What's in a River Queen Greens Farm Share?
We offer a variety of Certified Naturally Grown vegetables that we grow at our farm in New Orleans, as well as a variety of produce from other local farms. Every week your share may be a bit different, but we expect to always offer a variety of salad and cooking greens, root vegetables, herbs, and a variety of other seasonal favorites. Our choice-based model is designed to give you the flexibility to only get what you want, and to get different selections each time if you choose.
Our 30-week season Farm Share covers many months of growing season, which means that some months will have more selection than other months. Especially in the colder months, the selection will be extra heavy on greens. Warmer months will have plenty of fruiting crops like cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, tomatoes etc. Part of being in a farm share means eating seasonally, and while we do our best to keep it interesting every week, we aren't able to have the same variety as you get in a grocery store. In addition, the nature of our free choice model means that we do run out of some items during a given pickup. We do our best to ensure that everyone has a wide selection when they arrive, but people arriving towards 7 may not have as many items to choose from as those who get there earlier.
We also have a selection of add-ons from local producers, including eggs, mushrooms, honey, tofu, and seasonal fruits. These are available to purchase as extras with your vegetable shares.
Our 30-week season Farm Share covers many months of growing season, which means that some months will have more selection than other months. Especially in the colder months, the selection will be extra heavy on greens. Warmer months will have plenty of fruiting crops like cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, tomatoes etc. Part of being in a farm share means eating seasonally, and while we do our best to keep it interesting every week, we aren't able to have the same variety as you get in a grocery store. In addition, the nature of our free choice model means that we do run out of some items during a given pickup. We do our best to ensure that everyone has a wide selection when they arrive, but people arriving towards 7 may not have as many items to choose from as those who get there earlier.
We also have a selection of add-ons from local producers, including eggs, mushrooms, honey, tofu, and seasonal fruits. These are available to purchase as extras with your vegetable shares.
Is it possible to buy a la carte or week to week without purchasing a share for the season?
Depending on availability of extra produce, we will offer a $28 Veggie Box that may be purchased week-to-week. Please preorder on GrownBy by Sunday evening. Ordering typically opens on Fridays the week before.
Why are the prices more expensive this season?
Inflation has affected our business just like it's affected consumers. The cost of many of our inputs like soil, seeds, and labor - all our current employees are paid at least $20/hour - have increased.
Is the Farm Share organic?
River Queen Greens is Certified Naturally Grown, which has the same standards as organic and in many ways requires more of a commitment to regenerative agricultural practices.
All of the outsourced produce that we include in our Farm Shares is grown locally and much of it is also grown sustainably.
All of the outsourced produce that we include in our Farm Shares is grown locally and much of it is also grown sustainably.
How do payments work?
When you sign up for a Farm Share, you must input your credit card info and select whether you'd like to pay upfront or pay-as-you-go. If you select the latter, you will be charged every Monday for your share that week. (Note: each transaction in GrownBy incurs a $0.30 transaction fee.)
Due to the two week gap for the holidays, GrownBy is stretching out the payments for the 30-week share into the 32-week period that the farm share covers. This means that members paying weekly will be charged an amount that's a a little less than the weekly value of the share ($25.31 for small, $36.56 for large, plus 30 cents), and they'll be charged each week of the holiday break (December 27th and January 3rd) as well.
The "Offline Payment" option at checkout is only for members using EBT cards to pay for their shares on site or for members paying upfront if they would like to pay with a check.. If you would like to use an EBT card to pay for your share, please contact us and we can process your registration with an offline payment. Please contact us as well about paying in full for your share with a non-refundable check.
Due to the two week gap for the holidays, GrownBy is stretching out the payments for the 30-week share into the 32-week period that the farm share covers. This means that members paying weekly will be charged an amount that's a a little less than the weekly value of the share ($25.31 for small, $36.56 for large, plus 30 cents), and they'll be charged each week of the holiday break (December 27th and January 3rd) as well.
