Overview
Upper West Side CSA
at Rutgers Church
Sign-ups for 2025 are OPEN!
IMPORTANT: Our egg share policies have changed this year, including a limit of 1 egg share allowed per household. Please read our full update below before placing your order.
Overview
Join us on the Upper West Side of Manhattan at the Rutgers Church CSA! All are welcome. CSA members receive our farm’s freshest certified organic vegetables weekly from June through November. You can join for the full season, or for a partial season (Summer or Autumn). Eggs and fruit are available, too! We also have payment plans available, and discounted shares for members paying with SNAP/EBT.
Have questions that aren't answered here? Check our FAQ page!
What's in a vegetable share?
At each pickup, you will receive about 5 types of certified organic vegetables grown right here at Hearty Roots Farm. Members will get an email the day before pick up to let them know what will be in that week’s share.
Each week we harvest a balance of our organic salad greens, root vegetables, cooking greens, herbs, and other seasonal produce (like tomatoes or peppers in the summer, and winter squash in the fall). You can see a full list of what we’re growing this year here.
The shares at this CSA site are designed for small households, with fewer vegetables (and a lower price) than many CSA shares. If you cook a lot, or have a larger household, we suggest that you purchase two shares.
What are in the add-on egg and fruit shares?
The egg shares come from our own Hearty Roots pasture-raised hens! If you add an egg share to your order, you can choose to get a dozen or a half-dozen eggs each week. Our hens live out on the pasture, foraging in the grass, which gives their eggs amazing, nutrient-rich orange yolks. Read more about our eggs here. ​
A Note about 2025 Egg Shares
Due to concerns about and supply challenges related to avian flu, we are implementing two new policies for egg shares this year:
​
1. SIGN-UP LIMIT:
At this time, we are limiting egg share sign-ups to 1 egg share per household. Please do not add more than one egg share to your order. If you order more than one egg share, that portion of your order will be cancelled and processing fees will not be refunded.
Why?
Every spring, we get a new flock of young birds to replace older hens. This year, securing new birds for the farm is as difficult as finding reasonably priced eggs on grocery store shelves! Our order of young hens for April has been delayed until May, but if that delivery is cancelled, we will have far fewer hens this year than usual. So for now, we are limiting egg share sales. If our new hens arrive in May, we will be able to open up more egg share sign-ups at that time.
​
2. RISK OF AVIAN FLU:
Community Supported Agriculture is a model built on mutual support and the idea of shared risk and shared reward. This year, one of those risks is the chance that we could lose our entire flock of laying hens to avian flu. We hope that doesn't happen, but if it does, the money paid upfront for your egg shares will be critical in helping us rebuild our flock for next season! So here’s the deal:
​
Shared reward: CSA members will get eggs at a much lower price than what you're probably seeing at your local grocery store.
​
Shared risk: If we do lose our flock to avian flu, and we have to stop providing egg shares, members will have two options: 1) consider the payment made for your egg share to be a contribution to the farm to help us rebuild our flock (no refund at all) or 2) receive "farm credit" for the value of your egg share, which is an account credit that can be applied to any future CSA share you sign up for with us in the future.
​
We will not be providing refunds to your original payment method for egg shares. If you are not comfortable with this policy, we suggest that you forgo an egg share this season. Thank you for understanding!
Fruit shares include one fruit item per pick-up (for example, a basket of blueberries, or 6 apples, or 5 large peaches, etc.). We source the fruit from a handful of orchards and fruit growers in the Hudson Valley.
​
Fruit availability varies from season to season. In summer you can expect peaches, blueberries, pears, nectarines, raspberries, cherries, and plums. In the fall, the share includes many varieties of apples, pears, cider, and more!
While we source organic fruit when we can, there are very few certified organic fruit options in the Hudson Valley. Most of the fruit is grown conventionally, by farmers we know and trust.
Logistics
The CSA distribution takes place on:
Wednesdays from 3:30pm–8:30pm,
in the lobby of Rutgers Church
236 West 73rd Street, between Broadway and West End
​
Shares are pre-packaged in reusable tote bags. Please return your empty tote bag at the following week’s pick-up so we can clean and re-use them for your next share! Eggs and fruit shares will be set out separately.
Schedule
The 2025 full harvest season runs from June 4th to November 19th. ​Members can choose to sign up for a Full Season share, or for just the Summer or Autumn Season.
There is one holiday week this season when no shares will be delivered: the week of July 4th (Wednesday, July 2nd).
​
In addition to that one pre-arranged holiday week, members may choose up to 2 additional "vacation" weeks each season (for a total of 4 vacation weeks for Full Season members), to make sure the CSA schedule fits your personal schedule! When you claim a vacation week, your pick-up for that week is cancelled and you receive an account credit for the value of your skipped share (veggies, eggs, and/or fruit), which can be put toward your next CSA installment payment or CSA purchase. (Vacation week claims must be submitted at least 3 days before your scheduled pick-up.)
If you miss a pickup or choose to skip a week without notice, the share will be donated to someone in need through Rutgers Church. No food is wasted!
The 2025 dates for each season are as follows:
​
-
Full Season Share (24 pickups)
-
June 4th through November 19th
-
No pickup on July 2nd
-
-
Summer Season Share (12 pickups)
-
​June 4th through August 27th
-
No pickup on July 2nd
-
-
Autumn Season Share (12 pickups)
-
September 3rd through November 19th
-
​​
Click on the calendar graphic to see a larger version.
​
A downloadable .ics file of your schedule, which you can import into your calendar of choice, will be provided in your welcome material.
