How the CSA pick-up works
1. Bring your own bags, boxes, or baskets to put your vegetables in.
2. Get your name checked off the membership list when you pick up each week.
3. Walk down the line of produce and pick up your share based on what the signs say, e.g. Take 1 bunch of Arugula, Take 2 heads of Lettuce, take 1 bunch of Cilantro OR 1 bunch of Parsley, etc.
Be especially aware of signs that say to choose one item OR another. Sometimes people are on auto-pilot and inadvertently take one of every different vegetable they see. This means they are taking extra items, meaning some fellow CSA member who come after you won’t get their full allotment. So when you see "OR" on a sign, be sure to take just one thing or the other, not both!
Be sure to take each vegetable as noted on the signs. Then, if there are any you don't want, use the Exchange Box or Exchange Table.
How to Use the Exchange Table/Box
The Exchange Table (or Box) is the place where you can exchange the vegetables you don't want for ones you do. It's important to use it correctly because Henry picks the exact amount needed for each CSA member. So if someone messes up and takes more than their share, someone else won't get their full share of vegetables. (NOTE: There is not an exchange box at the On-Farm Pick-Up.)
Please read the instructions below carefully because every year we have problems with Exchange Table etiquette during the first few pick-ups.
1. Go down the CSA line and take exactly what the signs say, picking up all the vegetables in your share that week -- even ones you have no intention of eating.
2. When you get to the end of the CSA line, place a vegetable you don't want on the Exchange Table. Then select something you do want from what's there, making a one-for-one exchange.
For example, if you hate cilantro but love beets, put your cilantro on the Exchange Table and pick up beets. If there are no beets on the table, you'll need to pick up something else from the table instead. Do NOT go back to the main CSA line and grab another bunch of beets, because those belong to someone else.
And do NOT make exchanges as you go down the CSA line. For example, if you love carrots but hate cilantro, do NOT take 2 bunches of carrots when the sign says "Take 1 bunch," and then skip over the cilantro. If you do this, one of your fellow CSA members won't get their carrots.
3. In summary, take exactly what the signs say. Then place unwanted items on the Exchange Table, and take an item from the table that you do want.
If everybody uses the Exchange Table properly, no one will take home something they don't like or are allergic too, and people who come to the pick-up later will go home with their less than their full share of vegetables. Thank you!
More details and FAQs about Henry's Farm and Henry's CSA are here.