The cost. I hate to hit on this in the beginning, but it sets the stage for our mild disappointment. This is not a super expensive CSA, but it is also not cheap - $475 for a half share. For what we paid, we could have bought exactly what we wanted every week at the farmer's market. I love trying new things, but had we just set aside $30 or so per week, we could have gotten what we wanted, including fruit (which we didn't get with our half-share) and been completely satisfied. As it was, we still hit up the farmer's market nearly every week hoping to get the stuff we didn't.
The quality of the produce was generally good. Somehow, though, our pick-up site tended to have less variety than the newsletter said would be coming. There were things we never got and then things like scapes and chard and jalapenos we would get for weeks in a row. I love stir-fry as much as the next girl, but baby beets or broccoli raab would have been a welcome change. We also never saw flowers, except once there may have been some zinnias, but I can't remember.
The volume of produce seemed to be lacking, rarely filling more than half a reusable bag, even when winter squash came on. We kept being told that there would be more next week, but even in the end we felt the helpings were a bit anemic. The portions of individual items were often so small we could only steam and toss with olive oil or throw into the big pot of stir-fry. I will say, though, we got basil nearly every week, and if I was more creative with basil, that would have been awesome.
Our farmer seemed very committed to providing good quality stuff, and it was super local. I thought the service was great and if we missed a week, we'd just double up later.
We may just be jaded, having enjoyed the bountiful fruits of our community garden for the two preceding years. Participating in the CSA did take some of the stress out of trying to eat fresh, local foods and balancing life, and we like supporting our farmers. We will be trying a new farm this year and hopefully it will serve our needs better.