Frequently Asked Questions
Please get in touch if we can't answer your questions here
What is in my box and can I change things?
Yes and no. The CSA veg box is pre-packed for you. This usually consists of salad, a cooking green, normally a root or two and maybe some more unusal items. You can however choose a "Custom box" and put whatever you want in there. If you pick up from the Food Barn you have the choice of swapping any item for anything else. Even if that item is more expensive. You can let us know my email any items that you want excluded. So if you never want potatoes we will swap for another root. You can also order pre-order additional items from our online store which we will bring to your pick-up site. NOTE: The Spring and hungry gap boxes might be much ligher boxes than normal. This is to be expected. Don’t freak out! You’ll have heavier boxes as the season goes on to make up for it.
Are you certified organic?
We are not certified. But we follow organic principles: we don’t use pesticides and all our seeds and compost are organic. We go beyond organic in that we don’t use lights or hydroponics and we don’t plough – all those things that are allowed in organic farming but we don’t believe they help the planet or food quality. We also use a lot well rotted manure from the local horse livery, therefore closing the growing loop. This is not certified either but the composting process gets rid of any nasties. We’re not sure we need to pay for organic certification at this point as we’re quite transparent and we hope that you’ll get to know the farmer anyway. You can always email us with questions about our practices.
I am composting my food at the end of the week! Is that normal?
When you come to the end of the first week or two, you may find that there are some veggies in your box that you just never got to, or that you don’t like. And they end up getting tossed into the compost pile. This can seem like a waste of food, and you may feel guilty about it. We want to encourage you to expect the fact that no matter how great you are at eating veggies, you will almost certainly compost a certain portion of your share this summer. It’s unavoidable. That being said, if you find that it’s happening a lot, we encourage you to find friends or neighbors to share with. We plan to teach you lots of strategies to help keep this from happening too much. As a last resort, we invite you to let us know about any exclusions. It will take some diligence on your part to eat your share. But it can be done!
What are your growing practices?
We practise "no dig", which is all about growing soil health. All of our produce is grown sustainably without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or fertilisers.
For more information about our growing methods, please ask. We're happy to answer any questions!
Where is the food grown?
All Soul Farm food is grown in sunny Cornwall, UK. We supply the local area and won’t be driving far to deliver products. If you don't buy from us then you may have to buy from a supermarket. So we do suppliment our boxes with produce from other farms. We are more fussy than other suppliers, and definately follow the seasons. First we approach local Cornish farms, then if that fails we use British farms and if we can't source from the UK then we'll look further afield.
What happens if I go out of town or on holiday?
Going away isn't a problem for your veg box through the Ooooby platform. It's totally flexible.
You can just pause your box for that time. Go onto the Dashboard > View current pauses > Add Pause
You must do this by Wednesday before the delivery day so that we do not harvest your veg and it might go to waste.
Where and when do I get my orders?
Orders can be picked up from set place drop off places in Flushing, Mylor, Penryn, Falmouth, Stithians, Carnkie, Redruth and Truro. We’ll email you the address.
If you’re picking up you’ll be asked to join a Whatsapp group for that location and you’ll be notified when it’s been dropped off.
Get delivery to your door for free if you spend over £25 or for £3 for anything over £15. And if you are on our delivery route.
Is all the veg yours?
We aim for all our veg to be grown by Soul Farm.
Sometimes we might be short of an item or two so some boxes get one item and other boxes get something else.
If we’re really short, we sometimes buy in veg from some of our local farm friends that grow in the area. We know exactly how they grow so it meets our standards. Examples of this is Raw Skies farm in Stithians and Patrick’s Patch in Falmouth.
We also sometimes buy in bulk from Organic North or Riverford wholesale – one of the best sources of organic veg we’re found. We will prioritise buying British veg and this is mainly in the early Spring during the hungry gap
Do I have to be home to receive a delivery?
We can leave your delivery in a specific location of your choosing. Please be aware that leafy greens need cool and can wilt. We’ll find some shade but this is not ideal for the life span of the food.
How can I help out your farm?
- Volunteer – we’ll let you know how you can volunteer in welcome emails
- Donate – Non-veg donation (because you want to support a farmer), see donation page
- Spread the word – Tell your friends and family about us and share our Facebook page!
What are your thoughts on plastic?
Some of the veg we produce live longer in plastic bags or tupperware.
We’ve experimented with corn plastic but don’t like the idea of the air miles they involve and of fields being used to make plastic. We’ve also tried bags made from thistles, but these suck the moisture out of the leaves 🙁
Eco Plastic bag tech is clearly not there yet. This is an ongoing conversation and we’ll keep you updated on what where we’re at.
What if I have a life change and can't be around all season
We really value and rely on your commitment but if life throws a curveball (as it often does). Just pause your veg box.
If you paid for the whole season upfront and you do need to cancel your membership, we ask that you try to sell your share to a friend before we go to the waiting list, therefore reducing our admin.
Terms
If you support us for the whole season upfront then read these