FairShare CSA Coalition

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Madison, WI
FairShare CSA Coalition

Building resilient food communities by investing in farmers and empowering eaters. Supporting thriving farms, vibrant communities, and fresh food for all.

09/04/2026

We wanted to take a moment to introduce you to someone without whom Bike the Barns simply could not happen. Meet our Bike the Barns Route Coordinator, Claire! 🚴‍♀️

Bike the Barns is just around the corner, but Claire and the Planning Committee have been hard at work getting this year’s route ready since JANUARY!

Claire is the brains behind the route and has to juggle so many factors to make the ride go smoothly: mileage and elevation, rider safety and road traffic, last-minute road construction and detours… all based on where our host farms are located, which changes every year.

It’s an amazing balancing act that takes hours of careful consideration, multiple loops driving and biking the route, and countless communications with each municipality through which we ride.

This is Claire’s fifth year helping coordinate the ride, and we can’t imagine doing it without her 💚 Let’s show her some love in the comments!

09/03/2026

From the first mile in the morning to the last farm stop in the afternoon, Bike the Barns is planned with sustainability in mind.

Thanks to our partnership with Green Box Compost, almost all the waste from ride day - from cups and plates to banana peels and food scraps - is collected and composted instead of sent to the landfill!

Why does that matter? Composting keeps valuable resources out of landfills, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and creates healthy soil that supports our local farms.

During last year's ride, we were able to divert OVER 570 POUNDS of waste from the landfill and redistribute an additional 250 pounds of leftover menu items - proof that a great ride can also make a real difference!

Sign up for Bike the Barns as a rider OR as a volunteer and be part of the fun, the farms, and the impact: csacoalition.org/bike-the-barns ♻

09/02/2026

We 💚 Eat Local Month! What are some of your favorite local products?

09/01/2026

Time’s running out - only one week left to register for Bike the Barns! ⏳

Get your wheels ready for a day of delightful country roads, gorgeous farm views, and delicious farm-fresh snacks. Gather your friends, hop on your bike, taste, laugh, and soak up the best of local agriculture. Plus, every pedal helps support fresh food access for everyone!

Registration closes September 8 OR earlier if we reach our rider capacity, so don’t let this adventure ride past you - sign up now at csacoalition.org/bike-the-barns

08/31/2026

There's nothing better after a full day of biking than relaxing at the Bike the Barns After Party!

The culinary exploration doesn't stop once you get back from the farm tours - we keep the party going. This year's After Party menu will feature:

🥗 Salad bowls from Forage Kitchen
🍚 Tajik pilaf from Silk Road
🥜 Satay chicken or mushroom sticky rice from Madame Chu
🍆 Eggplant or chicken parmesan from Salvatore's Tomato Pies
🫐 Sweet corn blueberry almond bars or apple crisp from Baked Lab
🍪 Cookie sandwiches from Heirloom Bakery and Kitchen
🍻 Working Draft Beer Company
🍷 americanwineproject

And don't worry, it's not all about the food - we'll also have live music featuring In the Forest and 🎶

08/28/2026

One thing that stands out in the apprenticeship each year is what an impact the beauty of farm work has on apprentices!

Sometimes it's a neat and tidy row of crops in the field. Other times it's butterflies. In the case of apprentices Kristoff and Ellen, it's sunrises and flowers.

Kristoff, apprentice at Squashington Farm and Atoms to Apples loves enjoying "early mornings out in beauty and stillness of nature!"

Ellen shares: "Even though this is a vegetable farm apprenticeship, something special to me is the cut flower operation here at Vitruvian Farms! This is my second season working with all aspects of the flowers - from planning, to plant care, to harvest and post-harvest handling, as well as pricing and display. It's been a great way to get hands-on experience and implement some of the things I learned in our winter classes.

I love seeing the progress I'm making reflected in the successes in the field, and the flowers bring joy to so many people. Our team is blessed with a wonderful woman who has an amazing eye for color (shout out Meredith!!) who arranges them into the beautiful bouquets shown here."

08/26/2026

One of our favorite parts of planning Bike the Barns is working with so many incredible local food and drink providers!

Here’s a sneak peek at just a few of the many delicious menu items in store this year, featuring farm-fresh ingredients from FairShare farms:

🥯 Freshly-baked bagels from Barrett's Bagels
🍮 Maple grits and chia seed pudding topped with sausage or local squash from TradeRoots
🍵 Hot & iced teas from Telsaan Tea, kombucha from , spritzers from Coddiwomple Coffee
🌮 Canteen Taco lunch plate featuring braised birria beef or whole black beans with seasoned and roasted beets and delicata squash atop a bed of cilantro lime rice and fresh greens
🍉 Juicy watermelon from Tipi Produce at the water stop
🍦Cold brew floats with Just Coffee Cooperative & Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Co.
🌸 Rainbow crunch salad with fresh herbs and edible flowers from The Vibrant Veg

And even more! Stay tuned for an overview of our delectable After Party menu next week 👀

Spots on the ride are limited and filling up quickly - register now to save your plate on September 20!

08/25/2026

Looking to feed your mind by cozying up with some good books as fall approaches? Check out Civil Eats' Food & Farming Book Guide! 📚

From cookbooks and memoirs to a big-picture look at food justice and a deep dive into practical composting, there's sure to be a topic on this list to whet your intellectual appetite.

See the whole list at civileats.com/2026/06/17/our-summer-2026-food-and-farming-book-guide

08/24/2026

Enjoy a sneak peek of our final farm stop on this year’s Bike the Barns ride!

Farm: Linda & Gene Farley Center for Peace, Justice and Sustainability
Food: The Vibrant Veg
Beverage: Telsaan Tea
Music: Amanda Jane Hoffman

The ride is filling up fast, so make sure to save your spot today at csacoalition.org/bike-the-barns!

08/21/2026

What's growing in our gardens? Glad you asked!

There's nothing we love more than sharing what's blooming, fruiting, and sprouting on our lands. Here's a few things that the FairShare team is excited to see growing this month:

Sadie: Perennial fruits, garlic & chives (pictured)
Beth: Native flowers
Rachael: Cherry tomatoes! (pictured)
Aubrey: Kale (lacinato, scarlet) and zinnias! Also native nettle.
Caroline: Dragon’s tongue beans and lots of flowers!
Sam: Tomato, peppers, eggplant, basil, bittermelon, wintermelon
Chiang Rai: Mint & Thai basil
Liv: Lots of native pollinators, some rhubarb, and sadly more ivy then we know what to do with (pictured)
Tess: Pumpkins, melons, and lots of tomatoes!

Address

211 S Paterson Street, Suite 280
Madison, WI
53703

Telephone

+16082260300

Website

http://www.csacoalition.org/

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