This is my third year being a CSA member. Not only is the taste of the vegetables amazing, but…read morerecently it's been significantly cheaper than shopping organic at the big box stores. I go to the farm for pickup every week, and I love the variety, that I can pick and choose between over a dozen different herbs and veggies, the extras they often have, the UPick tomatoes and beans and etc. It's also such a relief to know where my food is coming from, that there are no chemical fertilizers or pesticides in it, that it's not downwind a feedlot so no chances of salmonella outbreaks in their leafy greens, that it hasn't been sprayed to ripen -- the peace of mind itself is invaluable. They have three seasons (spring, summer, and fall) that you can sign up for (that often sell out early, especially the summer season), as well as Thursday farmstands in the afternoon. Also, at the beginning of May they sell seedlings, with prices cheaper than The Growing Place, and most of the plants I buy from there thrive in my garden with no additions required (I put compost in the hole and around the base when I first plant them, mulch around the seedlings, and that's pretty much it, by mid-July I'm getting more tomatoes and basil and etc than I know what to do with).

Well-established CSA with a pop-up farmstand on Wednesday nights. Organic produce grown all from…read moreseed resulting in 28 weeks of pickups from Mother's Day to Thanksgiving... wow! Why settle for a grocery store tomato when you can have these beauties??

I began my relationship with PrairiErth Farm at the Downtown Bloomington Farmer's Market. From the…read morestart, I could tell that they really care about the food they produce and their customers' well being. Hans, Katie, and Dave are experienced and well read farmers. They are what the modern farmer should be...a good steward of the land and not a factory operation. What brought me to PrairiErth Farm was my desire to buy and eat lean, organic, grass-fed beef...which they have and it is awesome. You can taste the difference in quality compared to the "big-box" stores. I know what is, and more importantly, what is not in the beef that I buy from PrairiErth Farm. I like to tell people that you can take a drive out to Atlanta and practically meet the cow you're going to eat. If you want to save some money in the long run, buying in bulk is the way to go. We chose to buy a quarter cow to fill our deep freeze and that was a good volume of meat for a family of 2 adults and one toddler. If you've never done anything like that before (like us), Dave makes the process easy. I was part of their first Crop Share Association and was very pleased with the selection and quality of the veggies that I received every week. I'm happy to be back for year two. The bottom line: Awesome people, high quality meat and veggies. I highly recommend them.

This is were I get all my fresh veg. They have thhe most beautiful farm stand at the downntown…read moreBloomington's farmers market. Everyone is so knowledgeable and friendly.

We have a CSA arrangement with this farm and are extremely impressed with the produce we've…read morereceived. Farmer Rob Montalbano is an approachable and enthusiastic guy who rents two acres from another organic farm and pulls a tremendous amount of clean, fresh produce from the ground each week for his subscribers and his farmer's market booths. He also sends out a weekly newsletter detailing the ups and downs of the week, what bugs are getting him down, and which bugs are saving the day and eating those bugs. The newsletter also highlights a few recipes for the more off-the-beaten-path vegetables, helping you make the most of your weekly haul. I've seen the boxes of a few other CSA's available in the area, and I was very glad we picked Montalbano Farms. Farmer Rob has them beat, remarkably, on quality, quantity, and variety. Also he's very accessible-- if you have any questions you can call or e-mail him. You can find his stand at the Logan Square Farmer's Market on Sunday mornings, Wednesday nights at the Evanston/ Ridgeville Farmer's Market, and at the Englewood Farmer's Market on Thursdays.

We did this last year and it worked out great, so we signed up another year. These guys break their…read morebacks pulling weeds every day so we don't have to consume pesticides. There are many CSAs to choose from, and I'm sure most all of them are great, but I haven't had any issues with this one and highly recommend it. For those of you that don't want the commitment of picking weekly, bi-weekly pickups and/or have a hectic schedule, they just launched a program where you can carry a balance and order what you want, when you want throughout the season.

Full disclosure: I know next to nothing about farming co-ops or community-supported agriculture. It…read morewas only recently that we made our first foray into the world of CSA. So, take all of this with a grain of salt since I'm a total noob at this. Through Creme de la Crop though, I experienced my initiation. The way that it works is at the beginning of the season (in our case late spring) you enroll into the share program signing up for either a Standard Market - selection of basic farm produce - or "Epicurean" - larger amounts of every fruit and vegetable they grow. Paying a flat fee (2014 Standard full $720/half $360) you then weekly receive their finest summer produce for 18 weeks. Simply pick up your weekly take of assorted veggies at one of the designated locations. Easy peasy. The upside: The quality of the produce was crazy good. This wasn't your standard supermarket fare--not by a long shot. Everything we received over the 18 weeks was organic, grown on their farm, and from taste, touch, sight, and smell absolutely phenomenal. Green beans, peppers, lettuce, carrots, eggplant, cucumbers as well as various herbs...and much more. We were rarely disappointed with what we got. The people and actual farm were also part of the experience. Most of their produce is grown right there along US 30 just west of town. The actual farm leaves little to be desired. It's basically a collection of rundown old buildings and a few muddy fields. But, the staff and volunteers running it are amazing. They manage to create a unique atmosphere of education and community that really draws you in. They are helpful, friendly, and passionate about their work. The downside: As much as it pains me to say it, it just isn't practical or economical. First off, what produce you get any given week depends entirely on what they are harvesting. One week you get crap load of beets and then next you're swimming in beans. If there are veggies you eat regularly, you'll probably find yourself looking elsewhere many weeks. You also frequently are trying to figure out creative ways to use up the unique produce you end up with. Edemame, chard, kale are interesting, just not the most useful. Second, it's expensive. Some may argue that the quality as well as the environmental sustainability are worth the extra cost, but it was hard for me to swallow. There are other ways to procure organic produce without overly burdening the budget. Finally, there's also the convenience factor to consider. Creme de la Crop does a lot to make it easy to get your hands on your weekly allotment with multiple pick-up locations around Valpo. But, you still work around their schedule and accessibility. In the end it's worth it if you're really committed to CSA. Having principles costs money. If you're willing to pay the cost, a CSA is an excellent way to get great fruits and vegetables and support environmentally sustainable agriculture. If not, find yourself a Whole Foods somewhere.

