Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
At our farmstand, we offer a CSA program. Here are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. Shares are paid for prior to the start of the season. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka membership) and in return receive a box of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.
A Riverside Farm CSA is different than the typical CSA. As a member you get to choose which CSA items you want and how much you want anytime during our normal business hours. We are open 9am to 6pm, 7 days a week. Our CSA is also different than a typical CSA because we include many items not normally available through a CSA such as Chicken Pot Pies, Bedding Plants and so much more... Anything we sell at the Farm Stand, perishable or nonperishable, is included in the CSA.
There are two different amounts of share that you can purchase: a full share which is $500, and a half-share which is $250. An extra $25 will be added to all full shares and an extra $10 will be added to all half-shares free of charge. This program starts when we open, and ends on October 31st. Credit that isn't used can be rolled-over into the next year as long as another share is purchased.
CSA shares are purchased in the winter months, and help our farm because they allow us to receive payment early in the season. We generate very little income at the beginning of the year and face significant start up costs for the season.
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Senior Farmshare Program
In Maine, there is a program offered for seniors where they get $50 of credit to use at local farms. We are a participating location for this program.
Requirements for this program for 2014:
-Must be at least 60 years old
-Must live in Maine
-In a two-person household the income must be under $29,101 per year. If living in a one-person household, income must be under $21,590 per year.
People involved in the Farmshare program recieve a $50 credit that they can use toward our own or locally grown fruits and veggies. The credit can start being used on June 1st, and must be used by October 31st. If you do not use all of your $50 credit, it does not roll over into the next year.
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