Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) in Toronto! 2022

Written By Hiromi Inokuchi

As a Torontonian, I know next to nothing about farming. What I do know is that it’s important to support local farmers, that farming is incredibly difficult and that it’s hard to make a living wage farming–which is why there are fewer and fewer farmers every year.

So when I learned about community supported agriculture (CSAs), I was like 1) where do I sign up? And, 2) do other people know about CSAs? 

CSAs are like a membership to a farm, and from that you get a veggie subscription that you pick up weekly throughout the course of the growing season. Some CSAs are split into seasons of 8-12 weeks, others do the full 20 weeks or so. Members buy the share directly from the farms upfront, and that helps farmers plan and pay for the growing supplies rather than getting an expensive loan from a bank. They are a great way to support smaller scale local farmers and get fresh-from-the-farm delicious veggies. 

CSAs aren’t for everyone though. There’s the upfront financial commitment (although some farmers may allow a payment schedule). And just as farmers can’t predict their yields due to - well, nature - you won’t know what type and quantity of veggies you will receive in the box. Since I love cooking and discovering new things, it’s a great fit for me. But if you don’t love surprises or cooking, CSAs may not be for you. 

And, in answer to 1) and 2)

  1. Turns out it’s not so easy to find CSAs with pick up locations in Toronto, so I’ve scoured the internet and put together a list of the 20 farmers I could find online that offer pick up in Toronto. The list of links focuses on smaller scale urban farmers and ecological farmers in the counties adjacent to Toronto. 

  2. Turns out that very few people in my network knew about CSAs, but they were delighted to find out about it! Which is why I’ve put together the list, and I’m hoping you’ll help me spread the word. 

    • For folks in Toronto who are able, please consider signing up for a CSA, or buying from local small scale farmers when possible. Many of these farmers are actively working mitigating climate change, and stewarding soil health for sustainable harvests for future generations. 

    • For folks not located in Toronto, these established nonprofit organizations offer a directory of CSAs: 

Vegetable CSAs with pick locations in Toronto

Note 1: The purpose of this list is to make it easier for folks in Toronto to see which farmers offer pick up locations by intersection. If you are interested in the CSA, please visit the farmer site, review all the details and purchase directly from the farmer.

Note 2: I’ll do my best to keep this list up to date. I’ll check weekly on Fridays to see if memberships become sold out, or no longer available. Farmers, please use the contact form on the site if you would like to be added or removed from the list, or if your information changes. I’m just volunteering my time to do this because I believe in CSAs, so please be kind :)

West end pick up locations

Borden & Bloor

Dufferin/Dovercourt/Lansdowne & Bloor

Sourauren Farmers Market (Dundas St W @ Sourauren Ave) 

High Park and Humberside 

Keele and Dundas

Dufferin Grove Farmers Market (Dufferin St @ Dundas St W) 

Dufferin & King

Trinity Bellwoods Farmers Market 

  • Tuesday 3-7pm 

Christie & St. Clair

Bathurst & St. Clair

Eglinton Ave W @ Oakwood 

Downsview Park

Islington and Albion

East end pick up locations

Sherbourne and Bloor (St Jamestown)

Parliament and Carlton

Leslieville Farmers’ Market

Greenwood and Gerrard St E

Greenwood/Coxwell and Dundas St E

Woodbine and Danforth

Monarch Park and Danforth

Evergreen Brickworks Market 

  • Saturday 8 am - 1 pm

Bayview and Sheppard

 

Etobicoke pick up locations

Kipling and Bloor

Islington and Dundas

Islington and Bloor 


Scarborough pick up locations

Scarborough Farmers’ Market Oakridge Park


Home delivery

Since it’s difficult for smaller scale producers to deliver directly to homes, there are only a few providers, and of course delivery fees apply. Each farmer has their own delivery areas/boundaries, so please check their sites for those.

Hiromi Inokuchi
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