While visiting my sister in Valparaiso, I grew curious after driving by a few times. Finally i…read morestopped by and purchased some farm fresh & organic eggs, jam, maple syrup, and honey. The owner was an extremely friendly woman who allowed me to check out their chickens and goats. Next time im in town from Florida i will most definitely be stopping by again.

Have been using Tomato Mountain weekly and have always had great experiences with them! Fresh farm…read morevegetables and it's really nice that you can choose what you want in your box and they partner with a lot of different other local farms for additional products.

Veggies and fruit was great. It nice to have these items straight from a local farm. My husband…read moreloved the apples, mushrooms, and potatoes. I loved the mushrooms, corn, and garlic and of course onions all from a local farm. I look forward to trying many more items. Love, love.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have Fresh Picks in my city. Essentially, they connect city dwellers…read moreto local farms by delivering organic produce and meats right to your door. Though you can find some grass-fed beef and organic products at regular grocery stores, certain items are almost impossible to find in most stores in Chicago. For example: pork & chicken raised on pasture; bones, lard, and eggs from non-factory-farmed animals; many different cuts of grass-fed beef (including liver, various steaks, tongue, etc.) I don't use them as a CSA or get the boxes; I just place orders for whatever I need each week. Some favorites that I regularly order include: eggs, bacon, vegetables, raw cheddar, ground beef, bones for stock. I have been a customer for years. If there has ever been an issue or a concern, the staff is quick to offer help or a solution. (We once received the wrong delivery, for example, and they arranged to bring ours the next day.) Eating well is very important to me and I'm so grateful to have this resource, which makes all this healthy food available!

If you want the best of local purveyors of food and produce, delivered to your door, contact Fresh…read morePicks! Last week I had BangBang Chicken Pot Pies from them...the best I've had in my life. So yummy! They find the best of the best and literally bring it to your door! And the produce so fresh...you can taste the difference.

This is a great CSA. A half bushel every week of great local vegetables from a vegan farm, and at…read morea nice price. Excellent communication by email and post, and the weekly newletter is informative and not overwhelming. Tried other CSAs in the past, and this is the best. No month long beet avalanches. The amount and variety worked out well for a family of four, including small, picky kids. Remember to sign up early in the year, they sell out. Then you'll just have yo hunt them down at farmers' markets.

This is my third year signing up for a CSA (community supported agriculture) farm share, and my…read moresecond year with Genesis Growers. Following a less-than-satisfactory experience with a different farm, we switched to GG because we wanted something that was a little more local and had more of a community feel to it; we also wanted a place that offered pick-up locations on the South Side. Last year's pickup at Hyde Park worked wonderfully, but to save trouble and to bring CSA produce to our own area, we decided to host our own pick-up point at our place in Bridgeport. Last year were were amazed at the massive amount and variety of produce we received (greens, fruits, berries, veggies, herbs, eggs, etc), and how late in the year we kept getting boxes. Our last boxes came sometime in november, and were stocked full of crops that could overwinter (squash, pumpkins, potatoes, beets, onions, etc), and even some items that had been canned for us! Our experiences working with Vicki have been nothing but positive. My husband and I both love the emails she sends out just before the dispatch of every week's boxes - telling us news about the farm, tips on what to do with the produce, and more about her work. Having had a chance to email back and forth with Vicki about the progress she's making, I have to say that I am seriously impressed by her forward thinking attempts to collaborate with other small farms in her area. Currently Vicki is working on educating other farmers about growing crops to overwinter, and helping them find other venues at which to sell or donate excess crops/foodstuffs that haven't been able to sell. I love the idea that not only are Genesis Growers trying their best to bring me the highest quality local produce possible, but they are also striving to find ways to collaborate with their neighbors to create access to local products that can be distributed even in the non-growing months (or saved up to fill out the boxes in the usually-leaner spring weeks). It will be interesting to see where things lead with the farm, and what other new plans Vicki makes. This year other CSA members decided to put together an email list for discussions, which has already proven to be extremely useful in getting recipes for lesser-known spring crops. Aside from the internet presence of GG and those involved, there are also parties held at the farm a couple times per season in order to get everyone together and feeling more connected to where their food is from. I can't recommend this particular CSA farm more highly; I hope her following continues to grow.

This is my first year participating in Genesis Growers's CSA program and I am certainly pleased so…read morefar. I did a fair bit of research before choosing Genesis for it's long seasons, diverse crops and competitive pricing. Our farmer, Vicki, is very organized and has great communication with us. I'm looking forward to the rest of the Spring and Summer!

Great products, they even offer some gluten free things. Fun to interact with animalsread more

I always purchase from them at the Wheaton farmers market. I love their soups and chocolate chip…read morecookies. I stopped by the farm in Elburn. They have tons of goats and give you veggies to feed them for free. My son loved it! There's meat, veggies, desserts, soups, and some premade dinners for purchase.