CSA Member Handbook
About the Farm
Ad Astra Farms of Maryland is an urban micro farm in Upper Marlboro, MD serving Prince
George’s and Charles Counties. Our mission is to support local food systems in the DC Metro
Area with sustainably grown produce, mutual aid and home garden education. When you do
business with Ad Astra, you can expect:
● Good Food at Fair Prices
● Responsible Stewardship and Community Focus
● Exceptional Service
We, the farm, wish to provide you with fresh, local, seasonal food and you, the member, wish to
receive a portion of our harvest. This agreement outlines our shared commitments to that
relationship.
Membership Perks
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a relationship between our farm and you as our
customer. Rather than simply purchasing food, our customers become “members” of this CSA
farm who receive a portion of the farm’s harvest for the selected season. Members have
specific responsibilities and share in certain risks, but are also entitled to various benefits and
are first in line for certain rewards, as outlined in this agreement.
This year our CSA will offer produce from May to October 2026. We will also offer multiple CSA
options so you can join during the part of the season that most appeals to you, or you can
support us all season long.
In addition to the joy of eating fresh, local and sustainably grown produce all season long, our
members enjoy the following benefits:
- Convenient drop sites for pick-up or delivery to your door
- A welcome gift, usually a cookbook and farm-branded merchandise. Sometimes, an
edible gift may be provided as well! - A Friends of the Farm Discount of 5% on any additional produce purchased at our
market stall or anything the farm sells. - First right to produce on the farm. If a distribution is due and there’s not enough for CSA
orders AND the market, we will cancel the market and give produce to you - First right to excess produce on the farm
- Access to specialty items, such as mushrooms, eggs and honey, from other local
producers in our area through our Add-On Shares (see Section 1E). - A Referral Program where you get an additional 1% added to your discount for each new
member you recruit. - Members-only farm visits are possible with advance notice and a waiver.
- Advance, members-only sales and promotions with significant discounts for the season’s
shares.
Add-Ons
Occasionally, specialty crops from other farms will be available to include in your distributions, such as eggs, honey, bread or mushrooms. These items will either be available as an add-on to purchase, or as a gift to you as a friend of the farm.
If an item is being offered as an add-on, it will be posted in our shop.
If you plan to purchase the add-on item, please do so by Wednesday of that week. It will be included automatically with your weekly delivery.
Local Pickup
Skip or modify your upcoming order by 5pm Wednesday.
ECO-friendly drop sites are available for customers who live within a 10-mile radius of a drop
site or live outside our delivery radius. In addition, if you fail to pay your delivery fee, your
default is a pickup at the drop-site nearest to you. All drop sites have a 4-hour pickup window,
which will be communicated to all members being serviced by that site.
You are responsible for observing our drop site rules, which are as follows:
- Bring your own bag and leave the box or cooler at the site.
- Pick up your share within the timeframe stated. Although we deliver high-quality
produce to the site, it will decline quickly if not picked up in time. We will do our best to
temperature control your share until you arrive. - Take only one bag, unless otherwise instructed.
- Be respectful of our drop site hosts’ property.
- Review and sign the drop site agreement, if applicable.
- If you cannot pick up your share, you must arrange for someone else to pick it up for you or
request delivery for an additional fee ($10/trip). You are responsible for explaining the pick-up
location and procedures to your substitute. It is always advisable to contact us by phone or
email to let us know that you are sending a substitute to do your pick-up.
Shares that are not retrieved within the pick-up time will be donated to a charity or food
pantry or sold at the farmer’s market.
Need to change pickup sites? Head to the "Subscriptions" tab of your dashboard, or message Farmhand any time!
Note: Pickup or delivery details must be updated by the weekly order cutoff (5pm Wednesday).
🏡 Want to host a pickup site?
If you are interested in establishing a drop site at your location, fill out this form.
Drop site hosts get a significant discount on their shares, and an increased Friends of the Farm Discount for each member they recruit for the drop site.
Delivery
Skip or modify your upcoming order by Sunday at 10pm for weekday orders; or Wednesday at 10pm for weekend orders.
We provide deliveries as a service to customers in a 25-mile radius of zip code 20744, which is
generally all of Prince George’s, Alexandria, Northern Charles Counties and DC. In general,
delivery customers must live within 25 miles of zip code 20744 and pay a delivery fee of
$10/trip. You may switch from delivery to pickup at any time and be refunded for the unused
value of your delivery fee.
If you are unsure of whether you are inside the radius, feel free to email us and provide your
address, or Google the distance from your address to zip code 20744. If you are outside the
delivery radius, no worries! You can still join the CSA! You would just need to pick up, or
establish a drop site.
If you are inside the delivery radius, you are responsible for making sure of the following:
- Your preferred delivery address is provided with your signed agreement.
- You have cleared a path to your front door and there are no significant obstructions.
- You have secured any loose animals such as dogs or cats. We will not deliver if there are
animals loose in your neighborhood or yard. - If there is a gate code or door code to enter your property or building, you have
provided it to us in advance – OR – that you are willing to meet your delivery person - The members agree to collect their share within 30 minutes of drop off to ensure
maximum freshness and quality. If this is not possible, the member agrees to provide a
cooler to leave their shares in.
