Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, allows community members to purchase shares, or memberships, with area farms. Community contribution early in the season lets farmers properly gauge the community’s needs for the coming season, and community members receive CSA shares of farm-fresh product, without paying the overhead required by retail sales. If you might be interested in participating in a CSA, many farmers require commitments early in the season; you are encouraged to contact area CSA farms as soon as possible, for more information and to purchase shares.

Get to know: Urban Greens

Hidden away in a home on College Street, business partners Ted Myers and Chad Treloar have brought their business idea to life. Masters of hydroponic gardening, a method of growing plants without soil, in a water solvent, the pair has brought a bit of the farm to the city. Growing sprouts, micro-greens and lettuce in an unused portion of their basement, Myers and Treloar have turned an under-utilized space into a food-production facility.

Step into Urban Green’s below-ground operation and you’re greeted with a heavy wall of humidity, the unexpected fragrance of growing plant life and bright light as if you were outside on a sunny day. Their original operation was housed in a small room in the back of the basement, but recently, the business has grown and expanded into something bigger and better.

After knocking out a few walls, their modular growing system now occupies a larger portion of the basement and has allowed Myers and Treloar to scale up their operation.

Previously, the pair sold their sprouts and micro-greens directly to consumers at the Iowa City Farmers Market and to a few restaurants in Iowa City. Now, with increased production capacity, Urban Greens has expanded their offerings and taken on new clients selling their pre-packed mixes of micro-greens in grocery stores and to additional restaurant partners in the area.

Get to know: Echollective Farm

If you know you want local, fresh food every week and you love to cook, participating in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) makes so much sense. CSA’s are a better monetary value than simply shopping at the farmers market or buying from your local co-op, and they provide crucial support and seed money to farmers who invest many months planning and growing the food that will one day be on your plate. A CSA also helps you connect with our seasonal and local food system and assures you will have plenty of healthy produce in your diet.

Echollective is one of the many local CSA services available to consumers in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. Owners Derek Roller and Molly Schintler say, “…committing to support a farmer by taking part in a CSA is the single best way to support local farmers and the local food system.”

Echollective offers customers a choice of what to include in their weekly produce box. Each week, members might get the choice of a few bundles of collards, arugula, chard or other greens, a few different bunches of parsley, mint, rosemary, chives or basil and a wide variety of other produce that may include cabbage, leeks, heirloom tomatoes, beets and sweet potatoes.

Known especially for their delicious asparagus in the spring, additional selections range from sweet heirloom tomatoes, garlic and shitake mushrooms, to colorful mouthwatering root vegetables. While you’re choosing your produce, be sure to chat with Derek and Molly for recipe ideas and learn about their latest favorite seasonal dishes.