The "Offline Payment" option at checkout is only for members using EBT cards to pay for their shares on site or for members paying upfront if they would like to pay with a check.. If you would like to use an EBT card to pay for your share, please contact us and we can process your registration with an offline payment. Please contact us as well about paying in full for your share with a non-refundable check.
What is Farm Credit and how does it work?
When you purchase your share, you will be asked at checkout if you would like to add farm credit to your order. Farm credit is a credit you can use to buy from us on GrownBy. Any farm credit will be used to pay your next invoice(s) or for your next order. If you buy $100 of farm credit when you purchase your share and you're paying as you go, the farm credit will be applied to your next share payment, but you can also use it to buy extras, like eggs, mushrooms, and other produce as available. You'll reduce the number of transaction fees and pay down a balance as the season progresses.
Is there going to be a pickup on Mardi Gras!?
No pickup on Mardi Gras! The pickup date that week will be moved to Ash Wednesday, February 22nd. Any other scheduling changes due to weather or other unexpected events will be communicated via email.
Is it possible to skip a pickup?
Our number one request is that you find a friend/neighbor/family member to pick up your share for you if you're not able to come! (Think of it like a gym membership - you're expected to pay each month, even if you don't use it.)
With that said, you are allowed three vacation weeks. If you paid in full, you will receive farm credit to be used the next time you purchase from us via GrownBy. If you are paying weekly you will also receive farm credit that will automatically be applied at that time that you enter a vacation request. This may end up not aligning with your actual vacation day, so we recommend inputting your vacation no more than a week before using it if you're concerned with the skipped payment lining up with the correct week. It's confusing, but it's how the system works. Remember, any changes to your share for a given Tuesday must be made by midnight on the prior Sunday.
For extenuating or unexpected circumstances (ie. more than 3 weeks), please contact us directly. As a general rule, we don't allow extended holds. You may cancel at any time and sign up again if space allows.
With that said, you are allowed three vacation weeks. If you paid in full, you will receive farm credit to be used the next time you purchase from us via GrownBy. If you are paying weekly you will also receive farm credit that will automatically be applied at that time that you enter a vacation request. This may end up not aligning with your actual vacation day, so we recommend inputting your vacation no more than a week before using it if you're concerned with the skipped payment lining up with the correct week. It's confusing, but it's how the system works. Remember, any changes to your share for a given Tuesday must be made by midnight on the prior Sunday.
For extenuating or unexpected circumstances (ie. more than 3 weeks), please contact us directly. As a general rule, we don't allow extended holds. You may cancel at any time and sign up again if space allows.
What if I forget to pick up my share?
First of all, we recommend putting an alert in your calendar so you don't forget! You will also receive a push notification the day before and the day of the share if you allow them on the GrownBy app.
Since we no longer control the pickup site, we are not able to coordinate pickups at any other time during the week. All shares not picked up by Tuesday at 7pm will be donated.
Since we no longer control the pickup site, we are not able to coordinate pickups at any other time during the week. All shares not picked up by Tuesday at 7pm will be donated.
Can I change the size of my share or cancel my membership mid-season?
Please email us to make changes to your subscription.
What can I return to the farm?
We can collect egg cartons to return to Laughing Buddha. Also please feel free to bring clean used plastic and paper bags. We are no longer using old microgreens containers from prior years, so please reuse or recycle them at home.
What is GrownBy and why did River Queen Greens change platforms?
GrownBy is a new online platform created by and for direct market growers. It was developed by the cooperatively owned Farm Generations Cooperative, is run by other small farmers around the country, and includes equity and food accessibility as part of their core values. Because of this, we feel that GrownBy better aligns with our own values and long-term goals, and is a better overall fit as we move away from pre-packed bins. We believe the GrownBy platform, which has a lower transaction fee than Harvie (our previous farm share partner), will be sufficient for our new market-style farm share and creates more value for everyone. We enjoyed working with them last season and hope you enjoy the user experience as well.
If you have additional questions about GrownBy or how to use their platform, please check out their help pages here.
If you have additional questions about GrownBy or how to use their platform, please check out their help pages here.