Community Supported Agriculture program
Updated Oct. 23, 2011
The Soul Food Farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program offers pastured chickens, eggs, and a few other products for delivery to centralized pickup locations in the Bay Area.
What's available:
- Regular chickens*: Fresh, not frozen; $6.50/lb., 3.75-4.25 lbs each.
- Large chickens*: Fresh, not frozen; $6/lb., 4.25-5.5 lbs each.
- Extra-large chickens*: Usually frozen; $6.50/lb., 7-7.25 lbs each.
- Stock chickens: Chickens occasionally get damaged during slaughterhouse processing after the birds are dead. The USDA marks these Grade B. Alexis has the intact legs removed and turns them into confit (see below). The remaining (usually breast-only) carcasses are great for stock or stir-fry. ($4.50/lb, about 1.75-2.5 lbs.)
- Eggs: Mixed brown, white & blue/green usually. $6.50/dozen; limited to 2 dozen per customer per delivery currently. (In the winter, drops to 1 dozen, as eggs are seasonal: chickens lay fewer eggs in the winter unless you employ artificial lights and forced molting practices, which Soul Food does not.)
- Giblets: Hearts, kidneys, gizzards (0.5-lb pkgs, $3/lb)
- Livers: 1-lb pkgs, $6/lb (about 10 lbs total avail per week)
- Chicken leg confit: $8/lb, 2 legs per package (.75-1 lbs.) The confit is prepared for Soul Food Farm by duck producer Grimaud Farms from Soul Food Farm chicken legs (thighs and drumsticks; see above under Damaged chickens) that have been cooked for 2 hours in duck fat at around 195 degrees. Confit ia available only every few months. For more info, see the Confit FAQs section below.
- Terra Sole Olive Oil: 500ml of tasty oil pressed from Soul Food Farm's own olive trees is available in winter and spring. ($20)
- Fresh lavender: An elegant handful of fresh lavender grown on the farm, terrific for cooking, drying, or just brightening up your home. ($5/bunch)
*
These 100% pasture-raised chickens are air-chilled after slaughter and the regular and large birds come fresh, not frozen, and sealed in plastic, usually with heads and feet attached. (Sometimes the slaughterhouse we work with messes up and removes the heads and feet, and sometimes we have to give you frozn birds due to slaughterhouse snafus.) The XXL birds are slaughtered only every 2-3 weeks and frozen at that time. Soul Food Farm chickens' packaging lets them freeze well with no degradation in quality.
Delivery schedule
Deliveries are weekly to rotating locations on Wednesdays for San Francisco, Berkeley, Emeryville and the farm; and Thursdays for Sacramento and Napa. Pickup locations are private homes manned by member-volunteers; we provide exact addresses when you join the group, and timeliness/promptness guidelines thus apply. See the Delivery FAQs below for minimum order and frequency requirements.
- 1st Wednesday, 5-7 pm: Emeryville (San Pablo Ave near 62nd Street), Lafayette & Soul Food Farm in Vacaville
- 2nd Wed, from 5-7 pm: San Francisco/Potrero (Hampshire St. near 22nd)
- 3rd Wed, from 5-7 pm: Berkeley (California St. near Dwight) and Soul Food Farm in Vacaville
- 4th Wed, from 5-7 pm: San Francisco/Hayes Valley (Page St. near Laguna), in Hayes Valley
- 4th Thursday, from 4:30-6:30 pm: Sacramento (at the Epicurean Farmer store, 4421 24th Street)
- 4th Thursday, from 5-7 pm: Downtown Napa (Cross St. near Laurel)
If we don't offer a pickup in an area that works for you, but you would like to be notified if we ever do, please fill out this waiting list form.
Joining & payment
To join, the CSA, new members must pay a $100 deposit up front via PayPal or check. This pays for your first order(s) in advance: it is to insure that if you fail to show up to collect your chicken, we are covered for your order. When you have spent your $100 "commitment" fee, you will pay by cash or check at time of pickup, or "top-up" another $100 via Paypal.
Ready to join? Sign up here on our custom Eggbasket CSA management website, or read through the rest of the FAQs.
Frequently asked questions
Please read through the following and if your question is not answered there, email CSA manager Bonnie Powell at csa@soulfoodfarm.com.
Can I visit the farm?
We're proud of what we do and we love that people want to visit to see where their chicken and eggs come from. You are welcome to stop by and buy eggs from our self-service cooler before 5 pm. If you’ve read about farming life or know farmers, you know it is a busy life. As a working farm, we will most likely be in the middle of one our endless daily chores when you arrive and won’t available to give you a tour. We also cannot allow visitors to wander around the farm unsupervised. The best way to see the farm is to sign up for one of our Saturday tours.
Is there a minimum order for delivery?
Yes. A $20 minimum order allows us to process, label, bag, and deliver your order while maintaining a viable CSA that supports our farm.
Do I have to order every week or every month?
No. We hope for your consistent orders for the predictability that helps businesses thrive, but Once you pay your $100 advance payment/deposit, you can order as often or as rarely as you like.
Can I order for pickup in Emeryville one week and San Francisco the next?
You order for pickup at any location you choose as often as you like.
Can I order just eggs?
Sorry, no. benefit to supporting the farm with your membership. We suggest if you want eggs only to find a chicken-loving neighbor who might share the membership with you.
Can I order extra eggs above the seasonal maximum?
Sometimes, on a week-by-week basis, depending on supply and demand, we allow extra eggs on a first-come, first served basis.
I can't come on Wednesdays. Will you hold my order and let me come another day?
We don’t have the capacity for this right now. Our pick-up people are volunteers devoted to the philosophy of our CSA, and they already are giving a lot of their time to oversee the pickups. But, you are more than welcome to pick up your order from the farm in Vacaville. Just arrange this ahead of time and you can pick up before 6 pm the following day.
