Winter Shares
- What is a winter share?
- A winter share is a box of local, organic* foods distributed once every 3 weeks from November through April. We work with more than 20 local farmers and producers to bring you an affordable, fun and diverse box of foods - all grown and processed locally.
- How much food is in each box?
- A winter share should be enough food to meet the vegetable needs of 1-2 people who eat vegetables with most meals or a larger family who cooks less frequently.
- What kinds of food are in a winter share?
- We strive to include a diverse collection of staples and exciting winter foods in each box. In general, a winter share will include storage vegetables (potatoes, carrots, onions, etc.), fruits (apples, cider, maybe pears), dry beans (black, kidney, pinto), grains (oats, wheat flour), frozen berries (blueberries, cranberries) and a "special treat" (raw honey, local sunflower oil, Maine sea salt, or burdock root). Review a more detailed set of sample winter shares.
- What does a winter share cost?
- A winter share costs a little less than $100 per month - $500 for 24 weeks of food. Group delivery costs an extra $50 per share, and door to door delivery adds $150 per share. Costs and options are laid out in more detail on our application.
- How does delivery/pickup work?
- A winter share is 8 boxes of winter foods distributed once every 3 weeks over 24 weeks. A single family or group of families can choose to pick up their box(es) at the farm in Alfred, Maine, or we deliver from Hampstead to Portsmouth in New Hampshire and from Kittery to Brunswick/Lewiston in Maine. Read more about options for getting your share.
- Can I get 1/2 share?
- If you think a winter share will be too much food for your family, you can find somebody to split a share with you or we'll help you find somebody for that. Please note that from time to time we include "unsplittable" items (a jar of honey, a bottle of vegetable oil, etc.) so you'll need to talk to your partner in advance about how to handle these items. If you need help finding somebody to split a share with you, please contact us.
- Do you grow all of these foods yourselves?
- We are an active working farm and will grow many of the vegetables in your winter share, but we are also excited and proud to partner with some of our area's best farmers and producers to bring you a wider variety of foods than we could provide alone. For a list of our partners, visit our partners page.
*From time to time we include foods that are not certified organic either because there is no known certification for them (e.g. sea salt), because they are extremely difficult to find organically (e.g. honey) or because we have a relationship with a farm whose practices we trust even though they are not organic (e.g. winter squash from Sweet Land Farm).