Spring has finally arrived in St. Louis and Dave Smith of Local Farmer CSA is excited for the new produce and beautiful weather the season brings. It’s a great time for WashU community members to check out the CSA and Farmer’s Market offerings. Each season brings new produce in the weekly farm boxes and at the farm stand. This week saw ripe tomatoes, pea shoots, spinach, leafy greens and more in addition to Dave’s staple mushrooms and local eggs.
Dave spoke about what the next several weeks should bring: “We’ll soon have tasty cucumbers and a wide variety of peppers; red, yellow, orange and some spicier peppers too, like jalapenos.”
Across WashU’s campuses, 3 CSA pick up locations – West Campus (parking garage), Danforth Campus (Alumni House Parking Lot), and the School of Medicine (Hope Plaza) – allow for greater convenience. In addition, non CSA members are welcome to come by to purchase items from Dave’s pop up market on Wednesdays or from the School of Medicine Farmers market on Saturdays (which includes a variety of local farmers and producers).
Less than a year after launching a new pick-up location on the Danforth Campus, the Danforth location is already turning into Dave’s busiest CSA market. The warm weather seems to have peaked interest. “I had 11 new sign-ups last week and 6 new sign-ups this week,” Dave remarked. Students staying for the summer are encouraged to sign up – just $20 per week ensures fresh produce in your refrigerator when you want it!
Dave alternates Wednesdays setting up a mini farmer’s market at Danforth and West Campus. The CSA and mini farmer’s market runs yearlong. Find him at one of the scheduled locations to buy some fresh, organic and local veggies and ask about the CSA program and local farmers.
For those unsure about the commitment, Dave emphasized the flexibility of the WashU CSA program. “If you’re not interested you’re welcome to try it out for a little bit, then you can cancel anytime.” He’s also flexible when it comes to produce in the farm boxes: “If there’s anything in the box that you do not like, you’re always welcome to trade out at the table.”
More info about the WashU CSA program here.