Eating with the Seasons

I have now been a customer for several years, and it is still a great way to get vegetables & fruits. It is the farmer’s market quality without having to get up on Saturday morning.

I’ve been with Eating with the Seasons for over 10 years now. Recently I went to a field day that they held at JSM Organics where we were able to pick Strawberries, go on a tour of the farm with the farmer himself and they provided lunch for us. I really appreciate the personal connection to the food that I get each week from this CSA. Overall the service is great from the top notch produce to the awesome customer service I receive whenever I have any questions or need help. Eating with the Seasons is a staple in my lifestyle and I don’t know what I would do without them!

Originally, I didn’t have a great experience… but I’m realizing my bad experience shouldn’t be put on the company. Just a mixed bag of bad circumstances and me not understanding the program. In any case, the owner followed up with me and told me that my experience was not at all what they are about. I was surprised he reached out to me directly. He seemed genuinely upset that I had an experience that was anything but stellar and wanted to give that to me regardless of whose fault it was. Such a great guy and very on the ball.
My produce the first week was WONDERFUL. I tried one of their soups that was absolutely amazing too. Came in handy two nights in a row when I was working late and didn’t have time to cook but didn’t want to order unhealthy crap from a restaurant!
So far, everything couldn’t be better. I had a small bag delivered: strawberries, blueberries, oranges, beets, doughnut peaches, apricots in addition to some soup and some eggs.
A+

I’ve been a member of Eating with the Seasons for over 8 years and it’s a huge part of my week. Having the food delivery motivates metro bring more vegetables into my house than I normally would! I get the best of the farmers market without the trip.
They went through an ownership transition: the founder sold the business, but then bought it back. With the founder at the helm, the quality and personal service are excellent. What makes this CSA unique is choice:
Their family farm has limited crops, but EWTS connects me to farmers all over the area. I get a great choice of fruits and veggies, from «standard stuff» like carrots to introducing me to new things. Eating with the Season individually packs each customer’s bag, so it’s personalized to my family’s preferences and menu. Costs are reasonable for the service and quality. They deliver to points all over the Bay Area, homes and businesses in Los Altos, Mountain View, Palo Alto, to San Francisco. See their website for list of pick up points.
The produce is high quality produce, and on the rare occasion when I’ve had a problem, Eating with the Seasons immediately apologized and gave me a credit to use next time. You can add others foods on a fee basis eg eggs, meat, jam – the options vary.
Great way to improve your family’s diet, and support local farms, and locally source and eat organic!

I have been a member for 2 years, produce is fresh & not bruised. You also get to pick your choices of veggies of what’s in season. Pricing & ordering amount is very flexible!

I have participated in about 6 different CSAs over the years. This one is my favorite. It has the unusual combination of choice of what you get and very local produce. Everything tastes great and the price is great.

My family and I love Eating with the Seasons! Great product, great staff… our weekly delivery guy is the best! THANK YOU for providing my family with quality fruits, veggies and eggs too every week!

The best local organic produce and artisanal food product delivery available to Bay Area residents! Awesome service and great community of growers, land stewards, and culinary creatives.

— Please note: after submitting this review, we heard back from Becky at Eating with the Seasons. Becky is the boss of the person we had previously dealt with on the phone. Becky did end up granting us a credit, sending a sincere and professional apology, and explaining the steps that Eating With the Seasons intends to take to improve customer service. Thank you, Becky.
Warning: When we first began subscribing to EWS several years ago, we were very happy with the quality of produce and service. Since then, it’s declined drastically. We’d receive rotten vegetables and fruits. The quality and quantity of each order became highly inconsistent. Then, our host venue changed their hours, which made it increasingly difficult for us – and anyone who works during the daytime — to pick-​up our items before the venue closed. The final straw = We were delayed at work and missed a pick-​up, called the host venue to hold our items, only to discover that — even the non-​perishables (closed bottles of juice, root vegetables, etc…) were given away. When we contacted Eating with the Seasons, the owner told us «We should have called the EWS office instead». It seems we misunderstood the protocol. When I asked if there was a 1-​time «grace period» since this was clearly a misunderstanding, the owner kept saying «You should have called us and read our Terms» — then pointed me to a lengthy page of fine print buried in their website. Our request for a refund was denied. Now someone else is enjoying the produce we purchased. I recommended to the EWS owner that they make these terms more visible for the many customers who will likely make the same mistake we did. Then I kindly requested they cancel our membership for good. We’d much prefer to support local growers by shopping at our neighborhood Farmer’s Market instead of dealing with the poor quality and service at EWS.

