Think of community-supported agriculture, or CSAs, as a form of temporary investment, buying a share of a season’s produce ahead of time as a way of guaranteeing that it will be available come harvest. In the Hudson Valley, many CSAs are new endeavors on old farmland, serving as a bridge between past and present, as well as a form of protection for some of our most enduring traditions. In return for your investment, they guarantee a certain quantity of produce every single week, with a typical focus on vegetables and fruits.
The benefits of organic, local produce simply can’t be denied, and, as compared to products bred for color or size, the heterogeneous and strange-looking often hide a superior flavor.
Every Hudson Valley farm produces its own particular yield, and so each farm CSA is unique. Some focus on the June to October growing season, while others offer additional shares for year-round crops, from root vegetables in the winter to corn in the summer and squash in the fall. Consequently, the means of actually joining a particular CSA is particular to that CSA, though most include instructions and contact information on their website.
Most CSAs operate on a pick-up schedule, with specific times that members can come to the farm, a market, or some other location (a local coffee shop, bar, or restaurant, for instance) and take home their share. It’s a good idea to pick a farm near you, or one that allows for pick-up near to your location.
Albany County
Edible Uprising Farm
Troy
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Edible Uprising Farm offers a summer through fall CSA in the Hudson Valley. Growing over 200 varieties of vegetables, the farm provides members with a plethora of produce all season. Shareholders can choose between a CSA share or a flex share for people who only want specific items. Pickups are every Wednesday or Saturday. Customers living near Troy may be eligible for delivery.
Columbia County
Common Hands FarmÂ
Philmont
Just outside of Hudson, Common Hands Farm is passionate about providing fresh, unique, and high-quality produce to a wide customer base. This CSA prizes permaculture and other regenerative techniques, and grows varieties of lettuce, tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers. Choose from two different share options, with products ranging from spring veggies to crisp winter greens. The farm also supplies to Hudson Valley farmers’ markets, as well as restaurants that are dedicated to buying organically grown, fresh ingredients.
Deep Roots Farm
Copake
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Located in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains in Copake, this 53-acre farm uses 100-percent organic methods. Deep Roots offers a CSA that includes a variety of produce, pickles, ferments, and more. Members can choose between eight different CSA options depending on what they’re looking for. Pickups are weekly at local farmer’s markets across the Hudson Valley.
Hawthorne Valley
Ghent
Established in 1972, this 900-acre farm is USDA certified organic and Animal Welfare Approved. Hawthorne Valley currently provides shares to some 350 members in Columbia County, as well as the New York City communities. Customers can pick up their shares weekly and receive a newsletter with stories from the field and a list of what’s in their share with each pick up.
Liberty Farms
Ghent
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This 600-acre Columbia County farm specializes in regenerative agriculture. Liberty offers a 20-week CSA of vegetables available for pickup across the Hudson Valley. Members can choose between full, medium, and small shares. Egg, flower, and mushroom shares are also available for CSA members. Share prices differ slightly from pickup site to pickup site due to length of travel and administrative fee.
Dutchess County
Obercreek Farm
Wappingers Falls
Located in the hamlet of Hughsonville, Obercreek has been growing sustainable, organic produce since 2012. The farm’s vegetable share is 24 weeks and runs from June to November. Each week, members can pick up their share at the farm store. Customers can choose between small and large shares, depending on how many veggies they are looking to receive weekly.Â
Rock Steady Farm & Flowers
Millerton
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This LGBTQIA+ owned and operated cooperative farm is rooted in social justice and growing sustainable vegetables. Rock Steady currently supplies CSA shares to its Hudson Valley neighbors and New York City communities. The farm offers a 22-week vegetable share. The share includes a diversity of eight to nine items weekly, and generally feeds around two to four people. Rock Steady shares can be picked up at the farm on Saturday mornings.Â
Greene County
Stoneledge Farm
Leeds
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A certified organic farm in operation for more than 20 years, this CSA offers special shares for vegetables, mushrooms, beans, and coffee. The CSA runs 22 weeks from June to November. Customers can pick up their shares from a variety of locations including New York City, Connecticut, and the across the Hudson Valley. A typical share includes items like Swiss chard, broccoli, radishes, bok choy, and more.
