COMMUNITY SUPPORTED
AGRICULTURE
Access to locally grown, fresh vegetables, fruits & herbs every week throughout the season.
WHAT IS CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a relationship where consumers purchase a “Share” of our harvest and receive a box full of organic produce all season long. Our CSA Shares provide value to our members because of the quality and quantities of the wide diversity of fruits, vegetables, & herbs that we grow. The CSA Share model benefits the farmers by providing a rewarding livelihood; while supporting a growing network of small, diverse family farms.
Our farm is specialized. 95% of the produce we harvest on our farm is grown specifically for our CSA Share Members. As a result, our Members get the benefit of having a farm that grows varieties of fresh produce that reflect their preferences.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
We are gardening for you! We start seeds in the greenhouse in March, nurturing the plants until we can transplant them into the fields in May & June. The plants establish themselves, they'll be taking root & growing like crazy in the early summer! Harvest starts mid-late June and continues until early October, your CSA Share will come weekly throughout that 16 week period.
Your CSA Share will be available for pick up at the site of your choice. We offer over 15 public pick up sites to choose from (in addition to 10 private employee-only sites), and deliver from June 21st to October 8th, a total of 16 weeks. We also provide strawberries, apples and blueberries in your CSA Shares at no additional charge.
We are happy to grow, harvest, and deliver your fresh organic produce with care each week. Go to our Become a Member Page, choose your pick up site, submit payment in full before May 31st 2021 or before we sell out of Shares, and receive weekly boxes filled with freshness that you can't get anywhere else!
ARE YOU A NEW MEMBER?
Welcome! We are happy to have the opportunity to grow for you and your family. We've got a super charged season of fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs ahead of us!
Communication is important. Especially when it comes to your food!
Every CSA Member receives this handbook. It's a six page PDF document with all the details of our season! Look at the title page shown here to see the list of topics we cover.
CSA Share success is where preparation and opportunity meet!
We are looking forward to a big season together!
WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
We start all of our plants in the greenhouse, and then transplant them into the fields where they will flourish in the natural soils! As you know, every week of the CSA is different. Each week you receive a variety of the produce that's being harvested that week on our farm. That means that you'll see a LOT of different varieties, and with the farm to table storage guide I made for you- it'll be easy to learn about nutrition, storage, preservation and more!!
Here is the link to the page that explains "What we grow!", which breaks down what kind of varieties you can expect throughout the season. In the spring, the summer and fall. Another great way to look at our CSA this season is to look at the past seasons and what we've had to offer (which is available in the gallery.
BENFITS OF OUR CSA
FOR YOU!
Your health is important to us. One of the best things you can do for yourself is eat fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables. Having a box full of fresh produce every week and the CSA Farm to Table guide (60 page comprehensive guide to everything we grow), you have the product and the tools to create a recipe for success! I also post recipes to our blog every week with inspirations of what you could do with your produce, you're not alone in this journey!!
One undervalued benefit of being a CSA Share member is being in touch with the seasons. There are really 3 sub-seasons within our one farming season here in central Minnesota; the early spring season, mid-summer crops, and fall crops. Many of the produce varieties that we grow are only produced at one time of the season. Participating in a CSA Share can help you eat seasonally, learning what we are harvesting & at what time in the season.
FOR THE COMMUNITY!
When you support your local farmers, you are also supporting your community. We keep your dollars circulating in our local economy by purchasing our growing supplies, seeds, equipment and fuel from locally owned (and often family operated) companies. We engage with other local companies and civic groups as often as possible, creating many mutually beneficial relationships and bridges within our community.
FOR THE ENVIROMENT!
We practice environmentally healthy farming. We evaluate the soil quality in hopes of preventing the need for product application that pollutes the air, water and soil.
One environmental benefit to participating in a CSA Share is helping to decrease the amount of CO2 emissions produced from transporting and refrigerating produce across long distances, which includes crossing country or continental borders. We deliver our CSA Shares to local pick up sites; the farthest any of our produce will travel is 60 miles from our farm. Local, really means local.
We are conscious of our nutrient cycling. We use manures, cover crops and many other sustainable farming methods to support the health of our soil. By maintaining and monitoring the balance of nutrients in our fields, for example Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium helps to keep the soil productive for this generation and those to follow.