Crow Wing is Growing Green with CSA’s
by Kari Frisch
Crow Wing County is “growing green” with community supported agriculture, commonly referred to as CSA farms.
Two such farms are the Farm of Plenty and The Farm on St. Mathias. Both offer residents in the Brainerd Lakes Community a chance to call a farm their own. Members buy into the summer harvest with a pre-determined “farm pledge” becoming “shareholders” in the farm community.
Membership fees are generally lower if paid in full in the spring. This cost cut promotes early memberships so the farm can generate money for up-front costs of planting and farm operation. With this seasonal fee, members receive a share of the produce generated over the extended summer season. Different CSA’s have different set-ups but they generally are in operation between mid-June to mid-October. with participants receiving weekly portions of what is available for harvest at the time. Members usually choose to receive produce once each week or once every other week.
According to both CSA’s in the Brainerd area, the benefits of joining this “mutually supportive relationship” can be many. The produce is fresher for the consumer. People know exactly where their food has come from and can talk directly to the farmer if there are questions. Supporting a CSA keeps the food dollars in the local community, helping to build and sustain that community.
Joining a CSA reduces one’s carbon footprint since the product is not traveling as far as the typical grocery store items. According to The Farm on St. Mathias, transporting food results in “the average dinner traveling 1500 miles.” Besides that, they explain, “eating local greatly reduces the consumption of fossil fuels and wasteful packing materials.”
Then of course, there is the health benefit. Both The Farm of Plenty and the Farm on St. Mathias use sustainable agriculture practices to organically grow their goods. Farm of Plenty is beholden to their mission that, “We believe that eating local organically grown produce, in season, is one of the best ways to provide optimum nutrition.” Pesticides, herbicides, and petroleum-based fertilizers are therefore never used. Farm of plenty intends "to create a community with a commitment to sustainability and land stewardship; that provides a place to farm and to live in harmony with the natural habitat; and feed both the body and the spirit”. They even call their member investments “vegan shares”.
The Crow Wing county CSA farms provide a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs to locals. Sometimes additional items are included such as eggs, honey, baked or canned goods. It all depends on what is "ready" to be harvested.
Variety abounds at these CSAs. For example, the Farm on St. Mathias plants over 1,000 tomato plants which include around 17 different varieties, 10 of which are heirloom. All together they have counted over 100 different fruits, vegetables, and herbs they’ve planted this year with over 150 different varieties. Farm of Plenty advertises 27 tomato varieties, shallots, 11 potato varieties including 4 fingerling varieties, watermelon, turnips, Swiss chard, squash, spinach, radishes, peas, parsnips, onions, cantaloupe, lettuce head and salad, kohlrabi, cucumbers, carrots, beets, beans, garbanzo, Edamme (soy), cauliflower, cabbage, Chinese greens, and asparagus that total over 100 different varieties—all of which are heirloom.
As this year's fruits and vegetables are just beginning to ripen, production on the CSA farms has just started to result in member boxes being delivered. This week’s box for share members will include a variety of mixed greens (mixed baby greens, pac choi, baby spinach and arugula), radishes, onions, peas, kohlrabi, broccoli, herbs and farm fresh eggs. The Farm plants a large variety of herbs which they include in their boxes.
When individuals agree to become a partner in a CSA community farm, they are sharing the benefits but also take on the risks of farm production. Weather cannot be predicted and poor harvests are a possibility, but when the farm is mutually supportive, the benefits tend to still outweigh the risks and keeping the food dollars in the local community sustains more than just the farmland.
In line with that philosophy, the Farm on St. Mathias hosts numerous activities for members and non-members alike; schools, community organizations, family get-togethers and local outings.
St. Mathias also has 6 large perennial gardens. Their community gardens are a part of their “community-supported educational and public service mission” which offers “gardening resources for local youth organizations and non-profits who learn to grow and prepare harvest meals for their organizations.”
The symbiotic relationship of the community involvement in the local CSA’s and the CSA’s support in the community proves that not only is the county of Crow Wing taking steps in growing green, they’re taking steps in growing their communities.
Contact information:
The Farm on St. Mathias
888-404-5009
email: thefarmonstmathais@hotmail.com,
Farm of Plenty
218-330-9830
email: farmofplenty@gmail.com.