Great service, very convenient. All the produce is fresh and of good quality. If you want to pick and choose your own produce, I highly recommend it.

Eating wit the Seasons is the second CSA box I’ve tried, so my review is primarily based on the comparison with my previous experiences with Blue House Farm.
Conclusion first: If you are far away from an organic grocery store, Eating with the Seasons might be a good option for you. Otherwise, don’t try it. Whole Foods is much, much better than this CSA program.
I switched to Eating with the Seasons because 1) Blue House Farm’s pick-​up locations are a bit far for me; 2) Eating with the Seasons offer deliveries in winter and spring, whereas Blue House Farm has no delivery between January and early May; 3) the amount of veggies from Blue House Farm is too large for one person even when I chose bi-​weekly delivery with them; 4) Eating with the Seasons work with several farms and allow customers to choose their own items; 5) Eating with the Seasons has flexible options about the size of their CSA bags.
I was quite excited about my first bag from Eating with the Seasons, after reading all the positive reviews. However, when I was able to see my first week’s options, I was very disappointed to find that the price isn’t good at all — not even competitive when compared with the organic products at Whole Foods.
Later, when I got my first bag, I was surprised (again) to find that the food in my extra small bag, about 20% cheaper than Blue House Farm’s huge box, is only about ¼ of the amount of Blue House’s veggies. I live alone and cook at least two meals a day for myself. It took me three weeks to consume a box from Blue House Farm, while with Eating with the Seasons I always end with no veggies left two days before the next delivery. Yes, the produces from Eating with the Seasons are already washed and even packed. But who cares this when ordering a CSA box?
After finishing my first month’s pickups, I decided not to continue the subscription. BUT, the website of Eating with the Seasons didn’t say clearly that the subscription is AUTOMATICALLY renewed — another downside when compared with Blue House. As a result I’m now forced to have one more month’s subscription with them. After this month I’ll no longer order anything from them.

I just picked up my 2^nd delivery. Every single veggie and fruit is so fresh. I order extra small package and biweekly egg for my hubby and myself. I think it covers enough for two people. I’m very grateful to have such a nice program around my town. Thanks, Becky!!! :)

EWTS is THE BEST CSA I’ve ever been a part of. You actually get to pick what you want. I have the smallest package where you are allotted 6 credits. It’s great. Perfect amount for 2 people. Probably even more depending on what you select. Location pick up is super convenient. They are all over the city and Bay Area. Will you guys ever make it up to Marin County? They need some EWTS love there too :)

Eating with the Seasons is the BEST! The produce is incredible — I can hardly eat supermarket fruit and veggies anymore because they seem so flavorless compared with EWTS. I LOVE that you can choose what your order each week. I was always daunted by CSAs because you normally can’t choose what you get but with EWTS you can! We’ve been getting EWTS for almost 3 years now and each week when the delivery arrives, I always think how lucky we are to get such incredible food delivered to work. I even find myself bragging about the produce as if I grew it myself! I’m so happy and couldn’t recommend it more! Thank you EWTS!

Really, really enjoy this csa option. I have tried many, and this is the best! I really like the selection, the produce is of the highest quality, and it’s very, very fresh (not picked and packed too early, as with some csa’s). I think the prices, the portions and the scrumptious produce and other items they sell make this a really remarkable business. The customer service is top notch as well. I have had very few questions/​issues, but if I do. someone always gets back to me right away. I really like getting to choose what I’m going to get each week!

I have been a member of EWTS for years. I love beening able to pick the veggies that I want. They also have an option to order more veggies if you want too. As well as, they also have spices, tea, eggs, bread and meat available for purchase. You just pick it up with your normal veggie delivery. Everyone that works for EWTS is so nice too!

I love Eating With the Seasons and have been a loyal customer since I moved back to SF three years ago. The ability to choose what produce I am getting each week combined with the additional options available (farm fresh eggs, granola, fair trade coffee and tea, etc.) and the excellent customer service make me proud to recommend this CSA to friends, family and coworkers. Keep up the good work!

EWTS is a fantastic csa option in the bay area. I’ve been using this service for the past 3 years and have never been disappointed by poor choices, bad quality produce, or any aspect of their service. The customer service and online ordering system, in particular are huge features that other local csas fail to match (and I’ve tried quite a few).

