Now: The CSA movement has grown considerably since 1995.
Turner Farm, one of three CSAs profiled in the cover story, has expanded from seven sharers to 40.
"Sharers rave about all the things they've discovered," says Turner's Bonnie Mitsui. "Swiss chard, kale, okra ... we've introduced them to new things and they've responded well."
Many of Turner's sharers own half shares, and thus the Turner CSA, while located in Indian Hill, serves about 70 people from all over the Greater Cincinnati area. Other CSAs in the area deliver produce to their sharers, but Mitsui's sharers pick up their food on site on Given Road.
"Because I'm close, I don't have to deliver," she explains.
Picking up produce provides an opportunity to get in the required two hours of work per week for all Turner sharers. Yes, the Turner folks expect their sharers to take an active role in the farm.
"They can do whatever they want that needs to be done," Mitsui says. "Harvesting, planting, weeding, cleaning vegetables, putting food out for pickup."
Of the three CSAs profiled in the original article, Turner and Grailville in Loveland are still operating. Gravel Knolls in West Chester is another farm that's joined the CSA movement. For additional information about CSAs, check out www.localharvest.org.
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