Becoming a Part of Autumn Harvest Orchard CSA
Families and households sign up to purchase a “share” of the upcoming season’s harvest. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a relationship between our farm and you as our customer. Rather than simply purchasing food, our customers become “members” of this CSA farm who receive a portion of the farm’s harvest. This commitment in advance, partners with us on the costs of running the CSA, including seeds, fertilizer, labor, equipment and insurances, most of which are incurred during the spring planting season.
Our CSA runs for 20 weeks, from June thru October. Members are responsible for showing up at the farm each week to pick up their share. Detailed information regarding pick-up is discussed below. The starting week will be based upon production conditions and emailed to all members.
Our Growing Practices & Farm Tours
Autumn Harvest Orchard, LLC is an all-natural farm and orchard located in Norfolk CT. We specialize in naturally grown apples, pears, apricots, nectarines, blueberries, raspberries, summer squash, zucchini; butternut squash; tomatoes; eggplant, sweet green peppers; hot peppers and herbs. Our naturally grown apple varieties are: Pristine and Redfree (July-August); Liberty (September); Goldrush and Enterprise (October- November). The pears and nectarines mature around August.
All of our fruits, berries, vegetables and flowers are grown without herbicides or pesticides at our farm. We only use natural methods and have signed CT NOFA’s Farmer’s Pledge. We are also a registered CT Honey Producer, producing local, pure, and natural wildflower and apple honey of which all the hives are located on our orchard in Norfolk.
Business Concept: At Autumn Harvest Orchard, LLC we do not use any GMOs, chemically treated seeds, synthetic toxic materials, irradiation, and/or sewage sludge in any of our farming practices. We have also established numerous beneficial habitats for beneficial insects and wildlife and encourage biodiversity.
Members will be notified of any changes to a particular practice due to unforeseen environmental damage or pest pressure. If you are interested in seeing how your produce is grown we would love to show you. Monthly group tours of our growing areas and high tunnel will be exclusively available to CSA members who will be notified via email with tour dates beginning with orchard and field tours in through the spring & summer as various crops are planted, maintained and harvested.
Produce We Expect to Harvest:
Kale, Swiss Chard, Lettuce, Grape Tomatoes, Beef Tomatoes, pickling and slicing Cucumbers, Basil, Dill & other Herbs, Lettuce, Green Beans, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Red and Blue Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Bunching Onions, Sweet Peppers, Jalapenos, turnips, Winter Squashes Red raspberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Apples, Peaches, Nectarines and Chestnuts.
Sharing in the Risk of Crop Failure:
Our goal is to provide members with a bountiful share of produce each week. The variety of produce, however, may vary from week-to-week due to extreme weather, insects, or other production factors despite our best efforts. By joining the Autumn Harvest Orchard CSA, members agree to share the risk of crop failure with the farm. In the unlikely event of a crop failure, our procedure is as follows:
If only a small portion of crops fail, we compensate for the failed crops by filling your share with other crops grown on the farm that are ready for harvest at that time. We may also cover for a crop loss by cooperating with other local farmers who share similar growing practices. Members will be notified if produce from other local farms is to be included in a particular weeks share along with detailed information as to how the item(s) are grown. Members will always receive the full value of their share over the course of the season.
Picking-Up Shares:
Members are responsible for picking up their share each week on their selected day (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) from 12 pm – 5 pm. Adhering to the following rules makes for an enjoyable pick-up day each week:
1. Weekly shares will be packaged in a cardboard box & labeled for each member. Please return the previous week’s box each week, or bring your own bags and leave the box at the farm.
2. Notify the Farm if you cannot pick-up on your designated day, need to do so after hours or are sending someone else to pick-up for you. We start with high-quality produce, and the effects of temperature and weather may cause it to decline if not picked up in a timely manner.
3. Please always respect the farm property, your fellow members, parking lot courtesy and safety. We take the safety of our produce seriously, most of which is freshly picked for members the morning of their pick-up day. For your added protection, wash and rinse all produce before use and keep produce properly refrigerated or frozen as soon as possible.
Member Fee:
By selling membership in advance of the growing season, CSA’s reduce the burden of up-front costs for the farmer. Your membership fees provide a degree of cash flow to purchase seed and fertilizer, repair buildings and equipment & pay weekly labor bills before the season starts. This is a huge benefit to farmers, especially those growing produce, who otherwise have no cash flow & need to work on a budget dictated by the previous year’s harvest during the winter & spring months. This is difficult enough without considering the many unknown expenses that occur each year, especially in terms of equipment maintenance. Your commitment to a share of the upcoming growing season cannot be appreciated enough; as we will strive to provide ultra-fresh produce with all the flavor & vitamin benefits, exposure to different produce items & interesting ways to prepare them, designated farm visits & tours to see how your produce is grown and the development of a relationship with the farmers growing them.
Full payment is required in advance to secure a share. Please register on-line at ”I Agree, Please Sign Me Up”.
A limited quantity of shares is available on a first come first serve basis. Autumn Harvest Orchard CSA is here to serve the community and encourages you to share its bounty with friends, family, and neighbors. We will not facilitate any transfer of the share but it is our policy that anyone can pick up a share for the registered shareholder. All payments and shares are non-refundable.
Share Type:
“Full Share” $650.00 (approximately $31 – $33 / week)
Our CSA season will only feature a ‘Full Share’ option providing produce to feed 4 to 5 people on a weekly basis. Members pre-pay before the season begins supporting the farm during a time of the year when financial help is needed most. Once the season begins members visit the farm once a week (for 20 weeks) to pick up their share of fresh berries, fruits and vegetables picked day. Early Payment Discounts on Full Shares by January thru March 31 up to 4% (Save $26.00) making the full share $624.00 Discounts are only on the payment made within the designated timeframe.
The full share season runs from June through October and will include a wide variety of different produce.
“Half Share” $325.00 (approximately $31 – $33 / week)
Once the season begins members visit the farm once a week (for 10 weeks) to pick up their share of fresh berries, fruits and vegetables picked day. Early Payment Discounts on Half Shares by January thru March 31 up to 4% (Save $13.00) making the half share $312.00 Discounts are only on the payment made within the designated timeframe.
The half share season runs from June 3rd week through August 3rd week and will include a wide variety of different produce.
Contact Us:
Joanne Charon, handles all CSA communication. She can be e-mailed at
JDCharon@comcast.net attention CSA. Upon registration members can also leave a message for her at the Farm Store.
Members will receive weekly email updates that provide important information, updates about farm and other topical happenings related to the season. E-mails are the primary source of important information so it is important that the shareholders read them. Joanne will also attend most pick-up days so you will have ample time for questions or concerns.
By clicking the ‘I Agree, Please Sign Me Up’ button on the Autumn Harvest Orchard CSA Application patrons agree to purchase the membership share and abide by the terms of this agreement. Members understand that, although unlikely, Autumn Harvest Orchard may change parts of this agreement related to production and distribution from time to time. Members understand that they will be contacted via email in advance of any changes.
Thank you for being a CSA member with Autumn Harvest Orchard, LLC we look forward to welcoming you and growing the best naturally grown vegetables, fruits and berries for you and your family.
You can download the Autumn Harvest Orchard CSA Member Agreement.