I can't name enough good things about Be Wise Ranch. We have been using them for almost 15 years and I can't thank them enough for helping keep us eating healthy food. The deliveries are always on time, wonderful selection of fruits and veggies and handled with care. Thank you Sandra, Nery and all your workers! read more

Be Wise Ranch is by far the best experience I've had with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Years ago we were Suzie's Farm CSA devotees until they closed, and then we tried Farm Fresh to You (definitely NOT fresh!) and were a bit burned out on it. But, based on the great reviews here, in April I decided to give Be Wise a try for CSA. Initially, it took about a month to get my application processed, but after that, everything has been smooth sailing! We have an every-other-week subscription and I am always so impressed with the freshness and quality of the produce. CLEAN and CRISP spring mix, ripe peaches, the tastiest strawberries that you've ever eaten! And potatoes to die for! Yes, even something as simple as the humble potato can be a thing of glory when it is FRESH and roasted with tasty butter and herbs! Out of this world taste! I love that we can support a LOCAL family run-business, enjoy vitamin-packed ORGANIC produce and have a smaller ecological footprint than using the plastic-wrapped dead produce at the grocery store. Thanks Be Wise! read more

Be Wise Ranch - CSA box contents! - Fruits & Veggies Near Me - Escondido, California

Fresh and clean produce! Nice selection of seasonal fruits and veggies that will last for over a week!

Thank you Be Wise Ranch for super fresh, delicious, clean, and in season produce. You have made our meals consistently tasty, colorful, and nutritious. Tam and Carl read more

Be Wise Ranch - Our 2021 Thanksgiving Dinner - Fruits & Veggies Near Me - Escondido, California

Here's how you do: You prepay for three months at $30/box of fruits/veggies. You're essentially buying a share of the harvest from a local farm, and you pick it up the seasonal goods at your local drop off point of choice once or once every other week, usually a private home. I initially tried Suzie's Farm, because their price point starts a little lower, but I was dissatisfied with the sparse fruit offering. Be Wise has a much better fruit selection. I hesitate to tell you something so private as what is in my fridge as we speak, but what the heck? I just picked up a box today: Cauliflower Artichokes Carrots Baby Bok Choy Fennel Dino Kale Blood Oranges Potatoes Radishes Tangelos Spring mix Basically, I never thought I'd be that asshole to buy organic and locally grown produce of my own volition. However, somehow that's the state of affairs that came to be, and I can't argue against it. It's healthier, and I save money by, essentially, being forced to cook at home. Sometimes it's a challenge when I'm craving sushi or something fancy that I can't make at home, but I get an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach if anything goes to waste, so I cook it all. This also leads me to some crazy recipes to try to make things like dandelion greens more palatable. I have also taken to making carrot and/or radish top smoothies for breakfast on occasion. But, don't worry, I still eat plenty of meat to ensure that I don't turn into some sort of crunchy, vegetarian nightmare. read more

Be Wise Ranch has some of the best produce available in North County San Diego. I learned about them from an event for the Slow Foods movement in the San Pasqual Valley for charity. The main crop includes strawberries which grow very well in sunny San Diego. You can purchase a community supported agriculture box which can be picked up on site once a week or at a nearby drop off location - depending on where you are located. The food is always fresh and they will help you with recipe ideas on their website or in the boxes. You will also find a great deal of the produce at Jimbo's markets locally. Be Wise and eat local fruit and veggies! read more

Be Wise Ranch - a view of a mountain range - Fruits & Veggies Near Me - Escondido, California

CSA happy client! You know organic produce is costly. The farming is laborious at best. Well, I urge you to join Be Wise Ranch's community supported agriculture community! Pack your refrigerator and pantry from the delectable array of freshly picked produce. You'll find all of the in-season fruits and vegetables along with herbs to create mouthwatering meals-great recipes are just a click away! It works like this; 1) go to the Be Wise Ranch website 2) ask for a trial of the program 3) choose a pick-up spot 4) mail a check That's it! I tried it, saw the savings in my grocery bill and have stayed with Be Wise for more years than I can count! Arrange for weekly or bi-weekly @ $30 a box, pre-paid in three month intervals. I credit my connection with Be Wise Ranch for my 20# weight loss. I eat more fresh produce than meat or dairy now and I love the results! Be Wise Ranch produce is also available at retail grocery stores in the county. read more

