Experiencing sticker shock at the grocery store? Blame increasing food prices, California’s high cost of living, or the impact of water shortages and heightened immigration enforcement on farms. Either way, a basket of berries, onions, and tomatoes, with other produce, could easily go over $25 at the market.
Enter the CSA, community supported agriculture, a way to get regular deliveries of fresh fruit and vegetables to your doorstep, while also supporting local farmers.
CSAs started in California as a way to promote Golden State-grown food, and as an additional direct marketing tool complementing farmers markets. The idea of CSAs goes back even further to 1960s Alabama: at Tuskegee University, a 1890 Land Grant University, a professor named Booker T. Whately started a farm box program to support struggling Black farmers.
Today, receiving a mostly organic box of fruits and vegetables delivered to your doorstep starting at about $35 seems like a steal. It is a win for farmers, too, because participants take on a part of the cost of production by paying upfront, in some cases, for a season’s share of produce. The CSAs then use some of that upfront money to help with cover equipment, seeds, soil, labor, fees, and other costs.
Potential savings for customers aside, the thing about CSAs is someone else is deciding what you’re going to eat — and that can be a fun surprise. One week, I got tiny cucumbers that looked like watermelons from Acta Non Verba’s CSA. Another week this summer, I received a bag of tomatillos in a Mandela Partners’ CSA box and made salsa verde for the first time.
You start to plan your menu around what’s in season and start cooking lots of different things. You get to enjoy the fresh taste of local farm bounties. An added bonus is that it also likely reduces carbon footprint, since most of the produce is grown nearby. It’s also a chance to get to know local farmers; many CSAs have events where you can visit the farm, including a few upcoming fall festivals that are open to the public (see below).
Some memberships require advanced planning and even have waiting lists. Other CSAs are flexible, where you can purchase one-time boxes or put your subscription on pause anytime. Some are fully customizable, where you can select or deselect items that you want from an online grocery cart. Single boxes range from $25 for a smaller portion to upwards of $80, but the average comes in around $35 per box. Smaller single farms tend to require a seasonal and weekly commitment.
Note that, since it’s the end of the summer season, some farms pause their CSAs around this time, while others operate year-round (expect a lot of kale, chard, oranges, and apples during the winter months). And, because most produce in farm boxes is pesticide-free or organic, one downside is you might find bugs once in a while.
Below is a list of some CSAs that serve the East Bay with either pick-up locations, delivery, or both. However, this list is far from exhaustive; you can find and explore these options further by visiting websites such as LocalHarvest.org and the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) at caff.org, though some listings are outdated so it’s best to check with each one.
Fruits and Vegetables (plus herbs and other things)
Acta Non Verba’s “Beet Box” CSA
ANV is a nonprofit in Oakland, and sources its CSA produce from its own farm at West Oakland Farm park and other local BIPOC-owned farms. All profits from the CSA box go directly to youth who worked on the farm in the summer program. You can get a one-time box, and there are several pick up points in Oakland and Berkeley (pro tip: bring your own bag/crate/container). They offer delivery. A half veggie share is $35 and $10 for delivery. A bonus was when picking it up at the West Oakland Farm Park, the staff allowed me to pick some flowers from their garden to make a small bouquet. Note: the CSA closes in the winter around December, and begins again in Spring. They are also holding their first-ever Farm Fest fundraiser on Saturday, November 1, 2025 at the farm park with a pumpkin patch, cook-off, music, and more to celebrate the organization’s 15 years.
Berkeley Basket CSA
A hyper-local CSA for pick up in Berkeley only. To learn more, you need to email them. They also offer a sliding scale. They “recruit new members over the winter, so the best time to check in about joining is from December-February,” according to their website — mark your calendars.
Brown Girl Farms
They just wrapped up this season’s CSA, but the Hayward-based farm may be opening up again next season. Sign up for their newsletter or follow their Instagram account for updates. They have a CSA for produce and flowers, and pick-up in Oakland and Hayward. Their summer boxes were $214 for four pickups. In the meantime, they have a farmstand; you can currently order Early Girl Tomatoes, eggs, and flowers for pickup.
