Things are Heating Up at SIO
As the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers. With nearly four inches of rain this month and a series of warm dry days upon us, spring is in full swing at the farm. March and early April kept the crew busy transplanting all of our onions, shallots, and scallions (see photo below) in to the field for the season. Beets, carrots, fava beans, potatoes, lettuce, garlic, fennel, kale, chard, and collards are in the field and growing day by day with the increasing daylight. As of last week a full house of heirloom tomatoes are in the ground of the first of our two unheated hoop houses, and have been double-leader trellised (see photo above). We are growing Cherokee Green, Cherokee Purple, Tiffen Mennonite, Gold Medal heirlooms varieties this year, and several more varieties of slicers in the field.
Ava Gene’s Comes to Visit the Farm
Here at SIO we are proud to grow fresh, seasonal, nutritious produce for the people, families, and commercial kitchens of the greater Portland area. There are a few ways to access our delicious vegetables; you can join as a member of our CSA, purchase direct as a commercial customer, or sometimes find us through one of our wholesale partners (Organically Grown Company, Food Front Cooperative Grocery, Whole Foods: The Pearl) or at the Hillsdale Farmer’s Market in the winter. One of our favorite things to do with our customers is bring them out for a visit to the farm, and this last week we had the opportunity to hang out with some of the chefs and staff from Ava Gene’s restaurant on SE Division St. (CSA Members see below for your personal invite to the farm). Executive Chef Sam Smith and his crew were excited to take on the rain and mud for a tour the fields, harvesting some overwintered kale, and finding out more about how the farm works from the ground up. While the farm visit was relaxing and fun, it was clear the crew at AG’s takes the job of preparing the ingredients and coaxing the best out of them seriously. As farmers it’s always exciting to hear direct from the chef what crops are their favorites, and likewise we like to grow them if possible.
Save the Date: Come Join Us for the Spring Farm Tour & Potluck
Join us Saturday, May 17th to kick-off the season with a tour of the farm and a CSA Community Potluck. This event is from 11am to 2pm. Tours of the farm will happen at 11am & 1pm and we will share a potluck lunch at noon. Bring your family, friends, kids, neighbors, and anyone you think would enjoy a day on the farm, and don’t forget to bring a potluck dish to share. The farm fields are located at 13615 NW Howell Park Rd, just a mile past the Sauvie Island Bridge.
Now is the time–Sign-up for 2014
Sign-up now before we fill up. We have less than 100 shares left before we are sold out, so make sure to submit your sign-up form, mail in your payment and secure your share of the harvest this season. We have availability at all of our pick-up sites in the Portland area, and if you have any questions please email us csa@sauvieislandorganics.com or call our office at 503.621.6921.
Do you work at Providence and thought it was too late to sign-up? It’s not! Just fill out the sign-up form from our website, select your preferred payment option (PEP is no longer an option, but we can do a payment plan through the farm), and the farm will get back to you with a confirmation via email.