Would you care of weekly deliveries of organic vine ripened tomatoes and melons, freshly picked corn and vegetables, and sweet juicy oranges at a reasonable cost - keep reading. If you are in to eating vitamin and nutrient rich produce grown organically, without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides- keep reading. Are you committed to social and ecological responsibility in the local community? Go ahead, keep reading. Guess what? You can do all this at a lower cost than buying the same produce at a supermarket! Thats right, eat organics produce and save money. What a concept. Be Wise Ranch will help you eat tasty and nutritious farm-fresh produce year-round, delivered weekly (or every other week like me) to a location convenient to your home. I have shared a subscription with friends, and the produce that I receive is always very fresh, and it is all organic and locally grown. And it costs lower over all than buying in the mega market. If you like to cook, the added benefit to all this is that you get to experiment with new types of produce that you wouldn't ordinarily buy at the store. Fun. This week I received all of this for 20 bucks! Herbs and baby leaf green mix Beans Bok Choy Cucumbers Lettuce Mizuna Peaches Plum Tomatoes Heirloom Tomatoes Tangelo Oranges Be Wise is a member of the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), which tests annually to ensure that members are upholding organic standards on their farms. Don't believe the hype, try out the four week trial your self :) http://www.bewiseranch.com/howcsaworks.htm No credit cards, check debit, no online payment, old fashion personal checks. So if you don't send out the check on time, you don't get the goods. read more

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We've only gotten one box so far, and I've only eaten one incredibly juicy and sweet blood orange, but I want to write something now before I forget! The produce looks amazing and the pick-up process was smooth. I wanted to address something I read in previous reviews. It's true, they're a little old school when it comes to printing and mailing in an application, but their turnaround time is better than I expected, given the reviews. I mailed my app late last week, got a call right after the holiday weekend, and we were able to get started this week. Couldn't expect any better service, even if the process was totally online (thankfully, I actually had a stamp and envelope, not always the case). We're really happy to be supporting local farmers and eating super fresh organic produce, thank you to everyone at Be Wise Ranch. read more

Yup, they are kinda old school. Maybe because they are busy growing, picking, and packing insanely fresh organic fruit and veg, rather then spending money on 'customer service representatives'. Every two weeks, we get a huge variety of vegetables, and at least 3 kinds of fruit. We get to eat seasonally, the veg lasts forever 'cause its so fresh, and we've come up with all kinds of creative solutions to The Chard Question. Be Wise CSA has introduced us to stuff we never would have bought. For the two of us, that $30 box is most of our fruit and veg for two weeks, too- such a deal! Before we joined, we heard stories from friends about CSAs that filled their boxes with nothing but kale, week after week. Be Wise is all about variety. After years with Be Wise, I don't really know how to shop for vegetables anymore- autopilot now is "what do we have and what can we do with it?". What a great way to eat! read more

Definitely the best CSA in San Diego county. The produce is super fresh, delicious and clean and most importantly in season. I really enjoy planning my meals around what's in the box and discovered many new ways of cooking my veggies. I do have now a new appreciation for fresh produce and the people that bring it to our tables. Highly recommend Be Wise Ranch. read more

Be Wise grows the best produce that I've ever experienced in San Diego. These fruits and veggies are just plain gorgeous. I've been a CSA member for a a year and a half, and the boxes are reasonably priced and quite full. With the weekly boxes the number of grocery trips I take (and the cost) has been cut in half, at least. You can also sign up for every-other week if you aren't a big vegetable eater. Pros: 1. VERY fresh produce - lasts longer; tastes better; richer colors 2. Organic and local - you can feel good about that 3. Seasonal - it's just lovely to eat according to season! 4. Pick-up location is very close and convenient (it's a mile away for me) 5. Option to opt-out on weeks you are out of town 6. You will probably try something new and exciting 7. You end up eating more produce! The only potential con I can see is if you are very picky about what you eat - you can't customize the produce that's included. If that's the case, you may struggle to finish a box. HOWEVER, may I suggest expanding your comfort zone and discovering more of nature's bounty?! Your body will thank you. Personally, my cooking abilities and enthusiasm in the kitchen has increased as a result of receiving these weekly boxes. It has been a lot of fun! For example, I had never cooked with fennel, leeks, butternut squash or beets before this box. I now ADORE fennel and leeks in soups, beans, etc., and I am no longer unsure about roasting butternut squash, and have some awesome recipes options in my inventory (beets have yet to win me over though). Some of my absolute favorites have been a delight to eat (it's so exciting to get these): berries (strawberries & blueberries YUM), salad greens / romaine, zucchini, cucumbers, apples, blood oranges, and dates (to name just a few). I highly recommend the Be Wise CSA box! read more