Coyote Family Farms
The farm share in Sonoma County runs May through November. Add-ons include flower bouquets and more. They have a pickup location in South Berkeley, and it is $36 per box with a subscription, or $38 for a one-time purchase.
Dan’s Farmers Market
Based in Alameda, the grocery store and farm stand also runs a CSA. It sources from many local farms and allows you to customize items. Boxes are $39.95 for a standard box, which comes with a large variety of items.
Dirty Girl Produce CSA
Dirty Girl Produce is a certified organic farm out in Santa Cruz County. Their half share farm box, that has fruit and vegetables, is $25. They offer weekly deliveries to some areas in the East Bay, and have a pickup location in Oakland.
Eat Well
Eat Well currently has a waiting list for its CSA program and delivers to many East Bay locations. The produce is from Eat Well Farm, an organic farm just outside of Dixon.
Farm Fresh to You
Farm Fresh to You is a part of Capay Organic, a second-generation family farm. You might see them advertising at farmers markets with coupons for sign-ups. It is one of the more affordable ones, with a small box starting at $29, which also includes farm goods from places like Phat Beets in Oakland. The very customizable farm box delivers to most locations and is extremely flexible with frequency, add-ons, and canceling subscriptions.
Farm to Grow
Farm to Grow CSA is a non-GMO and pesticide-free farm box sourced from California Black farmers. They offer delivery to Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville, Albany, Hayward, San Leandro, San Francisco, and Richmond. The box starts at $40, and you can add items like local jam, pickled items, granola, cookies, and cakes.
Farm2Market
Farm2Market is a two-acre urban farm operated by Alameda Point Collaborative. The regular box is $39.95 and is customizable. They just closed their CSA for the season and will open up again after winter. Proceeds support the housing collaborative. The farm is holding a Fall Harvest Festival with pumpkin decorating and more on October 25, 2025 that is open to the public.
FEED Sonoma
Based in Sonoma, the weekly bin delivers to the East Bay, with a pick up location in Oakland. Their “Ohana Bin” includes 11 to 12 items and is $44, or select their “Keiki Bin” of eight to nine items for $31. FEED allows for single-box orders or a subscription.
Frog Hollow Farm CSA
This fruit-only farm box starts at $23 for a small box. This year-round fruit CSA is very popular due to their organic farming methods, heirloom varieties, and simplicity of focusing solely on in-season fruit.
Full Belly
The organic farm box from Full Belly Farm might include fresh basil, melons, and butternut squash, among other things and has pick up sites in Albany, El Cerrito, Emeryville, Berkeley, and Oakland. Full Belly CSA requires a four-box minimum, but it doesn’t have to be weekly. It averages as low as $22 per box if you order the entire haul of 48 boxes per year (they also offer some sliding scale options). It’s an additional $10 per box for delivery.
fruitqueen
A group of friends who had experience working at farmers markets launched fruitqueen, based in Oakland, in 2023. The CSA boxes, sourced directly from small farmers in California, includes anything from Masumoto peaches and large Keitt mangos to Asian pears and dragonfruit. A small box is $29, and the regular box is $49, and they have other fruit box options. Delivery is an extra $9. They deliver to all of the East Bay as well as other parts of the Bay Area.
Green Hearts Family Farm
It’s an organic farm out of Half Moon Bay and offers free delivery. It delivers to Oakland, and you can also purchase one-time boxes, which start at $41 with the option for add-on eggs and other items.
Happy Acre Farm
Happy Acre Farm offers two types of CSAs: vegetables and flowers. Note: Its fall CSA ends October 29. Pick up locations include Oakland, Fremont, Pleasanton, and other locations. Requires a weekly commitment, and averages to about $31.25 a box for the small portion. The founders are from Oakland and farm on one acre in Sunol; you can also find their produce served at restaurants like Nido’s Backyard in Oakland.
