Sign ups for LUCSA are open! Experience our shares packed full of locally sourced, seasonal products all year round.

Email lucsa@theurbancanopy.org with any questions.


LUCSA FAQs

  1. What is LUCSA?
    LUCSA stands for Local Unified Community Supported Agriculture. We deliver a box of locally-sourced produce weekly throughout the year in the greater Chicagoland area. Learn more details about LUCSA and its history here!

  2. When will sign-ups open or close?

    Sign-ups when we hit a certain capacity. Otherwise, they will remain open whenever we have availability.

  3. When does LUCSA operate throughout the year?
    Since 2020, LUCSA has been a year-round CSA! Each season is specialized to bring you different kinds of locally sourced foods. In the summer, we supply members with all of the seasonal fruits and veggies through the heart of the growing season. In the winter, we supply members with pantry items like rice, beans and oats, value-added products like tofu, seitan and nuts, and jarred goods from our Processing kitchen - on top of all of the soup season staple root veggies, of course. You can check our Instagram for photos of LUCSA shares throughout the seasons.

  4. How does payment work?
    LUCSA operates using an ongoing membership - unless cancelled, memberships will automatically renew month to month. This reduces the hassle of repeated sign-ups throughout the year, and makes it easier to on and offboard with more convenience to you! Members are charged once every 4 weeks instead of weekly, biweekly or monthly. See more info on billing below.


What comes in each box?

Every week, LUCSA shares will include a loaf of bread, a dozen eggs, a bag of mushrooms, a beverage and 6-7 local produce items. Produce will vary from week to week based on what is in season, which means you get to experience produce at its peak and prepare meals according to seasonality!

Here is what you can expect in your share from week-to-week:

Members are able to opt out of receiving bread, eggs*, beverage, and mushrooms and will receive additional produce instead.

*Available on our weekly add-on form (see below)

Early Season

Radishes
Rhubarb
Asparagus
Spinach
Strawberries
Lettuce
Green Onions
Garlic Scapes
Green Garlic
Cooking Greens

Late Season

Grapes
Pears
Apples
Cauliflower
Potatoes
Garlic 
Leeks

Mid Season

Zucchini
Leeks
Apricots
Peaches
Plums
Corn
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Peppers
Squash
Green Beans
Blueberries
Blackberries
Cherries
Chard
Kale
Collards
Eggplant
Fresh Herbs

For most of our members, a share typically will last about one week for two people to make anywhere from 4 to 8 dishes. Members should expect to continue purchasing meat, dairy, and grains to supplement the share and support their local farmers market with some additional produce purchases.


What’s the cost of membership?

There are 2 choices that you need to make about your membership. You will be billed every 4 weeks for each plan.

  1. You can be a Full share member and receive weekly deliveries. Full shares cost $55/share, or $220 every 4 weeks.

  2. You can be a Half share member and receive biweekly deliveries. Half shares cost $60/share, or $120 every 4 weeks.

We also offer $27.50 in LINK Match for anyone purchasing LUCSA with an EBT card. Each share is valued at $50 and will cost you $25 on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Just select LINK as your preferred payment method and we will contact you with more information for the season! Please email lucsa@theurbancanopy.org if you have any questions about using EBT.

Link Match is brought to you by Link Up Illinois. Link Up Illinois is making healthy, local, farm-fresh foods more affordable and accessible by doubling the value of Link purchases at farmers markets, farm stands, food co-ops, and independent grocery and corner stores across Illinois. Link Up Illinois is a program of Experimental Station. You can learn more at www.linkupil.org.

How do I become a member?

  1. Read through our membership policies.

  2. Sign up for LUCSA here. If you are within our delivery zone, you will be able to sign up. If you aren’t, you can always reach out and ask us if we could make an exception. If you are an interested LINK member, signup here instead.

  3. You will first sign up for share type and meat subscriptions. After you check out, you will be directed to a form where we will collect information on your share preferences, allergies and more.

  4. Check for your welcome email. This will include more detailed information about your membership schedule and services. You can also find information about your shares and delivery dates within your member portal!