-locally grown -organic -inexpesive -adds variety -forces you to try new things -supports local business -suprises in every box! I'm a fan of this grown local movement and I wish more people were involved. read more

Some friends of mine receive the small weekly CSA box, and every week the two of them couldn't get through all the fruits and veggies by themselves. I was afraid to sign up on my own, knowing my husband likes veggies less than most people, especially things we don't normally eat, like beets. My friend and I decided to split the weekly small box, and it is AWESOME. Plenty of food for FOUR people to share, and NOW..... every Tuesday is like Christmas! I get so excited to go pick up our portion, come home and see what goodies it holds. I am trying lots of new recipes too, and having so much fun with it. It also seems like it will be saving money in the long run, because I have so much fresh I am shopping less at Trader Joe's. Best decision I have made in a long time! read more

With several drop off locations all over the County, Be Wise Ranch is one of the best (and only) choices in the San Diego CSA scene. You can choose between a small box or a large box. Small boxes run $25 dollars per week and will provide two people with more than enough fruits and veggies for 7 days. The selections tend to be seasonal (fennel and strawberries in spring, chard and beets in the winter) but most weeks you can be sure you box will include at least 2 heads of lettuce, carrots, and several oranges. Having been a member of Seabreeze Organic Farm's CSA several years ago, I can tell you that Be Wise tends to offer a little more variety. read more

I just can't say enough good things about Be Wise Ranch. I've been a member for over a year now, and I think it's one of the best things I've ever done. Being a single chick, I get a small box every other week. Just because you don't have someone to share with on a regular basis doean't mean you can't take advantage of this service. (Although Molly-Dog likes her veggies too, so she gets a little!) BWR is one of the few CSAs that offers every-other-week delivery, which is really helpful, otherwise I'd be awash in produce. (Gotta leave room for carbs!) It really encourages me to eat more veggies, and I get to try other things I normally wouldn't buy. Like bok choy. They seem to grow a lot of bok choy. The website also posts recipes for lots of the produce, so if you can't figure out what to do with your kale or whatever, you can get some help. And, since the produce is picked that day or the day before, it stays fresh in your fridge for a LONG time. It really makes you wonder how old the produce is that you get at the store. This is what I got this week (for $25!) - Asparagus Baby Bok Choy Cabbage Cantaloupes Carrots Cucumbers Grapefruit Grapes Leeks Oranges Radishes Snap Peas Spring Mix Zucchini read more

This is the hippie version of going to Putt-Putt and spending your tickets on the "mystery prize bag". Every other week you get a giant box of random vegetables to eat. The variety is always interesting and the quality of the food is great. It is like being an Iron Chef in a universe where every single episode is BATTLE VEGETABLE. But the best aspect of the entire system is that you pick up your box of vegetables off of someone's unattended porch. It's self service. For an Ugly American such as myself, it's great not having to hear about the fossil fuels I burned to pick up the vegetables. The only negative is that winter months (as much as that exists in San Diego) are a bit tedious because the produce selection is more.... limited. You will truly learn how many varieties of kale and chard exist on this great green earth. read more

We love Be Wise Ranch had have been customers for many years now (possibly close to six). We continue to love this service and still have as much fun with it from the first day we signed up. We have always chosen the biweekly small box which is plenty for two adults who have fairly busy professional lives. On a less busy week when we are eating home every night, we go through the produce fairly quickly. However, most times, we do end up wasting some of the produce after about 2-3 weeks just because we didn't have time to cook it. i would like to point out, though that the produce is so fresh that it will last several weeks or more. We have some cabbage in our fridge that has been their for over a month and it still looks very fresh. Over the years, they have changed their mix of produce and now there is fruit and less kale/collard greens. We used to get some interesting stuff like rutabaga. The days of mountains of zucchini week after week are also over and now we get a better variety of produce. This service is so popular that it is very difficult to find a drop site that isn't closed. I think it speaks to the quality and reliability of their product. PROS: - you are supporting locally grown - you are getting fresh, organic produce - cost is less than if you bought anything remotely similar in store. - you will get to try something that you never imagined buying at the store (or it might not even be available) - you start to appreciate the ebbs and flows of agriculture in San Diego; sometimes you get a lot, and other times, you get average amounts produce; just depends on what your CSA could produce based on a variety of conditions. CONS: - you might end up wasting something that you otherwise would not have bought in the grocery store - you might wish you could go to your store and buy more delicious something they gave you in the box, but realize that you can't b/c it's not available in a regular store, or worse yet, it's there, but totally overpriced organic. Well, I'm probably preaching to the choir, but CSA, just do it! read more