Mandela Partners CSA
A tried and true year-round CSA based in Oakland is at Mandela Partners. The tomatillos I got in a summer box come from Green Thumb Organic, and all of the produce is either pesticide-free or organic. It is one of the most flexible CSAs. Boxes start at $30 for a one-time purchase, and the price drops to $25.50 with a subscription. They offer $15 boxes for those paying with EBT through CalFresh or SNAP, and Mandela Partners delivers to many cities in the East Bay for an additional $5.
Oya Organics
The certified organic farm has a pick up point at the South Berkeley Farmers Market and requires a minimum of a four-week commitment, and is $32 for a small box. You can add on items like herbs, canned goods, hot sauces, or marmalades.
Tera Farm
This CSA is somewhat of a hidden gem. Tera Farm CSA‘s is fully customizable — you pick from a list of seasonal and organic fruits, herbs, and produce. There are pickup points and deliveries in Berkeley, Oakland, Lafayette, and other parts of the Bay Area. The group is a nonprofit that works with Latino farmers in the Salinas Valley. There’s no delivery fee to the local pickup point and no subscriptions, making this one of the more flexible and affordable CSAs in the area.
Terra Firma Farm
This Winters-based, certified organic farm delivers to some East Bay locations, including Berkeley, Alameda, and Oakland. The boxes start at $25 for a small size.
Fish and Meat
Like its CSA cousin, the idea of Community Supported Fisheries (CSFs) is a way to support the local fishing economy. And, we have the famed local ranchers, many out in Marin County, who also offer delivery.
Cap’n Mike’s Holy Smoke
They have their signature smoked salmon, fish, and jerky, but also a $90 monthly box with fresh fish. The “fish of the month” box includes the best of both:fresh and smoked fish. You may have seen them at the Grand Lake Farmers Market in Oakland.
Devil’s Gulch Ranch
The Marin County ranch’s “barn2door” program allows you to order directly from the ranch, from cuts of meat and chicken or duck to cured foods like whole ham, bacon, and even cat toys and food.
H&H Fresh Fish
H&H Fresh Fish delivers fresh local seafood, including a local pickup site in Oakland. It starts at $12 for a single share of a fish fillet and up to $72 for two meals a week for four people.
Ocean2Table
You too can eat fresh line-caught salmon or local halibut – or dungeness crab, when it’s in season. Ocean2Table provides seafood to several award-winning restaurants in the Bay Area and is based in San Francisco, where their warehouse holds pounds of fresh seafood. The website is built like an online shop, which, in addition to seafood, has poultry, greens, pantry items, and more. They offer delivery for a fee or free delivery with minimum purchases.
Prather Ranch Meat Co.
Prather Ranch, in Siskiyou County, offers a meat box for $129 a month.
Real Good Fish
Another seafood delivery program in the Bay Area, Real Good Fish, is a weekly delivery option that starts at $99 for 8-10 portions of protein that includes fish, as well as other proteins.
Sea Forager
Kirk Lombard and his team are the gold standard for local seafood boxes. Lombard’s book, The Sea Forager’s Guide to the Northern California Coast, is the ultimate handbook for Bay Area coastal foraging and fishing. He also teaches workshops on fishing techniques. For $30 a box, which feeds two people, you can get it delivered to your doorstep on ice. Or, pick up in Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Oakland, and other locations. Expect very fresh, sustainably caught or foraged fish, Dungeness crab, other shellfish, and more. Requires a four-box minimum commitment.
Stemple Creek Ranch
Stemple Creek Ranch in Marin County delivers meat boxes from its Marin County ranch. The beef, veal, and lamb are grassfed. An 8-10 pound sampler box that could include four different meats (chicken, pork, beef, lamb, etc.) costs $259. Receive a 10% discount if you sign up for a regular subscription.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Mandela Partners is no longer affiliated with Mandela Grocery Cooperative. The two organizations became independent of each other in 2010.
