Frequently Asked Questions

What is a CSA?

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A CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, is a great way to eat seasonal food with a close connection to the farm growing the food. CSAs provide you the ability to receive high quality, extremely fresh produce grown locally. When you enroll in our CSA, you are purchasing a share of vegetables from One Acre Farm for a season.

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Community: When you enroll in our CSA, you join a community of food-loving adventurous eaters who believe in treating our earth with responsibly and with stewardship. Whether it's connecting with others at pick-ups, or sharing recipes in our online groups, or chatting with other members at our tours or Pick-Your-Own Day, there are many opportunities to engage with this robust community of farm loving folks.

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Supported: This farm would not be possible without YOU, our members. By committing to a season, our farm is able to plan and not have to worry about selling produce already grown - it's already sold, to you! This allows us to just focus on growing and providing you with the highest quality, freshest produce we can!

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Agriculture: One Acre Farm is a robust farm growing Certified Naturally Grown vegetables on 7 acres. We grow beautiful vegetables because we prioritize soil health. Only naturally derived amendments are incorporated into our fields, we plant cover crop on our fallow fields, and apply compost (and make our own compost, too!). Not only does agriculture mean growing methods but also the farm team: One Acre Farm pays, at a minimum, $16/hr (an average of $5 dollars more per hour than similar farms), and works hard to make our operation as efficient as possible, allowing our teams to go home, rest, and spend time with family.

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CSAs are a win-win for consumers and farmers.

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Is One Acre Farm really only one acre?

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In 2010, Farmer Mike started his own farm on one (literal) acre of rented land in in Poolesville, MD. In an homage to his mentors at One Straw Farm in Baltimore, MD and in addition to the reality of the size of his farm, he named his farm, One Acre Farm. In 2018, Farmer Mike and wife, Kristin Protas, were able to purchase the land the farm is situated on now: 34 acres in Dickerson, MD. The farm grows on 7 acres but still has the close-knit feel of that original one acre!

 

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What will be in my CSA share?

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Depending on the size of your share, you will receive 6-8 items (Small Share) or 10-12 items (Full Share). To see what you might receive each season, check out our Veggies page. In your bag, we are intentional to give you a nice diversity of vegetables. For example, in June, you may receive some greens like kale or lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, salad turnips, radishes, potatoes, and beets.

 

A good image to think of is a Full Share is two grocery bags of veggies; Small Share is one grocery bag.

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You're always welcome to sign up for a certain size and after trying it out for a bit, upgrade or downsize to a different share.

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If you're trying to figure out what size to get, think about how many vegetables your family normally eats. We have members who are in a household of two (or one!), yet they love veggies so much that they get the Full Share. For those who cook with veggies a bit less, a Full Share is perfect for a family of four or more; a Small Share is great for families 1-3 people.

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Another note: If either of these options feels like too much, we encourage people to share with another family and split the cost. For example, one family can pick up one week, the other family the next (alternate weeks).

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What is Certified Naturally Grown (CNG)?

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CNG is a transparent, inexpensive, rigorous and thorough certification that is well suited for small-medium sized growers, like One Acre Farm. The certification process is a peer-review, which prevents oversight, as well as keeping costs low. CNG farmers don’t use any synthetic herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, or genetically modified organisms. CNG farmers are also focused on preserving and improving soil health and conservation.

 

It's a great groundwork movement that is affordable for farmers and trustworthy for customers. To learn more about this great program, check out their site.

 

 

What makes One Acre Farm different from other CSAs?

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One Acre Farm's CSA members get the best produce the farm has to offer. Every week. You are our priority.

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We're the real deal. As a CSA member, you are an informed consumer and truly eating seasonally and locally. Education is one of Farmer Mike's top priorities, and you'll be privy to all the happenings on the farm through our newsletters, tours, and social media presence. This CSA is completely transparent. You can trust One Acre Farm knowing you are getting exactly what you have signed up for as well as complete honesty about the farm, how we're growing, the challenges the farm faces, and its successes. This is the real deal. Be part of the farm's future. You make this farm possible.

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Our Pick-Your-Own Day is an extremely popular perk for our members. Right before Thanksgiving, CSA members are invited to the farm to pick the bounty from our fields. This is a way for us all to share in the success of the farm, which our CSA members have made possible. It's a celebration of the farm and your support!

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As a CSA member, you get access the goings on of the farm and also, wonderful recipes that you can use your share vegetables for. And, helpful storage tips for keeping your vegetables fresh and long lasting.

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One Acre Farm, in addition to growing with sustainable and transparent practices, is committed to creating a safe and healthy work environment. The farm pays its team at least minimum wage, $16/hr. That's $6 more per hour than other farms of comparable size.

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We also offer payment plans in which you can pay in installments. If you require more payment options, email us and we would be happy to work something out!

 

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What if I can't make my pick-up?

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Depending on your pick-up location, we can leave your bag for you to pick-up after the time window. However, if you pick up at a business with operating hours, like 7 Locks Brewery, you will need to arrange for someone else to pick-up your bag as the business cannot extend their hours. If no one picks up your bag at a business location, the bag goes to the business' employees.

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Please email us at least by 2pm the day before pick-up to coordinate an alternate pick-up time or inform us you will be unable to pick up that week. If you cannot pick-up that week, your share will be donated.

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I want to skip a week - can I?

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You sure can. Log in to your Farmigo account and set a delivery hold for the week you would not like a share. 

 

When you choose to skip a week, you will be issued a credit at the end of the year that can be applied to purchasing the next season's Summer and/or Fall CSA share. We include the Winter CSA in the year it begins, so Winter CSA 23-24 is considered part of 2023. Unfortunately we cannot accept credits towards the purchase of a Winter share due to the costs of running this CSA. You are allowed 1 skipped week per calendar year.

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• So, if you sign up for the summer share only you get 1 skipped week.

• If you sign up for the fall share only you get 1 skipped week.

• If you sign up for both summer + fall then you get 1 skipped week.

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You can certainly skip more if you will be away, but we can only offer credit for 1 skipped week for the total of the calendar year. 

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We do not issue refunds or make-up dates for skipped weeks.

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Should I wash my veggies?

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YES!! We advise that all of our CSA customers wash their vegetables before eating and cooking with them. We wash most of the vegetables we send out to you and have a series of steps we go through to ensure cleanliness. We have written a Food Safety Plan in accordance with GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) regulations and we use a sanitizer solution in our wash water. Our staff is trained on handwashing and cleanliness and we never use anything that has hit the floor.

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However, we cannot ensure that all the soil and potential germs are gone by the time it leaves our farm. Please wash your produce before eating or cooking with clean water - for your safety!

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Are there opportunities to volunteer or visit?

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Yes! We hold tours twice a year, one in the Spring and one in the Fall. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the invitation. We do a farm walk with Farmer Mike to learn about more our growing practices and how the farm runs on a day to day basis. We also often have local catered food and fun activities for kids, and those young at heart. 

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We don't unfortunately have a good set-up for volunteers at the moment. Our CSA schedule is rigorous and we sadly don't have the time or person-power to train new folks on a regular basis. However, members do get the opportunity to come harvest on our Pick-Your-Own Day each November!

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