Winter CSA Options

As people have become more and more concerned with putting quality, healthy food on the table for themselves and their families, and a great effort has been made to learn about the food chain, where our food comes from, and to focus on the benefits of sourcing food locally, CSAs have exploded in popularity. Many farms in the area offer CSAs (the acronym stands for Community Supported Agriculture), and they are essentially a system that allows people to buy fresh, local produce directly from local farmers through a membership or subscription program. Members receive a wide variety of in-season produce, although they do not have specific choice over what they receive.

While most people associate CSA membership with the summer and fall, there are plenty of local farms that offer CSA programs in the winter. It’s a great way to ensure that fresh local produce can still show up on the dinner table, and it’s a great way to support local farmers on a year-round basis. Here are a few locals farms that offer winter CSA programs.

Name: Balsam Farms

Address: 293 Town Lane, Amagansett and 662 Montauk Highway, Montauk

Contact: balsamfarms.com

The winter CSA at Balsam Farms works the same as its regular CSA. Members pay up front to receive a weekly share of Balsam Farms’ produce. Harvesting typically continues through January, and members can expect to receive crops like broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, kale, herbs and more. Greenhouse-grown items are also part of the deal. Balsam Farms winter CSA members can also receive products from their new grain program, including wheat, rye, oats, polenta, dry beans and more, in addition to several jarred items and prepared foods. There are multiple pickup days at both the Amagansett and Montauk locations.

Name: Quail Hill Farm

Address: 660 Old Stone Highway, Amagansett

Contact: peconiclandtrust.org/get-involved/become-a-shareholder

Quail Hill Farm is one of the original CSA farms in the U.S., and is a stewardship project of the Peconic Land Trust located on land in Amagansett donated by Deborah Ann Light. Since it was established in 1990, Quail Hill Farm has grown to 35 acres serving over 250 families. The winter CSA runs bi-weekly from Thanksgiving through the end of February. It includes root vegetables, autumn greens, and salad mixes from the farm’s hoop houses. Winter shares are one size and one price. Pick-up days are every other Friday and Saturday. The farm accepts SNAP payments for its farm shares.

Name: Garden of Eve Organic Farm

Address: 4558 Sound Avenue, Riverhead

Contact: gardenofevefarm.com/csa/winter/

Garden of Eve’s winter CSA is offered from December through March, with pickups on Saturdays. The farm also does delivery to Suffolk County locations on Fridays. Members can expect approximately 15 to 20 pounds of produce per share, all organically grown at Garden of Eve. Produce options include fresh salad greens from the farm’s solar high tunnels and stored items such as beets, rutabagas, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, garlic, butternut squash and more.