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Overview
 CSA,
Community Supported Agriculture, is a form of marketing for small
scale farmer’s to have an opportunity to sell their produce
to members of their local community. CSA was started in Japan
by a group of women who wanted to find a way to sell their goods
to their local community. It has spread around the world and has
become a viable way for the small, family farm to exist in the
world.
Basically, members will buy a share of the
farm and in exchange, they receive a sizable “box”
of produce each week. Different CSA’s are run slightly differently,
but generally, members are required to pick up their produce either
at the farm or at a specific pick up location.
Why Community Supported Agriculture?
1. Make a connection between your food, the
land it is grown on, and the farmer who grows it.
2. Support the local economy by keeping food dollars in your community.
3. Meet others in your community who share your values.
4. Help children experience and enjoy fresh food and farms.
It's Wednesday Again
The week has flown by, with its hustle and bustle,
My body's so tired, I can't move a muscle,
I glance at my calendar, thinking, and then
break out in a smile--it's Wednesday again.
Wednesday--the day I pick up from the farm
home-grown vegies, herbs, flowers, grown pure without harm,
Twice blessed--by the ground and the students who grow them,
and pick them, and sort them, and love them, and know them.
I pick up my bundle, a colorful treasure,
The bounty and beauty a gift beyond measure.
I take in the shapes and the textures and sizes,
And think of the flavorful meal surprises
we'll enjoy through the week, as we try out new dishes.
All organic and locally grown, as our wishes
to live more sustainably, purely, have shown us,
so I thank you for all the good stuff you have grown us!
by Patti Kenney
Please visit Local
Harvest to find CSAs, farmers' markets, family farms, and
other sources of sustainably grown food in your area.
Here is a short list of some of the organic
growers you can find in the Lansing area. Please feel free to
visit these farmers at the Meridian
Township Farmers Market, or the Allen
Street Farmers Market.
Green Eagle Farm
Farmers: Chéla Ashley and Steve Gross
Location: Onandaga, MI
This family farm offers a variety of produce, including basil,
beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, collards,
corn, cucumbers, eggplants, flowers, kohlrabi, lettuce, okra,
onions, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, spinach, strawberries, and
much more!
Owosso Organics
Farmer: Pooh Stevens
Location: Owosso, MI
Owosso Organics is a certified organic vegetable farm on about
5 acres northwest of the town of Owosso. It is run by Pooh Stevenson,
who grows a wide variety of high quality food and cut flowers
with the help of her partner Richard and daughters Codie and Taylor.
She markets these products through the Meridian farmers market,
local stores including the East Lansing Food CoOp, as well as
through a CSA.
Wildflower Organic Farm
Farmer: Phil Throop
Location: Bath, MI
Wildflower is surrounded by gardens, hay fields, the Rose Lake
Wildlife Research Area and no chemical drift! Phil Throop has
been growing without chemical pesticides or fertilizers for many
years. The farm is a father/son operation with help from neighbors,
volunteers, and paid workers. They grow 200 varieties of fruits
and vegetables.
Apple Schram Organic Orchard
Farmer: Jane Bush
Location: Charlotte, MI
Apple Schram is located on West Mount Hope Hwy. Farmer Jane Bush
bought the orchard 17 years ago, and today manages the farm organically,
producing apple products like cider, applesauce, and apple butter,
as well as other farm products and vegetables grown in her hoop
house. Jane is also the founder of the farmer's egg cooperative,
Grazing Fields.
The Giving Tree Farms
Location: Lansing, MI
Giving Tree Farm has several programs. They were created to serve
the disabled and their families near Lansing, Michigan. The farm
has a community-supported agriculture program, horticultural therapy,
and horticultural training. They work with Michigan State University's
Department of Horticulture on organic research projects, and do
research with growing in unheated hoophouses year round. They
employ interns and students, as well as people with disabilities.
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