Delicious Organic Vegetables Since 2001
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Find out below what types of produce come in the shares at different times of the year, and review CSA value in comparison to our Red Fire retail prices, and Chain Store pricing.

Quick Value Comparisons

During one recent summer, we tracked every day’s share contents over the whole season in an Excel spreadsheet, and compared it to our retail prices. We also collected prices from supermarket organic produce. We found….

  • CSA members saved an average of 28% over RFF retail prices
  • CSA members saved 54% over Chain Store organic vegetables

That’s a pretty great savings! Read a more detailed report below.

 

Seasonal Examples of CSA Shares

Folks always ask, what comes in a CSA share? Browse through the pictures of shares we took with a list of contents from our actual CSA harvest lists.

*We recently added Small Vegetable Shares as an option, which will have an average of 6-8 items per share, in somewhat smaller quantities than the Regular Shares described below.

transplanting tractor lettuce starts seeding

Getting the new plants into the ground to grow for the season!

Summer CSA Share Samples

 Week of June 15

Regular Vegetable Share:
2/3 LB
 salad mixCSAWeek4

10 garlic scapes
1 head napa or arrowhead cabbage
1 bunch pea tendrils OR 1 bunch beets
1 bunch dandelion greens
1 bunch spinach or kale
1/3 LB loose spinach
3 bulbs kohlrabi with greens
1 cucumber
2 summer Squash or zucchini
2 heads lettuce

Fruit Share:
1 quart strawberries

Week of July 21

Regular Vegetable Share:
1 LB green beansJuly21-2014csashare
2 field tomatoes
1.5 LBs potatoes
2 LBs summer squash OR zucchini
1 bunch orange carrots
2 heads lettuce
1 bulb garlic
2 bulbs red onions OR 1 bunch scallions
1/3 LB basil
1 bunch cilantro
2 bunches choice of kale OR collards
2 heads broccoli

Fruit Share:
1 pint blueberries

Week of August 12

Regular Vegetable Share:
2.5 LBs
 red tomatoesAug15-2014csashare

2.5 LBs heirloom tomatoes
1 celery plant
1.5 LBs orange carrots
2.5 LBs Ailsa Craig sweet onions
2.5 LBs red gold potatoes
1 bunch Swiss chard
2 heads lettuce OR other bunch of greens
5 green or purple peppers
2 heads broccoli

Fruit Share:
1 pint blueberries
watermelon OR muskmelon

Week of September 9

Regular Vegetable Share:
1 head lettuceSept9-2014csashare
1 LB tomatillos
2 LBs heirloom tomatoes
2 LBs red tomatoes
1 LB sweet peppers
1 bunch cilantro
1 eggplant
1 bunch hakurei turnips
1 head bok choy
2 delicata squash 
3/4 LB braising mix
2 bulbs fennel
2 bulbs white onions
8 ears sweet corn

Fruit Share:
3 LBs Bartlett pears

Week of October 14

Regular Vegetable Share:
3 Lbs
Carola Gold potatoesOct14-2014csashare

1 butternut squash
1 LB eggplant OR peppers
1 bunch collards OR kale
2 heads lettuce
3/4 LB spinach
2 LBs red onions
3/4 LB Swiss chard
2 heads Mei Qing Choy

Fruit Share:
5 LBs Empire apples

A Week’s CSA Share Contents, with RFF Retail Prices Compared to Chain Store Prices

Below we have the results of a price comparison between one week of a Red Fire Farm 20 week Vegetable Share (Regular size) versus purchasing the produce at a chain grocery store.

This is the 14th week CSA distribution for the 2014 season sent to members the week of September 8th. The price comparison below does not include the Pick-Your-Own crops that were available during this week, which included flowers, herbs, cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, husk cherries, hot peppers, tomatillos, raspberries, and more!

Vegetables in the Sept 8th Share Quantity RFF Retail Prices Chain Store Prices
Lettuce 1 head $2.50 $3.00
Tomatillos 1 lb $4.00 $3.99
Tomatoes 4 lbs $13.00 $16.28
Colored Sweet Peppers 1 lb $5.00 $5.00
Cilantro 1 bunch $1.75 $2.00
Eggplant 1lb $3.50 $3.50
Hakurei Turnips 1 bunch $3.00 $3.79
Bok Choy 1 head $3.00 $5.00
Delicata Winter Squash 2 $4.00 $5.70
Braising Mix .75 lb $7.50 $12.00
Fennel 3/4 lb $2.25 $3.00
Onion 2/3 lb $1.32 $1.66
Sweet Corn 8 ears $4.80 $5.00
Total at RFF Retail Pricing Total at Chain Store Pricing
$55.62 $69.92
Average Weekly Regular Share Price for 2017: $32.13

 

As you can see, the savings come out pretty great!

If you were to go to your local grocery store and purchase the same produce as you received from Red Fire Farm, you would be paying $14.30 more than RFF retail, and $37.80 more than the weekly cost of the CSA! That makes this pickup of the CSA a 54% savings over chain stores.

CSA Season Value Compared to RFF Retail Prices:

As an example, for the 2014 season, members paid $27.75 per week on average, or $555 for the 20 week regular vegetable share. We tracked our share contents very carefully that year for the first time. Based on RFF retail prices, the value of the 20 wk regular share contents came out to $710 retail, making the CSA about 28% better deal than buying it all retail through our stands. We aim for a 20-30% discount, so that’s pretty good! And compared to chain stores it would be an even better deal.

While we are growing food locally in one of the most expensive states for land, labor and other costs, we still have to compete with produce from other states and countries.

We think this report shows that beyond the factors of

  • freshness,
  • environmental stewardship,
  • specialty varieties,
  • community-based work, and more

– we have a quality value when compared to supermarket organics!

Notes: Chain store prices based on visits to 2 area supermarkets with organic produce. The share example above is based on what we gave out to one location that week, and each location can have slight variations. RFF retail prices vary over the season and we used fixed prices per type of produce in the spreadsheet for the whole season to calculate the CSA value over the season. Each season is different. Costs and prices go up each year (our share prices have risen since 2014, as have supermarket prices). Calculations don’t include PYO!

How does a weekly Red Fire Farm CSA share compare to other available produce?

  • Average weekly Regular share value: $32.13
  • Average savings of a CSA share compared to Red Fire retail prices: 28%
  • Average savings of a CSA share compared to comparable chain stores: 54%

By joining our CSA program, you’ll get a great deal, and you can be sure that your produce:

  • is harvested at peak freshness
  • is grown with high standards of environmental stewardship
  • includes specialty and heirloom varieties
  • sustains the local economy

Sample CSA Share at RFF Retail Prices v. Chain Store, Week of September 8th. CSA cost for the week is $32.13, RFF Retail is $55.62, Chain Store pricing $69.92. CSA Members Saved $37.80 over Chain Store organic prices.

  • Red Fire Retail Prices
  • Chain Store