CSAs for Your Summer

Words by: Maggie Laubscher | Music by: Abby Yemm

Image credit: Elaine Casap

Image credit: Elaine Casap

Happy Earth Day! It’s a day to thank the planet and a reminder to take care of it. To usher in Earth Day, we are highlighting some local CSAs for your summer and other tips to help our environment. 

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture -- it’s a seasonal food subscription to a local farm. You pay a set amount and in return, that farm gets you fresh, local produce and other foods throughout the season. 

And it’s more than just veggies. You can get local everything -- flowers, bread, eggs, meat, fermented foods, fruit, you name it. 

We got some wisdom on the topic from Nellie Meredith McAllister of Compost Collective, the local compost collection service we highlighted earlier this month. If you haven’t signed up for Compost Collective, everyone is encouraged to do so -- it’s an excellent way to honor Earth Day + help the environment. 

‘If you look at the food at a farmers’ market versus a grocery store, it's typically very different,’ Meredith advised. ‘A small farmer is bringing everything they have, while a grocery store is only taking the nice-looking food.’ 

So what happens to the foods the grocery stores don’t buy? Oftentimes, it's just left on the farm and goes to waste. One thing we can do to combat this cycle is supporting local farmers. And joining a CSA is a great way to do that. 

Keep reading for recommendations on CSAs, documentaries to watch, and more...

Common Harvest CSA

  • Vibe: organic, all-encompassing, collaborative CSA that works with multiple local farmers, artisans and other producers. 

  • The Goods: veggies, flowers, bread, eggs, meat, fermented foods, fruit

  • Cost: $240+ (details here)

  • Season: May - Oct, weekly, with option for half-season signup

  • Pickup: 

    • Lawrence, KS: Tue & Thur, 4-6pm at Mellowfields Farm

    • KC: Wed, 5:30-6:30pm at 75th and State Line Rd

Urbavore CSA

  • Vibe: organic, holistic, progressive, new CSA for this year, lots of great meat options

  • The Goods: veggies, microgreens, eggs, bread, meat (maybe more to come!)

  • Cost: varies, with both subscription & a la carte options (details here)

  • Season: Apr - Nov, weekly

  • Pickup: KCMO: Thur, 4-7pm, just 5 miles east of the Plaza

Fair Share Farm CSA

  • Vibe: family farm with a focus on sustainability, known for excellent fermented foods

  • The Goods: veggies, fermented foods, fruit, meat, cheeses, yogurt, eggs

  • Cost: $85+

  • Season: Apr - Nov, bi-weekly

  • Pickup: 

    • Brookside: Sat, 8am - 1pm at Farmers’ Market

    • Kearney: Sat 2-4pm at Bethel House

Peacock Farm CSA

  • Vibe: 

  • The Goods: veggies, fruit

  • Cost: $425

  • Season: year-round, weekly

  • Pickup: KCMO: Thu & Sat, 

    • KCMO: Thur at 39th & Genesee St 

    • River Market: Sat at City Market

Three Docs to Watch for Earth Day 

  1. Racing Extinction: In Racing Extinction, a team of artists and activists exposes the hidden world of extinction with never-before-seen images that will change the way we see the planet. 

  2. Chasing Coral: A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out to discover why coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate.

  3. Seaspiracy: Passionate about ocean life, a filmmaker sets out to document the harm that humans do to marine species - and uncovers alarming global corruption. This doc has been controversial, with some saying it misrepresented some facts, but we still found it compelling. 

In Your Own Backyard

  • Start a beehive! Our fearless leader Lauren has one in her backyard, with the help of Becker’s Backyard Bees. It’s a local project created by Rich Becker; contact him at richbecker58@gmail.com for more info. The plan is to source honey for The Nelle right from Lauren’s backyard. 

  • Plant milkweed or wildflowers in your yard; they’re pretty and also great for the environment

An Abby Yemm playlist for you…

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Earth Day

A playlist created by Abby Yemm

Disclaimer: We love having these conversations. We hope you love them as well. As a peaceful reminder, all views, opinions, statements, feelings, and vibes posted on Nelle News are solely those of the beautiful individuals involved. They might not represent any other person, agency, organization, employer, or company’s views, opinions, statements, feelings, or vibes. Nelle profiles are meant to entertain and show a real-life conversation; nothing more or less. 

maggie laubscher