Saturday Sources: Three Rivers Community Farm - CSA

My ideas about healthy food have evolved over the years. In the fall of 2006 my new neighbor introduced me to a farmer’s market that sold produce and meats from local farmers. I found it to be an amazing thing to meet those farmers and speak to them about their practices and begin to get to know them. I loved the fresh produce and the new foods that we tried. This was certainly a step up from shopping at Whole Foods.

At about that same time I became aware of CSA’s. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. You give a farm money and they give you a share of their produce every week for the length of their growing season. I loved this idea as soon as I heard of it but I quickly learned that joining a CSA is hard to do! Generally CSA’s open up their membership in the late fall or winter and here in St. Louis they are often quickly all sold out. In 2007 I got lucky. A new CSA was starting and they were looking for members close to the start of the season. I didn’t really know what to expect but I was excited about the possibilities! That CSA was Three Rivers Community Farm. We have been members ever since.

Three Rivers Community Farm is run by Amy Cloud and Segue Lara plus a few interns every season. I managed to get Amy to spend a few minutes in this busy spring time answering some of my questions. I have those here below for you.

1. What does your farm’s name mean?

Technically, our farm should be called Two Rivers, because we are at the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois; but I chose the name of the farm when I was living in Massachussettes, and was just going off the larger geographical context of there being three rivers in this general area.

2. What is a CSA? Why did you choose that format for your farm?

CSA is a subscription program where members pay upfront for a “share” of the seasons harvest. We chose a CSA because of the direct relationships we can build with our customers and for the greater financial security CSA offers.

3. How long has 3 Rivers been in existence?

Our first season was 2007.

4. Do you farm organically?

We farm organically; however we do not go through the certification process. The direct relationship we have with our customers makes that unnecessary.

5. What is the best thing about farming?

6. What is the worst/hardest thing about farming?

The hardest thing about farming is the weather!

7. If people aren’t in your CSA can they still get your produce?

8. Is there anything else that you would like my readers to know?

The only other thing I would stress is that CSA is not for everyone. You have to have time to cook; enjoy cooking and experimenting with new vegetables; love vegetables; and be open to eating seasonably which means in this area-broccoli in the spring and fall; tomatoes in the summer, etc.

Thank you Amy! If you have any other questions for Amy and Segue you can ask them below an I will get the answers for you.