Volunteering
Members of the 2025 Rutgers Church CSA with Hearty Roots Farm are required to volunteer to help with Wednesday pick-ups for one shift each season that you are receiving shares. Volunteer shifts take place on Wednesdays during regular pick-up hours, in the lobby of the church at 236 West 73rd St. Everything will be arranged when you arrive; there is no set-up or clean-up involved. Volunteers make sure names are crossed off the check-in list correctly and help keep pickups running smoothly. It’s easy, and fun to meet other CSA members! If you have children, they are welcome to accompany you.
The link to sign up for your volunteer shift is coming soon. Please sign up for one 75-minute session during each season that you are receiving shares. Full season members should choose one slot in each season (Summer and Autumn). Please enter your name in a slot from those available, then keep a record of the date(s) and time(s) you’ve selected. Note: SignUp does not share your email address with anyone. Please be sure to list an email address you check regularly, and also provide a cell phone number. In the event you are not able to keep your scheduled slot, please arrange for a family member or friend to volunteer as we are not able to arrange substitutes.
​
Upper West Side at Rutgers Church CSA 2025 Prices
Full Season Vegetable Share | 24 weeks |
$25.50/pick-up ($612/season)
Partial Season (Summer or Autumn) Vegetable Share | 12 weeks | $27/pick-up ($324/season)
Egg Share | $8.50/dozen or $5/half-dozen
(For Full Season Shares: $204/season for a dozen eggs, $120/season for half-dozen)
(For Partial Season Shares: $102/season for a dozen eggs, $60/season for half-dozen)
Fruit Share | $8/pick-up
($192/season for Full Season Shares, $96/season for Partial Season Shares)
Annual Membership Fee (Required) | $15
(See below for more information.)
Vegetable and fruit shares are available at a 50% discount if you are paying with SNAP/EBT!
Membership Fee
An annual membership fee of $15 is required for all members of this CSA (members using SNAP/EBT are exempt from this requirement). This money helps keep your local CSA running! These funds are used by the Rutgers Church CSA core organizers for various materials and expenses that arise over the course of the season.
This membership fee is required in order to join this CSA. UPDATE FOR THIS YEAR: Your membership fee will be automatically included when you add a vegetable share to your cart! You will see it as an added fee during checkout.
​
Members who sign up for a SNAP CSA share are not required to purchase a membership fee.
​
Please reach out to csa@heartyroots.com if you have any questions.
Payment Options
Pay in Full
We appreciate your full payment to help the farm cover all the costs of growing the vegetables at the beginning of the season!
Pay in Monthly Installments
A non-refundable deposit is due on sign-up. The remaining monthly payments will be processed on the first of each month during the season.
​
-
Vegetable Shares
-
Full Season: $120 deposit (+ $15 membership fee)
-
Partial Season: $60 deposit (+ $15 membership fee)
-
-
Egg Shares (Dozen)
-
Full Season: $39 deposit
-
Partial Season: $19.50 deposit
-
-
Egg Shares (Half-dozen)
-
Full Season: $21 deposit
-
Partial Season: $12 deposit
-
-
Fruit Shares
-
Full Season: $36 deposit
-
Partial Season: $18 deposit
-
​​
Your monthly payments will depend on when you sign up and when you start picking up your shares. Email us at csa@heartyroots.com if you would like a detailed payment schedule, or if you have any questions.
Pay with SNAP/EBT
You can now pay for your CSA share with SNAP/EBT! SNAP Vegetable and Fruit Shares are offered at a 50% discount thanks to the CSA is a SNAP program and supported by the generosity of our members. Click here to learn more and for detailed instructions on how to sign up for a SNAP share.
​
Sponsor a Share!
We also invite you to contribute to our Mutual Aid Fund, to help us share our produce with members of our community who can’t otherwise afford it. You can add a contribution to your cart while signing up for your share, or click here to learn more.
Cancellation Policy
If you paid in full, you can cancel your share at any time with a week's notice. You can choose to have a credit issued for a future CSA or Farm Market purchase; or receive a refund for the value of the shares remaining in the season less processing fees.
If you pay with installments, you can cancel your payment plan at any time. The installment payments already made are non-refundable, and your cancellation will take effect at the beginning of the next month.
Ready to join? Here's how you sign up!
Sign up for your share in our GrownBy shop here! Or if you are using SNAP/EBT to purchase your share, sign up here. We use GrownBy for our CSA share sign-ups. We love GrownBy for two reasons: it allows you to manage your own account, check on your pick-up schedule, and gives you the option to change pick-up locations and dates. Also, the software is designed by a farmer-owned cooperative that was founded by Hearty Roots’ own Lindsey Lusher Shute! It works great as an app from the Apple or Android app stores, or can be used in a web browser.​
If you purchased a share from us last year, you should already have an account set up. If you are a new member (welcome!), you will need to create an account as part of your purchase. Once you are logged in, you will be able to make all of your selections before checkout. If you have any questions or need any assistance, please contact us at csa@heartyroots.com.
If you sign up after the season has started, please note that we have a 3-day order cutoff window (so sign up by Wednesday night to pick up that same Saturday). If you have any questions or need any assistance, please contact us at csa@heartyroots.com.
​
Do you want to give a CSA share as a gift? Please email us at csa@heartyroots.com if you would like to give a share as a gift. We will help you set up your order, and we'll send you a gift certificate that you can give to your loved one (or a digital version that you can email them or print out at home). After the gift has been given, we will work with you to set up your gift recipient's member account and welcome them to our CSA.
​
Thank you for supporting our farm and the Rutgers Church CSA!
​