I joined Yelp just to warn people about Fresh and Local. We signed up for a 2011 share and it's been incredibly disappointing. $600 for 18 weeks is actually $600 for 15 weeks because of the weeks that it's not delivered. And for that price (somewhere between $33 and $40 per week), we got about $4 worth of (bad) produce. We're talking sometimes 1/3 of a grocery bag, and always less than half a bag. For the first five or six weeks, we got the same thing: some wilted lettuce and dirty potatoes. There was usually also a sandwich bag of stevia (who in the heck uses stevia?), a fistful of greens (about half a serving when you cook them), and eventually some over-ripe tomatoes that exploded all over my counter. One week we got corn, but the worms in it had eaten most of the kernels. It got to the point where my compost pile ate more of our F&L than we did. At least their basil was good, but so was mine from my herb garden. I was paying for vegetables. I can get over the fact that F&L isn't good at growing vegetables, or at least did a terrible job of managing expectations of its customers. Their web site lists dozens of different vegetable that we could expect, like several different squashes, cucumbers, several different types of greens. We didn't get that stuff. But the single worst part: Farmer Allen. The first commenter is right on. Farmer Allen's emails are at least trite, and usually demanding and outright infuriating. Here's an excerpt. It's from the general distirbution list (sorry, Maura, you're wrong): "No one, I repeat, with the exception of Brooke from Shepherdstown, no one from the CSA has been out to help for weeks now. We have lots of simple weeding tasks that we really need the help of additional hands for. If you can come out now, please do. (But, as I always say: If you don't want to, don't feel that you have to!) Fortunately, several non-CSA people who are filled with passion for the plight of the small local farm have started helping at the farm a few hours a week." Screw you, Allen! Your customers are in DC, don't have cars, and are paying you to grow food and bring it to them! Allen, I'm paying you for a service: to bring me vegetables. I want the delivery, quantity, and quality to justify the $30-$40 I pay you each week. Don't complain that I don't come to West Virignia to pick them for you. If I were going to do that, I would just grow them myself. Don't complain about working outside or in the rain: you chose to be a farmer and I don't care. You were sick one week. That's fine. But give me a refund for the weeks that you didn't come, or ESPECIALLY didn't have enough vegetables (!?wtf?!?) to justify a delivery. Are there bright points....yes. They have good chicken and really good eggs. I would even consider just getting chickens and eggs next year and forgoing the vegetables. And some of his assistants (Maura? Mary?) seem genuinely friendly and more than willing to go out of their way to help. One way they could help is by kicking Allen off of the email and managing the communications, as Allen's emails are a leading reason--after the poor quality and/or total lack of the shares--that we won't be using F&L next year. read more

My 2010 share has been beyond disappointing. Farmer Alan sends emails with excuses of why the shares are so small. My favorite emails have been those chastising the members for not volunteering at the farm, an email about 3 weeks into the season indicating there would be no share deliveries that week, and an email berating shareholders for not picking up their shares. I found this last email interesting, considering the CSA did not make deliveries one week. So they can skip a week, but will criticize me if I do the same. I bought into this CSA based on the convenient pickup location and date. However, the date changed after they cashed my check. The CSA did not notify me or provide other options for me. Nice. All in all, this experience has been very disappointing and I'd caution others to get more feedback before you buy a 2011 share. There are a lot of other better options out there. read more

I'm sad to read about the first commenter's bad experience, however, my family's (and my my neighbors') experience was quite the opposite. Every week we received a bag packed with great produce, with plenty of greens and other goodies. We often got a bag of potatoes and two heads of lettuce each week, which were accompanied by a number of other great food. We'd get garlic scapes, garlic itself, basil, onions, Swiss chard, different kinds of kale, broccoli, kohlrabi, tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, eggplants, tons of different squash, carrots, beats, radishes, green BEANS (those were excellent), cucumbers, salad mix, strawberries, leeks, turnips, okra, napa cabbage, bok choy and the list just keeps going on and on. Each dinner made with what we got from Fresh and Local had my family members yelling, "This is the best . . . . I've ever had!!" It was true, I was amazed by the quality of the food. The CSA was not perfect, but none are supposed to be, the point is to share the good points and bad points with the farmer (though it was mainly good points this summer!) A week or two were skipped due to problems, mainly related to the intense heat this summer. However, these weeks were made up by the end; Farmer Allan just extended the CSA season by however many weeks were necessary. I was pleasantly surprised because in past CSAs, if a week was skipped, you were out of luck. Another problem was that their hens quit laying before the end of the season, which was a real shame because those eggs were out of this world! However, those who bought egg shares have been promised make-up eggs by early spring, which my family is really looking forward to! This CSA has been a great experience and I'm looking forward to the 2011 season! Farm Allan is really a nice guy once you get to know him and I really appreciate what he is trying to accomplish by having a CSA. All I can say is that the first commenter must not have known what to expect from a CSA. I did, though! If you love tasty, super nutritional food, go with Fresh and Local CSA, it's one of the best, if not the best, in the DC area! and you will be supporting a great cause! read more

