Frequently Asked Questions for Abundant Harvest
What does being a CSA member mean to me? What does my membership fee pay for?
Abundant Harvest CSA members are ‘members or investors’ in our farm business. Your payment early in the season pays for a share of our harvest from May thru October. Your early contributions go towards seeds, soil, and help us to cover our upfront costs. In return, you receive local fresh produce, herbs, fruit, and flowers. You will also receive a newsletter with recipes, preparation tips, farm news, and announcements.
What are the pick-up times & dates?
Special note: The pick-up locations are private homes that are leased and donated space to us. We ask that you please be at the pick-up sites only during the specified days and times, unless other arrangements have been made.
We look forward to seeing each of our members at pick-up. Harvest and pick-up days are extremely long days for your farmers. We start very early and end after the last member picks up - Actually - after we have packed and cleaned up, after the last member picked up. For our personal sustainability, please, please let us know if you are missing a pick-up - do call, even during pick-up hours - this is incredibly helpful to us.
Hillsboro/Helvetia - Dos Sequoias Farm; Wednesdays , starting May 21st, 3pm - 7pm
SE Portland; Every other Thursday, Starting May 22nd, 4pm - 6pm
What Should I Bring to Pick-Up?
We encourage reuseable bags and totes. Please bring an assortment of bags - paper, plastic, or cloth/canvas. Small boxes or tubs also work really well. There are almost always some items to weigh out so plastic produce bags (the kind you get at the store) are especially good to have.
What if I can’t come to pick up my produce or will be on vacation?
If you know you will miss a date, we encourage you to make arrangements with a family member or a friend to come in your place. It is possible to make other arrangements with us, If you contact us ahead of time. ~~Contact us via e-mail, info@abundantharvest.biz, before 10am on Wednesday or call 503-380-3739 anytime BEFORE pick-up.
What happens if I missed a pick-up?
If you did not contact us to make other arrangements, unclaimed produce is donated to the CSA’s give & take box or to the Oregon Food Bank.
What if there is part of the share that I don’t want to take?
We encourage you to try different produce and recipes, or to share with neighbors. If there is something you will not use, we do have a give & take box. Please put your potion in that box so that others can enjoy what you might not. Whatever is left in the box at the end of pick-up, will then be donated to the Oregon Food Bank.
How is your produce grown?
Since we began in 2006, we grow fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers without synthetic herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers, so that you get all the goodness nature has to offer. We produce high quality nutritious vegetables in an earth-friendly way. While we are not certified organic, we have a strong commitment to sustainability. We believe that knowing your farmers and location of where your food is grown, is the best way to ensure that your food is produced responsibly.
What is ‘The Partnership’?
When we agreed to start our own farm business, we decided that before investing in property, we would find a way to see if this is something we could do long term together. Leasing land from someone who understands our vision and goals is how Abundant Harvest began as a seedling.
The farm owners, Brian and Sharon Beinlich at Dos Sequoias Farm, and Scott and Robin Olsen at New Earth Farm, provide field space for Steve and Mishelle Radtke, owners of Abundant Harvest, to grow the food that the members enjoy.
The partnership between these families is founded on a shared vision of keeping Oregon’s prime farmland in agricultural production and helping foster a local, sustainable agricultural system to feed our community with fresh, healthy, seasonal produce.
Dos Sequoias Farm, is on five beautiful acres in the historic Helvetia area of Washington County, Oregon. Two majestic redwood trees tower over the family farmhouse and they inspired the farm’s name. New Earth Farm is just blocks away on ten beautiful acres.
Ideas for you to have a wonderful CSA produce season:
~~ Before putting your produce away, prioritize and sort your vegetables. This will ensure that the most perishable produce gets used first.
~~Plan a weekly menu, if you do this right after pick-up and make your grocery list, you can then go shopping right away and get exactly what you need.
~~Preserving (canning, freezing, drying etc.) vegetables helps to use up your produce and ensure you have something in the off-season.
~~Consider reducing supplemental produce from the grocery store to insure that you are using your CSA produce in full.
~~If it is not enough produce, you can supplement with produce from farmer’s markets.
~~ Use the recipes in the Newsletter, the CSA website, cookbooks, the Internet, or other members can help with fresh ideas to use your produce.
~~Pickup days are a great time to network about preparation ideas.
Why does some of the produce looks different than in the grocery store?
Conventional grocery stores demand that produce be uniform in size, shape, color, and stock varieties that can be shipped long distances. While we do include some favorite known varieties, we also grow many heirlooms and unique varieties. As we don’t worry about having to ship and store these, members receive high quality, tasty produce.