We were a part of another local CSA, but chose to leave because we kept getting more than we could use, and too much stuff we would never use. When I found EWTS, I signed on immediately just for the sake of being able to CHOOSE our share each week!
We’ve been with EWTS for almost five years and love it just as much as ever. With Becky at the helm, the responsiveness, customer service, and quality of product is always top-​notch.
I would do this just for the strawberries alone, but we also love the wide variety of fruit available in the summer (unlike our former CSA who did not offer fruit at all), and the extensive list of choices each week.

I’ve been a customer of EWTS for several years now. I love the ability to pick and choose our own produce. I also really enjoy the additional options of other things you can purchase (spices, bread, granola, etc.). I’ve been with EWTS through lots of changes (including the sale to and reacquisition from Full Circle). I’m happy to have the original EWTS team back; it’s clear they pour their heart and soul into this business and are constantly working with farmers to ensure they have the best selection and highest quality of locally grown organic produce week after week.
If for some reason you forget to order, they’ll look at your ordering history to try to pick things you’ll like. They’ve also helped me out when it’s jam making time by including an extra flat of strawberries in my order. These are just a couple of examples of how personal and top-​notch their customer service is.
If you’re interested in easy access to excellent, healthful foods for you and your family, check them out. They have a bunch of different sizes to choose from; I’m sure you’ll be able to find something that works!

After a couple of years, I’m sad to leave EWTS … but their model is definitely changing. When I first began, the produce was always organic perfection ~ not waxy and unblemished, but pure, delicious, ultra-​fresh and local. They recycled their paper bags, used minimal packaging, and it was always clear from which nearby farm the produce came.
Cut to mid-​2012, when they merged with Full Circle (based in Washington State). Quality control went down (I had to toss nearly one item a week ~ rotten garlic, inedible cucumbers, WAY overripe oranges, etc.). Packaging use increased dramatically (e.g., plastic bags for each head of kale or bundle of greens = at least 4 plastic bags per week for us). They stopped reusing their large paper handle bags (which are usually double-​bagged), leaving us with a surplus of completely usable bags to recycle. At least once, I found a sticker on the produce that indicated that it was not local.
It is becoming more of an online grocery store than a CSA, albeit one with excellent, healthful items. However, I am making the switch to Greenhearts Family Farm. Who knows … I may return to EWTS. But at this point, their changes have not been for the better, and it’s time for my family to try a true CSA.

I signed up for the 4 week trial of EWTS after lots of research and trying to convince my BF that this is much more economical than grocery shopping and going to farmers market. I signed up for the small bag and 1 dozen bi-​weekly eggs.
The produce is fantastic and the eggs are absolutely beautiful and worth every penny. After the first two weeks, my BF realized how luxurious it was not having to trek to the grocery store or farmers market every week to fill up the fridge, only to have vegetables and fruits to go bad after a few days. We still hit the whole foods or market down the street for bread, but its nice to be in and out for select items.
I also want to mention that the $ 7 eggs are worth every penny.

I’m only a couple of weeks into the trial period, but I’m impressed so far. I like that I can choose what I want, rather than be surprised each week.
I did not get to the pick up location on time for the first order, and by the time I got there the next day, there was nothing there. When I emailed EWTS, they responded quickly, even though it was the weekend. Unfortunately, the people at the pick up spot had donated the food already.
I asked if I could have that order included with the order for the following week. I expected them to say no, but they agreed. Yay. The second order was quite bountiful. The strawberries, grapefruit, kale and chard, in particular, were perfect.
The responsiveness and great service were an added bonus to great produce.

The tastiest!
At $ 18 a week, I’m paying about what I would at Safeway but getting better quality and helping lower carbon emissions.
They have the sweetest carrots, the best green beans, the crunchiest apples, the most flavorful strawberries, and really cool varietals of things I haven’t found elsewhere (like a lavender colored Italian eggplant varietal, romanesco broccoli, little canary and chanterais melons). Pretty much everything I’ve gotten has been so beautiful. When I got my first delivery, I was just shocked.
The only thing that wasn’t the freshest were some grapes I got… but I think that was toward the end of the season, and it was only one item out of 6 items per week for a month and a half now. And that’s totally made up for by the fact that sometimes they’ll throw in a few extra apples or something in my bag for free.
Overall, the quality, the price, and that you get to pick your own items really makes this CSA fantastic. If you’ve been considering trying a CSA, you should definitely try EWTS. If you’ve been eating Safeway carrots forever, you don’t know what you’re missing until you join and get some from these guys!
They have pickup locations all around the bay area, so check and see if they have one near you!
P. S. I’ve had great experiences with their customer service. I forgot to add something to my order and they fixed it for me! :)