I couldn't be happier with Be Wise Ranch. I get the small weekly CSA box, and it is an enormous amount of fruits and veggies for $25. (perfect amount for 2 produce-loving adults) Not only that, but it stays fresh infinitely longer than any store bought stuff I've found around here. Organic, locally grown, seasonal fresh produce for super cheap with a pick-up spot near you? It doesn't get much better than that. As an added bonus, if you tend (like me) to go into a food rut, consistently buying the same thing at the store, this is a welcome change! Indeed, Christmas now comes once a week. a few caveats: it took a month before my application to the CSA was approved, payments are made by sending in an old fashioned paper check, and they tend to bag a lot of stuff (in my opinion generating unnecessary waste - but they explain that it helps lengthen the life of the produce by preventing moisture loss... which still doesn't explain the paper bags, but it's still far more environmentally friendly than most alternatives). overall, NOT a big enough deal to dock a star because the deal is just too sweet! read more

Wow! I just picked up my first delivery of farm fresh organic produce yesterday and I feel fabulous! Tons of strawberries (I had to freeze most of them), three cantaloupes, zucchini, carrots, chard, romaine, green onions, beets, meyer lemons, radishes and ... fennel! My fave! There may have even been more in the box that I didn't list, because there was so much freakin' great stuff up in that lil white box. Oh, yeah, did I mention that it's only $25 a week? I am so looking forward to next week that I am actually salivating right now... mmm... read more

We recently started with the Be Wise Ranch's CSA (Consumer Supported Agriculture) program. For $20 a week, we receive a crapload of fresh vegetables and fruit. It's like veggie christmas every Friday, when we pick up our box in North Park and see what we got. I can't wait until avacados are in season! Be Wise has a good 20 pickup locations around the county. Prices are $20 for a small box and $26 for a large, paid by the quarter. I can't recommend this enough. http://www.bewiseranch.com/csa.htm read more

Organic produce, locally grown, picked in season, delivered to you in your own neighborhood on a regular basis. It's a great system for those who want to eat healthy, tasty food, cut down on trips to the market (if you can even find good organic produce regularly at your local market), and support local businesses / farms. And frankly, I'm tired of giving my money to the monopolistic WholeFoodsHenrysWildOatsEtc. conglomeration -- where's the free market competition, friends? Be Wise Ranch deliveries work extremely well for me. They arrive at a house a block from my home, so I can walk my dog down the street, pick up my fruits and veggies, and saunter home, excited to stock the fridge and figure out what to eat first. The size box that I get costs $25 (delivered bi-weekly -- $50.00/month), and there's a bigger family-size box as well. It's hard to go wrong, really. (Very minor issue: Be Wise has a somewhat graceless "ethos" in terms of their communications with their customers via web, mail, etc. They seem oddly defensive in most of their newsletters and notices. That, and the lack of current availability, causes me to give them 4 rather than 5 stars.) Unfortunately, Be Wise recently announced via its web site that it can't take any new customers. Apparently they've reached their limit -- selling everything they can grow. You can buy their produce at a number of local "natural foods" markets and at area Farmer's Markets. I haven't heard anything about the other CSA's that do (or may) deliver in San Diego, but a quick Googling turned up the Seabreeze Organic Farm (http://www.seabreezed.com/csa_subscription.php) and the Tierra Miguel Foundation (http://www.tierramiguelfarm.org/csa.htm) . Seabreeze looks more expensive, but they have flowers (!) and more options than just "big" or "small" boxes, so they're worth checking out. read more

