2010 CSA Information

From SHF CSA

Here at Slow Hand Farm we’ve sized our shares so that individuals can afford them, and use a full share in a reasonable amount of time. The shares are filled with varieties that we find special in one way or another, the vegetables are grown using hand scale methods, and we can always tell you exactly how something was grown, and how to best eat it!

Growing on Sauvie Island, just outside of Portland, Oregon, we deliver shares into town twice a week. Check out the site and if you still have questions feel free to leave a comment and we'll try to answer soon...

Basic Share Principles

• We design our shares around individuals (if you’re buying for more than one eater, consider buying more than one share)
• Large vegetables, like giant cabbages and pumpkins, are hard for individuals to eat in a week so we avoid growing them and concentrate on things that are more serving sized.
• We grow things that can be harvested and distributed the same day
• Crops that are normally cured or stored and distributed later we harvest and distribute immediately. This eliminates the need for redundant refrigeration and storage space on the farm when it already exists in our members kitchens. In many cases this also keeps the product fresher and more flavorful, and it reduces our ecological footprint significantly. In some cases it requires the members to treat the product slightly differently than they may be used to but we’ll always pass on any information you need.
• We try to find unique and special varieties
• Many of these varieties are more flavorful and nutritious than standard commercial varieties. Some have special stories and histories, are bred locally, or are crops we just really like to eat ourselves.
• We primarily use hand scale methods
• Because hand labor is more expensive than mechanical systems based on fossil fuel by a factor of 100 we concentrate on crops that are difficult to mechanize, and that take less space in the ground, like salad greens. When we do grow crops that are typically highly mechanized, like potatoes, we choose varieties that are uncommon and we give out small quantities.

Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming season in the next post on How to Sign up for a Share