Thank goodness for the tent.

The Seward Co-op held its 10th-annual CSA Fair on Saturday. While the chilly, grey weather wasn't particularly cooperative, it helped that representatives from nearly 30 CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farms were bundled up and gathered inside a large, wind-protected tent, chatting up hundreds of potential farm-share customers.

Burning River Farm's Adrienne Logsdon was there, with some helpful advice for potential CSA-ers: Ask questions. What is the farm's irrigation situation? How long have they been in business? What are the delivery options? "Treat it like a job interview," she said. "After all, buying a CSA share is kind of like hiring someone to grow your food."

Burning River Farm, located in Frederic, Wis., is offering an 18-week share ("generally good for two veggie-loving adults or a family of four," explains its promotional materials) at prices that range from $525 (for a farm pick-up) to $685 (for home/office delivery); single shares ("good for one veggie-loving adult or two moderate veggie eaters") runs $450 to $610, depending upon delivery.

New this year: An egg share. Burning River farmer Mike Noreen is now raising 100 free-range chickens, and as an incentive on Saturday, Logsdon was handing out a dozen of the farm's beautiful eggs with each share purchase. Nice. Other good news: Noreen and Logsdon have added hoop houses to their operation, meaning that cherry tomatoes will be landing at the farm's Mill City Farmers Market stand right off the bat (opening date: May 7).

Those looking for evidence of the burgeoning local foods movement needed look no further than the elbow-to-elbow crowd inside the big white tent at E. Franklin and Riverside. The CSA Fair, which keeps growing with every iteration and is surely one of the forces behind the explosive growth in the number of of CSA shareholders -- and CSA farms -- in the Twin Cities, lives online, so if you couldn't make it Saturday, it's not too late. Go here for a list of the participating farms and their contact info. It's not a face-to-face encounter, but it's a helpful source and a good start.

And go here to access the Land Stewardship Project's thorough CSA Farm Directory.