community supported agriculture
what is csa?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) affords customers an intimate connection with their food, the farmers growing it, and the land where it is grown. People take part in CSA by purchasing a "share" of the upcoming season's harvest. This partnership benefits both the farmer and the shareholder, or what we call a "member". This direct transaction with the farmer is meant to cover early expenses when there is less income being generated on the farm, enabling the farm to maintain financial stability throughout the season.
what’s in a share?
A member can expect a farmer curated share including a medley of : greens (salad mix, head lettuce, spinach), herbs, roots (carrots, radishes, beets, turnips), brassicas (kale, broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, kohlrabi), onions, garlic, potatoes, beans, peas, and fruiting vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peppers) as these items mature and are harvested throughout the season. We aim to have your share value around $30 each week, but the value may fluctuate slightly throughout the season.
why choose csa?
Our focus is to provide you with the essentials. We want to make sure you get a diverse selection of what you love and need on a weekly basis while taking care not to overwhelm you with more than you can eat. Membership in CSA is one of the surest ways to get the freshest produce available, to try varieties of vegetables often not available at the grocery store, and to engage more fully in the rhythm of eating seasonally; all while directly supporting sustainable farming in your area!
2024 CSA sign-up
DURATION OF 2024 SEASON: Every Wednesday, June 5th, 2024 - November 13th, 2024
Cost to Each Member: $800 for 24 weeks of produce
Share Pick-Up: We have drop sites at the farm in Oak Creek, and also in Racine, Bay View, Riverwest, and Fox Point.
Shares fill up quickly! Returning members will have the first chance to sign-up, and new member shares will be filled on a first come, first served basis.
the rising cost of food
If you are a returning member, you will notice that we have raised our prices for the first time since we started our CSA program in 2019. Simply put, our costs of living have gone up - along with everyone else’s. We didn’t get into farming for the money, but we do need to be able to make a living. Farmers and farmworkers across the globe work for astonishingly low wages, making the cost of food deceivingly low. We take very seriously our planning practices, along with intense record-keeping and note-taking, so that we can calculate the actual costs of growing food and making a living while doing so. Below is a link to a brief summary of our revenue and expenses. We hope to shed some light on why we have raised our prices.
Mutual aid fund
The unfortunate truth is, being a member in a CSA is not accessible to everyone. We have a long way to go before the price of food reflects the work that goes into feeding communities and low-cost access to nourishing food is seen as a global priority, so until then, we need to take care of each other.
Our Mutual Aid Fund is funded by CSA members and other members of the community who have a little extra to share. Donations will be allocated according to assistance requests. Please let us know if you need financial assistance, and if you can afford it, please consider donating to help subsidize the cost of a share.
SHARING IN THE REWARD AND THE RISK
We don't control the seasons or the weather, nor do we want to. Some seasons are great for growing and others are more challenging. We do our best to plan and accommodate for changes in the increasingly unpredictable climate we live in. This is simply how it goes when working with, rather than against, nature.
By bringing the production of food closer to home and partnering with the farmers who grow it, we can begin to cut our dependence on a corporate food system that exploits people and planet; poisoning our air, soil, and water; stealing from indigenous people, family farmers, and future generations; allowing for hunger amidst plenty, holding our tax dollars hostage, and robbing us of choice and health in the name of profit. By investing in CSA, you are directly investing in community and local agriculture.