CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, but here at The Boreal Farm, it’s more than just a transaction—it’s a relationship.

By purchasing a share of the harvest ahead of the growing season, you’re not just securing weekly boxes of fresh, certified organic produce. You’re supporting a local, resilient food system—and helping us cover the essential start-up costs that keep this northern farm running: seeds, tools, compost, potting soil, staffing.

In return, we commit to growing vibrant, nutrient-dense food that reflects the best of the season, the land, and the people who care for it. This is food grown with intention.

By joining our CSA, you become part of something rooted, reciprocal, and real. Farming—especially in the North—is beautiful, humbling, and wildly unpredictable. When you sign up, you’re agreeing to share in both the rewards and the risks of small-scale, certified organic farming.

Veggies grow outdoors under wide skies and wild weather: wind, rain, hail, frost, insects, heatwaves, neighboring livestock breakouts—you name it. Farming carves its path through the natural landscape, which makes for meaningful, but sometimes uncertain, work.

The CSA model is built on trust. In good weeks, the boxes overflow. In harder ones, we pivot, adapt, and send what’s thriving. Through it all, we promise to steward the land carefully, grow with integrity, and provide you with the best of what’s growing—every single week.

Weather, disease, pests, predation—any of these can impact crops at any point in the season. In the case of significant loss, we do not offer refunds. But we do plan, diversify, and grow with resilience in mind.

We plant a wide range of proven cold-climate crops and select resilient seed—often saved from past seasons’ toughest plants. We succession plant, irrigate during dry spells, net vulnerable crops, and design for diversity: companion planting, pollinator habitat, and soil-first strategies help us nurture an ecosystem that supports abundance above and below the surface.

We don’t control the outcomes. But we do everything in our power to grow boldly and responsibly, even when the season tests us.

Our Summer CSA Share is designed to feed two to four people, depending on how veggie-centric your meals are and how often you cook at home.

Each week brings a variety of produce—harvested fresh, packed with nutrition, and ready to anchor your seasonal meals. If you cook often or eat mostly plants, you’ll likely use everything. If you travel frequently or eat out a lot, you might consider sharing a box with a friend.

To keep your produce fresh, crisp, and protected, we pack CSA shares into 28-quart hard-sided coolers provided by our members. Each household needs to supply two clean coolers by June 15—one stays with us for packing, the other comes with you each week.

This system helps:

• Keep your food cool and clean while you’re out and about
• Extend shelf life of greens and veggies
• Reduce packaging waste (no plastic bags or wax boxes)
• Make pickups fast, clean, and simple for everyone

Coolers must be:

• Exactly 28-quart capacity
• Hard-sided, with attached lids
• In good working order—no cracks, no missing handles, no exposed insulation
• Clean, dry, and free of food residue or strong odors

Clean it. Swap it. Repeat.
This simple system helps us keep your food fresher and your pickup smoother—while cutting down on waste.

When: Tuesdays from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM, June 24 - August 26, 2025 (not the week of June 30)
Where: The Boreal Farm
How: Show up during the pickup window, bring your 28 qt cooler from last week to drop off, and get ready to bring the north home with you.

We know life can get hectic—but pickup is a key part of the CSA model. It’s not just about veggies; it’s about rhythm, routine, and reconnection. We’re counting on you to pick up your share during the designated time, as we cannot hold or deliver missed shares.

We kindly ask that members do not arrive early, but you are absolutely welcome to walk around the farm and take in the fields while you're here. It’s your chance to see what northern growing, deep roots, and organic stewardship look like in action.

Pro tip: Plan to come right at the beginning or end of the window if you'd like a quieter pickup. Either way, we’ll be here with your share, some dirty boots, and a warm welcome.

We communicate primarily through email, using the address you provide at sign-up—so make sure it’s one you check regularly. This is how we’ll send out important info like pickup reminders, farm updates, and any changes.

Each share has one designated contact person responsible for communication. If you're splitting a share with someone else, you'll need to coordinate between yourselves—to minimize confusion, we work with the primary person on file.

Not unless you’re in training for a veggie-eating championship (and if you are, please send pics). Our shares are designed to be generous—to nourish, inspire, and provide a little extra for preserving or sharing.

We believe in abundance. You might freeze, ferment, dry, or can what you don’t use right away—and we’ll share ideas and tips to help. If the full share feels like more than you need each week, we encourage teaming up with a friend or neighbor to split it. (Just note: the farm doesn’t organize share splits—you’ll handle the details together.)

This CSA is about more than eating—it’s about engaging with the harvest, your kitchen, and your community.

The Summer CSA Share must be paid in full through our website at the time of sign-up. We have split the season into Summer and Fall shares to make it more financially accessible.

Each share represents real costs—seeds, organic inputs, labor, infrastructure. Your payment helps us grow boldly and plan responsibly, knowing we can cover the essentials.

~ in more ways than one! While prices are competitive with locally grown organic produce at grocery stores or farmers markets, a CSA share offers much more than just produce. Each week’s harvest is packed within hours of pickup, which means your vegetables last longer, taste fresher, and are more nutrient-dense.