What if I join and I decide this isn't for me?
Hard to imagine :-) -- but if you are not happy with the CSA, you are free to quit at any time. However, the $100 commitment fee and remaining credit is non-refundable unless we have majorly screwed up somehow. We will refund subsequent balances if you decide to leave the group.
How long will the fresh chickens last in the fridge?
The chickens were slaughtered two days earlier, then air chilled. They are packaged the day before they are delivered to you. They are thus fine in the fridge for up to a week. They are best if rinsed thoroughly, including the cavity, and then patted dry before cooking.
Can I freeze them?
Yes, Soul Food Farm chickens freeze beautifully in their packaging. It's best if they go in the freezer within a day or two of receiving them.
Can I get my chicken without heads or feet?
We made the choice with the processor to leave the head and feet on the chickens for a few reasons. No. 1, it is a healthy reminder to you and your family about where your bird comes from and the “soulful” life we gave it before it became your food. Two, it’s an economical decision to relieve some of the cost burdens of running a small local farm. Best of all, the chicken feet and heads will give your home-made stock a richer, fuller taste and consistency. Having said that, sometimes the processor slips up occasionally and removes them.
OK, OK, but I have never cut off a head or feet before. How do I do it?
You’ve probably cut the fat off a whole chicken. You’ve certainly carved a cooked bird. It’s not much different. Use a big cleaver or sturdy knife to cut between two vertebrae for the neck — one good whack will often do it. For the feet, bend the legs the wrong way back to expose the underside of the knee joint, and you should clearly see where you can cut through the interlocking balls of the joint with a small, sharp knife. They provide great body for homemade chicken stock or tasty dog snacks.
Then what do I do with the heads and feet?
Put them in a bag in the freezer to lend body to the stock you make from your accumulated Soul Food Farm chicken carcasses. What? You don't save your roasted chicken carcasses in the freezer for a big stock-making day? You are missing out! It's easy — here's Alton Brown's recipe, but all you really need for it is the chicken, celery, onions, carrots, and parsley.
How long do the eggs last?
The Soul Food Farm eggs you receive have been laid that very day or the day before. They are thus incredibly fresh compared to supermarket eggs. If refrigerated, they will easily "last" a month or more. Eggs start to lose moisture through their porous shells and to dry, and the membranes begin to loosen; the yolk may not be anchored in the center of the white once the egg is broken. Note: Bonnie, the aforementioned cavalier CSA manager, does not refrigerate her eggs but instead keeps them on the counter, as the English and French do. They cook much better and more conveniently at room temperature, she believes.
Which bits are which in the giblets, and what do I do with them?
Apartment Therapy has a nice visual guide. Note that we sell the livers separately.
What can I do with the giblets besides make gravy and put them in stock?
Spoil your cats (no need to cook them; just slice up and serve to Fluffy. Very good for her healthy.) Serious Eats readers have some ideas for what humans can do with them.
What do I do with the heads and feet?
Many cultures cook and eat them; see this list of recipes. We tend to put them in a bag in the freezer to lend body to the stock you make from your accumulated Soul Food Farm chicken carcasses. What? You don't save your roasted chicken carcasses in the freezer for a big stock-making day? You are missing out! It's easy — here's Alton Brown's recipe, but all you really need for it is the chicken, celery, onions, carrots, and parsley.
How do I heat up the chicken confit?
We recommend you warm up in the oven (some people use microwave) skin side up, approximately 10 to 5 min at 400 degrees or until warm through. Since they are cooked you could also serve them at room temperature.
What do I do with chicken confit?
As Mark Bittman said in his New York Times Bitten blog, chicken confit can serve as "a simple, no-fuss main course that can be crisped up in about 15 minutes. The chicken is good whole or shredded over a bed of lightly dressed greens. Another option is to shred it into a pot of beans with the garlic and some of the olive oil. Or you could go all out and integrate it into a cassoulet."
How long can I store the chicken confit?
12 weeks refrigerated, 2 years if frozen and seal is not broken.
I got a rotten egg. Ewwww! What do I do?
This rarely happens, but let us know, and accept our apologies. Although Soul Food Farm eggs are collected fresh every day from the laying houses, with truly free-ranging hens, every now and then an egg might get overlooked one day and collected later, and if it has a hairline crack, it might have spoiled. The good news is, your nose and eyes will tell you when that has happened.
Pickup is in an hour and I am stuck in traffic/at work/in the emergency room etc. What do I do?
Try to get a friend or family member to pick up in your stead, even if it means mailing payment later or PayPal-ing. (A good idea is to designate this substitute ahead of time or arrange with another member to pick up for each other in said emergency situations.) If you can't find a sub, email/call the host and ask if you can pick up slightly later, or reschedule. Pickup outside of the regular window is entirely up to their discretion and convenience. Please be mindful of the fact that it is an inconvenience to them.
I totally spaced on picking up. What happened to my order?
Most likely the host tried to reach you, and when s/he couldn't, made space for it in her fridge. You get one Get Out of Jail Free card for failing to show up (my flight was canceled, my kid was projectile vomiting and I forgot, etc). The host will attempt to store un-picked-up orders in fridge/freezer for up to 48 hours. You are responsible for contacting them ASAP to arrange a mutually convenient second chance. Bonnie will record your no-show. If it happens a second time, you may have to forfeit your order if you have prepaid -- the host gets it for their inconvenience — and if you haven't prepaid, you will still have to pay for it or politely be asked to unsubscribe to the CSA.
If your question was not answered here, email CSA manager Bonnie Powell at csa@soulfoodfarm.com.