If you like the freshest and most flavorful organic veggies and fruits, it doesn't get any better than this. Sometimes you'll get something in your box that either you don't like or you have no idea what to do with, but that can inspire you to try something different. I often will make a "Be Wise" stew out of the various veggies that come each week. Minus one star because their policies and procedures aren't very customer-friendly. For instance, their cancellation policy requires that you fax or otherwise notify them on the Sunday before delivery. I can understand not allowing last-minute cancellations but you'd think that 48 hours or so would be sufficient. There can also be a problem getting the delivery site that you want. I had to drive from the College area to Kensington for almost a year, even though there was a drop-off site about a mile from my house. That sort of defeats the whole "sustainable" concept. And there was no "wait list" for the closer site -- I had to keep checking with them every few months. I'm now finally picking up at my neighborborhood location, but it was much more of a hassle than it should have been. But then I cut into one of their tomatoes that actually tastes like a tomato -- and it's all worth it! read more

I was debating between Suzie's Farm and Be Wise Ranch and chose to join Be Wise Ranch. One of the reasons is that Suzie's Farm seemed to be too vague about the amount and what was in each box. I like that Be Wise Ranch has a weekly picklist updated regularly on their website, so I can preview the contents before I pick them up. Another reason is that Be Wise Ranch has fruit. I've been subscribing for almost a year now. I originally got the $30 large box bi-weekly to share with 3 other friends, but I've since downsized to the $25 small box bi-weekly because I couldn't eat enough before the food spoiled especially during strawberry season - way to many strawberries. I love the convenience of picking up the box. I don't have to deal with crowds and parking at the Farmer's Market. The produce is really fresh and it's made me eat a lot of new things. read more

Love the CSA program. My boo and I signed up for the weekly small box at $25 a week. It's been about two+ months and we've always been satisfied. It's a great deal and the produce is as good as it gets. On the Be Wise website they have tons of recipes, which helps when you get something exotic in your weekly shipment. Highly recommend. A great way to support local organic farms and eat better. read more

We have had the service since January, so 8 months now. The boxes have never had anything but high quality fruits and vegetables. I have used everything in every box that we picked up. The amount that you get in the box is very fair. You cannot customize the box, and you pick it up, which is why they are reasonably priced. There are a lot of greens in the winter (which is when they are grown of course). Overall, a keeper, in 8 months we never had to throw anything away, and the contents were always perfect. Finally a New Year's resolution that we kept -- eat more fruits and vegetables. read more

I've been getting a CSA box from Be Wise for about a year now and LOVE IT. I can't remember what I ate before we started getting such delicious fresh produce. Spaghetti? Donuts?? In-and-Out??? I look forward to my box with great anticipation and love planning our meals around the fruits and veggies we receive. Joining this CSA is one of the best foodie decisions I've ever made! The produce lasts so much longer than anything I'd get at Sprouts/Henrys and it tastes a thousand times better. I actually can no longer eat apples unless they're organic -- just doesn't taste right with chemical additions. (And I'm not exactly an organic-only snob either.) A small box every other week is only $50/month and easily feeds two people. I hardly buy any other produce anymore. It's definitely saved me money and time (less eating out, less fruitless shopping, fewer grocery trips, more planned meals, etc.) and the produce easily stays good for two weeks. Plus, it's fun to try new food (dandelion greens, mizuna or broccoli liscia, anyone?) and thank goodness for Google Images because sometimes I have no idea what I'm pulling out of the box! Highly recommend Be Wise! I will definitely be a long-term customer. read more

We've been subscribers of the Be Wise CSA since May 2006. They have raised their prices, we are now paying $25 for a small weekly box. But it's a small price to pay for fresh organic produce that is locally grown. And we are supporting local farmers. Once in a while, we get produce from other farms in the box. I believe Be Wise may be "trading" produce with other farms, but I can't say for sure. I love this farm and feel very fortunate to have found such a great and healthy service to nourish myself and family. My only wish is that we could visit the farm. Their website says perhaps in the future this may be a possibility. read more

The produce was excellent quality and it stayed fresh for a long time. The only issue I had with the produce was that there were always too many leafy greens that I didn't know what to do with. But I did enjoy cooking with foods I've never had in my kitchen (eggplant, parsnips, radishes, etc.). The reason this CSA loses a star is because of my experience with the company. For some reason they were using an e-mail address I never check, so I didn't get any info about my box. I ended up with a terse phone call from a lady who said she would give my box away if I didn't pick it up by 10am sharp tomorrow. I got the same lecture again when I picked up my box, too. None of my e-mails to Be-Wise were sent back to the right e-mail (my fault) so I didn't see any of them; it has been chaotic and the only person I talked to was this rude lady, so I did not renew my trial period. If I still lived there I might give them another chance, now that I know the issue. Maybe I'd choose a different pick-up location to avoid that lady, though! read more

