What is CSA?

CSA, Community Shared Agriculture, is at the forefront of the local food movement enabling share-holders to participate in a mutually beneficial relationship with farmers. In a CSA shareholders purchase annual shares in exchange for weekly allocations of seasonal produce.

Shareholders are more than shoppers

Shareholders commit to a new model of food production. This model is designed to create stronger relationships between local farms and local families. By purchasing shares in the farm's annual production families help cover the upfront costs of production and guarantee a local market for food before and during its production. Shareholders commit to a whole season or year of farm production by paying for a weekly box of locally produced produce and products in advance.

Community-based farming versus industrial farming

By entering into shareholding agreements farmers invite the community to actively support agriculture. The cheap, often unethical, and sometimes unsafe, production of food (often on the other side of the globe) has given large producers and exporters an unfair advantage. This and other commercial farming practices of the last few decades have placed the family farm in great jeopardy. Shareholders in local farms are a key component of "community shared agriculture." At Taproot Farms, and other small farms across Canada, shareholders are helping to stabilize the local farm economy. They are countering the commercial farming practices that are threatening family farms and farmland. As a result they are also assured of produce that is the freshest-of-the-fresh.

The benefits for shareholders

  • Guaranteed access to a wide range of tasty, high quality, local (organic and non-organic) produce from Taproot and associated farms during all 4 seasons.
  • Membership in a caring, fun community shared food system.
  • Increased ability to incorporate seasonal "100-mile diet" principles into weekly meal plans and lifestyles.
  • Great recipes featuring local produce.
  • Seasonal farm-based events.
  • Improved knowledge of the nutritional benefits of local produce.
  • Being part of the solution and stewards of the land.

What is the guarantee?

At Taproot Farms we are committed to continually improving our agricultural methods to ensure sustainability of our natural resources (water, air, soil, ecosystem), and increase biodiversity and long-term viability of our farm. We believe in providing people with food that is delicious, nutritious and ethically produced.

Is the produce organic?

Taproot Farms use sustainable farming practices, up to, and including Certified Organic. Our guarantee to shareholders is to clearly indicate which products are organic and which are not.

A look inside your weekly CSA box...

CSA boxes prepared for pickup.
Early Spring
mixed greens, mushrooms, peeled squash, apples, sprouts, frozen pesto, sweet cider & more Spring: rhubarb, spinach, greens, radish, asparagus, apples, swiss chard, flowers, stinging nettle, tomato seedlings & more
Early Summer
strawberries, peas, beans, greens, herbs, flowers, zucchini, radish, swiss chard, beet greens, basil seedlings, chives & more Summer: patty pan squash, colourful tomatoes, peppers, okra, egg plant, sweet corn, early apples, raspberries, blueberries, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, peas, greens, lettuce, herbs, cucumbers, zucchini, radish, plums, peaches, sweet cherries, beets, water melon, garlic & more
Fall
all of the summer and the winter combined plus strawberries, raspberries, leeks, napa cabbage, savoy cabbage, pumpkins, corn stalks, gourds
Winter
garlic, squash, apples, brussels spouts, parsnips, pota-toes, mushrooms, onions, apple cider, turnip, cabbage, kale, honey, pickles,jam, apple sauce, frozen pesto, frozen peas, frozen beans, frozen corn on the cob, frozen tomatoes, canned salsa and sprouts

We will be working with farmers to provide shareholders with additonal offerings which on occasion may include meats and eggs. Shareholders will be contacted when these offers are available.

Value-laden deliveries

In the van

Taproot's year begins the first week of April with your first Spring delivery. That week and every week thereafter we will deliver excellent value to our shareholders.

Weekly deliveries will vary based on availability of product. Because Taproot grows produce in greenhouses as well as open fields, you can expect fresh greens earlier in the season. Strawberries and raspberries also come on stream early. At Taproot we also take advantage of Nova Scotia's most abundant months to deliver unique items of high nutritional and taste value.

