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About our Farm
One sunny afternoon on a faraway summer’s day, Laura Masterson launched her pioneering CSA. Working an oversize double lot in Portland’s Woodstock neighborhood (thus our name!), her original mission simply to grow fresh, local produce for her friends and neighbors nearby.
That was back in 1996 (my, how the time has flown!). But soon enough, Laura’s infectious enthusiasm for delicious, sustainably-farmed produce spread like summer squash, and now, nearly 3 decades later, we farm two large parcels and operate two year-round CSAs to serve our beloved shareholders, some of the city’s top restaurants, and anyone who craves the freshest, best and most responsibly farmed produce.
... and we hope, you!
Holistic farming
All of our farm properties are managed sustainably using cover crops between vegetable rotations; beneficial insects; drip irrigation; and conservation tillage techniques. This farming strategy that looks at the whole system not only improves the tilth and fertility of the farmland, it protects the woods, wetlands and communities that surround our farms.
And it simply makes better vegetables.
That commitment is also why we've been farming our pristine Grand Island property with draft horses as much as possible. First, of course, the only pollution they make can be converted into compost! But even better, their comparatively light and varied footprint means less soil compaction and therefore, healthier soil for vegetables.
About our Farm
About our Farm
The CSA model
What would happen if a community partnered with its farmers to produce the freshest, most responsibly grown vegetables possible? Well, you’d have a CSA, an inspired model that’s served us and our shareholders for nearly three decades.
In “traditional” industrial agriculture, the value of produce is defined almost exclusively by price – not by how fresh or responsibly farmed it is – and that in turn fosters a race to the bottom: to be competitive and make a living, farmers have to cut corners. And in the process, we all lose.
By contrast, in a CSA members pay in advance for their share of the season’s bountiful harvest. That not only provides financial support to farmers early in the cycle when they need it most, the certainty of income means they can allocate their resources more efficiently and responsibly: toward truly sustainable (and more labor intensive) farming practices, but also bringing shareholders unique, artisanal, and thoroughly tasty produce.
We think you’ll love it.
We farm (so you eat) year-round
Here in the Willamette Valley, our Summer Share starts in mid-May and continues through October, offering a changing menu every week as different vegetables reach their peak of flavor. Early spring starts with fresh herbs, fava beans, green garlic, and all the elements of a crisp salad. Sweet corn, heirloom tomatoes and other traditional summer crops reach their peak in August and September. In the fall, we grow hardy winter staples like Japanese kabocha squash, toscano kale, and fingerling potatoes.
But in our temperate climate, nature is far from done at the end of October, so why should we be? That’s why we also offer a unique, twice-a-month Winter Share from November through April. Featuring a bounty of greens, root vegetables, and herbs, we also coax broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, brussels sprouts and more from the cool earth.
About our Farm
About our Farm
Choose from two pickup locations
We offer two pickup locations in the Portland metro area: our original Southeast Portland pickup in the Woodstock neighborhood; and in Lake Oswego/West Linn at the historic Luscher Farm. To learn more about each location and to get your membership started, the links have info a-plenty.
Whichever you choose, you’ll stop by once a week through the summer growing season (or every other week during the winter share) to fill a bag or more (depending on the share option you’ve chosen) of freshly-picked veggies. A list will tell you how much food to take, and there’s ample opportunity for sampling, socializing, and trading recipes.
