Terra Firma Farm

Overall I'm really happy with my subscription. The spring and summer boxes are fresh and exciting and the fall content is hearty and plentiful....I like reading the newsletter and feel connected to people who grow our food. However, the winter weeks are very trying to me because it feels like we pay $27/week for bags and bags of kale, and spinach. We end up going to a supermarket to supplement which means that we spend double in the end while kale slowly goes bad in the crisper. They raised medium box price from $24 to $27 which annually is a $150 increase. They also require $100 minimum payment when the balance is insufficient to cover another box. Even if all you need is a dollar. No delivery until $100 is paid. I wish they'd change that rule. Overall though I like the boxes and the staff is nice and responsive.

I've tried many CSA's in San Francisco over the last few years, and while others may have slick websites or selection gimmicks or delivery, in the end Terra Firma just tastes better. I'm usually disappointed by store-bought vegetables now-- TFF has spoiled me with the full flavor of their fresh, organic produce.

The selection changes gradually and I've become more attuned to what's in season and what is not. Since I don't get to choose the contents of the box, I've learned to embrace vegetables I was not very familiar with.

To address Denise's criticisms, "often rotten or not ripe" does not match my experience. The majority of produce from the box is ripe and ready to eat or cook. As for the fruit/vegetable mix, I always get mostly vegetables; here's this week's (large) boxes' contents:
arugula, asian pears, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, fuyu persimmons, garlic, grapes, kale, salad mix, sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes

At Rainbow or Whole Foods, you'd pay twice as much for what Terra Firma puts in a box, plus the time and effort spent going shopping.

terra firma's veggie boxes are great!! this week, our box consists of 5-6 peaches, a pile of little blushing apricots, a bowlful of cherries, a basket of strawberries, a head of green garlic, half dozen little potatoes, and a bunch of green beans. i do miss the salad mix we've been getting weekly the last few months, but how can i complain when i'm drowning in such fruit bounty?

at about $50/month for the smallest box and 4-5 boxes per month, it's a pretty good deal in comparison to the other CSAs. the produce is consistently fresh and they put thought into what you get each week so you don't end up accumulating onions. also, while they encourage you to subscribe for the long-term since the farm plants according to subscriptions, they don't require year commitments like others.

summer update (7/2007): for the past few weeks, we've been consistently getting awesome heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn on the cob, peaches, and sharlyn melons in most boxes, with occasional appearances of red-skinned potatoes, green beans, onion, and garlic. starting this week, we're also getting grape clusters!

I once had a dream where once a week someone dropped off delicious produce from their farm about a block away from me and all I had to do was pay them $52 a month via Paypal, and then I woke up and it was true.

I've been a subscriber for the past 17 years, and i'll never stop being a subscriber. The produce is exceptional, the service is friendly and prompt, they have an auto pay feature. I have used 6 or 8 different pickup sites in SF and have met nice people at each of them.

I love eating seasonally, and this is the way to do it. Also, this farm does it all-no middle man. Middle man csa's usually have an extra day built into the schedule between harvesting and delivery. TFF has no delay, no wilted produce sitting in a warehouse or a truck or 2 over a few days. TFF produce is so damned fresh, it is hard to believe. I refuse, flat out, to buy tomatoes or corn (or most any veggie or fruit) at a store.

My faves: heirloom tomatoes, basil, Asian pears, grapes, carrots, long curly cukes, kale, chard, greens, garlic, leeks, onions, sweet potatoes, butter nut squash (make pie!).

I love it. Your money goes right to the farm and the workers. There is also a great newsletter with recipes and farm news, including political and scientific organic/government issues we all should be aware of. I had no ideal how backwards some of the "seems good!" laws about organics and farm labor are.

Subscribe-you will love it. It takes a bit of adjustment to eat seasonally-you do need to do a bit of planning and a few ingredients from the store will make a bunch of fresh veggies exceptional! (I try to have tofu, cilantro, jalapeño, fresh water mozz around...)

I've been a Terra Firma CSA member for about 2 years now and I couldn't be happier. I haven't tried other CSA's but I had a boyfriend who got Farm Fresh to You and my impression was that I got more stuff for less money. Their business has exploded in the last year or so, but they've done a great job of keeping the quality and quantity top-notch.

I've been a customer of Terra Firma for 3 years and couldn't be happier. I get a small box at a cost of about $14/week and I figure the retail value of the produce is about twice that. Sometimes when there is a bumper crop the box is packed to the gills.

Of added value is the weekly newsletter. Pablito is a great communicator and takes great pains to detail the challenges of running the farm. The newsletter is now distributed via email, which is all the more green.

I think the person who rated this one star, described the farm as "elitist' and stated that the price was comparable to retail has this farm confused with another, or maybe has other motives.

My husband and I joined Terra Firma in January and have really enjoyed the service. We get the small box and can pick it up on the way home from work. The produce we have receive has been exceptional and the price very reasonable for the quality. I love the weekly newsletter that included recipes which can be very helpful when dealing with vegetables that you have avoided since you were a little kid. Terra Firma got me o realized that I actually can like cauliflower. Unfortunately, I really tried, but I still think that beets are horrible.

I have been really trying to give Terra Firma a chance since I love to support a CSA and I love the fact that i can pick up the box in a safe location since I live somewhere where if I had a box delivered it would not be there when I got home. I have been receiving a box from Terra Firma since January and I keep hoping the box will get better, but it hasn't! The produce I get from them is often rotten or not ripe. I end up tossing about 20% of my box weekly because it is not not in a condition I would eat it in. I like fresh produce! The cilantro in my box yesterday was yellow and watery ALREADY! The fruit was either disgusting or not ripe. The apricots from last week are still sitting on the counter has hard as little green rocks. I thought the CSA was supposed to give their members the best produce but that is not the case with this farm! I can buy the same items at Rainbow and they are actually fresh and beautiful. It seems to me that TERRA FIRMA USES THEIR CSA MEMBERS as a DUMPING ground for all of their produce that they are not able to sell at the farmer's market. CHOOSE A DIFFERENT CSA!

Earlier this week I sent them a cancellation email but today I wake up to find that they auto charge my Paypal account another $100. WTF????? Try reading your emails before you auto charge me and why are you auto charging me when there is plenty of money in the account for another week anyway???????

Besides WAY too much fruit and not enough veggies!!!

I just joined this CSA and got my first box of fruits and veggies. Everything is organic and the small box is only $14 a week, which is less than I would have spent at the farmer's market on all this stuff. Everything was delicious and I feel good about supporting local farmers.