2012 CSA Open House!
– MARK YOUR CALENDAR —
The 2012 CSA Open House is only a couple weeks away!
Come visit with our 2012 member farmers,
learn about their CSA’s, and sign up for one (or two)!
WHEN:
Saturday, February 18, 2012
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
WHERE:
Badseed Market
1909 McGee, Kansas City, MO
Are you a farmer who serves the Kansas City metro and is running a CSA?
Are you a fierce advocate of organic (or “better than organic”), pasturing, free-ranging, growing practices?
Do you educate everyone around you about the benefits of eating LOCAL and ORGANIC, and proving FAIR PAY for honest labor and its products?
Do you enjoy sharing knowledge, experiments, and the highs and lows of the Adventure of Farming?
Do you hunger to have a deeper relationship with those who enjoy the fruits of your hard labor?
Are you ready to join a community of like-minded folks who stand ready to support you in your path to food excellence?
Then membership in the Kansas City CSA Coalition might be for you! We are now accepting applications for farmer members for the 2012 season. We have lots of great projects in the works for this year, expanding our reach to the public and helping our farmers deepen their connection with each other and the community. If you’re interested in applying, please download the Application, fill it in, and return it to Season Burnett. And, of course, please let Season know if you have any questions about the Application or membership in general.
We look forward to welcoming you into the KCCSAC family!
Extending the Season: Red Ridge Farms
Although last Saturday was the end of the season at the Brookside Farmers’ Market, where Jim and Ami Zumalt (Red Ridge Farm) have a weekly market table (and where their “market CSA” members pick up their shares), the Zumalts aren’t giving up just yet! They’ll be specially delivering pre-ordered produce to the Market location at 63rd & Wornall, KCMO, for the next few weeks. This is a great opportunity to keep supporting the farmers you’ve grown to know and love over the summer, while also keeping your pantry full as we head into the chilly Autumn and holiday season.
This week’s offerings include: Arugula, Broccoli, Broccoli Raab, Chinese Cabbage, Eggplant, Kale, Cut Looseleaf Lettuce Mix, Microgreens, Mizuna, Mustard Greens, small Onions, Pac Choi, Pea shoots, Sweet Pepper mix (bell, banana, etc), Bell Peppers, Hot Peppers, Potatoes, Salad Mix (lettuce and greens), Saute Mix (kale, mustard greens, arugula etc), Butternut Squash, small Spaghetti Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Tatsoi, Cherry Tomatoes, Green Tomatoes, and Ripe/Ripening Tomatoes.
Orders must be received by Wednesday evening. To get a copy of the order form, email Ami and Jim at jaaaz@embarqmail.com.
You can also call them: (H) 816-690-7161 | (C) 816-694-4432.
Fall CSA’s: Get your Meat On!
As the year’s first hard freeze approaches and the season for fresh summer produce winds down for the year, seasonal eaters look toward other locally-produced sources of nutrition. Fortunately, the KCCSAC has some great meat CSA’s this year which are the perfect source for your protein needs into the holidays and beyond!
One of our new member farms is Barham Cattle Co., in Kearney, MO. The Barhams are new members of KCCSAC this year, although their farm has been in the family for 100 years. Besides grass-fed Angus beef, they offer pastured chicken and eggs via their partnership with Windhaven Farms — a great supplement to their shares! Barham’s CSA distributions begin in November, so check them out and sign up for your share today!
Due to overwhelming demand, Schenker Family Farms will be continuing their CSA through the winter, as well. They’ve got very detailed offerings –including beef, pork, and lamb — and delivery all over the metro, so check out their listing page and contact them to sign up!
Parker Farms Natural Meats‘ year-round CSA offers beef, pork, lamb, and chicken products. The Parkers accept new members all the time, so check out their listing page for share details. The Parkers are also taking deposit for Thanksgiving turkeys, so contact them today for a gorgeous, organically-grown bird for your table — you can also find them on Fridays at Badseed Farmers’ Market in the Crossroads, so drop by and say “hi”!
Over the past few weeks, the Kansas City Food Circle (KCFC) and the Kansas City CSA Coalition (KCCSAC) have worked together to investigate the allegations against Bigg Blue Farm that questioned Stan and Carmen Biggs’ farming practices and market sales practices. As part of the investigation, three experienced local farmers and three members of the KCFC and KCCSAC leadership visited the farm and interviewed the Biggses at different times. Stan and Carmen Biggs cooperated with the investigation and supplied requested documentation. Bigg Blue Farm’s customers also provided valuable information.
Our conclusions are that Bigg Blue Farm is a legitimate vegetable farm and was growing a diverse variety of crops at least through the summer. The original allegations were raised too late in the season to provide conclusive evidence of an intent to mislead. However, in the course of the investigation, we did determine, through Stan Biggs’ own account, that Bigg Blue Farm did distribute peaches that were not organically grown in its community supported agriculture (CSA) shares. This latter activity violated the spirit, if not the letter, of the KCFC’s farmer pledge and the KCCSAC’s standards.
As a result, the KCFC and KCCSAC are placing Bigg Blue Farm on probation and will be monitoring their growing practices more closely. We will consider ending the probation if Bigg Blue Farm addresses the outstanding issues and agrees to return to full compliance.
Allegations against producer members of both organizations are rare. KCFC and KCCSAC producer members take great pride in providing Kansas City local, healthy and sustainable food. They also work hard to develop open, honest communication between themselves and their customers. Although the Kansas City food Circle and the Kansas City CSA Coalition are not regulatory bodies, they work hard to enhance that trusted relationship. Consumers should contact both organizations with any questions about how to eat locally and organically. A list of helpful questions consumers can ask farmers to learn more about where their food comes from and how it is grown is available on the Kansas City Food Circle website (www.kcfoodcircle.org) or by e-mailing coordinators@kcfoodcircle.org.
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A nonprofit, the Kansas City Food Circle has connected local eaters with local, organic, free-range food for over 20 years through events, education and public information. Please contact Dave Lawrence at 973-620-8427 for more information or visit us at www.kcfoodcircle.org.
The Kansas City CSA Coalition is a nonprofit organization that promotes Community Supported Agriculture initiatives in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Please contact Season Burnett at 876-237-8634 or csac.kc@gmail.com for more information, or visit us at www.kc-csac.org.