20+ years of full-diet CSA with Kristin and Mark Kimball of Essex Farm in New York State

Mark and Kristin Kimball pioneered the full-diet CSA model when they founded Essex Farm back in 2004. Now 20 years later, they reflect on where they’ve been and where they’re headed with host Katie Kulla. Katie is especially well positioned to ask them about the joys and challenges of a full-diet CSA, since she transitioned her farm from a more traditional CSA model to a full-diet CSA for a few years, inspired directly by the Essex Farm model. Mark and Kristin share their journey into farming, the challenges and successes of running a year-round farm, and the details of the full-diet CSA model they have developed.

They talk about how they train their members to eat seasonally with the full diet provided by the farm, the changing role of horses as work animals on the farm, and how their farm bridges political divides through food. Mark and Kristin discuss how the farm has changed over the years, how they have learned to build a strong farm team to support complex year-round farm operations, and so much more, you’ll want to listen to this fascinating interview whether you want to start a full-diet CSA or not!

Connect With Guest:

Instagram: @essexfarmcsa @farmerkimball @kristinxkimball
Website: essexfarmcsa.com

 

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