Green"er" Acres Farm ALL NEW Online Market
As we launch our new market ordering system, we have found there are many questions our customers have. We have tried to address the most common questions here, but we welcome any and all questions, feedback, complaints, etc.
We are striving to make this the easiest and best option for you, the customer, to obtain the freshest product available.
Please keep in mind that we are all learning this new system, so if you run into any “glitches” along the way, please let us know right away.
If you have a question that’s not answered here, or have any comments, complaints, or feedback, please contact Cathie at greeneracresfarm@atlanticbb.net or 814-239-8519.
For routine questions, email is preferred over a phone call.
Here are some frequently asked questions:
- Are there membership fees?
- Will I have to buy vegetables I don't want?
- How do I order?
- How and when do I pay?
- When and Where do I pick up my order?
- Why Support Locally Grown?
- How can I sell through this market?
- So there is no minimal order amount?
- Are there taxes or other charges added to my order?
- How do I cook with this produce? Do you have any recipes?
- Why are some of your products labelled "organic" and others are not?
- You offer raw milk? I thought that was illegal.
And here are some answers:
Are there membership fees?
To help us provide you with an easier, more customized shopping experience, and to help us with our overhead costs (such as website maintenance, fuel for deliveries and maintenance), we ask that you pay an annual fee of $75 per household for one calendar year. The membership fee may be paid through our secure PayPal account at: paypal.me/GreenerAcresFarm
This secures your access to our ordering system and then allows you to “pay as you go” for only the items you select.
If you do not pay your $75 membership fee in advance, it will be added to your first order.
Will I have to buy vegetables I don't want?
Unlike some co-ops, buying clubs, or CSAs where everyone gets the same box of stuff (and you don’t know what you’re getting until you get it), with Locally Grown at Green"er" Acres Farm, you get to order what you want, in the quantities that you want, from the farms that you trust. The weekly email lists the produce, meats, dairy, milled products, fresh flowers, and artisan goods available that week, and you can browse the items on this website before you place your order.
How do I order?
Each Sunday evening, a list of available products is sent to all of our registered customers by e-mail. Customers must place their order for the week no later than Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. Orders can be placed here on our website. Ordering through this web site is our preferred method as it is designed to reduce the amount of time it takes us to process orders as well as provide you with detailed information about our products.
We will also carry extra in-season items with us on delivery days which can be added to your order upon delivery.
How and when do I pay?
When you place an order, you are committing to paying for those items ordered. We take payment in several ways:
Please keep in mind that the majority of our listed products are perishable and are harvested and made specifically for your order. We also pay our associated growers based on these orders. If you can not pick up or accept delivery of your order on your agreed upon date, please let us know as soon as possible or you may still be responsible for the amount of your purchase.
When and Where do I pick up my order?
All orders can be delivered to your home or office (or a specified pick up location agreed upon by you, the customer, and our delivery person)at no extra charge. Deliveries are scheduled for Fridays or Saturdays.
Of course, we do not mind if you want to visit our farm and pick up your items there. Please just let us know ahead of time so that we can make sure we are there and not out making deliveries.
Why Support Locally Grown?
Enhance your local economy: By purchasing produce and other items from local growers you are providing stability to your local economy through the support of local businesses.
Save natural resources: Buying locally makes you an invaluable link in the process of saving resources such as fossil fuels and packaging materials. Also, we are right here in your community so the expense of transportation and delivery is kept to a minimum.
Provide learning opportunities: Locally Grown supporters provide member growers the means to help educate our community about the importance of sustainable agriculture.
Supporting a way of life: The number of small farms in the United States has decreased dramatically in the last decade. Please help us preserve an honest and worthy means of making a living.
We believe that small, diverse, family-owned farms contribute to society’s overall health.
How can I sell through this market?
If you’ve already created a customer account here, simply go to Our Growers and click on ‘If you would like to sell through this market, please tell us about yourself and a market manager will contact you.’. This will add you to our system and our market managers will contact you with the next step. Like at a traditional farmers’ market, you do get to set your own prices and list your items as you wish. Contact greeneracresfarm@atlanticbb.net if you want more information, including the fees we charge.
So there is no minimal order amount?
Nope. Order as much or as little as you want, from the farms that you want.
Are there taxes or other charges added to my order?
The growers set their own prices, and are all-inclusive, including any taxes (like gasoline at the gas station, or food at the airport). Since the growers are selling directly to you, they (not Green"er" Acres Farm) are responsible for collecting and reporting sales and other taxes.
How do I cook with this produce? Do you have any recipes?
Yes! Just click on the “Recipes” section of the site. We routinely add recipes highlighting the items that are available in The Market. You can also add your own favorite recipes to the site there.
If you have questions regarding handling and storage of a particular item, please feel free to contact us.
Why are some of your products labelled "organic" and others are not?
To use the word “organic”, a grower must register through the USDA and keep up with a tremendous amount of paperwork. The process is very expensive and intensive, and certainly favors the larger factory farms over the small family farm.
Another system is “Certified Naturally Grown”. This nation-wide program seeks to correct the problems with the USDA certification system. The standards are just as strict (and in some cases, more so) as the USDA Organic program, but there is no cost to become certified. There is still some paperwork, but not as much. More importantly, the growers in the program inspect each other, rather than relying on an outside for-profit certifier.
Finally, most of our growers are not certified by anyone but still use organic sustainable methods on their farms.
To find out more about our growers, and to see what certification, if any, they have, take a look at our Growers page.
You offer raw milk? I thought that was illegal.
In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, raw milk sales and the sale of aged cheeses is regulated by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA). Dairy operations wishing to sell raw milk and cheese must apply for and maintain a permit from the PDA. Our participating dairies maintain these permits which can be viewed via the Pennsylvania Dairy Plant and Raw Milk Directory online at extension.psu.edu/food/dairy
Information on the PDA Milk Sanitation Program can be found at www.agriculture.state.pa.us
