Cornucopia in a box: Ambrose Farms

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Ambrose Farms has been on Johns Island since 1976 and the Ambrose’s have loved every minute of it. “Pete often says that if he wins the lottery, he’ll farm until the money’s gone,” laughed Babs Ambrose, co-owner of the popular Johns Island destination.

A “you pick” farm since 1980, Ambrose Farms is better known by its shop, the Stono Farm Market, located just off Main Road across from the Tomato Shed. Ambrose grows pretty much anything that will take in this southern soil and year round, you can expect to find the freshest produce in the area on their shelves.

This year, the Ambrose family decided to become a CSA, a movement that has been picking up steam across America for the past 20 years, though it’s only recently begun showing up in our area. A CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, is a way for members of the local community to support their nearby farms by becoming “shareholders” of the CSA. From spring through fall, the CSA farm provides each shareholding family with a box of produce a week. Prices range across the board, but typically it’s enough for the farmers to know how much food they need to produce for the season and provides them with the means to do so. The Ambrose Farms CSA began this past April and will run through mid-July and even though they’ve already reached their 400 shareholder limit, you can still sign up for next year on their website or at the Market.

When asked why the CSA wouldn’t be available in the fall, Mrs. Ambrose replied that, silly, we live in a hurricane-prone area and it’s been a while since the last big disaster; a fact that makes native South Carolinians a little more nervous every year. “We would like to do a fall crop for the CSA,” said Mrs. Ambrose, “but the chances for total crop failure are risky. We might try, though, if we can find a way to have everyone share in the responsibility of the crops’ survival.” Some ideas include asking potential shareholders to pay a percentage in advance, hoping that the season stays quiet, but there’s always a risk.

The new CSA program, however, has helped the farm considerably. When they first proposed the idea in March, it was in response to an overflow of buyers into the Legare Farms CSA, which was only able to handle 100 shareholders for the season. By setting the limit at 400, the Ambrose’s didn’t expect their membership to fill up fast, but two weeks later, they had hit their maximum. A month later they opened it again for their shorter “Taste of the Summer” season, but that too filled up before they even posted a flyer. “There is such a demand for fresh, local produce,” said Mrs. Ambrose. “The response has just been incredible.”

Boxes are picked up at various locations throughout the County, with one of the largest stops being at the home of Becky and Andy Stallworth on Maybank road, James Island. Since this is the Farm’s first year with the CSA, they expect that the program will continue to grow and look forward sharing their fresh foods with more and more locals. As one shareholder with a three year old in tow pointed out, “My goal is to have my kids enjoy at least one leaf a day”.

To find out more about the Ambrose Farms CSA and how to get a jump on becoming a member for next year, please visit www.stonofarmmarket.com, call 559-9999 or drop by the Stono Market at 842 Main Road on Johns Island. The Market also offers take and bake meals, locally made jams, jellies and relishes, local seafood and an on-site bakery.

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