Connecting the Farm and the City

On March 17^th, the UEC held its annual Local Farmer Open House.  This event gives over 1000 members of the urban East Side community an opportunity to meet and greet 27 local farmers and food providers.  As part of the event, the UEC offered presentations to educate attendees about how pesticides and food choice affect health and water quality and tips on ideas for planning menus around and preserving fresh produce.

Attendees at the open house could ask farmers about their production practices.  Questions about organic farming practices were at the top of most people's lists.  Most of the farmers use organic methods of farming (no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, no antibiotics for livestock, and farmers practice crop rotation).  However, very few are actually certified as organic farms.  The certification process is extremely time-consuming and involves a great deal of detailed documentation.  Small family farms simply do not have the manpower for this.

Photo: Mixed Vegetables by Suat Eman

After determining which farm met their needs, visitors had the opportunity to purchase a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share. They will receive a regularly scheduled bag, box or bushel of produce from the farm of their choice.  Depending on the farm, additional options can be chosen.  Several farms offered not only a variety of produce, but also locally raised beef, pork, poultry, eggs, or honey.

When a CSA share is purchased, this benefits both parties.  The people receiving the food will be eating fresh, locally produced food.  This isn’t grocery store produce that has lost much of its nutritional value by the time it is purchased.  Most likely, the food in the CSA share was harvested in the past two or three days.  As mentioned previously, most farmers practice organic farming methods, so purchasing from these farms encourages sustainable growing practices.  The CSA shares are purchased at a price that fairly compensates the farmers, and this money stays in the local economy.  Farmers have funding to purchase equipment and materials up front and can better plan their growing season.

As an urban resident, I had no idea how many local farms are within a couple hours drive of the city.  There were so many to choose from!  I decided to purchase a CSA share from Three Sisters Community Farm in Campbellsport, Wisconsin (http://threesisterscommunityfarm.com).  They use organic farming methods, but are not certified.  Since I don’t need to feed an entire family, I purchased a half share.  I will receive six to ten different seasonally available items in my share every other week during their 20-week growing season.  I also purchased a honey share, so I'll receive a pint of local honey each month alongside my produce.  Best thing about Three Sisters, they deliver right to my front porch.   

Now, I just sit back and wait for that first box of strawberries, asparagus, and peas. . .