St. Louis CSA and CCSA Directory
So you want to join a CSA? We are now so very fortunate to have lots of options for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in and around the St. Louis area. The number of CSAs has more than doubled in the last five years. If you aren’t familiar with the CSA relationship, here is some quick info to get you started on your way to receiving fresh, healthy, and seasonal food from local farmers.
CSA (Community Supported Agriculture): the consumer purchases a “share” of the harvest for a growing season directly from a farm. This share is distributed to the consumer on a weekly (or bi-weekly) basis and typically includes produce and fruit but may also include eggs, flowers, and sometimes meat. We are starting to see more collaborative CSAs where a “share” may include a small percentage of items that your farmer sourced from additional farms. The consumer has a direct relationship with the farm they purchase a share in, offers the support directly to the farm, has the opportunity to typically visit the farm and even sometimes work on the farm.
CCSA (Combined Community Supported Agriculture): The consumer purchases a weekly or biweekly “share” from a middleman who sources from a multitude of local farmers and food producers. These shares may include everything from produce to meat to locally roasted coffee to eggs to value added products (sauces, jams, etc). Often, CCSAs have a number of options from vegetarian to paleo focused shares and the consumer can sometimes trade items out of a particular share for other items. This option offers consumers the most flexibility with the broadest range of items yet removes the consumer one step away from supporting the farmers directly. However, CCSAs often create events and opportunities for “share” holders to meet the producers and CCSA owners and employees maintain very close relationships to the producers they source from.
We know the majority of these farms and CCSAs and are aware that they all share a concern for sustainability. However, as with all of your food, you should conduct your own inquiries into the production practices behind the food you consume. For a list of questions you should consider, please review our Ask Before You Eat! brochure and films. The following list is in alphabetical order. As additional CSAs send us information, we will continue to update this list throughout the spring. Please contact valerie.valli@yahoo.com to have your CSA added or updated.
Name: Earthdance Farms
Food pick-up location: The Mueller Farm (Ferguson, MO)
Duration of CSA season: May through October
Products included in CSA: Vegetables
Accepting new members? Yes
Contact information: 314.521.1006 or Rachel@earthdancefarms.org
Anything else you would like us to know? Members are asked to contribute 4 volunteer hours per membership, per season, toward the success of the farm’s harvest or field work endeavors.
Name: Fair Shares
Food pick-up location: Kingshighway and Highway 44 (headquarters), Kirkwood, University City
Duration of CSA season: 11 months, April-March (no pick-ups in March)
Products included in CSA: Produce, Eggs, Meat, Chocolate, Coffee, Cheese, Bread, and many additional staples.
Accepting new members? Yes
Contact information: http://fairshares.org/contact
Anything else you would like us to know? Flexibility in weekly and bi-weekly as well as ability to trade some items in particular shares.
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To see the entire listing of CSA programs, click here.
