Picture this. It is a Thursday in July. You pull up to Moonshine Cafe in Tofield, or Tasty's at River Rock in Ryley, or CrossFit Sherwood Park. You walk inside and waiting for you is a bag, with your family name on it, full of fresh vegetables
Inside: a small bunch of radishes, still cool from the field. Sweet baby carrots. The first cherry tomatoes of the season, deep red, slightly warm, the kind that taste nothing like what you find at the grocery store. A cucumber or two from our greenhouse. Some baby potatoes. A generous handful of greens.
You didn't choose any of it. And somehow, that is exactly the point.
What a CSA Actually Is
CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It is one of the most direct relationships you can have with the food that feeds your family. You sign up at the beginning of the season, and in return, you receive a weekly box of freshly harvested vegetables for ten weeks, starting mid-July.
What's inside changes every week because it depends entirely on what is at peak ripeness in the gardens at Maple Park Farm. Some weeks, it's radishes and greens. Every week, it's cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. As the season progresses and the fields mature, the boxes get bigger and more varied. By late summer, you are opening boxes full of colour and abundance.
There is no predicting it exactly, and that's the beauty of it. It connects you to the actual rhythm of a working Alberta farm.
What You Can Expect in the Early Season Boxes
Our first deliveries start July 16th, and the early-season boxes reflect what is ready in our fields and greenhouse right now. You can expect things like:
• Radishes - crisp, peppery, and one of the first vegetables out of the ground each season
• Baby carrots - sweet and tender, harvested young before the season fully heats up
• Baby potatoes - small, buttery, and incredibly versatile in the kitchen
• Fresh greens - lettuce, spinach, or whatever is at its best that week
• Greenhouse cherry tomatoes - with the flavour that only comes from a vine-ripened tomato
• Cucumbers - from our greenhouse, crisp and fresh, appearing regularly through the season
As the season progresses, the boxes grow with it. More variety. Larger quantities. The full abundance of an Alberta summer harvest.
The Weekly Newsletter That Comes With It
Every week, alongside your box, you receive our exclusive CSA member newsletter. It tells you exactly what is in your box that week, storage tips so nothing goes to waste, prep ideas for anything unfamiliar, and recipes built around what you are actually holding in your hands.
For a lot of our members, the newsletter becomes as anticipated as the box itself. It removes the uncertainty of opening a box and not knowing what to do with something, and it slowly, gently makes you a more confident seasonal cook.
Four Ways to Pick Up Your Box
We have partnered with three community businesses to make pickup as easy as possible. Moonshine Cafe in Tofield, Tasty's at River Rock in Ryley, and CrossFit Sherwood Park all on Thursdays starting July 16th. Or you can pick up your box right here at Maple Park Farm during farm store hours.
Each pickup partner was chosen because they share our values. Locally rooted, community-minded businesses where our members already feel at home.
Is a CSA Right for You?
Here's the simplest way to know.
If you want to eat more fresh, local vegetables but don't have the time or space for a full garden, a CSA delivers the garden to you.
If you want to know exactly where your food came from and who grew it, we can tell you everything, because we grew it. And if you want to feel more connected to the seasons and the land around you, there's nothing quite like opening a box of vegetables that someone here put their hands into the soil for.
We have also prepared a guide," Is A CSA Right For You? " to answer the most common questions we receive.
Sign-up for the 2026 season is now closed, but if you're reading this and wishing you'd joined, make a note for next spring. We'd love to have you. 🌿
In the meantime, follow along as the season unfolds. We share what's growing, what's in the boxes, and what our members are cooking every week on our blog and social channels.