Lake Oswego locavores have many choices to support their desire to eat locally grown or produced food. They can register for a Community Garden plot determined by a lottery at the end of each year. They can shop at our popular Farmer’s Market that runs from mid-May through October. Or they can buy shares in the Community Supported Agriculture program.

The City of Lake Oswego Parks and Recreation Department has partnered with 47^th Avenue Farms in Portland to give residents an opportunity to enjoy the farm’s bounty all year long. Here’s how it works.

1. Members pay in advance for their share of the season’s harvest. This enables the farmer to have the money upfront when it’s needed. The farm utilizes organic, sustainable practices and even tills the soil with draft horses when possible.
2. There are two levels of participation: A half share for the summer seasons is considered sufficient for smaller families and couples ($555/Resident which comes to $3.30/day; $638/Non-Resident); Full shares provide produce for a family of four for a week ($999/Resident at a cost of $5.95/day; $1149/Non-Resident).
3. Shareholders pick up their week’s bounty of vegetables and herbs every Thursday evening at Luscher Farm between 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the dairy barn beginning May 18 through October 26. There is opportunity for sampling and socializing.
4. Selections follow the growing season so in the spring you’ll find offerings like herbs, fava beans and salad ingredients followed by sweet corn, basil and heirloom tomatoes in the summer and finishing off with toscano kale, fingerling potatoes and Japanese kabocha squash in the fall. Member access to CookWithWhatYouHave.com provides participants with recipes featuring that week’s bounty.
5. The program is so popular that 47^th Avenue has expanded the number of share offerings this year.
6. An estimated 70% of each year’s shareholders return the following year. Here are some reasons why:

We love the experience of being at the farm, the kids weigh/pick our produce, friendly hellos and thank you and see ya next times with farmers. My kids ate 90% of the carrots by the time we got home.”

Convenience is important to me — so the farm is well-located. I like the diversity of options and access to the recipe website. The price is right — I can spend the same or more at Safeway/New Seasons and not get nearly the amount or quality. Most of all, it has helped us eat really healthy — frankly, we feel good about the food we’re eating.”

I love it, it encourages me to eat more vegetables than I would without the farm share.”

This was my first CSA experience and it was fun to get different vegetables that I wouldn’t normally select for myself, and figure out what to do with them.”

You can find out more about the CSA program by attending the next “Meet the Farmer” event on Thursday, April 27 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Luscher Farm, 125 Rosemont Road. It will be held during the last winter share pick-up so you can see the program in action and meet the farmer who is bringing the food to your table. For details, contact Luscher Farm 503.534.5284.

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Photo Credit: Matt Giraud