The Local Harvest | Three Sisters Farm

My Visit To the Farm and Why Joining a CSA Might Be the Best Food Decision You Make This Year

This past weekend, I had the joy of visiting Three Sisters Farm in Redlands, CA to pick up my CSA share—and I left with far more than just a box of vegetables. I left with a sense of deep connection and quiet awe. The land itself is beautiful—sun-drenched, peaceful, alive—but it’s the soul of the place that lingers. You can feel the care, the intention, and the love that Jason, Abby, and their children pour into every row, every leaf, every harvest.

There’s a kind of magic in knowing exactly where your food comes from. To hold something in your hands that was grown just miles away, by people whose names you know, whose hands tilled the soil—it’s grounding. It’s nourishing in every sense of the word. And knowing that your support helps sustain a local, sustainable farm and a family committed to this good work? That’s the kind of exchange that feeds more than just your body. It feeds community. It feeds hope.

So what exactly is a CSA?

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture—but at its heart, it’s a relationship. A commitment between a farm and the people who eat from it. When you become a CSA member, you’re not just buying food; you’re stepping into a shared rhythm with the land, receiving a weekly or seasonal share of whatever the farm is harvesting. It might be crisp lettuces in spring, juicy tomatoes in the heat of summer, or sweet winter squash as the days grow short.

You’re not shopping off a shelf—you’re sharing in the abundance (and sometimes the unpredictability) of the growing season, just as nature intended.

The benefits of joining a CSA go beyond the box. Yes, the food is fresher—often picked just hours before it reaches your hands. Yes, it’s organic, seasonal, and full of flavor you can’t find in a grocery store. But more than that, you become part of something deeply rooted: a local food system that values sustainability, transparency, and connection.

You support real people—farmers who know their land by heart. You help reduce the environmental impact of long supply chains. You learn to eat with the seasons, try new ingredients, and maybe even feel a little more grateful for the simple miracle of a ripe tomato.

It’s food that tells a story—and you get to be part of it.

How to find a CSA near you

If you’re drawn to the idea of eating closer to home and supporting the hands that grow your food, there’s an easy and meaningful way to start.

If you're local to the Inland Empire and would like to join the Three Sisters Farm CSA, reaching out to Abby is simple. Just send her an email at abby.harned@gmail.com and let her know you'd love to be a part of their program. They’ve just launched the spring quarter of shares and are eager to welcome new members into their growing community. Be sure to let her know I sent you!

If you are elsewhere, start with LocalHarvest.org, a website devoted to helping people reconnect with their food and the farmers who grow it. It’s a kind of map, really—a guide to the farms, CSA programs, markets, and growers tucked quietly into the corners of your own community.

All you have to do is enter your zip code, and LocalHarvest will show you the farms near you that offer CSA memberships. You can read about what they grow, how they grow it, when their seasons begin, and how to join. Some offer weekly pickups, others deliver to your doorstep. Each one with its own story, its own soil, its own way of feeding the people it serves.

It’s a beautiful first step toward something more grounded, more intentional. Toward food that feels personal. Toward supporting the kind of agriculture that nurtures the earth instead of exhausting it.

So if you’ve ever wondered what it might feel like to know your farmer, to eat in rhythm with the land, to open a box and smell the sun still on your vegetables—this is your invitation.

Go explore. There’s a farm waiting for you.

In good taste,

Haylee