Frequently Asked Questions
Joining
What should I know before I join?
How do you compare with services like that offered by Bountiful Baskets?
Can I sign up whenever I want?
If I sign up today, how soon with I get my food?
Do I have to pay for the whole share at once?
Do you have a pick up location in my area?
Can I still get food after my initial CSA share is over?
What happens if I go on vacation?
What happens if the crop is lost?
Can I purchase your food without buying a share?
Why should I invest in a small local farm?
Why join the CSA and not just buy from the farmer’s market?
What are the benefits of joining?
Why should I join your CSA instead of a different one?
What if I’d like to become an investor in your farm? How do I do that?
The Box
How much food do I get each week?
What does a typical box of food consist of?
Will we know what we’ll be getting each week?
How much control do I have over what I get in my box?
What if I don’t like a food that comes in the box?
What if I don’t know how to cook what I get in the box?
What seasons do I get my produce?
How do the veggies compare to the grocery store?
Current Members
How do I change my pickup location?
Can I add on additional weeks later?
Do you have flyers for advertising?
What kind of volunteer work is available?
Can I request something to plant (or not plant)?
Can someone else pick up my box for me?
What if I forget to pick it up?
Can I come volunteer at the farm? Can I trade labor for a CSA share?
HOw do you communicate with CSA members?
Can I give a CSA membership as a gift?
Can I get a refund if I move or am dissatisfied?
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Joining
What should I know before joining?
Before you sign up, please read this from LocalHarvest.org. Please note that we do not offer refunds. If you are interested in “trying it out”, we advise you to sign up for 1 share for 13 weeks. It can always be adjusted later if you decide you would like more weeks or extra shares. If you are unfamiliar with the CSA model, please take a few minutes to research it before you sign up. You can also contact us for answers to any other questions or concerns. Our number is 888.880.8039.
How do you compare with services like that offered by Bountiful Baskets?
We are different than Bountiful Baskets. You may get more for the same price that we charge, but it is not necessarily better. The produce you get from Bountiful Baskets is essentially the same as what you can get at any grocery store. It is not grown locally, though they do offer an organic option.
Our produce is picked fresh each day and travels only a few miles to reach you, as opposed to thousands of miles, across the country or oceans. That means that our food is ripened on the vine and not left to ripen artificially by use of gases in shipping containers as it makes its long journey to your table.
Another difference is that the money you spend on Jacob’s Cove produce goes directly into your community to support local, small business and agriculture, as opposed to propping up big agribusiness. Also, you have opportunity to meet your farmer and know exactly where your food is coming from. You can even visit the farm and see how it is grown. We think all of these things make a big difference and definitely worth the extra cost.
Can I sign up whenever I want?
Yes. We are a year-round CSA, so you can sign up whenever you like. We are unique in this regard.
If I sign up today, how soon with I get my food?
As soon as we receive your payment, we will activate your account. Deliveries begin when food is available to fill your share; usually 2-3 months from the time you sign up. When your payment is processed we will notify you by phone or e-mail and verify where and when you will pick up.
Do I have to pay for the whole share at once?
Yes. Your money goes directly into the farm to produce your food. We offer discounted rates for the 26 or 52 week options, and according to the number of shares you sign up to receive. The more shares you buy and the longer the length of your share determines a larger discount. We can offer these discounts because we require payment upfront. In special circumstances, we can work out an installment plan for the 13 week option.
Do you have a pick up location in my area?
We have pickup locations in Salt Lake, Utah, Wasatch and Summit Counties. Please click here for an updated list of our pickup locations and times, as well as the home delivery days each week.
Can I still get food after my initial CSA share is over?
Yes, but only if you sign up again. We try to let you know when you are down to your last week so you can sign up again to prevent a disruption in your produce boxes.
Do you deliver?
Yes. There is an additional fee of $65 per 13 weeks.
How do I pay?
We accept cash or check. Online we accept echecks. At this time we are not able to accept debit or credit cards. We do not accept food stamps at this time, but we expect to start accepting them soon.
Do I have to donate time?
No, but we love volunteers. If you want to volunteer, contact us and we’ll let you know where and when you can help.
What happens if I go on vacation?
You can defer your share for the time you are away. This can be done by logging into your account online or calling us at 888-880-8039. Please let us know at least a day in advance.
What happens if the crop is lost?
Farming is unpredictable, particularly when no chemicals or pesticides are used. Bugs, weather, and other factors can mean a lost or smaller crop. When a crop is lost, we will still honor the weeks you paid for and roll them over to the next harvest cycle. This is unique to our CSA, as most CSAs do not do this.
Can I purchase your food without buying a share?
During the summer and fall, we sell produce at the Park City Farmers Market on Wednesdays from 12-6pm, and at the Downtown SLC Farmers Market from 8am-1pm. Occasionally we will offer produce for sale from the farm. Call or e-mail us for more info. 888-880-8039 or info@jacobscove.net
Can I come and see the farm?
Yes! We love visitors. Friday is a great day to come by, but if you give us a call so we know when you want to visit, someone can be there to show you around. 888-880-8039
Why should I invest in a small local farm?
When you invest in a small local farm, you are investing in yourself and your community and making where you live a better place. Your support of local farms helps them stay in business, which in turn helps them support their families and employees. The money stays in your community, making it stronger and more sustainable. (Read more here.)
Why join the CSA and not just buy from the farmer’s market?
Our CSA is year-round, so you can enjoy the benefits of locally grown produce even after the farmers market closes for the season. There are more important reasons than that. For one thing, when you join a CSA, you become part of the farm and help support local agriculture and business. Second, it’s more cost effective to join a CSA.