Need to change to pickup or modify your address? Message Farmhand any time!
Note: Delivery updates must be made by the weekly order cutoff (5pm Wednesday).
What's Growing
This year, we have split our distribution schedule into 3 seasons. You are welcome to join any
season that best appeals to you. Here’s what’s different about this approach from prior years:
1. Each 8-week season has its own pricing based on the planned crops.
2. Each season is followed by a 1-2 week break to allow us to flip beds for the next season’s
crops and to rest. Farmer burnout is real!
3. Our “Full Season” share now means that you are participating in all three seasons. Full
Season is our best value because you get a total of 24 weeks’ worth of produce at a
15%discount over purchasing each season individually.
4. While we have included delivery in the cost of your share in the past, delivery will now
be subject to a $10/trip fee.
The chart below outlines our seasons, breaks and some of the vegetables and fruits we hope to
deliver and when you may see them in your share. This chart is based on our best estimate, butof course weather, pests, and other events will affect actual production. We will communicate
the final start date as we get closer to harvest time!
Here are our 2026 offerings:
We take the safety of your food seriously. We do our best to protect our production from
animals and don’t use manure-based fertilizers to avoid contamination. We test our soil and
water, we use personal protective equipment (PPE) during harvest and packing, and we rinse
your produce when it is harvested as appropriate. Still, for your added protection, wash all
produce before eating and put products that should be refrigerated (such as greens) in the
refrigerator as soon as possible. You will also be provided with a produce storage guide that
indicates how to safely store your produce to preserve freshness and flavor.
Our farm utilizes integrated pest management (IPM) practices. To manage weeds, disease, and
pests, we use methods like hand-pulling, covers, no dig/no till, and intercropping. We use
heirloom and non-GMO seeds sourced from reputable sellers. We do not use synthetic
pesticides, synthetic fertilizers or synthetic herbicides. If you have questions at any time about
our farming practices, send us an email and we are happy to answer your questions. You can
also watch this short video from the University of Maryland Extension about IPM Basics.
Cancellations & Policies
If you choose to cancel your share before distribution begins, you must notify us in writing and
allow 3-4 weeks for us to process your refund. Please note, however, that all share payments
are non-refundable beyond the first date of your distribution cycle.
Delivery payments are only refundable if you pay in advance, before the deliveries are made.
If you switch mid-season from delivery to pickup, you may only be refunded for the portion of
deliveries/distributions that have not yet been received.
For example, if you paid for 8 weeks of deliveries at the start of the season ($80) and
switched to pickups after Week 2 of your season, your refunded delivery fee would be
$60 ($10/trip x 6 trips).
Refunded delivery fees will be provided in 7-10 business days with written notice.
A. Sharing in the Risk of Crop Failure
We promise to do our best to provide you with a bountiful share of seasonal produce, on
schedule. The quantity of produce, however, may vary based on the season due to extreme
weather, insects, or other production factors despite our best efforts. By joining our CSA, you
are agreeing to share the risk of crop failure with us and other members. In the unlikely event of
a crop failure, our procedure is as follows:
f only a small portion of crops fail, we compensate for the failed crops by filling your share with
other crops grown on the farm that are ready for harvest at that time. We will generally not
communicate with you on a small crop failure of this nature.
If a large portion of crops fail, we may cover for a crop loss by buying in from other local
farmers. This may not be a feasible option for all crops because of cost or widespread failure.
We will communicate with you in the event of a total crop loss or failure. The communication
will include information about the crop loss, what we have sourced as a replacement, and what
farm we have sourced your replacement produce from.
B. Sharing in the Reward of Crop Surplus
In addition to our CSA, our farm sells to farmers markets, commercial clients and makes regular
donations to charity. Although production is not segregated, our CSA receives priority. If there is
a surplus of crops, members may receive an extra 1-3 lbs. of the surplus crop. For the 2026
season, we will fill our CSA shares with the week’s harvest first and sell the remainder to our
other markets.
Member Tips & Resources
Produce Storage Tips
We harvest our produce at its prime, ensuring peak freshness and longevity compared to grocery store counterparts. Follow these tried and true tips to make that farm-fresh flavor last:
- Get your farm box to a cool location ASAP. Nothing ruins fresh produce faster than the hot sun! If you’re out running errands, we recommend making the farm your last stop to avoid spoilage. If you get delivery, please be sure you have a shady spot for us to leave your box.
- Take the tops off your carrots and beets right away when you get home to preserve freshness.
- Wash, dry, and store your greens in a bag (our favorites here!) with some wet paper towels and place in the fridge.
Remember to thoroughly wash all produce before consuming!
Kitchen Tools & Gadgets
Level up from CSA Member to CSA Master with tools and gadgets handpicked to help you maximize the enjoyment of your farm box.
- Salad spinner: Quickly clean and dry CSA produce, saving time and ensuring freshness. Efficient, convenient, and enhances longevity.
- Good kitchen knives, along with a knife sharpener (or local business who sharpens knives!).
- Reusable glass containers and mason jars to keep your food as farm-fresh as possible.
- Sheet pans for roasting delicious veggies!
- Food processor: The one “big-ticket” item we recommend. Use it for making salsa, pesto, pizza dough, and pureeing items like soups and sauces.