These sales are open to CSA members and non-members alike. The week before each Farm Stand pick-up, customers pre-order items from our online store.  Orders are then picked up at our current Farm Stand locations in Squirrel Hill, Mt. Lebanon, Lawrenceville or the North Side on the designated day.   

Products that are likely to be included in our Farm Stands include seasonal and extraordinarily fresh produce and fruits, herbs, garlic, locally raised meats, honey, fresh pastas, cheese, eggs and fresh breads among other things.  Many of Penn’s Corner products are Certified Organic (OG) or Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) and are indicated as such on our Product Lists.    

We have generated a Farm Stand only mailing list so if you would like to receive news about our Farm Stands and get the notifications of new ordering periods, please email Lydia (farmstand@pennscorner.com).  

Pick-up Locations & Times:

• Our Squirrel Hill location is at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer at 5700 Forbes Avenue between 4:00pm and 6:30pm.
• Our Mt. Lebanon location is Sunnyhill Unitarian Universalist Church of the South Hills at 1240 Washington Road between 4:00pm and 6:30pm.
• Our Lawrenceville location is at the Stephen Foster Community Center at 286 Main Street between 3:00pm and 5:45pm.
• Our new North Side location will be opening soon with the first pickup on April 16th!  The pickup will be at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh located at 10 Children's Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.  the pickup will be between 4 and 6:30pm.   
  

Schedule of Pick-ups:

Mt. Lebanon & Lawrenceville: 

• May 7 & 21
• June 11 & 25
• July 9 & 30 (no pickup on July 23)
  

Squirrel Hill & North Side: 

• May 14 (no pickup on Memorial Day, May 28)
• June 4 & 18
• July 2 & 16
  

Contact Lydia Vanderhill at 724-840-1672 with any questions.  We look forward to seeing you at future Farm Stands!

Your CSA can be paid in full at the time of sign-up by check or credit card.   

If you prefer to make payments, our 2012 payment schedule is $200 at sign up and then half of the remaining balance in each of the two months that follow.  If you pay with a credit card, the second and third payments will be automatically charged to your card. 

Other payment arrangements can be made if the above terms do not work for you but payments will need to be made by check.  Please contact Karlin if you would like to make special payment arrangements.

Please make checks payable to:

Penn's Corner Farm Alliance ~6587 Hamilton Avenue ~Pittsburgh PA 15206

Please include your member number on your check.

Click here to view our 2012 CSA brochure.

The Penn's Corner CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) delivers weekly boxes of farm fresh produce to neighborhoods all around Pittsburgh from April through November. With a CSA membership, you will support over 30 area farms while receiving delicious products, along with a weekly recipes, cooking information, and updates of what will be in the box that coming week.

Penn's Corner CSA is expanding again this season. There will be more pickup locations offered in 2012, so please let us know if you are willing to be a new site. Also, please click on the following links to see a map and list of our pickup locations.  Also, please note that the first eight weeks of CSA (April-mid June) may not be available at all locations.  Please email us for clarification or confirmation.

The CSA deliveries will be on Wednesday afternoons starting in April. Each box wil have between 7-10+ items per week. Almost every week will include seasonal fruit and another non-vegetable items such as wild honey, free-range eggs, local cheese, or fresh pasta.

Thanks again for supporting your local farmers at Penn's Corner!

What type of food is in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box?

The Penn’s Corner CSA boxes contain a wide variety of fresh, seasonal food from local farms. Each week the CSA box contains a different assortment of seasonal vegetables, and there is usually at least one type of fruit as well. Our goal is to provide you with top quality produce in quantities that you can use. Remember, all the food is locally grown, which means that there will not be corn in May or strawberries in September. CSA equals seasonal eating, and that means eating everything in its prime season and peak flavor! In addition to fresh fruits and vegetables, the CSA box will also have regular installments of other farm products included—gourmet mushrooms, wild honey, local cheese, free-range eggs, fresh pasta, etc. The following link has some examples of CSA boxes from last season: CSA Menus.

How much food is in a weekly CSA box?

Each CSA box contains about 7-10 items a week. The variation depends upon the season and the specific items. If there are more high-value items in a particular week (such as peaches or salad mix or cheese), the number of items may be around 7. If there are more standard crops that week (such as cucumbers or peppers or onions), the number of items will be 10 or more.

How many people can a CSA box feed?

Depending on your eating patterns, a box will feed approximately 1-4 people, usually 2-3 people is a good number. But it is flexible. Some members use the CSA as their sole source of produce during the season. Others use it to supplement what they are already buying at farmer’s markets or the store.

When are the CSA pickup days and times?

CSA picku times will be confirmed closer to the beginning of the season. The proposed delivery day for 2012 is Wednesday. The pickup times vary by location as well. Usually the pickup window is between 3-7:30pm.

What if I can’t pick up my box during the allotted time?  Or, what if I'm on vacation?

It is important to find a way to get your box during the stated time frame. If you cannot get to the pickup location on time or are out of town, we suggest sending a friend or family member in your place. It’s a great way to introduce the CSA to others. We cannot guarantee that CSA boxes will be available outside of the stated pickup time.

Is Penn's Corner CSA organic?

