CSA 2020 starts Tuesday, June 2. This year will differ from previous years in many ways. The first big difference is that your customized share will have a label with your name on it. If you pick up your share at a group site, you must find the box with your name.
If your group site is hosted in a private home, we recommend you provide a cooler with ice packs to receive your share. The cooler must be large enough to close properly with a bin measuring 19 by 13 by 10 inches inside, and it must be clearly labelled with your name. The cooler should be delivered to your group site before 9:00 a.m. on your delivery day and retrieved within the guideline set by the host. Your host is not permitted to keep your share overnight; you must claim it on delivery day. If you know that you will be able to retrieve your share within 15 minutes of delivery notification, you might decide to manage without a cooler. If you cannot pick up on your delivery day, please make a vacation request to put off your delivery that week.
These group sites will receive their shares on Wednesdays: Clifton Townes, Wellness Connection, Latimer Group (formerly McNerney), Great Harvest Vienna, Hutchings Group, Mirra Group, Sonak Family Chiropractic, Romaezi Group, Lansdowne Group, Leesburg Chiropractic, Swenson Group, Reston Group.
These group sites will receive their shares on Thursdays: Olio2go, Herzfeld Group, Montana Street Group, Caputo Group, Arlington/Lyon Village Group, Moomaw Group, Huntington Forest Group, McClure Group, Bishop Group, Hamaker Group, Fontana Group, Musci Group.
These group sites will receive their shares on Fridays: Great Harvest Herndon, Great Harvest Ashburn, Wine’ing Butcher, Broadlands Group.
Farm Pick-up~ please pick up on your scheduled pick up day
If you’re picking up your share at the farm, you must do so on the day you chose when you bought your share as we will be printing customized packing lists weekly based on your preferences. We’ll give you a customized packing list when you arrive. If you don’t remember your day, you can log into your account and check your member profile. Most pick-up members have chosen to come into the market to pack their own box, and you are welcome to do that, following the COVID-19 guidelines noted below. We are also happy to pre-pack your custom box for you and bring it to your car for curbside pick up. If you’d like to have us to pack your box, the service charge is $51 for the whole season. If you do prefer curbside pick up, please email CSA@greatcountryfarms.com so we can add that service to your account and ensure a smooth pick up experience next week.
Home Delivery
If you purchased a home delivery share, your deliveries will arrive every Wednesday, beginning June 3. If you will not be home to receive your delivery, we recommend you provide a cooler with ice packs to receive your share. The cooler must be large enough to close properly with a bin measuring 19 by 13 by 10 inches inside with the ice packs, and it must be clearly labelled with permission for our delivery driver to place your harvest box inside the cooler. If you have special delivery direction for our drivers, please email CSA@GreatCountryFarms.com so we can add those notes to guide our driver at your home.
COVID-19 Precautions
We will be following the guidelines from the Virginia Departments of Health for Phase 1 Reopening and Agriculture for Pick your Own Farms and Individual Markets
Our Pledge to You
- Our Farmhands are trained in CDC guidelines for hand washing and sanitizing and and everyone who handles food — in the field, in the packing barn, or in the market — will wear gloves when working with food.
- When social distancing is not an option and in our buildings, our team will wear a face covering.
- All Farmhands are symptom and temperature checked before each shift.
- Frequently touched surfaces are sanitized hourly during operation.
- We will support social distancing by offering pick-your-own by appointment. These appointments will be available online in the evening, with CSA and Fan Members given first opportunity to schedule appointments.
- We will provide hand washing/sanitizing options before entering the field for our farmhands and PYO guests.
- Will will provide new containers for pick-your-own to ensure a single use for safety.
- Social Distancing will be strictly enforced. We will separate pick your own groups in the field by assigning a PYO area for your reservation time.
- Our CSA Farm Shares will be packed in single-use liner bags, which will be sealed with tamper-evident tape. That way, members can be sure their food has been touched by only the picker and the packer.
Your Pledge to Us
- Social distancing and sanitation guidelines protect you, as well as our other patrons and employees, and you agree to take responsibility for social distancing your family from other groups while visiting.
- If you are sick, have been exposed to COVID-19 in the past 14 days, or have symptoms of COVID-19 (including a fever, cough, or shortness of breath), you will stay at home and will not enter the Farm Market or PYO Fields.
- You will heed VA. Governor Northam’s Mask Mandate and wear a face covering inside our buildings.
- Pick your own will be by appointment and you agree to arrive on time and complete your picking within your reservation time.
- You will wash/sanitize your hands and assist your children in doing so prior to and after picking/packing produce.
- You agree to not sample any fruit in the field to comply with the guidelines from the Virginia Department of Agriculture.
This change is a big deal. It means far less wasted food, both for you and for us. It means you can eliminate unwanted items from your box, and add extras if you like. It means we can add some unusual crops to our growing plan, knowing that people who want them will get them. It means you have an easy way to buy surplus items in bulk, and we have an easy way to sell surplus items. 
