Time and dedication produce a good crop for the Embarras Valley Farm.

Ken and Kim Ross have been operating Embarras Valley Farm for six years, and the farm recently became a CSA, or community supported agriculture.

The local organic farm will be selling shares of the crop this season to locals by the bushel.

The idea behind the CSA is community members buy a share of the crop produced by local farmers, who then grow the crop, dividing produce among members who purchase a share.

The proceeds from the shares provide a more reliable source of income for the farmer, and the shareholders get the best and freshest produce in return. The Embarras Valley Farm gives each member between a bushel and half bushel of produce from May to October.

The weekly baskets members receive are filled with a variety of produce currently in season.

“We grow everything imaginable,” said Kim Ross, the full-time grower on the farm.

Garlic, onions, new potatoes, peas, lettuce, cabbage, turnips, radishes, potted flowers and herbs are some of the crops grown by the farm.

The farm’s focus is on organically grown produce; however, the varieties are not what grocery stores sell.

Ken and Kim plant heirloom seeds, which are old varieties of the same vegetables in stores that carry different traits, such as yellow tomatoes.

Ken, who also has a full time jobs, farms and helps with the Embarras Valley Farm because he enjoys the work.

He also gets to spend time with his wife as they tend the crops.

“It’s a family type of thing,” Ken said.

He works until it’s too dark to see well and sometimes puts in up to 40 hours in the fall after his other job.

“It’s like a second full-time job,” Ken said.

The farm also uses open pollinated seeds, which are non-hybrid seeds.

All produce left over after filling the members baskets is brought to the Charleston Farmers market.

The market starts the first Wednesday in June and continues every Wednesday until the end of the season.

The farm is a member of the Charleston Farmers Market Association, pledging to sell only produce they have grown.

“People want to know where their food is from,” Kim said.

The farmers market in Charleston features growers from the area and some produce resellers.

The market, which takes place on the Charleston town square, draws in some Eastern students, who Kim says are excited about the market.

She attributes this to the awareness of students to organic foods.

The couple moved to Kim’s family’s farm in 2004 and started growing vegetables from the start.

While Kim tilled the ground in preparation for planting Wednesday, Ken said they would be planting by Easter.

James Roedl can be reached at 581-7942 or jmroedl@eiu.edu