Community Supported Agriculture Allows Customers to be Part of the Process

Jen and Jeff Miller are the owners and operators of Prairie Wind Family Farm, the resident farm within the Prairie Crossing community, in Grayslake. “We’re fortunate to provide healthy, safe food for our community, and we’re glad do our part to build a better food system,” says Jeff.

        A community supported agriculture (CSA) program allows members to have direct access to high-quality, fresh produce grown locally. Members purchase a farm “share” in the beginning of the season, putting trust in the farmer and as a result, directly supporting the farm business. In return, the farmer provides the freshest seasonal produce available.

        Prairie Wind Family Farm provides organic vegetables, fresh fruit and pasture-raised egg farm shares year-round. Spring deliveries begin the week of April 29 to communities throughout the area. In addition, the farm provides a weekly newsletter with storage tips, recipes, upcoming event information and updates from the farm field. Shares are now available for the 2019 seasons.

        “Throughout our 13 years of farming, we’ve fed more than 4,000 families and built a reputation for consistent, fresh, flavorful food produced with integrity. We’ve found that people are looking for ways to better connect to the people who grow their food, and the CSA program provides that opportunity,” says Jeff.

        He advises, “We value our member relationships and strive to offer other ways to connect with the farm, such as our Pizza Nights on the Farm and family-friendly farm events. In partnership with the Liberty Prairie Foundation, we also offer a successful community gleaning program to engage volunteers with harvesting on the farm. Last year alone, we donated 8,000 pounds of organic produce to local food pantries through gleaning!”

 

For more information and to sign up for the 2019 CSA season, visit PrairieWindFamilyFarm.com.