General CSA Questions (23)
In simplest terms a CSA is a way for a community member to invest their money in fresh, local, home grown, seasonal vegetables and have a direct relationship with the farmer that grows their food. This is done through a subscription by purchasing a share of the season’s harvest.
Community members that are interested can become a Member (purchase a share) of the CSA. Members pre-pay for their share of vegetables grown by the farmer. This benefits the farmer by allowing him or her to purchase seed un-indebted to the banks and to plan for the upcoming season.
Community-supported agriculture farms consist of three main aspects:
- An emphasis on local produce
- Community members purchasing a share of the upcoming season’s harvest or subscriptions sold prior to season
- Weekly deliveries to of the subscribers share.
Season length varies upon the time of year and the crops. Generally speaking:
- Spring is 8 weeks long and runs from sometime in late February or Early March through mid-April.
- Summer is 8 weeks long and runs from May 2nd through June 25th.
- Fall is 14 weeks long and runs from middle to late August through late December.
- We do not have a Winter season.
Luckett Farms is located in Central and in Pride Louisiana. We have several plots of land, two are located in Pride, LA near the East Baton Rouge and East Feliciana Parish line and the third at our home in Central, LA,.
We are a local Family Farm working 7 days a week to provide our customers with local, quality, home grown produce for affordable pricing. We currently sell our produce direct to the consumer either through our CSA Program or at the Red Stick Farmer’s Market during the summer season.
Yes and no. The CSA Membership is available to residents of Baton Rouge, Baker, Denham Springs, Central, Gonzales, Greenwell Springs, Prairieville, Pride, Slaughter, Walker, Watson, Zachary.
Each season we have a pre-determined number of slots available. Existing members get first dibs on the next season’s spots. If we still have open slots available we then have open enrollment for new and previous but inactive members.
You’ll need to pay upfront for a whole season but the the weekly breakdown is $25 per week + a seasonal $15 enrollment fee. Home delivery is extra $5 per week.
The benefits to our members is multi-fold:
- Members are guaranteed access to locally grown produce.
- Members get some of the best quality & tasting vegetables they can find.
- Members are directly supporting a farmer and his family.
- Members know the person that grew their food and how it was grown
- Generally CSAs pride themselves on growing foods without harmful chemicals or genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
- They help to preserve a way of life by keeping local farms in business.
- Promoting and directly benefiting regional food security and the safety locally grown vegetables
This is perhaps the most asked question. The best answer we can give is “It varies”. We pick daily so it all depends on what Derek determines to be ripe on that particular day. You will get 7 to 12 different items in your box each week. Some weeks you may have plenty to freeze and some week you may just get a taste. It is all part of farming.
Boxes are delivered to drop-off locations throughout the Baton Rouge area. You can view our CSA Delivery Area and Schedules page for more information
Yes! Our CSA members can choose home delivery as an option. It is an additional $5 a week. The delivery fee for the entire season is paid upfront when you sign up for membership in the CSA. Just select Home Delivery from the dropdown options when signing up.
Sorry but we are unable to accommodate special requests.
Although we aren’t certified organic we have a set of principles that we follow for the health of the land, our family and yours. Please visit our Agricultural Practices page for more information.
A pick-up location is a meeting point where Kacie or one of our great drivers waits for you and other customers for a short period of time to ‘pick-up’ your box from her.
Drop-offs is a location where our drivers drop off a load of boxes and leaves them there for the day. Our members can then come by anytime during a multiple-hour window to get their box.
As a member you are in a very direct way having the farmer work his land for you. So you are in effect sharing the risk that the farmer takes every time he plants his crops. If there is bad weather, blight or infestation that causes either poor yields or even rarer a complete crop failure the entire CSA feels the pain of the farmer and his inability to deliver everything he planted for the season. While these situations are rare they can happen and this is why we ask our CSA members to agree to our terms and conditions of membership. However the inverse is true, if the farmer has a truly bountiful year the members will benefit from it.
We pick daily, it gets packed up and put in our delivery truck either the same day or the next day.
In taste there is no comparison. When comparing our prices to grocery stores, you will find their organic produce likely priced higher and may be of questionable freshness.
Some CSAs have work requirements, we do not. However, CSA volunteers are welcome and can coordinate times to come help, but it isn’t a condition of Membership into the CSA.
We require 14 days notice. But YES you are able to order more than one box. Please contact us via our online form. We will get back to you with a balance due. Once the balance is paid we will start delivering your second box.
We do not offer refunds. A CSA is about commitment to a local farmer and our commitment to you. If you have made a purchase and no longer want to receive your share you can sell it to a friend and inform us of the change. Offer it to a charity or cancel delivery and forfeit your funds.
No, however you can arrange to give it to another family member or friend. If not, we will donate the box to those in need. Regardless of which choice you make please provide us with 48 hours notice for any changes to your weekly pick-up schedule.
We require all Members to pick-up their box weekly. If you cannot make a pick-up you may have a friend or family member get the box for you. Another alternative would be to split your share with a friend. However only you will be considered a Member and payments and pick-ups are your sole responsibility.
Yes, you can split your share with a friend or relative. However, only you will be considered a Member. Payments and pick-ups are your sole responsibility.
That is what friends and neighbors are for. But before you give it away we ask that you at least try it. Past members have thought they did not like something because their only reference may have been a poorly vegetable as a child. Such as steamed Brussel Sprouts.
Of course! The best time to come is on Farm Day. Every summer and winter we have a Farm Day where everyone is welcome to join u s for a little tour. On that day we have activities for the kids as well as a small petting zoo.
If you’re looking for a simple tour, want to talk to Derek about what he is growing and how, do a little field work or just have a look around, you are certainly welcome to visit. Just send us an email and we’ll arrange a time that is good for both of us.
Produce and Storage Questions (5)
No worries, you can request to join our Luckett Farms CSA Recipe Swap Group on Facebook which is often updated either by ourselves or other Members with recipes they have used or check out our Pinterest page.
Often roasting the veggies in the oven with a little olive oil, garlic and a little salt or Tony’s will put a smile to your face. Try it, you might be surprised.
Try a new recipe. Here is one for Beet Cake of all things. It tastes very similar to a sponge cake.
Most of our produce will freeze well. Some may require par-boiling, others not. Too much Kale? Freeze it later for a smoothy.
Dehydrate. Our Members have made some amazing squash & zucchini chips. Some Members brine the slices in a salt and vinegar before dehydrating. Dehydrators are good for more veggie chips too. They make great strawberry fruit leather and more.