Community Supported Agriculture program

Sign up here: EggBasket

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.

Delivery/CSA