Picking up our CSA box is like Christmas every week! This was one of the best things we've signed up for this year, we almost never have to shop for veggies now and it's fun to find new things to do with what you get. It's nice to know we're getting locally grown, seasonal items instead of mealy tomatoes from iowa that got picked too early and came on a refrigerated truck. Sign up, it's totally worth it! read more

I love Be Wise Ranch. I've been getting produce as part of their CSA for about 6 months now, and I'm very pleased with the service I get from Be Wise, as well as the quality and varity of the produce. I get the $30 large box, biweekly. The produce varies throughout the year based on what's in season. In the winter there are more root vegetables, in the summer there's more fruit. We consistenly recieve citrus fruit, berries, avocados, and salad greens, and we often recieve unusual items that we would never think to buy on our own but enjoy immensely. Turnips and radishes are wonderful roasted with beets and carrots, collared greens with bacon, shallots, and pine nuts have become a favorite, and bok choy turns top ramen into an "almost" balanced meal. I love the feeling of eating organic, local, sustainable food and plan to stay on with Be Wise for a long time! read more

I just picked up my first box today. The process to sign up & receive the first box was faster & smoother than I thought it would be. I was impressed with the amount of fruits & veggies in the box. It filled two reusable grocery bags. Everything is fresh. I liked that there was a donation bin at the pick up site so if there's anything you don't want, then you can donate so no food is wasted. I've done two other CSA's before this one & this is by far my favorite!!! read more

Be Wise Ranch - Contents of box 1 - Fruits & Veggies Near Me - Escondido, California

Be Wise delivers the freshest fruits and vegetables. Currently in our sixth week of picking up our box and could not be happier with the produce. We assumed that a large box would be okay for two people, but after week 2, it was obvious that it was a bit too much, even if all one eats is veggies. Our only peeve is the amount of lettuce we got with the large box. We eventually switched to a small box every week and this is perfect for us. read more

I love Be Wise -- delicious fresh seasonal fruits and veggies delivered a block from my home. We get a small box a week and for the 2 of us, this is perfect -- it does force us to eat our veggies every night (mom would be proud) and sometimes I'm faced with a veggie I would've never bought in the store (like kale -- who knew I would crave kale now...). Cheaper than shopping at Whole Foods or the Farmers Market as well, the produce stays fresh longer because it was picked that week. So... 5 stars for the fruit and veggies. They rock. -1 because the people who run the place are asses, luckily I rarely deal with them, but still -- quite an arrogant bunch of people. Of course, with a product as good as theirs, I might be an arogant ass as well. read more

Been getting a box from Be Wise for ~8yrs. The produce is excellent and I really appreciate the people who host the pickup locations. I've learned to cook vegetables that I never would have bought on my own and this is a really good thing. I highly recommend joining if you can. read more

Beware that the Be Wise staff can be rude and inflexible. When someone else mistakenly took my box, I wasn't offered a credit for the box or an opportunity to get a box at another local pick-up because it was outside the strict 4-hour window. Other San Diego CSA's have better customer service. Be Wise basically tells you that if someone else takes your box past their narrow pick-up window you're shit-out-of-luck...they don't use that phrase, but the Be Wise Staff are offensive and don't return calls promptly. I managed to make my pick-up every two weeks for many years without mistake, but I'm not perfect and my box would have still been there if it was not taken. I strongly encourage people to vote with their $$ for local organic food. I will and hope you do join a local CSA, just not Be Wise Ranch. I'm going to try Suzie's Farm. They grow more or all of their produce on their site, unlike Be Wise. For my taste, Be Wise gives too many oranges--oranges in almost every box (enough with the oranges). My friend has received a courtesy call over a missed box from Suzie's. I've been impressed with the quality of Suzie Farms vegetables at farmers markets and WholeFoods, but I don't yet have personal experience with their CSA yet. read more