Weekly Add Ons

We offer a rotating selection of locally-sourced products every week to be delivered with your LUCSA box! Each Friday before your delivery for the upcoming week, we will send you an email with a newsletter indicating that our Add On shop will be open for the weekend, until Monday at noon. The shop includes a list of groceries and items to supplement what already comes in your share for the week. We also accept EBT/LINK for these purchases.

Bakery Items

Vegan Cookies - Foxship Bakery
Chocolates - Uzma Chocolates

Pantry Items

Flour - Janie’s Mill
Granola - River Valley Ranch
Mustard - Bushel & Peck's
Honey - Meyer, WestSide Bee Boyz
Tofu - Phoenix Bean
Seitan & Jackfruit - Upton’s Naturals
Preserves, Jams, Marmalades and more by The Urban Canopy kitchen

*More items including popcorn, assorted beverages, soaps, candles, pesto and more are available as well

Produce

Microgreens - Garfield Produce
Basil - Artesian Farms
Extra Fruit - Mick Klug, Seedling

Beverages

Coffee - Bridgeport, Passion House, Sputnik, Four Letter Word
Tea - Wind Ridge Herb Farm
Chai - Freeman House
Kombucha - RMBR Kombucha, Warrior Kombucha
Tonic - Fruitbelt
Fresh Juice - Field & Farmer

Dairy

Milk - Kilgus
Yogurt - YoBul
Cheese - Prairie Fruits
Butter - Nordic Creamery
Eggs (now available when you want it instead of weekly) - Finn’s Ranch

Meat

Charcuterie - Underground Meats
Bacon - Beeler’s
Ground Beef, Burger Patties, Brats, More - Finn’s Ranch

Finn’s Steak & Egg Ranch Meat Shares

LUCSA members can subscribe to meat shares, duck eggs and also extra chicken eggs from Finn’s Ranch delivered with their shares on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis.

Finn's Ranch is a family farm located in Buchanan, Michigan with Grass Fed Certified Pastures, Animal Welfare certification, and MOSA organic certified pastures. Sean Finn and his wife Alex, along with their sons, Nico and Matthew, have been supplying our shares with eggs and meat for the several years!

Select your preferred meat share type and schedule when signing up for LUCSA. Options include chicken, beef and pork shares, as well as a combo share including several assorted items. Many of these items are also available week-to-week via our add-on form while supplies last.

We also offer smaller individual cuts and other products as add-ons based on availability, including brats, ground beef, burger patties, chorizo and more.

Finn27sRanchFamilyPicture2018.jpg

Additional LUCSA FAQs

When will I receive my share?
Members will receive their share between 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM on Wednesdays and Thursdays, or 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM on Fridays. Delivery days are assigned based on geographic regions and can not be selected by a member.

Can I receive my share on a different delivery date because I’m on vacation/out of town?
With at least 7 days notice, we can work to accommodate changes. Common solutions are:

  1. Delivering to a friend/neighbor at your residence or within your delivery zone.

  2. If you receive biweekly deliveries, we can shift your delivery to a week you would normally not receive a share.

  3. We can arrange for you to pick up the share from our warehouse in Pilsen.

  4. As a final resort we can donate your share to the Pilsen Food Pantry who will deliver it to a family needing food support.

What am I getting as a substitute for a listed allergy?
You will receive more of another item in the share or a substitute like item (i.e. a coffee allergy will get a different beverage, a veggie allergy will get a different vegetable). If there are items you would prefer not to receive, please list them in the allergy section (i.e. if you don’t drink alcohol, put ‘alcohol’, or put ‘radishes’ if you tend not to eat these and they go to waste). Feel free to reach out to us during the season to edit these preferences as well.

When will I stop receiving LUCSA shares?
Your membership will automatically renew year round. Once you are ready to stop receiving LUCSA shares, members reach out to us via email or submit a request through your member portal. This must be done 2 weeks ahead of your next cycle.

Feel free to email lucsa@theurbancanopy.org with any further questions!