UP participates in program to supply local and organic produce year round
By Amanda Clifford
With spring here, the first sugar snap peas, sweet baby carrots and earliest Oregon strawberries are just weeks away. Students and faculty sticking around campus this summer can plan on having a variety of fresh organic produce at their fingertips.
This spring, for the first time, the University is participating in a Community Supported Agriculture program, an arrangement that means a whole season of fresh fruits and vegetables delivered weekly, straight from a local grower.
"I am really excited about it," said Kirk Mustain, manager for Bon Appétit, the University's on-campus food provider. "We will have a lot more choices available to us that were not available before."
At UP, on-campus diners aren't the only people who will be able to take advantage of this new partnership with Sauvie Island Organics' Community Supported Agriculture. Faculty, students and staff can also participate and pick up fresh produce the grower will deliver each week to the Cove.
Cost of a share is $875, which buys 30 weeks of produce and fruit fresh from the field from late May to mid-December.
One share provides a box of produce that feeds a family of four. The bounty will vary from week to week and month to month depending on the season.
Nestled between farmlands and wildlife refuges, Sauvie Island Organics is located less than 10 miles from campus. The 18-acre farm harvests more than 35 products - from beets and Brussels sprouts to summer squash and turnips. The harvest is sold through the farm's 400-member CSA, with the rest going to restaurants in Portland, like Higgins and Bijou Café.
Sauvie Island Organics has more than eight drop-box sites throughout Portland where shareholders can pick up their weekly bin of goodies. The Cove drop-off is one of several new sites in North Portland. The first CSA pickup will take place the week of May 19.
Although $875 per share may seem like a large chunk of change to pay up front, some participants find splitting the cost and sharing their shares more palatable.
Communication studies professor Jeff Kerssen-Griep plans to split his share with several faculty members and their families. He said participating in a CSA is a great way to support local economies and build community connections.
"A half-share will be plenty for my family," he said. "Our kids may not be as adventuresome as we'll be, so this lets us ease them into some new eating amidst what they're used to making and having."
Kerssen-Griep hopes having high-quality produce on hand will inspire his family to be more creative and eat healthier.
Katie Hainley, the assistant director of the Moreau Center, is also planning on splitting her share with a few other faculty members. When she lived in Boston, Hainley shared a CSA membership with her roommates and enjoyed having fresh produce every week.
"We loved the surprise of what it might contain," Hainley said. "It was like opening a Christmas package every week. It brought new variety and fun into our weekly meals because my housemates and I learned how to prepare meals with vegetables we had never before cooked."
For Bon Appétit, Mustain said the program should pay off financially. Bon Appétit spends more than $10,000 on produce for the Cove and Commons each week, according to Mustain. With the new CSA partnership, he hopes this number will decrease.
"I think this will be a cool experiment," Mustain said. "I am curious to see the financial impact paying up front will have and whether or not it is a smart way to do business."
Besides the guaranteed abundance of organic produce, Mustain said being a CSA shareholder lends itself to a number of benefits.
The University purchases produce from many local organic farms in Oregon. Sauvie Island Organics farm is the closest to campus, however. By purchasing produce from it, the University is reducing its carbon footprint.
Mustain also likes the convenience CSA provides its partners.
"It's great for people who are busy and don't have time to go to the grocery store several times a week for fresh produce," he said. "They can swing by the Cove after work and pick up a week's worth of veggies."
Mustain, who is helping facilitate the project at UP, said more than 20 faculty members have contacted him about purchasing a share.
Students who are considering purchasing a share might want to consider a few things prior to doing so, Mustain advised.
Harvest season begins the last week of May. For those who do not live in Portland over the summer, almost 15 weeks of produce will go to waste.
Also, Mustain said for shareholders to get their money worth, they need to have space to store, refrigerate and cook the produce. Otherwise, it will be difficult to utilize the produce to its full potential.
While CSA may be a great idea for some students, like those who live off campus with four or more roommates, students who live in the dorms may want to hold off.
"If students have the time, energy and willingness to use what they find each week in the box, I think it's a great idea," Hainley said. "CSA won't work for someone who refuses to eat vegetables or doesn't have the time to prepare them."
