CSA Program
Community Supported Agriculture
Our co-op serves as a drop site for several local farms with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs. We believe in buying local whenever possible and joining a CSA is one step closer from farm to fork.
Many CSAs are similar to the structure of a food co-op; both businesses rely on members to sustain them. At the co-op, members receive returns on their shares via monthly member discounts and annual dividends. With CSAs, the return on investment is farm fresh, local foods, usually delivered to a convenient location. CSAs can be a variety of agricultural endeavors, from vegetables to local seafood to mushrooms to herbs to meat, though the most common CSAs in our area are vegetable based.
Why join a CSA?
Farm to Fork Connection
A CSA brings you one step closer to your local farmer and provides you with the sense of security that your money is going to the right place. With a CSA, you’ll know your farmer’s name and they’ll likely know yours. You can rest assured that your food dollars are supporting the farmers that are growing your food.
Seasonality
The foods in your CSA box will vary week to week based on which foods are at their peak flavor and nutrition. Most of the food in the CSA box will have been picked that morning. You’ll notice the taste of foods change throughout the season, providing you the truest sense of what it means to eat seasonally.
Variety
Often times, CSA farmers grow delicious, specialty items that can’t be found in a grocery store (or food co-op). CSAs innately encourage members to experiment with new foods and get creative.
Community
When you join a CSA, you’re part of a community of local food lovers. Everyone in the community will be eating the same local foods, which makes it a great forum for sharing recipes and ideas. Many CSA farms provide opportunities for members to meet via on-farm events, newsletters and emailing lists.
Our CSA Partners
For questions regarding CSA shares, please contact the farms directly.
Featherstone Farm
(507) 459-5209
csa@featherstonefarm.com
Rushford, MN
Summer, Fall, and Winter CSAs available
Pick-up day: Thursday
Featherstone Farm is located in the spectacular Bluff Country of southeastern Minnesota, between Winona and Lanesboro. Their shares offer a simple, sustainable mix of organic mainstream veggies in hearty proportions and include familiar produce such as asparagus, leaf lettuce, peas, beans, heirloom tomatoes, broccoli, onions, peppers, carrots, potatoes, sweet corn, cantaloupes and watermelons. The boxes often include a selection of herbs throughout the season, including basil, cilantro and parsley. Featherstone goes beyond sustainable farm practices like crop rotation and cover cropping to create an overall energy efficient operation: they use solar energy for 60% of the farm’s energy needs and geothermal insulation in warehouse buildings.
Women's Environmental Institute (W.E.I)
(651) 583-0705
North Branch, MN
Spring, Summer, and 10 week flex CSAs available
Pick-up day: Friday mornings
The Women’s Environmental Institute (WEI) is an environmental research, renewal and retreat center designed to create and share knowledge about environmental issues and policies relevant to women, children and identified communities affected by environmental injustice; to promote agricultural justice, organic and sustainable agriculture and ecological awareness; and to support activism that influences public policy and promotes social change. Their CSA features seasonal produce including salad greens, a variety of vegetables, fruit and herbs.
DragSmith Farms
(715) 537-3307
Barron, WI
22 week CSA available (June - November)
Pick-up day: Wednesdays after 4 pm
DragSmith Farms was founded in 1988 when Gail and Maurice Smith bought Gail's family farm. They grow approximately 30 acres of certified organic produce, greens and micro greens along with bison, elk, lamb, honey, and maple syrup. The contents of the summer CSA box vary by season but will usually contain salad greens and 6 to 8 other organic produce items. "We market REAL food from REAL farmers, raised sustainably and humanly by farmers that care about the environment, their customers and the future."
Red Clover Herbal Apothecary
(612) 721-2682
redcloverherbal@gmail.com
Amery, WI Year-round CSA
Pick-up day: Friday (quarterly)
Red Clover Herbal Apothecary Farm provides seasonal CSA herbal shares of organically grown and sustainably wild harvested herbs. They combine fresh culinary herbs, small batch herbal products, and dried herbal teas to create common sense herbal shares that contribute to your health and wellbeing for each season. This CSA is for you if you want to supplement your health routine with fresh, local herbal products.