Crow Wing County is “growing green” with community supported agriculture, commonly referred to as CSA farms.
Two such farms are the Farm of Plenty and The Farm on St. Mathias. Both offer residents in the Brainerd Lakes Community a chance to call a farm their own. Members buy into the summer harvest with a pre-determined “farm pledge” becoming “shareholders” in the farm community.
Membership fees are generally lower if paid in full in the spring. This cost cut promotes early memberships so the farm can generate money for up-front costs of planting and farm operation. With this seasonal fee, members receive a share of the produce generated over the extended summer season. Different CSA’s have different set-ups but they generally are in operation between mid-June to mid-October. with participants receiving weekly portions of what is available for harvest at the time. Members usually choose to receive produce once each week or once every other week.
According to both CSA’s in the Brainerd area, the benefits of joining this “mutually supportive relationship” can be many. The produce is fresher for the consumer. People know exactly where their food has come from and can talk directly to the farmer if there are questions. Supporting a CSA keeps the food dollars in the local community, helping to build and sustain that community.
Joining a CSA reduces one’s carbon footprint since the product is not traveling as far as the typical grocery store items. According to The Farm on St. Mathias, transporting food results in “the average dinner traveling 1500 miles.” Besides that, they explain, “eating local greatly reduces the consumption of fossil fuels and wasteful packing materials.”
Then of course, there is the health benefit. Both The Farm of Plenty and the Farm on St. Mathias use sustainable agriculture practices to organically grow their goods. Farm of Plenty is beholden to their mission that, “We believe that eating local organically grown produce, in season, is one of the best ways to provide optimum nutrition.” Pesticides, herbicides, and petroleum-based fertilizers are therefore never used. Farm of plenty intends "to create a community with a commitment to sustainability and land stewardship; that provides a place to farm and to live in harmony with the natural habitat; and feed both the body and the spirit”. They even call their member investments “vegan shares”.
The Crow Wing county CSA farms provide a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs to locals. Sometimes additional items are included such as eggs, honey, baked or canned goods. It all depends on what is "ready" to be harvested.
Variety abounds at these CSAs. For example, the Farm on St. Mathias plants over 1,000 tomato plants which include around 17 different varieties, 10 of which are heirloom. All together they have counted over 100 different fruits, vegetables, and herbs they’ve planted this year with over 150 different varieties. Farm of Plenty advertises 27 tomato varieties, shallots, 11 potato varieties including 4 fingerling varieties, watermelon, turnips, Swiss chard, squash, spinach, radishes, peas, parsnips, onions, cantaloupe, lettuce head and salad, kohlrabi, cucumbers, carrots, beets, beans, garbanzo, Edamme (soy), cauliflower, cabbage, Chinese greens, and asparagus that total over 100 different varieties—all of which are heirloom.
As this year's fruits and vegetables are just beginning to ripen, production on the CSA farms has just started to result in member boxes being delivered. This week’s box for share members will include a variety of mixed greens (mixed baby greens, pac choi, baby spinach and arugula), radishes, onions, peas, kohlrabi, broccoli, herbs and farm fresh eggs. The Farm plants a large variety of herbs which they include in their boxes.
When individuals agree to become a partner in a CSA community farm, they are sharing the benefits but also take on the risks of farm production. Weather cannot be predicted and poor harvests are a possibility, but when the farm is mutually supportive, the benefits tend to still outweigh the risks and keeping the food dollars in the local community sustains more than just the farmland.
In line with that philosophy, the Farm on St. Mathias hosts numerous activities for members and non-members alike; schools, community organizations, family get-togethers and local outings.
St. Mathias also has 6 large perennial gardens. Their community gardens are a part of their “community-supported educational and public service mission” which offers “gardening resources for local youth organizations and non-profits who learn to grow and prepare harvest meals for their organizations.”
The symbiotic relationship of the community involvement in the local CSA’s and the CSA’s support in the community proves that not only is the county of Crow Wing taking steps in growing green, they’re taking steps in growing their communities.
Contact information:
The Farm on St. Mathias
888-404-5009
email: thefarmonstmathais@hotmail.com,
Farm of Plenty
218-330-9830
email: farmofplenty@gmail.com.
posted by Katie Carter at
11:50 AM
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