PRICING + PAYMENT

1. Purchase a share via GrownBy and select your pickup location. (If you choose to pay by check for the full season, you'll receive a free Choy Commons hat as a token of our thanks!)

2. Check your email for our Membership Agreement and other introductory info! (Note: Your membership will be pending until we’ve received your Membership Agreement.) 

3. Pick up your share every Thursday from your chosen location. Don’t forget to BYO totes!

4. Send us pics of what you’re cooking @choycommons, and look out for updates on our favorite recipes, share add-ons, and more.

CSA (community supported agriculture) programs have historically provided a direct connection between community members and farms. CSA members pay for a season’s worth of vegetables up front, giving farmers some financial security to cover costs like seeds, equipment, and labor, and in return they receive a “share” of vegetables throughout the season. 

Buying a share of our vegetable club gives you access to delicious, locally grown Asian vegetables while empowering farmers to be in control of the mechanisms of our own production. You'll play a vital role in building a community-led food system, support young Asian farmers, and continue a legacy of committed reciprocity between farmers and community. You’ll have confidence that the food you’re eating is restoring our soil, farmed in reciprocal relationship with all living beings who share our ecosystems, and that your purchase provides fair wages to farmers. 

Every share will include a seasonal selection of Asian veggies and herbs. Pick up will be market-style—meaning you’ll bring your own tote bag and select one portion of each item for the week from our harvest crates, with a designated portion per item.

In June, a typical share might include fava greens, celtuce, hakurei turnips, chonggak radish, shiso, cilantro, thai basil, baby shanghai bok choy, and choy sum.

In September, it might include kkaenip, lemongrass, dou miao (pea shoots), long noodle beans, burmese okra, bitter melon, shishito peppers, japanese eggplant, and garlic chives.

Learn more about the Seasonality of Asian Vegetables in NY.

The full size shares will include 7-9 veggies, and the small size 4-6. We'll designate what's included in each share based on what we're harvesting—small share members aren't permitted to choose the items they'd like from the full offering. Everyone will have access to the "swap box" at each site!

We set up a “swap box” at every pickup so you can swap out an item you don't want, for one you do. At the beginning of pickup, we place a full share in the box. What's available in there will change as people swap items out. By the end of pickup, it's also a good way for us to gauge what the least-popular items were. 

We're hoping to have five site partners this year: Welcome to Chinatown (115 Bowery, New York), Pixie Scout (925 Bergen St., Crown Heights), and Kato Sake Works (379 Troutman St., Bushwick), one that's TBD in Queens, and one TBD in Upper Manhattan. If you have leads on any sites that would be able to host a weekly pickup, pleased email csa@choycommons.org ASAP! 

You'll pick up your share at your chosen site every Thursday, anytime from 4 to 8 p.m. 

We think of each membership as a social contract—you commit to supporting our farms for 22 weeks, and our farms will commit to providing 22 weeks of food for you. We offer one “vacation week” that you can claim through Grownby (here's more info on how). Beyond that, we encourage you to share your Asian Veg Club membership! Send friends, family, neighbors, and other community members to pick up when you're not able to make it—all they have to do is provide your name to our volunteer. Remember: We do not offer refunds for missed pickups! 

We *still* don't offer refunds if you miss a pickup due to weather. It's important to remember that once we've harvested, washed, packed, and transported vegetables, we've already invested a significant amount of time, money, and labor in getting shares to you. As farmers, we have to deal with unpredictable weather, and as CSA members, we expect the same of you. :)

We’ve put together our own sliding scale with four pricing tiers and three ways to pay (scroll up!) for each of our share sizes. 

In sliding scale models, participants are asked to reflect on their financial resources and privilege in order to select the price most appropriate for them. If you’re able to pay more, you help provide access to those paying less.

Choosing the appropriate pricing tier is an exercise in evaluating your financial resources and privilege. You should consider factors like income, debt, and inheritance, as well as gender/racial privilege and class background. 

Consider paying more on the scale if you: own the home you live in, have investment/retirement accounts, work part-time by choice, have access to family money and resources in times of need, or enjoy high earning power due to education level. Even if you are not currently exercising your earning power, we ask you to recognize this as a choice. 

Consider paying less on the scale if you: receive government assistance, have significant debt, support children or other dependents, or have medical/tuition expenses, have immigration related expenses, or have chronic illness that prohibits you from potential earning powers.

We trust you to assess your own situation and decide where your household falls on the scale. Know that if you are able to pay more, you will be helping to provide access to other members of the community who are paying less. This is a small way to work towards economic justice locally. 

Thank you to Rock Steady Farm, 607 CSA, Soul Fire Farm for the inspiration, framing, and dedication to using sliding scale models.

All three of our farms (Choy Division, Gentle Time Farm, and Star Route Farm) use regenerative and organic practices, with a focus on no-sprays and low-to-no tillage methods. Learn more about our farms and practices.

Chat with the volunteers at your site! Chat with each other! Chat with your site partners! This year we'll be posting all of our newsletter on our Substack, inviting members to join our new WhatsApp Community, and coordinating in-person events with our site partners and site leads. 

We always welcome your ideas for community building, particularly if you can offer resources and/or time to organize. 

More questions? Write to csa@choycommons.org