Monday, March 22, 2010

Finally, a CSA with a local drop off point!

Oh yes, another local food post. You know me - love to buy local and buy direct! Good food is one of the joys of life.
It has been years since a CSA (community supported agriculture) has had a drop off point in or around Monroe. For those of you unfamiliar with what a CSA is, you purchase a share of the harvest from a local produce grower. These farmers grow vegetables on their area farm, and every week during the growing season, you receive a box of freshly picked, perfectly in season produce as your share of the harvest. These boxes are usually brought to a few central drop off points a specific times, and you must go there to pick up your produce. Locals who wanted to be members of a CSA have often had to go to Verona, Janesville, Beloit or elsewhere to pick up their food.

Wiser Farms Produce in Evansville will be doing a Monroe drop off point this year. Josh and Bekah are in their first year with their CSA, and they are only take 20 shares for this year's harvest. They are offering a 16 week season, getting their clients more of the summer harvest and less of the extended periods of greens that some CSAs with 20 week season seem to have. I spoke with Josh, and he said that so many people seem tired of greens by the time the summer produce comes around that he wanted to keep his season a little shorter.

A share for their 16 week season is $400, only $25 per week for a box filled with local, fresh produce. If you are looking for an easy way to eat more local foods or just want to make sure that you are eating more vegetables this summer, you can't get much easier than this. Pick up your box once a week and enjoy the fruits of someone else's labor.

They already have plants going in their hoophouses, and they will have bedding plants available (both vegetables and flowers).

Are you getting exciting about spring?

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