Your share reflects value in being high-quality food, grown close to home, by farmers you know and trust. You’ll also waste less—CSA members often report tossing fewer wilted greens and forgotten veggies thanks to the just-harvested freshness.

And finally, many members find that their CSA becomes a weekly source of culinary inspiration. Trying new ingredients, exploring the season’s flavors, and building meals around what’s fresh can bring creativity, joy, and surprise back to the kitchen.

While our CSA is the heart of The Boreal Farm, we also sell through other local venues. Why? Because small-scale farms thrive through diverse income streams—it’s good business and long-term sustainability.

CSA gives us a strong foundation. But wholesale, farmstand sales, and other outlets allow us to move surplus, reduce waste, and adapt quickly when conditions shift. Multiple markets = resilient farm = better food for everyone.

We aim to pack identical shares for all members each week. That said, farming is subject to nature’s curveballs—so if we ever have to make a substitution due to a short harvest, we take careful note and do our best to make it up to you in the following week. Our goal is for every member to enjoy the full variety and potential of the season.

The Fall CSA Share is something we’ll decide on mid-summer, based on how the fields are producing. Our goal is to offer an autumn extension of the harvest if conditions support it—but we won’t know until we’re deeper into the season.

Stay tuned via our newsletter or website updates. And know that we’ll only offer a fall share if we’re confident in its quality and value.

This is also available on the product page and is agreed upon at checkout. Please let us know if you have any questions.

CSA Member Agreement

Sow. Reap. Eat. Repeat.

By purchasing a CSA share from The Boreal Farm, you are becoming a member of our CSA program for the 2025 season. We’re thrilled to grow for you and want to be sure we’re all on the same page. Please review the following agreement, which outlines what you can expect from us, The Boreal Farm, and what’s expected of you, as a CSA member.

1. Understanding the CSA Model

By signing up, you acknowledge that CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a shared-risk model. Your early share purchase helps us cover the up-front costs of seeds, tools, staffing, and supplies. In return, you receive a share of our harvest each week throughout the Summer CSA season.

CSA members share in both the rewards and risks of farming. Weather, pests, and other challenges can impact availability and abundance—but we work hard to grow a diverse array of resilient crops, using succession planting, saved seed from hardy past seasons, irrigation, and other ecological practices to ensure a bountiful, beautiful harvest.

2. Share Details

Season: Tuesdays, June 24 – August 26, 2025

(Please note: there is no pickup the week of June 30 due to the July 4th holiday.)

Pickup Time: 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.

Location: The Boreal Farm at 5205 Arnold Road, Duluth, MN 55803

3. Pickup Commitment

You agree to pick up your share at the agreed upon location and time each week—or arrange for someone to pick it up on your behalf (please let us know who to expect). If a share is not picked up, it will be donated to a local charity of The Boreal Farm’s choosing.

Please arrive during the designated pickup window. While early arrivals aren't permitted, you’re always welcome to walk around and enjoy the farm during pickup hours.

4. Cooler Policy

We use a cooler swap system to keep your produce fresh and reduce packaging waste.

You agree to:

• Provide two clean, hard-sided 28-quart coolers by June 15, each in excellent condition (attached lid, working handles, no cracks or exposed insulation).
• Bring a clean, dry, empty cooler each week for your next share.
• Understand that failure to follow the cooler policy may result in forfeiting your share that week.

Benefits of this system:

• Keeps greens crisp and produce clean during transit
• Extends shelf life, even if you’re running errands
• Cuts down on single-use packaging

5. Communication

We communicate primarily via the email address you provide at sign-up. It is your responsibility to check this email regularly for updates, reminders, and important information throughout the season.

Each share is designated to one household or person. Please assign one point of contact who will be responsible for managing all communications, cooler swaps, and pickup logistics.

6. Substitutions

We strive to fill every cooler with the same mix of vegetables each week. If a substitution must be made due to a crop shortage, we track it and will do our best to include that item in your share at a future pickup. Everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy the full range of the season’s flavor and diversity.

7. Refunds and Cancellations

Your payment secures your share and is non-refundable, even in the event of crop failure, missed pickups, or other unforeseen circumstances.

8. Fall CSA

A separate Fall CSA may be offered, depending on field conditions. We’ll notify you mid-summer if and when it becomes available.

9. Payment

Full payment is due at the time of signup and is made through our website.

CSA Is a Relationship

CSA is not a grocery subscription—it’s a relationship built on trust, transparency, and seasonal rhythm. We commit to growing with care, and you commit to supporting the realities of small-scale, local, certified organic farming.

Confirmation

By completing your purchase, you are confirming:

• You understand the nature of CSA membership.
• You agree to the responsibilities listed above.
• You’re ready to Sow. Reap. Eat. Repeat.

Whew! We know that’s a lot—but clear communication helps us grow good food and great relationships. Thanks for reading, and thank you for supporting our work. We’re so glad you’re here!