Farm town: A guide to Madison-area CSA shares

Downtown Madison is famous for its ring-around-the-Capitol farmers' market (each Saturday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Nov. 7), but all of that walking around in a circle—well, a square—in the hot sun with hundreds of slow-moving tourists is enough to make anyone dizzy. Luckily, many of the farms that set up shop at the market will deliver their goods directly to your neighborhood, an ideal situation for both the woozy and the lazy.

This farm-delivery service is a byproduct of the community-supported agriculture (CSA) system, in which farms sell portions of their seasonal harvest to people in the community. Folks who sign up for a share of an area farm’s goods get a box of super-fresh foods each week, supporting not only their desire to sleep in on Saturday mornings but a sustainable and environmentally friendly mode of consumption. Plus, for those with OCD tendencies, it’s a chance to get to know where your carrots—or peas or strawberries—come from, as many CSA farms offer meet-and-greets with their staff, as well as parties and service events on their grounds.

The one downfall of the system for students and other cash-strapped individuals is that a CSA share can be sort of pricey—and way too much food for one person to eat, especially at the peak of the harvest system. But that’s no excuse to skip out on the chance to fortify your pizza-and-beer diet with much-needed vitamins. Though it's a bit late in the CSA season, hang on to The A.V. Club's guide to several local CSA farms, plus a few tricks for making a farm share affordable and virtually stress-free.

Driftless Organics
Where it’s located: Soldiers Grove, Wis. (“America’s First Solar Village”)
Pick-up sites: Dane County Farmers' Market (southeast side of Capitol Square); the Mermaid Café (1929 Winnebago St.); and that mysterious frontier known as the West Side (6509 Piedmont Ave.).
Goods: Certified organic sweet corn, tomatoes, beets, carrots, broccoli, melons, and tons of other vegetables, plus sunflower oil and organic, grass-fed beef.
Special features: You may recognize Driftless veggies from the Mermaid Café, which uses them in everything from its sandwiches to the seasonal quiche plate.
Tips and tricks: If a full, 19-week share for $525 is more than you can handle or simply too much of a commitment, try a $65 Thanksgiving Box, stocked with tons of fall harvest goodies such as sweet potatoes, garlic, turnips, and winter squash, many of which can be saved for weeks.
Contact info: driftlessorganics.com or 608-624-3735

Hilltop Farm
Where it’s located: LaValle, Wis.
Pick-up site: North Baldwin Street
Goods: Raspberries, apples, pears, plums, currants, kiwis, plus an assortment of vegetables and herbs.
Special features: Hilltop will compost your vegetable waste each week if you’re willing to return it to them.
Tips and tricks: This farm offers lots of options for lower-income folks to purchase a share, including the Partner Shares program hosted by the Madison-Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition (MACSAC), which subsidizes CSA shares for lower-income households, including those of some part-time students. Hilltop also accepts Madison Hours, a local currency earned by participating in various community-service projects through the Madison Hours Cooperative.
Contact info: 608-257-6729

Roots And Shoots
Where it’s located: North Freedom, Wis.
Goods: Farmers' market staples such as squash and greens, plus homegrown asparagus and what the farm’s owner describes as “wild, foraged berries.”
Special features: A weekly newsletter gives you a heads-up on the upcoming week’s crop, as well as recipes for transforming your fruits and veggies into edible masterpieces.
Tips and tricks: Couch potatoes, rejoice: This farm will deliver directly to your doorstep for a small fee.
Contact info: 608-643-5273

Troy Community Farm
Where it’s located: Madison.
Pick-up site: At the farm, located at the 500 block of Troy Drive on Madison’s North Side.
Goods: Kale, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, beets, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, many varieties of sprouts (mung beans, clover, alfalfa, etc.), and much more.
Special features: People who purchase a share at this farm get to select their own vegetables on the farm site each Thursday. Shareholders may also pick their own flowers and herbs from the farm’s gardens whenever they’d like.
Tips and tricks: A full, 20-week share of organic vegetables is $540 but can easily be split among a group of roommates, coworkers, or even acquaintances from a discussion group or a class. Better yet, see if you can integrate the share—or a visit to the farm—into a project for an economics, service-learning, or environmental-studies course.
Contact info: troygardens.org or 608-442-6760

Ridgeland Harvest
Where it’s located: Viroqua, Wis.
Pick-up sites: Tons of East Side and campus-area locations, including Field Street near the Arboretum, Nature’s Bakery (1019 Williamson St.), Regent Market Co-op (2136 Regent St.), Dunning Street near Monty’s Blue Plate Diner, Spaight Street at Baldwin Street, Union Street near East Washington, and Fox Avenue in the Monroe neighborhood. Pick-up is also available at Epic Systems in Verona for Epic employees, and on the West Side on Dolomite Lane.
Goods: Brussels sprouts, leeks, rhubarb, onions, broccoli, heirloom tomatoes, celeriac, and other veggies.
Special features: All of the farm’s offerings are certified organic.
Tips and tricks: Like many other CSA farms, Ridgeland Harvest offers a half-share option that feeds one to two people and costs significantly less than the $575-$600 full produce box.
Contact information: ridgelandharvest.com or 608-675-3855

Shady Blue Acres
Where it’s located: Richland Center, Wis.
Pick-up sites: Three West Side locations (Velvet Leaf Drive, Jefferson Drive, and Camelot Drive), plus one East Side location (Jenifer Street).
Goods: Standard shares include veggies such as Chinese cabbage (pak choi), rhubarb, potatoes and squash, plus strawberries and other surprises.
Special features: Shares of eggs, pork, lamb, and canned goods are also available.
Tips and tricks: Like many other CSA farms, this one is eligible for a hefty rebate from many health insurance programs, including several that serve Madison college students.
Contact information: shadyblueacres.com or 608-647-8934