We had a really good experience with the Fresh and Local CSA. I will say that I got the feeling newsletters were not an area of expertise for them (especially with formatting/general language, etc) - but what they did send was interesting and I learned a lot about the weather and vegetables that were grown. One week, they had asked if anyone wanted any okra, which is not typically something most people wanted in their CSA share. We gladly accepted for one of my husbands favorite recipes - and every week after that - we would always find a bag of okra in our share. I really liked talking to Maura at the Farmer's Market and thought both of them were just very kind, very sweet people that know how to grow their vegetables well. I didn't have the chance to volunteer with them... it didn't work out for us timewise - but get the feeling I would have learned a lot from the opportunity. Their farm was one we would drive by each day - and they were constantly out there working. Their eggs and chicken are also very good. read more

When we received fresh produce it was always great and were able to try many new things. However, very disappointed with the quantity of produce and several times received no produce. When I brought this up at the end of the season, I was scolded because I "never lifted a finger to help". If they expect their customers to come work on the farm, they should make that clear and probably not market themselves to college students in DC. read more

I have enjoyed a Fresh and Local CSA share for two years now and both years have been a great experience. I was looking for local produce that was nutritionally and ecologically sound. And that's what I found at Fresh and Local CSA! They have a great assortment of fruits and vegetables that are grown biodynamically each season- and you can taste the goodness in each bite. I recommend volunteering at the farm for a day or two during the season if you can. It's great to get out of the city, meet the famers and have a hand in growing the food that you'll enjoy all season long. I even met some really cool folks from the city while I was there! Most of all it's great to see the hard work that Farmer Allan and his team put into growing such nutritionally powerful and healthy food. They are all incredibly knowledgeable about the food they grow for their CSA members and I have found them always helpful in answering any questions I have. It has been a pleasure to invest in a CSA share with Fresh and Local these past two seasons and I look forward to doing so again in the future. For all those in the surrounding DC metro area, I highly recommend Fresh and Local CSA! Get out and enjoy that fresh, local produce and know that it comes from a good, clean, and healthy place! read more

I worked with Allan for 7 months in 2006 in an apprenticeship that can only be described as Full Time Squared. Allan is one of the most passionate and courageous farmers I have met in years in the food movement. During our apprenticeship we attended many food conferences and hosted Farmer John (of The Real Dirt on Farmer John documentary). Allan's expertise and tireless dedication has made an indelible impression on my work as a farmer, food activist, and food lover. read more

I really enjoyed my share this past season! It was very delicious. There was always a great variety of produce, and tons of tomatoes in the later part of the summer. I am very proud to have supported a CSA and plan to subscribe again for next season! read more

I just googled Fresh and Local CSA to sign up for my 2011 share and I found that there was only one, completely foolish comment here giving feedback. As a faithful client of Fresh and Local CSA for the past several years, I can say with full confidence that the comment below does not accurately reflect the service provided by this CSA. It is obvious to me that the commenter below is not even familiar with the philosophy of a CSA. When a client decides to support a small organic farm through a CSA membership, they should do so with the understanding that the client is to take the good with the bad. If you recall, last summer was a brutally hot in the DC area and I fail to see how anyone could expect an abundance of green produce to miraculously appear in light of such extreme conditions. This gamble, however, works both ways. In times of good weather, I have received some of the most delicious produce I've ever eaten. And the comments about feeling they were 'chastised' for not volunteering is clearly just a guilty conscious. I can't speak for the comment about the change in the delivery site, but I think that when you are dealing with an independent farm, flexibility is key. Beyond my reaction to this comment, I would just like to say that I found fresh and local CSA to be very consistent with their services and always a pleasure to do business with. Farmer Allan has always very patiently helped me identify my vegetables for the week and even given me recipes! I look forward to picking up my share each week and planning my meals. I also love my beautiful bouquets from my flower share and love the fresh taste of my eggs! I should also say that their prices can't be beat....buying that much delicious produce on its own would be wildly expensive! I love Fresh and Local CSA, and I would advise anyone looking for delicious vegetables to join! read more

I was also disappointed with the 2010 share. Overall, I felt I paid $680 for primarily white potatoes and lettuces. I did not rejoin this year. I had received shares from another local farm, and, repeatedly, that farm delivered their monies worth week after week. This farm did not have any available spots last season, so I decided to try Fresh and Local. Never again. While I want to support local farms, it is also a recession and I can't throw my money away. I prefer frozen veg and organic fresh veg at Whole Foods now over Fresh and Local CSA because I will get what I paid for. read more