Incorporated in 1999, PCFA did not organize as an organic coop. Therefore, our growers use a variety of agricultural practices. Although not many Penn’s Corner growers are certified organic, many of them do follow the organic practices and principles. Many of them are Certified Naturally Grown, which is a similar, alternative certification program to organic. So, the vast majority of the CSA is chemical-free produce. However, we also include produce that is not necessarily grown organically.

Where is the CSA food coming from?

Penn’s Corner Farm Alliance is a cooperative of Southwestern PA farmers that market together in the Pittsburgh area. PCFA farms are in Allegheny, Washington, Beaver, Butler, Mercer, Armstrong, Indiana, Cambria, Clarion, & Westmoreland counties. The CSA produce comes directly from the farms to your neighborhood. The produce is collected and boxed on our member farms, and then taken directly to CSA pickup locations. The produce is never held in a warehouse or off-site facility.

Can I choose what’s in the CSA box?

At this time, there is not an option to choose what’s in your CSA box. We do, however, have the option for a vegan CSA. Other than that, we believe that with a good recipe (which we provide in our blog), you’ll learn to enjoy the diversity of produce in the CSA. Most members find new favorites in the CSA box. 

How can I find information about cooking the produce in the CSA box?

The weekly CSA blog post always has recipes related to the specific items in each box.  In addition to that, the internet is filled with wonderful recipes based on seasonal produce.

Where are the pickup locations for the CSA?

We keep an updated list of CSA pickup locations under the CSA tab of the website homepage. The exact locations are available upon request or during membership confirmation.

Can I be a CSA host site/pickup location?

Yes, we are looking for members who are willing to be a pickup location for CSA deliveries.  Please let us know your address, and we can assess the possibility of adding your location to our delivery route.

What is required to be a host site/pickup location?

The short answer is, not much. It can be at your home or business. The CSA boxes simply need a cool, protected place that is easily accessible to members. It is not required to be present during the pickup, but it necessary to provide contact information in case we need to reach you. The members will return their empty boxes to the pickup location, so it is also necessary to have a bit of storage space for the CSA boxes. We typically accept sites with room enough for 10-20+ boxes (approximately 17”x 13”x 11” each).  Please inquire, we can send your our Statement of Understanding for CSA hosts.

The first week of our Winter CSA Share went very smoothly and staff rather enjoyed packing the boxes themselves!  We look forward to continuing this new endeavor.

Our Farm Stands continue to be well utilized and will run all the way through winter so be sure to stock up on local eggs, bread, cheese, meat and produce at one of our three Farm Stand locations.  You can also get the best that southwestern PA has to offer at our partner restaurants!

Pre-order is required and pick-up will be at either our

Squirrel Hill or Mt. Lebanon Farm Stand location on Monday, Nov. 21st.

Email lydia@pennscorner.com with the desired size and pick-up location (Squirrel Hill or Mt. Lebanon Farm Stand), or login to our Farm Stand Buying Club when an ordering period is open, and reserve one through our online ordering site.  Please be sure to keep an eye out for a confirmation email with more information about the Turkeys whether you just email Lydia to order, or order through our Buying Club site.

 We are offering two sizes... a very small size (7-9 lbs), a medium/small size (approx. 10-15 lbs) and  larger size (approx. 16-22 lbs) birds.  Our turkeys this year are raised on Weeping Willow Farm, and Mt. View Acres Farm. They are free range, antibiotic and hormone free, fed conventional feed. The birds will be frozen upon pick-up and will include giblets.  Please remember that these weights are our best guess.  We will keep you updated as the weeks pass, but exact weights will be calculated upon pick-up.  Price is $4.10/lb.  Hope to hear from you!

This year's poults keeping warm at Weeping Willow Farm this past August!

Do I have to pre-order? 

Yes.  We only collect what has been ordered from the farmers, and bring that to the Farm Stand pick ups.  Occasionally farmers send extra items along that people can add to their orders, but that is generally a very small amout. 

Is there a minimum order requirment, or an obligation to place and order each time?

Nope!  You can order however much you like, whenever you feel like it, year round.

How do I place an order?

1. Click on this link to view the current offerings for the next Farm Stand and place an order.  Ordering opens a week before the pick-up date and is open till the Thursday before.  If you are on our Farm Stand email list you will automatically be emailed a notification when a new ordering period has begun. Email farmstand@pennscorner to be placed on that email list!

2. Look over the list and decide what you would like to order.  Fill your online shopping cart and check out.  You will have to create a login and password to use each time you place an order.  This information can be entered before you start to fill your cart, or upon checkout.

3. Wait for a confirmation email.  Contact us if you don't receive a confirmation of your order within a few minutes of ordering, and then come to the pick up and pay for your order with cash or check on the pick up date. 

When do I pay?

You pay when you come to pick up your order.  We wait to enter the exact weights of the meat till the pick up, and only want to charge you for exactly what you are taking home.  We accept cash and checks at the Farm Stands. 

How is this different from a CSA?

The Farm Stands let you choose exactly what, how much, and how often you want to order, unlike a CSA where the farmer chooses what goes in your weekly box.

Do I need to be a CSA member to use the Farm Stands?

No.  Anyone can use the Farm Stands.  Just be sure to get on our Farm Stand email list to receive notifications and links when new ordering periods open up. Send an email to farmstand@pennscorner.com to be placed on that email list!

Click here to view the Penn's Corner wholesale brochure.

If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Neil Stauffer (neil@pennscorner.com, #412-363-1971).  Thanks!