What are the benefits of joining?
The biggest benefit of all is nutritious, locally grown food that is free from pesticides and chemicals. Our food is picked fresh each morning when it’s ripe and travels only a few miles from our farm to you. It is cost effective–you’ll pay much, much more for the same amount of organic vegetables at the grocery store.
Why should I join your CSA instead of a different one?
We are different than other CSAs because we are year-round, offer deferrals for weeks when you have your own garden or are on vacation.
What if I’d like to become an investor in your farm? How do I do that?
We offer a perpetual share called a Founder’s Share that never expires or diminishes in value. It is a chance to take a firm stake in Jacob’s Cove and show your support for local, natural agriculture. Please visit our pricing page for more info or contact us at 888.880.8039.
The Box
How much food do I get each week?
Each week you will receive an average of 7lbs of produce per adult share. This varies slightly according to what is available each day. Some weeks might have more, some might have less. If we have a particularly booming crop, we give you more.
What does a typical box of food consist of?
Each box will have between 5-8 items. A sample box might be: heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, leafy greens, strawberries, and string beans. Some items will be a more permanent feature of your box, for example, tomatoes. Other items will be seasonal, for example, peas and salad greens.
Will we know what we’ll be getting each week?
A weekly e-mail newsletter is sent out on Mondays with anticipated box contents. Daily updates can be found on Twitter and Facebook. However, this is not set in stone and may change according to what is ready to be picked each day.
How much control do I have over what I get in my box?
You will have some control, particularly if you pick up your box at one of our drop-off locations. We won’t make you take an item that you don’t like. Some items will be a more permanent fixture in your box, but there will usually be 2 or 3 other items to choose from each week.
What if I don’t like a food that comes in the box?
We do plant some of the less-popular foods like turnips, for example. If there is a certain food that you don’t like or aren’t able to eat, just let us know. Usually there are several options each week so don’t worry if you don’t like a particular food. We’ll do our best to trade it for another item (if there are extra available), or simply tell us you’d rather not take it that week.
We grow many heirloom varieties of various veggies. Click here to see a list of our produce here.
What if I don’t know how to cook what I get in the box?
Visit our Using Your Food page for links to recipes and other information.
We do! Click here to go to our recipe index.
What seasons do I get my produce?
Year- round.
Which foods are year-round?
The produce grown in the greenhouses is year-round. This includes heirloom and cherry tomatoes, strawberries, beans, kale, broccoli, other leafy greens, squash, cucumbers, herbs, and root vegetables. A lot of what you receive in the summer is the same as what you’ll receive in the fall/winter, with a few exceptions. There will be more leafy greens and winter veggies during the cooler months.
How do the veggies compare to the grocery store?
Our produce is head-and-shoulders above what you’ll get in a grocery store. Our produce retains vital nutrients because the veggies are ripened on the vine and picked fresh each day. They only travel minutes to you rather than days and thousands of miles. Our produce is 100% natural. We never use synthetic chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides on our food.
Current Members
How do I defer a week?
You can do it online within your account, or let us know by e-mail (info@jacobscove.net) or phone 888-880-8039. Please try to let us know at least 24 hours in advance.
How do I change my pickup location?
You can change your location at any time by logging in to your account or giving us a call or sending us an e-mail. You can find pickup locations and times by clicking here.
Can I add on additional weeks later?
Current CSA members should sign up again for additional weeks at least 2 weeks before your current share ends to allow for payment processing time. Payment can be made online, in person, or through the mail.
How do I get involved?
We are always looking for volunteers to help out with picking, pruning and planting. We also welcome help with updating our website and blog. If you want to volunteer, let us know what you’d like to do and we’ll set something up. (Coming soon…volunteer opportunity page.)
Do you have flyers for advertising?
Yes. If you’d like one, just ask us.
What kind of volunteer work is available?
We can always use help on the farm with picking, pruning, planting and other things. We can also use volunteers with experience in graphic and web design, photography, writing articles, etc. If you can think of something that would help out the farm, let us know. We’d love to discuss it with you.
Can I request something to plant (or not plant)?
We can’t make any guarantees, but if there’s something you’d like to see being planted, let us know.
Can someone else pick up my box for me?
Yes. Just make sure to give them the proper information for pickup location and time, and have them tell us your name when they come to pick up.
What if I forget to pick it up?
We know unforeseen things happen. If you forget to pick up, let us know as soon as you can and we’ll work something out.
Can I come volunteer at the farm? Can I trade labor for a CSA share?
Yes. We consider trades on an individual basis. Please call 888.880.8039 or e-mail us at info(at)jacobscove(dot)net if you’re interested. We’d love to talk about it.
How do you communicate with CSA members?
We send out a weekly e-mail newsletter with information about the farm and what will be in the CSA boxes that week. We are also on Facebook and Twitter. For direct communication, call us at 888-880-8039 or send us an e-mail info(at)jacobscove(dot)net.
Can I give a CSA membership as a gift?
Of course! We can’t think of a better gift. Let us know if you’ll be giving a membership as a gift so we can enter in the appropriate contact info for the recipient.
Can I get a refund if I move or am dissatisfied?
We do not offer refunds. This is similar to almost every other CSA. When you sign up, you agree to pay upfront for us to produce your food. That money goes immediately into the farm and is not kept sitting in a bank account. We advise you to sell the remaining weeks on your share to a friend, family member or neighbor. If you are dissatisfied for any reason, please let us know. We value you as a CSA member and want to make sure you are happy with your experience and what you are receiving.
