FAQ'S
WHAT IS CSA?
CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. When you join a CSA you are purchasing the food you eat directly from the farmer who grows it. No distributers, warehouses or flights from South America. Just fresh, local, organic fruits, herbs and vegetables grown by someone you have the chance to meet.

Generally you sign up for a CSA for a whole season, giving the farmer a known market for her or his food. In return, the customer knows the source of their food, receives fresh, local food, actively reduces greenhouse gas emissions and supports the stewardship of the local environment.

WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT THE GROWING WHATCOM CSA?
The Growing Whatcom CSA is a non-traditional CSA. We live in a place where many varieties of fruits and vegetables can be cultivated, and it only seems fair that people living in Whatcom County should get a taste of what our farmers are cultivating. Our farm share program is the only one of its kind in the area, sourcing from several talented growers and food producers at once, each one operating no further than the county line. The Growing Whatcom CSA focuses on giving the customer the very best variety and quality from growers who specialize in different Whatcom County crops.

This cooperative, multiple-farm CSA benefits participating farmers by adding to their sales without burdening them with the many challenges of running independent farm share programs. As the managing body, Growing Washington coordinates and provides an efficient transportation network to collect and deliver their fresh goods to local families. You, the consumer, are provided access to some of the most appetizing local produce and given the opportunity to get to know several farms in your area. Each farmer harvests the food just before pick-up or delivery, allowing us to have it to your table generally within a day of being in the ground. Taste the difference that fresh local organic produce makes!

HOW MANY ITEMS COME IN A BOX?
The typical box will include 12-15 items from a multitude of local farms (more items are available through the Veggie Bomb Share), each offering participating members the best of which the farm has to offer. In addition, members receive newsletters that highlight the activities on participating farms and recipes for one or more items in the weekly box. The food in the CSA boxes varies, and contents follow the seasons. During the 20 weeks of harvest boxes, members can expect to receive as many as 75-100 different products! Many of the food items are unique varieties that can’t be found in stores, and many are standards popular in our region.

CAN I GET ADDITIONAL ITEMS?
In addition to the variety of vegetables, our CSA offers the option of receiving other local products, including locally crafted bread, milk, coffee, cheese, butter and eggs. You may choose to add any one or all of these items to your box either weekly or bi-weekly. When applying to the Growing Whatcom CSA, simply check the box next to your desired option(s). More detailed information about the ‘add-on’ options and the additional costs can be found under CSA Options.

HOW DO I SIGN UP?
Find the "Sign-Up" tab at the top of this page. Click it for easy direction for on-line ordering or to print out a mail-in order form.

WHERE AND WHEN DO I PICK UP MY FOOD?
Pick-up will either be at the Local Food Exchange at 1314 Railroad Avenue in downtown Bellingham between noon and 6pm every Thursday for full-share members and every other Thursday for half-share members.  Or, customers may also pick up at Alm Hill Gardens at 3550 Alm Road just north of Everson between noon and 6pm every Thursday for full-share members and every other Thursday for half-share members. 

June 17th is the first day for all members , full-share and half-share alike.

DO I NEED TO RETURN MY BOX?
Yes. Each week your food will come in a waxed cardboard box. We ask that members return their box from the previous week to their pick up location. Boxes need to be broken down flat and stacked to keep the pick-up sites clean. Customers will be charged $3 (or at least threatened) for un-returned boxes to cover the cost of the box and discourage waste. We don’t want to have to charge for boxes, but they are expensive and it just makes sense to reuse them. So, we ask that our member help us out.

CAN I MAKE SUBSTITUTIONS FOR ITEMS I CAN'T EAT?
Yes, you can. Please let us know before the CSA season starts if there are any foods that you simply can't eat, either because of health restrictions or because you can't stand a particular item. We will do our best to accommodate your requests and are also happy to coordinate special orders or bulk purchases in addition to your regular CSA box if there are certain items that you just LOVE.

WHAT IF I FORGET TO PICK UP?
Generally customers quickly get into the routine of picking up their food boxes each week. However, should you forget to or be prevented from picking up your box, you can call and see if arrangements can be made for pick up at either pick-up location the following day (this is usually no problem—we just hate for you to miss the food at its freshest). You can pay a $10 fee to have the food delivered to your home or place of work the following day provided we have the time to make that delivery. In the event that none of these arrangements can be made, your food will be donated to a low income household in the Bellingham area through one of our food donation programs.

WHAT IF I NEED TO SKIP A WEEK?
If you will be out of town or need to suspend your service for a week for any reason, please call and see what arrangements can be made. Generally, we will donate your food to a family in need through our “Just Food” program or “Small Potatoes” gleaning project. However, we are willing to double your order the week previous to or following the week you need to suspend service. Also, feel free to have a friend or neighbor enjoy your box. If you are going to have them pick it up, let us know so we don't think some scoundrel is trying to eat your food.

Again, please make an effort to let us know a few days in advance that you would like to suspend or re-route your box so that we are able to accommodate your needs as well as possible.

WHAT IF SOMETHING IS MISSING FROM MY BOX?
If something on the list in your newsletter or an add-on you ordered is missing or does not meet your standards, we will apologize and replace it the next week. Please make us aware of any problems as soon as possible.

We anticipate there will be rare occasions when we are slightly short on a particular crop and may substitute it with something similar that is more readily available. For example, a busy farmer may accidently pack up 73 heads of purple cabbage instead of 74, so one person's box will be complete with a head of green cabbage instead. We do reserve the right to substitute varieties in these situations, but please let us know if you are dissatisfied.

WHAT IF SOMETHING IN MY ORDER DOES NOT MEET MY STANDARD FOR QUALITY OR FRESHNESS?
We constantly strive to bring you the best local food possible. All of the food harvested for your box is at the height of freshness. However, if you receive something that does not meet your standards, please let us know. Your feedback will help us provide better service to all of our customers in the future. It will also allow us to make things right with you. Normally, an unsatisfactory item will be replaced the following week. However, if needed, other arrangements can be made.

WHAT CROPS WILL BE INCLUDED?
We are very proud of the wide variety of local, organically grown crops we are able to provide our customers. Follow this link to see the great selection of wonderful food likely to be included in your Growing Whatcom CSA box.