I am giving a 3 stars because I think there sign up process is a little old school and feel they should have a sign up that is convenient, online, and user friendly. I am REALLY big on customer service as well. Also, things happen in life and something came up unexpectedly where I could not pick up my box or have anyone else pick it up and really couldn't worry about my box at that moment. I called the host and left a message in which I NEVER got a response to my message about possibly getting the box the next day. However, Bewise did respond to my email and there was no way I could get the box, or a refund. I know that is in their signup email but I just think that is horrible customer service for a box I pay for in advance. I was even willing to drive to whatever location to get it and now that order and my money just went to waste. I understand it is partially my fault but there should be some kind of fix to to this situation. Now based on purely the produce, it is truly exceptional and I love all the variety they do give. You won't be dissapointed on their produce it tastes extremely fresh and delicous and the recipes on their website are great as well. Bewise would of gotten a 5 star if there was not that mishap. I will probably be switching once my term is done. read more

I'm not currently a member of the CSA, but was one for a couple of years. I had to stop when I couldn't guarantee making it to pick-up time in time (new job). In the meanwhile, I joined a different CSA that had a drop location at my workplace, and it made me realize how much I miss Be Wise. Everything was really fresh. I would get a HUGE bunch of parsley, and it would last in my fridge for weeks if I stored it correctly, using just what I needed for each recipe. In comparison to the other CSA I joined, Be Wise is a much better value. I would get huge bags of oranges or apples at Be Wise, while the other CSA would give 2 plums or 1 tiny thing of blueberries or 2 small tomatoes or 3 navel oranges. I have fond memories of a giant bag of golden nugget mandarins and my kids eating through it with delight. At the other CSA, sometimes they don't all get a piece of fruit because there isn't enough! Be Wise may not be on-line and have the most updated system, but when you get your letter 4 times a year to place the order for the upcoming quarter, it really isn't a big deal. I have never had a problem with customer service, and in fact, I had to switch locations, and it was really easy and seamless. I hope to rejoin at some point....I really miss them. read more

Dissappointment is the main theme here. I was really excited that I was going to have my favorite produce delivered so close to home. I sent my check into BeWise and then went out to purchase a really nice juicer and dehydrator to eat a half raw and half cooked diet. I had just gotten my juicer set up when the phone rang. It was some gal who seemed to have never dealt with the public before and the job was definitely not a natural match for her. She said I would be starting the coming Wednesday. At first I asked if I could start the following week since I had my refrigerator full of their veggies from People's Food. Suddenly I questioned the day of delivery. I thought the day of delivery was Friday? I said I really needed to rearrange my Calendar because I thought I was picking up my boxed produce at the end of the week. Casually the girl replied that I was picking up Friday, not admitting she had made a mistake telling me the pickup day. Just think I could have come the wrong day and be blamed about making a mistake. She kept refusing to answer any questions about the program and said she was going to send an email to sign. Definitely a bit over the top for bad customer service. On top of that, I talked to another person in their offices and they disapproved of the fact that I had had a few questions. I then asked them to send my money back. There was a note on the top of my application stating I did not reply to their email, not that I asked for my money back! I was sad for a moment and talked to a few stores that carries their veggies. They said they did not deal with that office because they have distributors that deliver the produce. Guess I have to drive 30 miles to get my produce rather than a few miles. At least I do not get parsnips and oranges that I am not supposed to eat. read more

I've been a member for over a year now, and here's the basics of what you need to know: - They offer a large box and a small box. The small box is still pretty good, and probably could be a medium box. If you regularly eat a lot of produce, a small box weekly is plenty for 1 and a good amount for 2 people. My wife and I eat produce but also eat meat, grains, etc. so we were getting the small box every other week. We have two friends we are sharing with now and so we upgraded to the large box. - You pay by the quarter, in advance. You get a certain number of weeks you can cancel (depending on the frequency of delivery) - otherwise you should have a friend get it for you if you're going to be out of town. You will have a 3-4 hour window to pick up your box on the day it's delivered. They've got a number of locations around San Diego. - You will get stuff you've never heard of before. Last week we got broccoli liscia. We've also gotten arugula, mizuna, kale, chard, fennel, turnips, parsnips, persimmons, and many other things we've never bought in stores. It's one of the great things about it. Googling "_____ recipe" becomes a habit. Sometimes you have to check the online picklist to know what something is ("So THAT is what marjoram looks like!"). Try getting a professional blender and making exotic smoothies. - I've never had a problem with their deliveries and, as people have said, they are good at updating their picklist weekly on their website. The only down side is they can be a little slow in customer service. They apparently have been growing a lot recently and so some of it may be growing pains. Otherwise, it's a great way to support community agriculture over giant agribusiness conglomerates - plus it tastes better, it's healthier, and it's better for the environment. I think it would be wise for you to join. See what I did there? read more