Eating with the Seasons

My husband and I prepaid a year in advance for this CSA. After two weeks, I discovered that we were having a hard time eating all of the food. I asked to be moved down a slot to receive fewer vegetable, gave my explanation, and was told that I would have to "deal with it" and that (despite their supposed waiting list) "we never give refunds". This also applies to food that you find rotten or disgusting, although if you manage to taste or see the bad food WITHIN 24 HOURS, they will at least give you an extra food item the next week.

Multiple recipes were postponed or ruined over the course of the year because of mistakes in the orders, bad food (I once opened a bag of nectarines, but found four moldy lumps instead!), and underripe items. Unless you report this within 24 hours of delivery, you are out of luck, and if you do report it in time, the best they will give you is an extra item the next week, which means you are under-delivered one week and over-delivered the next. The phrase "two wrongs don't make a right" comes to mind.

When I did call to complain the woman running the CSA was bitter, argumentative, and downright rude. She would argue that oranges left on the counter will ripen even if they are mostly green (they won't and didn't) and refuse to give me a refund or extra item the next week. Sometimes I would just toss the problem food and forget about it rather than have to deal with her attitude.

Along with everything else, the food is not actually local, much of it being shipped in from as far away as Orange County, and the selection is mediocre at best, with very few unusual or interesting veggies and a small selection of your standard fruit.

Save your money for visits to the farmers market. This CSA is NOT worth it.