Welcome to the Great River CSA!

What is Great River CSA?

Great River CSA is made up of three family farms: Terripin Farm, Feiner Gardens, and Grassy Hill Farm. This is our 2nd year as a CSA!

Terripin Farms is a family farm operated by Jessica Dyer and Brad Whiston. Jess and Brad started farming in 2006 with a push tiller. They grow on twelve acres, three of which are in cover crops. This year they will provide the vegetables and some fruit.

Feiner Gardens is operated by Kate and Jim Daniels. They cultivate a variety of naturally grown herbs. This year, they purchased a green house. As the gardens develop, they hope to provide a wide variety of variety of heirloom herbs, vegetables, fruit, flowers, and specialty crops such as hops.

Grassy Hill Farm is operated by the Hochstetlers, Miriam, Jacob and their children. They raise vegetables for a CSA in St. Louis and this year they are offering chickens, eggs, and turkeys for our Great River CSA.


How does the CSA work?

Members purchase a share in advance and then receive a basket of fresh, local, and in season produce or meat throughout the season. Our season will run from Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 through September 29th, 2010.


What can I expect in my basket?

For the chicken share, every other week you can expect two 3.5 pound chickens, plucked, quickly frozen, and packaged in a plastic bag with the giblets and liver inside the chicken. We still have shares left.

For the egg share, every other week you can expect 2 dozen fresh eggs of various sizes and colors (mainly brown and white). We still have shares left.

For the turkey share, one fresh turkey delivered just in time for thanksgiving! We will sell turkey shares until June 30th.

For the vegetable share, each week you can expect a wide variety of in-season, delicious, fresh vegetables and herbs. One share will contain enough to feed 2 adults per week or one very hungry vegetarian. SOLD OUT FOR 2010!! Contact us to be put on the waiting list for next year.


Where will I pick up my basket?

There are two pick-up locations:

On-site pick-up - Wednesday evenings between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at Feiner Gardens (6426 Church Hills Road, Quincy, IL – call or email us for directions). While there, you are invited to walk around the gardens and pond and pick up “extras” when they are available.

In-town delivery (vegetable share only) - Wednesday afternoons between 4:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the side entrance of the Unitarian Universalist Church (1479 Hampshire Street). THIS OPTION IS FILLED.

You are always welcome to come to the farm on Wednesdays between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to pick up extras.


How much does it cost?

Egg Share: $49.50 for 18 dozen eggs ($2.75 per dozen); 2 dozen eggs delivered every 2 weeks. (The delivery dates are: June 2nd, 16th and 30th, July 14th, and 28th, August 4th and 18th, September 1st, 15th and 29th.) Pick-up is at Feiner Gardens.

Chicken Share: $135 for 18 chickens ($7.50 per chicken); 2 chickens delivered every 2 weeks. Delivery dates are the same as the egg shares. Pick-up is at Feiner Gardens.

Turkey Share: $33.00 for a fresh approximately 16 pound turkey delivered the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Please contact us to see if we have any shares left.

Vegetable share: A full, charter season share is $450. This provides enough produce for two adults or one hungry vegetarian over the 18 week season. A 1/2 share option costs $340. SOLD OUT FOR 2010!! Contact us to be put on the waiting list for next year.


How many shares are available?

We are limiting the number of available member shares to 20. Membership enrollment is accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Our charter members will have the 1st option to purchase shares until February 28th, 2010. If there are shares available, new members will have until May 31st to purchase there shares.


When does the season start and end?

This year the pick-up day is every Wednesday, from June 2nd through September 29th, 2010.

Pick-up for the egg and chicken shares are every other week, starting June 2nd, 2010. The dates for pick-up will be:

June 2nd, 16th, and 30th,
July 14th and 28th,
August 11th and 25th
September 8th and 22nd.


How can I become a member?

For more information contact Kate Daniels at (217) 440-7608 or kate@greatrivercsa.org. Or download the Membership Information and Membership Agreement. Mail in the agreement and your payment to reserve a share.

It is customary for members of a CSA to pay for their share of produce in advance. This enables the growers to buy seed and equipment before the season begins, thus reducing the burden of up-front costs for the grower. In order to guarantee your participation in our 2010 season, the signed membership agreement and a payment must be returned to us as soon as you are ready to commit. The remaining balance should be paid in full by May 31st, 2010.

September 30, 2009

With our CSA season now over, Great River CSA is planning Oktoberfest this Saturday, October 3rd from 2 p.m. until the bonfire goes out at Feiner Gardens, 6426 Church Hills Road. It's our way of thanking you for becoming members of the CSA, for trusting us to grow your food, and for having faith that we will bring a plentiful basket of food each week. Your support was amazing, thanks again!

Baskets: If you are coming to the Oktoberfest you can bring your basket back to us then. If you cannot make it, please let me know and we can arrange a time and place to get the basket.

Next year: Brad, Jess and I will be getting together to discuss how the CSA will work next year: pick-up times, day, locations, price and contents. If you have any suggestions or you would like to join the discussion, please let us know. We will contact you with the details as our charter members will have the first chance to sign up. If you enjoyed your experience, please tell your friends and please review Great River CSA on http://www.localharvest.org/member/M27935. If you didn't, please tell us, so we can do better.

Oktoberfest: Please bring a dish to pass and a beverage of your choice. Jim will be making some pork and beef, we will have apple cider for the kids and roast marshmallows. You are welcome to come anytime.

Parking: We had a great response to our invitation, approximately 40 people will be here. So, we are asking that you carpool, if you can, and that you park by the pond. We just don't have enough parking up by the house and the lawn is pretty soft, so to avoid damage to the lawn, we are asking everyone to please park down by the pond where you pick up your baskets.

Location and Directions: Feiner Gardens, 6426 Church Hills Road. Go south on 48th Street passed John Wood Community College, take the 1st left onto St. Anthony Road. Follow St. Anthony Road over Highway 172, passed St. Anthony Church. Take the 1st left after the church onto Church Hills Road. You will go down a hill, up a hill and over the hill to the grassy drive on your right hand side, go through the red gate and park in the fenced in area. As you face the pond, take the path to the left up the hill and come toward the barn. We will try to have signs and maybe a car or other transportation to get to the barn where all the action is. We will definitely have a safe way back to the parking lot.

2PM Lawn Games/for kids and adults: I plan to set up Bocce Ball and Croquet. I don't know how to play Bocce ball, so it should be a fun adventure! My sister in law, Sam Lovejoy, has planned a bunch of games for the kids: Red Light/Green Light, Egg Toss, a game with balloons, etc. She is very excited about playing with the kids and enjoying time with them!

3PM Beer Demonstation: My brother, Steve Schnell, will demonstration how to make a simple ale and talk about how he grows hops on this South Minneapolis house. He made a batch which has been aging in the bottle, we will be tasting the results!

about 5 to 6 PM Dinner We will set tables up in the barn, maybe outside if the weather is nice enough. The weather "Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42." It will get chilly, please bring coats, hats and gloves as it should get.

CSA Calendar