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.

SE Portland ~ SE 45th and SE Clinton; Every other Thursday, May – October

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.

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.