CSAs beneficially codependent

Press readers may recall the story of a 5-year-old who donated his hard-earned allowance to the Kootenai Humane Society. The inclination toward community support must run in the family; his mom, Sue Morgan DePew, is working to bring community supported agriculture to Coeur d'Alene. On March 18 Full Circle Farm, a Washington organic farming co-op, makes its pitch here. (Contact Sue for more info: suenmorgan@hotmail.com)

CSAs are consumer-farmer partnerships who pledge support to sustainable, local food production. The idea is to keep local farms operating and selling healthily raised products locally - a true community venture. Growers and consumers provide mutual support, sharing the risks of food production. "Members" pledge in advance to cover production and operating costs (and saving farmers the marketing). In return members receive a share of the farm's bounty throughout the growing season. Poor harvests, bad weather, pests - the risks are shared by all.

On the up side, the quality of food (usually organically grown, whether or not certified) is high. Members also have the satisfaction of knowing they support neighbor farmers and enrich the community's economic and environmental health. Costs average a few hundred dollars over a four- to five-month season.

CSAs have grown more popular over time. While oft-repeated history credits Japanese women fed up with pesticides for CSAs' importation to America, additional research shows the first two CSAs took their cues from Europe. In the 1920s Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner wrote about "biodynamic agriculture" - the idea that farming is a unified organism which balances relationships among soil, plants, and living creatures. His organic farming concepts developed in post-World War II Europe, crossing the Atlantic by 1986 to the first two CSA farms: Indian Line in Massachusetts and Temple-Wilton in New Hampshire. In those cases even land is held in common.

A quarter century later thousands of CSAs are spread throughout the U.S. At least nine farms are in North Idaho: Paradise Valley and Cascade Creek in Bonners Ferry; Bountiful Organics in Sagle; Celestial Farms in Careywood; Four Seasons and Winding Circle in Priest River; Greentree in Sandpoint; TerraTopia in Pinehurst; and Wood River in Shoshone. Food products and memberships vary. Information by state (not zip) at Localharvest.org/csa.

"All of nature begins to whisper its secrets to us." - Rudolf Steiner

Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network with a black thumb. E-mail sholehjo@hotmail.com