Welcome to Henry's Farm CSA!

The CSA for the 2013 season is now full. Sorry!  But it is still a good idea to get on the 2014 waiting list . If anybody drops out this year, I will pull the first person off that list to take their place. Also, the sooner you get on the list, the better your chances of getting in next year!

“Our Farm is Your Backyard Garden”

• Fresh-Picked Seasonal Produce, including heirloom varieties
• No GMOs, Pesticides, Herbicides, or Synthetic Fertilizers
• Best taste and highest nutritional value
• Convenient Weekly Pick-ups
• Weekly Food & Farm Notes with Recipes (Check out archival issues by clicking on "Henry's CSA: Get to know your share."
  

Pick-up Locations in 2014

• Bloomington/Normal members: The CSA will meet in the Unitarian Church parking lot at 1613 E. Emerson Street in Bloomington every Tuesday between 6 and 7 p.m. from May29th to Sept. 25th. We will then move indoors at the Vitesse Cycle Shop at 206 S,. Linden, Normal from Oct. 2nd to Nov. 20th during the same hour.
• Eureka members: The CSA will meet at the home of Laura Hughes at 102 Glen Drive, Eureka every Tuesday from May 29th to November 20th between 5 and 5:30 p.m.
• Morton members: The CSA will meet at the home of Dave and Abby Ely at 148 N. Missouri, Morton every Tuesday from May 29th to November 20th between 6:30 and 7 p.m.
• Peoria members: The CSA will meet at the home of Marcella Teplitz at 240 NE Randolf, Peoria, IL 61614, every Tuesday from May 29th to November 20th between 5 and 6 p.m. 
• On-farm site: 432 Grimm Rd, Congerville, every Tuesday anytime after 4 p.m.

  
  

  About Us & About Our CSA

In 1993, we (Henry and Hiroko Brockman), began raising vegetables on the rich bottom land of the family farm. Ours is  a family farm merely in name--our three young children, Henry's parents, many brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews, interns, farm hands, even the family dogs--all work together to produce over 600 varieties of delicious and healthy vegetables. We farm natually and sustainably, which not only means that no synthetic chemicals are used, but also that our number one objective is to sustain and protect our soil and enhance soil, air, water, and biodiversity for future generations.

Really Fresh; Really Local
These days, "fresh" seems to mean fresh off the truck from California, and "local" is anything east of the Rockies and west of the Atlantic.  For us, fresh means that the produce we hand-picked at 7 in the morning is at your door by 7 in the evening. Furthermore, we grow only the best-tasting varieties, not commercial varieties bred to withstand machine harvesting, a 2000-mile journey in the back of a semi, and a 3-week shelf life. Our vegetables travel a mere 20 miles to reach your table the same day they are picked. This means they taste far better, and have far more nutrition, than anything you'll find in a store or restaurant.

Our commitment is to provide you with 7-9 different vegetables each and every Tuesday from late May through Thanksgiving. The selection of produce varies from week to week, but your box will always be full to the brim with produce at the peak of its season.

  Click on "Henry's CSA: Get to Know your Share" above right to see what you can expect to find in your share for each week of the season. Of course, every year is different depending on weather, bugs, weeds and other unknowns, but you will get the basic idea of the seasons for different crops and the range of produce available. Below are examples of what a typical share might look like.

A Typical Spring Crate
Lettuce  (We grow favorites like Oak Leaf and Romaine, as well as Heirloom varieties)
Radish
Spinach
Green Onions
Broccoli
Chives
New Potatoes
Rhubarb

A Typical Summer Crate
Tomatoes (We grow beefsteak varieties, as well as delicious heirloom varieties, plum, and cherry tomatoes)
Cucumber
Zucchini
Green Beans
Carrots
Corn
Kale
Basil

A Typical Fall Crate  
Winter Squash (Henry grows over 10 kinds of winter squash from Acorn and Butternut to the gourmet Delicata and the Japanese Kabocha)
Green Peppers
Sweet Potatoes
Fennel
Parsnips
Beets
Bok Choy
Muskmelon

Our CSA

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), while new in name, harkens back to an earlier time --when people knew where their food came from, ate in harmony with the seasons, and enjoyed a balanced and nutritional diet of pure and natural foods.

CSAs simplify the relationship between people and the source of their food. Through a CSA, you buy directly from the farmer for a full growing season. Because we work directly with you, without the intermediary of stores or wholesalers, we are able to provide you with the best quality natural food at the best prices. In fact, spot checks of what a week's CSA share would cost you in the local Jewel reveals that you are often getting your fresh naturally-grown produce for ONE-HALF the price of non-organic grocery store produce of the same type and amount.

Come See How Our Garden Grows!
Being a member of a CSA buys you more than just vegetables; it buys you experiences and a true connection to the source of your food. First, you get the Food & Farm Notes, which tell you what’s happening on the farm each week, what will be in your share, and recipe suggestions for what to do with it.  (Check out archive issues by clicking on the "Archives" link above right.)

We also invite you and your family to attend our autumn Henry’s Farm Tour and Potluck. You can see the beautiful valley where your food is grown, touch and breathe in the sweet-smelling earth, and talk farming and food with all three generations of the Brockman family, as well as with fellow CSA subscribers. Children are especially welcome.

In Sync with the Seasons
"All-season" and "in-season" are what CSAs are all about. The grocery store knows no seasons. It is disconnected from Nature and so are the people who must shop there.  Sure, you can buy tomatoes in January . . . but who wants to eat cardboard tomatoes?  That sorry tomato was picked 2000 miles away and weeks ago.  What we have gained in convenience at the grocery store, we have lost in flavor, freshness, and nutritional value.  

Wiith Henry's CSA, however, you will never have tomatoes in May. In May, your crate will be full of luscious lettuce, spinach, and other spring delights. When August comes, then you will experience an explosion of true tomato flavor with your first bite of a juicy Brandywine--proving once again that some things are worth waiting for!

How to Join Us!

1. Fill out the sign-up form, choosing pick-up location. Return the form, enclosing your payment. If you are sharing with another person, make sure and have them send in a sign-up form as well.
2. Make sure and put down the email at which you want to receive our free CSA Food and Farm Notes. (Do feel free to browse through the archive issues before joining.) You will receive the e-newsletter every Monday throughout the season, giving you a heads-up on what you will find in your share that week, some recipe ideas, news from the farm and lots more.
3. Now wait patiently for the last Tuesday in May. That Tuesday and for the next 25 Tuesdays, we will begin harvesting your produce from our rich bottom fields before dawn. The produce is immediately washed and iced down, and we pack it and head off to meet you the pick-up locations.
   
4. Come with your own bags or boxes to your pick-up location and walk home laden with vegetables that could only be fresher, more nutritious, more delicious or more lovingly grown if you grew them yourself in your own backyard.