa-locations

Note: Crooked Sky's website gives an old address for the downtown market. It has recently moved to a new locatoin at 5th St & McKinley

The market's site: https://downtownphoenixfarmersmarket.org/

There have also been some CSA pickups at the Uptown Farmers Market (Central & Bethany Home) in the past, but I think the biggest vendor, McClendon Select, discontinued theirs. You might still want to visit the Uptown Market on a Saturday morning to ask around. Most CSAs here are connected to farmers markets in some way.

[jmsca]

That's an excellent suggestion about talking to folks at the Farmers' Markets! Thanks!

[Voebe]

What a nice question!

[Voebe]

Luckily, I immediately remembered your post when I just ran across this in an article this week:

Farmbox Arizona

https://www.farmboxarizona.com

[jmsca]

Originally Posted by Voebe

Luckily, I immediately remembered your post when I just ran across this in an article this week:

Farmbox Arizona

https://www.farmboxarizona.com

HAH!! Thank you for thinking of me! Amusingly, that's what I signed up for last week!!!! I get my first box next week and I am psyched! I went with them because they deliver and you can get a veggie/fruit small box!

[Voebe]

Originally Posted by jmsca

HAH!! Thank you for thinking of me! Amusingly, that's what I signed up for last week!!!! I get my first box next week and I am psyched! I went with them because they deliver and you can get a veggie/fruit small box!

Tell us how you like it - and the costs.