March 2, 2015, Portland, OR – On the spring equinox, the Portland Area CSA Coalition and Ecotrust are teaming up to throw Portland’s first-ever public fair to celebrate Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and the farmers behind this unique business model. Come to the Redd on Salmon Street – an industrial warehouse recently purchased by Ecotrust in inner Southeast – and be matched to the perfect CSA farmer for you and your family, while joining in chef demos, updating your cookbook library, and giving your kids a taste of farm life in the city.
This free, public celebration is an invitation to all Portlanders who have ever wondered about joining a CSA. CSA encompasses options for the most delicious, freshest vegetables, as well as meat, eggs, honey, medicinal plants, and more. Come meet and hang out with Portland’s full range of dedicated, cutting-edge CSA farmers—from third-generation family farmers (Love Farm Organics) to Portland’s original CSA (Sauvie Island Organics), experimental herb and garden start growers (Winslow Food Forest) to wild salmon fishers (Iliamna Fish Co.), sustainable meat producers (Moomaw Family Farm) to nonprofit cooperatives (Adelante Mujeres). As spring dawns, renew your commitment to our local farmers and eating boatloads of fresh food.
For a full list of all the 30+ CSA farmers who will be participating, visit www.portlandcsa.org.
The CSA Share Fair will include:
Farmer Matchmaking & Speed Dating
Our professional matchmakers will create “dance cards” of the best potential farmer matches for you, based on select criteria. Expedite the hunt for your dream CSA farm with our help.
Cookbook Swap Meet
Seeking your formerly beloved – now unwanted – printed matter contributions for trade-in (i.e. cookbooks, bizarre food pamphlets, magazines, and other food ephemera.) Spring clean your shelves and then refill them with new-to-you treasures. Every item you bring will give you a credit for one item. Bring your contributions on the day of or, better yet, reach out to lmilholland@ecotrust.org for drop off options.
Chef Demos
Throughout the day, Portland chefs will work their magic—and teach attendees how to work theirs—with a full range of fresh, local spring produce. The trio of chefs Cathy Whims, Jun Robles, and Brian Murphy (Nostrana and Oven & Shaker) will host the CSA Showcase Showdown, taking on every item in a CSA box to produce the most delicious, simple breakfast, lunch, and dinner you can make. CSA guru Katherine Deumling of Cook with What You Have—the go-to resource for CSA recipes—will offer demos and host grueling rounds of Stump the Chef. Don’t miss the expert techniques and delicious samples.
Kids’ Activities
From drawing vegetables at the Free Spirit art station to getting a tour of Zenger Farms’ traveling chicken coop to a mission-based scavenger hunt, there will be ample activities to entertain the kiddos.
Food to Eat, Drinks to Drink
Come hungry. There will be food and drinks for sale from Tastebud Farm, Seastar Bakery and Tabor Bread, and Nossa Familia Coffee, among others.
Visit to the Redd
Nonprofit Ecotrust has purchased a 1918 warehouse in inner Southeast, which it plans to transform into a working hub for the new food economy. Get a peek inside this atmospheric, historical space—called the Redd—before it undergoes its overhaul, and talk to the team behind the project to learn more about what’s brewing. (www.ecotrust.org/redd @reddonsalmon)
Once more, the Basics
WHAT: CSA Share Fair: Spring starts here
WHEN: Saturday, March 21, 10 am to 2 pm
WHERE: The Redd, 831 SE Salmon St.
Parking is available at the site and in the surrounding neighborhoods.
HOSTS: Portland Area CSA Coalition and Ecotrust
MORE INFO: www.portlandcsa.org and www.ecotrust.org/event/sharefair
TWITTER & INSTAGRAM: #csasharefair @ecotrust @edibleportland @reddonsalmon
FACEBOOK EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/1587089971536246
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About Ecotrust
Ecotrust’s mission is to foster a natural model of development that creates more resilient communities, economies and ecosystems here and around the world. Ecotrust’s many innovations include co-founding an environmental bank, starting the world’s first ecosystem investment fund, creating a range of programs in fisheries, forestry, food, farms and indigenous affairs, and developing new scientific and information tools to improve social, economic and environmental decision making. Ecotrust works locally in ways that promise hope abroad, and it takes inspiration from the wisdom of Native and First Nation leadership. Learn more at ecotrust.org @ecotrust
About Portland Area CSA Coalition
Portland Area CSA Coalition promotes Community Supported Agriculture by connecting local CSA farmers with households, educating the public about the CSA experience and the benefits of healthy eating, and providing farmers with opportunities to learn, grow and meet their business and sustainability goals. Learn more at www.portlandcsa.org