Your delivery will include recipes for the products included as well as information about upcoming crops and farm activities at Taproot.

Your feedback will be actively sought. Taproot Farms is dedicated to forming a mutually supportive, strong relationship with each of its shareholders.

If you would like to discuss the possibility of a work share arrangement please contact me. The idea would be that you could provide work time on the farm in exchange for a portion of your share cost.

Ways to Receive Your Weekly Food Share

Your share will be available for pick-up one day per week. Pickup locations are as follows:

52 Week Share

Tuesday
  • Halifax - The Grainery, 2385 Agricola 4:30-6:30
  • Dartmouth - 30 Peddars Way 4:45-5:30 (Mon. in the Summer)
  • Halifax - Pre-Arranged Business Delivery
Wednesday
  • Wolfville - Willow Park 4:45-5:15
  • Kentville - Speed Pro Signs 4:45-5:15
  • Port Williams - Taproot Farms 4:30-6:30
  • Kings County - Home Delivery 3:00-7:00
Thursday
  • Bedford - Pre-Arranged Business Delivery
  • Hammonds Plains - Bloom, 1421 Hammonds Plains Rd. 4:30-5:30

26 Week Share

Monday
  • Dartmouth - 30 Peddars Way 4:40-5:30
  • Dartmouth - Hawthorne Elementary School, 10 Hawthorne St. 4:30-5:40
  • Dartmouth - Pre-Arranged Business Delivery
  • Windsor - Oulton's Meat Shop - Chester Road
Tuesday
  • Halifax - The Grainery, 2385 Agricola 4:30-6:30
  • Halifax - Edgewood United Church, 3055 Connaught 4:30-5:30
  • Halifax - Pre-Arranged Business Delivery
Wednesday
  • Wolfville - Willow Park 4:45-5:15
  • Kentville - Speed Pro Signs 4:45-5:15
  • Port Williams - Taproot Farms 4:30-6:30
  • Kings County - Home Delivery 3:00-7:00
Thursday
  • Bedford - Saint Ignatius Church, 5 Bedford Street 4:15-5:45
  • Hammonds Plains - Bloom, 1421 Hammonds Plains Rd. 4:30-5:30
  • Bedford - Pre-Arranged Business Delivery

If you work in an office and have at least 6 people who would like to have a drop off at your office location we will arrange a time to make the drop at your work place. If your work place is in Halifax it will be on Tuesday, if your office is in Dartmouth it will be Mondays, and Bedford area Thursdays.

Pick-up at the farm will be on Wednesday between 4 PM and 7 PM at 1736 Church Street, Port Williams.

To learn more about joining our CSA and enjoying your weekly box of locally produced produce, please contact us.

Share prices and payment options

We offer one share size. We estimate that one share provides for a family of 1-4 people depending on how many vegetables you eat. Please feel free to purchase more than one share if your family requirements are greater.

26 week share
begins June 4, 2010 to November 26, 2011, full year payment: $572.00 or 2 payments of $286.00
52 week share
begins April 9, 2010 to April 2, 2011, full year payment: $1,144.00, or 4 payments of $286.00
Delivery Fee
For shares delivered off the farm there is an additional $3.00 per week.

It is best for us if you are able to pay on the dates listed. This reduces the administration time allowing us to be out in the field. If that is not possible for your family that is fine.

For your convenience we have various payment options. You can pay by cheque or cash. You can pay with Paypal using either your bank account of a Visa card.

If you are starting mid season please go to the registration page and select a delivery location and it will calculate for you the prorated amount owing.

For a 52 week share with instalment payments, please make the first payment on or before February 1, 2010 and the remaining payments on April 1, June 1 and August 1. For full payment on the 52 week share, please make on or before February 1, 2010.

For a 26 week share with instalment payments, please make the first payment on or before February 1, 2010 and the remaining payment on June 1. For full payment on the 26 week share, please make on or before February 01, 2010.