How to Choose What’s in Your Box

Featherstone grows more than 95 varieties of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and greens. Here’s how to choose which ones wind up in your box.

Setting box preferences

Step 1: Log in to CSAware.
Look for the LOG IN button in the upper right corner of any page at FeatherstoneFarm.com. Click on it. This will bring you to the CSA subscription management portal provided by CSAware.

Step 2: Click Configure Your Items Preferences.

Now you’re on the CSAware dashboard. Click on Please Configure Your Items Preferences. Alternatively, you can scroll to the bottom of the dashboard and click on Items Preferences.

Step 3: Use the sliders to set your preferences.
On the preferences page, you’ll see a list of items running down the left hand side of the page and a slider control on the right of each item.

The slider has five positions. The default setting is neutral.

  • If you want to see fewer of a particular item in your box, move the slider one spot to the left.

  • If you don’t want to see any of that particular item in your box, move it all the way to the left.

  • Likewise, if you want to see a particular item in your box more frequently, set the slider one or two spaces to the right.

    The software helpfully shows a happy, sad, or neutral face as you move the slider.

Changing preferences
You can always revise your crop preferences by going back to your account dashboard and clicking on ITEM PREFERENCES.

Customizing your next delivery

Step 1: Your customization notice
Every week, usually on Friday, you will receive a box customization email. Click the provided link. Alternatively, login to your account from the Featherstone website (look for the green login button in the upper righthand corner of any page; see instructions above).

Step 2: Click on “See What’s Inside My Box / View Calendar”
Now you’re on the dashboard page. Under “My Subscriptions,” click on the second item down: See What’s Inside My Box / View Calendar.

Step 3: Adjust your box items
When the customization window is open (between Friday and noon Sunday), you will be able to change the quantity of the items listed. Simply increase or decrease the number to the right of each item.

  • Setting an item to “0” will remove the item from your box completely.

  • Similarly, you can increase the number of items up to the limit (if any) that the farm has set for that item.

Step 4: Understanding CSAware notifications
As you increase or decrease the number of items, the software will notify you when your dollar total falls below or exceeds the target range.

  • If you have too few items in your box, you will be notified that you will forfeit the dollar amount unless you add other items of a similar value.

  • If adding items exceeds the target range for the value of the box, you may pay extra to cover the difference.

  • Please note that we cannot offer credit for the value of the amount you opt to forfeit. There is a practical reason for this: If even a small percent of members were to under-fill their box with the expectation of being able to overfill their boxes later in the season, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to meet the wide swings in demand.

Step 5: Save your changes.
Once you have finished customizing your box, confirm your selections, and if needed, pay the extra amount due.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are some vegetables displayed on my box customization, but when I try to add them to my box, they aren’t available?

Some crops may be no longer available once you try to customize your box because of limited quantities, and what was available was taken by other members first.

In general, the earlier you customize your box after the box customization window opens, the more likely you are to get the items you want. However, as members continue to customize their boxes, some items may become temporarily available again, so if you really have your heart set on a particular item, check back occasionally.

Why are the quantities of some vegetable so limited?

This can be for a few reasons:

  • Sometimes, we’re trying out a new, experimental crop, and we purposely invest in a smaller planting during our “test run.” If everything works out one season, you may see more availability for that item going forward.

  • Some crops are extremely fickle or challenging to grow in Minnesota’s wet, four-season climate. (Watch our website posts, social media, and newsletters for specific examples of this.) We might plant plenty of beans or broccoli, only to see them mostly wiped out by disease in a really wet year. This is one of the realities of organically grown, local eating.

  • Other times, we might fail to accurately predict member demand. Generally, CSAware is good at helping us forecast demand so we can plant enough of the veggies people really like…but then, who would have predicted the cauliflower craze of 2016? Not us!

Rescheduling or donating your box

Thanks for your patience while we work on providing screenshots for this section.

Rescheduling your box

Step 1: Log into your account
If you will be gone and unable to pick up your box, you may choose to hold it to be delivered another week. (Really, you’ll receive a box credit that you can use another week; we don’t actually hold the vegetables from that particular week for you!) To do this, log into your account and go to the dashboard.

Step 2: Click on “See What’s In My Box.”

Under “My Subscriptions,” click on the second item down: See What’s In My Box / View Calendar.

Step 3: Select the dates you will be gone.

Note the calendar on the right side of the page. Your box delivery dates are highlighted. Click on the date or dates that you will be gone and confirm your hold for those dates.

Step 4: Choose your rescheduled delivery date

You will be prompted to select another date to receive a box credit. On this date, you will be able to customize and pick up an extra box.

Step 1: Log into your account
If you will be gone and unable to pick up your box, you may choose to donate it to a food bank. To do this, log into your account.

Donate your box

Step 2: Click on Box Schedule and Contents.

Under “My Subscriptions,” click on the second item down: Box Schedule and Contents.

Step 3: Select the dates you will be gone.

At the top of the box customization page, you will see a button that says “Donate Box.” Click on that button and confirm the dates you want to donate your box.

As of this writing, all donated boxes are delivered to ____. Look for social media and newsletter posts about the number of boxes donated by Featherstone customers at the end of the season!