NorthSide Reaction

Posted April 14, 2011 - 3:57pm by Tracy

Hope for summer veggies springs eternal

Although Illinois farms and gardens are still weeks away from yielding fresh produce, Chicagoans who are interested in locally grown food are hustling to nab the remaining shares in CSA (community supported agriculture) programs serving the city.

A CSA is essentially a “farm share” agreement where city-dwellers pay a farmer, who in turn delivers vegetables to a central drop-off point in the city for weekly pickups in the summer and fall. Payment is usually made in early spring before the harvest seasons are in full swing. Each farm typically has a set number of shares to sell each year, so they do sell out.

The weekly deliveries — which may also include farm-fresh eggs, milk, cheese and meat — are typically enough to feed a family of four for the week, and the cost (theoretically) is less per month than you typically would spend at the grocery store — assuming you don’t let the food go to waste.

More than 100 CSAs deliver produce to Chicagoland locations. Many are listed on TheLocalBeet.com.

One of Well Community’s favorites is Harvest Moon Organics, which has a drop-off location in Lincoln Square and hosts an annual dinner on the farm in Viroqua, Wisconsin. Another is M’s Organic Farm, delivering organic veggies and eggs directly to Chicagoans at the weekly Logan Square Farmer’s Market.

So if you are hoping to cook seasonally, eat fresh and support local farms this summer, sign up for a CSA program asap.

For more information, visit http://www.localharvest.org/csa/ for a really excellent description and question/answer section all about CSAs.

This summer is going to be a good one.

• Tracy's blog
• Login
• Comment