CSA FAQ
Steve and Kath holding giant heads of red leaf lettuce
HighCross Farm CSA Frequently Asked Questions:
Where are the current drop-off sites located, and when are the boxes delivered?
Deliveries are made late afternoon to early evening, every Thursday, for 20 weeks, from Thursday, June 17 through Thursday, October 28. Delivery times are targeted times and may occasionally be delayed due to traffic or other unforeseen problems. The times and locations are subject to change.
We are adding more new sites all the time. We are especially looking for a drop-off site on the east side of Milwaukee near Downtown; also looking for a site in SW Milwaukee County near I-894. Let us know if you would consider helping with delivery and/or hosting a drop-off site.
Boxes should be picked up within an hour or two of drop-off, for optimal freshness, and to make it easier for our drop-off site hosts.
Please be careful to instruct anyone picking up your box to take the correct size box; the size is printed on the side of the box - the small is the 5/9 bushel, the large is the 1 &1/9 bushel. They are not interchangeable.
Drop-off times as of June 17, 2010:
HighCross Farm – W2292 Rustic Dr. – 3:00 PM
Kewaskum - 1121 Fond du Lac Avenue - 3:10 PM
West Bend – 300 Ryan Court - 3:20 PM
Grafton – 1750 12th Ave - 3:45 PM
Mequon - 3329 Riviera Court - 4:15 PM
Whitefish Bay - 5801 N. Bay Ridge - 4:45 PM
Shorewood – 4309 N. Farwell Avenue - 5:15 PM
Milwaukee East - 1920 E. Newberry Boulevard - 5:40 PM
Bayview - 309 East Howard - 6:00 PM
Menomonee Falls Downtown- N88 W16752 Main Street - 3:50 PM
Menomonee Falls/Brookfield (NW) – N52 W17154 Ridgewood Drive - 4:35 PM
Wauwatosa – 2564 N. 80th Street - 4:35 PM
Brookfield (SE) – 12665 Cardinal Crest Drive - 7:00 PM
New Berlin - 16830 W. Hearthside Drive - 6:30 PM
City of Waukesha - 2019 Wolf Road - 5:00 PM
Waukesha/Delafield Area - N5 W29116 Venture Hill Drive - 5:15 PM
Sussex - N83 W25944 Spring Hill Blvd - 6:00 PM
Slinger - Hwy 60 at Hwy 41 at the Uptown Motors Auto Dealership - 6:15 PM
Eagle/Mukwonago/Palmyra - Contact us for exact time
Ashippun (SE Dodge County)- N1301 State Road 67 - Contact us for exact time
Eden - 5:00 PM
City of Fond du Lac - 254 Ledgeview Avenue - 4:00 PM
Plymouth - 101 Mead Avenue - 4:30 PM
Sheboygan Falls - 343 Prospect Avenue - 6:00 PM
Possible future drop-off sites:
Fond du Lac County - Oakfield, North Fond du Lac, and St. Peter
Dodge County - Horicon, Theresa, Lomira, Iron Ridge, and Mayville
Jefferson County - Watertown
Milwaukee County - Sherman Park, Lower East Side, and Southwest
Ozaukee County - Cedarburg and Port Washington
Sheboygan County - City of Sheboygan and Random Lake
Washington County - Jackson, Germantown, Hartford, and Allenton
Waukesha County - Delafield, Hartland, Oconomowoc, and North Lake
Loading up several of the delivery vehicles
How much produce is in the box each week?
The amounts listed below are the weekly average over the entire season. There is less in the box at the beginning of the season; the amount and variety of items steadily increases as the season progresses.
Small Share: Averages about 7 items each week over the course of the season; about ½ of a paper grocery bag. For the one or two person household or the veggie lite household.
Large Share: Averages about 10 items each week over the course of the season; about 1 paper grocery bag. For the typical family of 3 to 5 or two people who are vegetarians.
What types of produce are in the box?
Please refer to the list of produce on the CSA page. We try to include fresh culinary herbs in the box on a regular basis.
The variety of produce changes somewhat as the season progresses. Some crops grow best in cool weather, while others grow best when it is hot - therefore some of the spring crops which drop off for the summer will be back again in the fall.
The first crops to ripen in spring include spinach, radishes, green onions, kohlrabi, baby beets, lettuce, arugula, and other salad ingredients. We try to include lettuce in every box, weather permitting. Strawberries and raspberries will be included several times.
During July, there will also be carrots, green beans, broccoli, cabbage, kale, zucchini, sweet spanish onions, swiss chard, and various asian greens for stir fry and salads.
In August, there will also be new potatoes, tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, and cucumbers.
In September there will also be muskmelon and watermelon, eggplant, and the first of the winter squash.
In October, there will also be brussels sprouts, cauliflower, turnips, rutabaga, sweet potato, and parsnips; also a return of spinach.
And interspersed throughout the season, we will be including some new and unusual items to broaden your palate.
Getting everything ready to pack into the boxes
What if members are out of town on a Thursday or cannot pick up their box for some reason?
Whereas we would like to accomodate members for those times, it just gets too complicated on this end. We ask that CSA members make pick-up arrangements with a friend, family member, or neighbor who might like to taste what the members have been enjoying all season. If members cannot find anyone to pick up their box, we can have it donated to a food pantry or a family in need.
What about the waxed box into which the produce is packed?
These boxes work great with the produce, which at times can be wet - the boxes don't get soggy and fall apart. But they cannot be recycled like ordinary cardboard boxes, because of the wax coating. However, they CAN be used over and over as long as they are taken care of by the CSA members and returned each week to the drop-off site.
Important note for CSA Members: there is a proper versus improper way of opening the box. Note that the top flap which is tucked in has a crease in it; simply use both hands to gently squeeze this flap so that it pops up along the crease and eases out of the flaps into which it is tucked, rather than just pulling up at the center of the flap - that way none of the flaps will be torn.
If desired, the whole box can be collapsed, for ease in transport, by turning the box upside down, and in a manner similar to the top flap, gently squeeze each bottom flap so that it pops up along the crease and eases out of the flaps into which it is tucked. Once you have learned how to do it correctly, it is very quick and easy to open and/or collapse the box. But once any of the flaps are torn, the box does not hold together very well and will likely have to be discarded - expensive and wasteful.
Please carefully instruct those in your household and anyone picking up your box how to open and knock down the box.
Important Drop-off Site Reminders
Please be careful to instruct anyone picking up your box to take the correct size box; the size is printed on the side of the box - the small is the 5/9 bushel, the large is the 1 &1/9 bushel. They are not interchangeable.
Check your name off the list; if it is not on the list, a mistake has been made somewhere.
If your box is NOT there, please do not take any other box; please call the farm first, and we will try to figure out what happened, and see to it that you do get your share.
Do remember to protect and return your box each week.
If you can, please break your box down, without tearing the bottom tabs (it is similar to the way you open the top - just pinch the bottom side tabs until they ease out of the slots into which they are tucked). That way, there is less bulk and clutter at the home of your drop-off site host.
Thanks!
