“You, as a food buyer, have the distinct privilege of proactively participating in shaping the world your children will inherit.” 

~ Joel Salatin

It is that time of year again already, to start the shaping of a new farm season here at Echollective and CSA membership is a big part of that planning process.  With many of our past members chomping at the bit, we have begun to accept membership applications for 2015 and applying is really easy.  Applications received on time really helps us to plan our growing according to demand.  For those of you who may not know quite how CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) works, check out Local Harvests description.  It is very thorough:  http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Otherwise, kick off 2015 with us, your local farmers, and be a part of Echollective!  If cost is an issue, we do also offer work trade for a portion of your membership and you get to dig in and get your hands dirty!  If you are wondering what might be on the menu each week, take a look through our archived blogs from May - September of 2014.  We weekly send this blog out as a newsletter to our members with farm news, weekly box contents, farmers market updates and recipes.

All in all, CSA with us is not only an opportunity to participate in the sustainability in being a part of locally grown food but also supports our efforts at stewarding 35 acres of forested land, along with the 14+ we farm vegetables, herbs, perennials and cover crops with.  Your participation helps us to conserve prairie grasslands and habitat, as humans who care and are committed to them.  By supporting us as your local farm of choice, you are supporting sustainability in agriculture in your own community.  Thank you!

Click Here to Get Started!

“The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.”  

~ Masanobu Fukuoka, The One-Straw Revolution

"Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too."

- William Cowper

Hello, friends and family!  We wanted touch back in with you to offer thanks again for a beautiful and bountiful year with us.  Can you believe we are actually getting ready for another season?  Yep, we start early.  One of the reasons we can start early is because of our high tunnel houses.  Before we got dumped on with mounds of snow, we were able to get a lot accomplished on a new and bigger one which will give us more yield this coming year!  

I love working in the hot houses, especially in the beginning of our growing season when we get started in them while the weather outside is a bit frightful.  The quiet, warm environment smells of soil and baby plants which is a heavenly perfume to me.  I always feel really lucky and look forward to getting in and doing some groundwork soon.

An update on the coming summer CSA season: As our pricing has remained the same for several years, we have decided to adjust a couple's share from $375 to $395 and a family share from $600 to $630.  It is still a great deal and helps us out with increases in our farm budget.  Thank you!

We will most likely be doing weekly boxes for sale in the spring but not as a formal CSA membership and will keep you updated when we get closer, as to how that will pan out.  It will be a lot like our winter boxes which we are just now finished with for the year. 

With much anticipation for the new growing season, farming constantly teaches me one thing over and over:

Patience 

In the meantime, we look forward to the energy and communion of being your farmers for another year!

Warmly,

Jessica and Your Echo Team