Orange County
Bialas Farms
New Hampton
For three-quarters of a century, this family farm has operated on the same land, and focuses on vegetables. A one-time payment in the spring allows farmers to grow and harvest over 100 different seasonal items. Customers receive hand-selected assortments of eight to 12 items with each weekly share box. The farm offers several share packages including a small share, a large share, and a biweekly large share.
Blooming Hill Farm
Monroe
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Since the 1980s, Blooming Hill has sold produce to local restaurants and markets around the Hudson Valley. Known for its eclectic, unaltered and broad offerings, this 100-acre Orange County farm grows and forages over 200 varieties of fruits and vegetables. Blooming Hill offers a market CSA, which allows customers to sign up anytime during the year instead of at the beginning of the season. The market program also provides members with a CSA credit they can use at the farmstand.
Gray Family Farm
Middletown
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This 13-week CSA has weekly baskets of local, fresh produce available for delivery and pickup. Members are provided with an assortment of organic vegetables, grass-fed meats, pasture raised poultry, and eggs, as well as specialty items like honey, maple syrup, and fresh flowers. Off-season a la carte and fresh seafood add-ons are also available.
Choy Division
Chester
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Founded in 2019, this Asian-owned and -operated half-acre farm uses regenerative agricultural techniques to grow East Asian heritage crops. A typical share includes noodle beans, cilantro, Thai basil, bok choy, chili peppers, and more. Each share is accompanied with an email with recipes, preservation methods, and information about the produce. All shares come with six to eight items, as well as in spicy or mild depending on your preference. The spring season CSA runs from June to mid-August, while the fall season runs from mid-August to October.
Putnam County
SPACE on Ryder Farm
Brewster
An early adopter of the organic farming movement, Ryder Farm is one of the oldest continuously held family farms on the East Coast. The farm’s CSA allows community members to select items of their choice each month from the farmstand. The share runs six months weeks from June to November. Choose between a full share for 24 items a month, a partial share for 20 items a month, or a mini share for 12 items a month.Â
The Parcel Flower Co.
Cold Spring
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This wife-and-husband team bring fresh, sustainably grown flowers to the Hudson Valley community. The company offers three CSAs: a $112.50 five-week tulip share, a $40 year-round weekly subscription bouquet, and a $162 six-week share of dahlias. Members can pick up their tulips and dahlias on Wednesdays, and their bouquets on Fridays.Â
Rockland County
Cropsey Community Farm
New City
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This CSA is also a model farm, owned and operated on ancestral farmland by Rockland Farm Alliance. Seasonal produce, as well as flowers, eggs, and cheese, can be purchased during pickup at the farm’s pop-up market. Members can pick from their choice of fresh, organically grown produce, meat, and pantry items. All crops are grown organically with zero pesticides.Â
Threefold Community Farm
Monsey
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Previously the Pfeiffer Center, Threefold Community Farm offers freshly harvested, biodynamically raised vegetables, herbs, and flowers from June to November. Members also receive a weekly email with our list of what’s fresh from the fields, stories from the farm, and recipes.
Ulster County
Tributary Farm
High Falls
This 27-acre High Falls farm specializes in organically grown vegetables, small fruits, and honey. Tributary’s 26-week CSA offers over 40 delicious veggies. Customers can choose what produce items go into their shares each week. Pickup is available on weekdays and weekends. Each share contains greens, alliums like onions, garlic or leeks, root vegetables, herbs, and a slew of flavorful seasonal vegetables.
Solid Ground Farm
Kingston
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Located in Kingston, this family-operated farm offers a certified-organic vegetable CSA. Members will bring home a bountiful variety of in-season vegetables. Solid Ground’s CSA runs for 22 weeks and are free-choice, so customers get to pick the seven to nine items in their share. Shares cost between $600 and $850 depending on the size that customers choose to commit to.Â
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