PNWCSA’S ANNUAL CSA SHARE FAIR EVENT EXPANDS TO FEBRUARY 21-27 2021 AND MOVES ONLINE
Attendees Will Experience an Efficient, Virtual Way to Connect With Local Farmers and Learn About Community Supported Agriculture;
Programming Features Cooking Demos with Katherine Deumling and Chef Diane Lam; Farmer Panels and CSA Matchmaking Event With Intimate Break Out Sessions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – The Pacific Northwest Community Supported Agriculture Coalition (PNWCSA), the Portland-based nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a sustainable local food system via community supported agriculture (CSA), today announced the program for its 6th annual Share Fair Event, this year occurring virtually from Sunday, February 21 through Saturday, February 27.
At Share Fair, attendees can learn all about CSA, including what it is, why it’s important to our health, environment and a thriving local economy, and how to find the right CSA farm and share. Taking place during the nationally-recognized CSA Week, the PNWCSA will present its most robust event offerings ever, including multiple formats and perspectives, bringing the farms to life, and to the people.
“One positive thing to come out of the pandemic this past year is the increased demand for local food. With the short supply chain that local farms offer, we’ve seen a dramatic rise in the participation of CSA programs across the state and the country,” said Holly Hutchason, Executive Director, PNWCSA. “Our goal for this year’s virtual Share Fair is to make CSA more accessible than ever, making it easier for farmers to connect with potential customers and easier for people to find the right CSA share for their household and budget. When people enjoy their share to the fullest, they will continue supporting their local farmers for the long term.”
This year’s Share Fair features exciting, information-laden events throughout the week, in which guests are encouraged to attend any or all sessions of interest. Cooking demos and farmer panels will take place throughout the week at 5:00 p.m., and attendees are encouraged to tune in after work or at the end of their day to settle in and learn everything from pantry preparedness, and how to make vegetable lovers out of everyone at your table, to climate change implications in farming and food waste.
The six days will conclude with the CSA Matchmaking Event on Saturday, February 27 at 12 p.m. Farmers will be located in virtual breakout sessions on Zoom, divided by region or topic, making it easy for attendees to find and meet their local farmers. During the breakouts, farmers will describe themselves and their farming approach, as well as answer questions, from animal welfare to compost.
Tickets are available at https://www.pnwcsa.org/, with a suggested donation made to PNWCSA. All proceeds go directly into future programming to make CSA affordable and accessible to all.
2021 PNWCSA Share Fair Event Highlights and Schedule:
“Cook With What You Have” Classes With Katherine Deumling; Wednesday Class with Special Guest Chef, Diane Lam
Dates: Monday, February 22; Wednesday, February 24; Friday, February 26
Time: 5:00 p.m. Classes are approximately 45-60 minutes each.
About: These interactive cooking classes feature Katherine Deumling, a local chef who centers her interest in food systems, regenerative agriculture, and the combination of joy and justice around food and cooking. During the class taking place on Wednesday, February 24, Katherine will welcome Chef Diane Lam, of Sunshine Noodles, will explore the use of local vegetables in season while honoring her Cambodian roots.
Topics:
All the Beautiful Veg: Now What?: Unpack a box of CSA vegetables with Katherine and talk strategy for how to store and what to use first. She’ll also demo a few simple recipes pairing the produce with pantry staples.
Same But Different: Dishes like fried rice, frittata, curry or stir-fried noodles lend themselves to whatever vegetables – and often random combinations and quantity – you have on hand. These template recipes are creative, minimize waste, accommodate a variety of different tastes and needs, and make you a better cook!
CSA Farmer Panels
Dates: Sunday, February 21; Tuesday, February 23; Thursday, February 25
Time: 5p.m. Panels are approximately 45-60 minutes each.
About: The farmer panels will provide an opportunity for farmers to tell their stories and connect with potential customers while focusing on a specific element of CSA production and local small scale agriculture. These discussions will illustrate to attendees the reasons beyond the plate to become a CSA member. Local food maven Piper Davis will host the panels and draw out the individual stories that make each farm and farmer unique.
Topics: CSA Overview, Connections Between Environment and People, The Role Animals Play in Agriculture, Justice, and Access: Who Gets To Farm, Climate Change, Food Waste, and more.
CSA Matchmaking Event
Date: Saturday, February 27
Time: 12-3p.m.
About: This event will provide more in-depth information regarding CSA and participating farmers. Attendees and farmers will be split into groups of 8-10 and will be given a set time to log in for their discussion via breakout rooms. Each will feature an intro from each farmer as well as an interactive portion where attendees can ask questions directly of the farmers.
Topics: The sessions will aim to answer the larger questions of “Why CSA?” and “How do I find the best match farm for me?”
Making CSA More Affordable and Accessible
The PNWCSA organization believes everyone has a right to healthy, local food. The group works with farmers and local organizations in a variety of ways to increase access to healthy vegetables and fruits for the families and communities that need it most. Below is a summary of those ongoing efforts:
SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks: Families that receive supplemental nutrition assistance benefits (SNAP) can purchase their share with SNAP funds and may be able to stretch their dollar even farther with the Double Up Food Bucks program. The PNWCSA matches up to $200 toward the cost of the share from participating farms. This money goes directly to the CSA farmer, making CSA more affordable while helping farmers earn a living. For more information, please visit the https://www.pnwcsa.org/
financial-assistance New Website, Find-A-Farm Tool: PNWCSA recently launched a new website with an interactive Farm Search tool. This searchable database allows users to find their ideal CSA farm quickly and easily.
B-Line Bike Delivery: Through a partnership with B-Line, CSA subscribers in Portland can now have their shares delivered directly to their homes by sustainable, e-assist trikes. This makes CSA even more convenient, and allows farmers to spend more of their time farming.
About PNWCSA
Founded in the early 1990s, the Pacific Northwest CSA Coalition (formerly Portland Area CSA Coalition) is committed to providing education about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), supporting farmers who provide quality local food to local communities and increasing access to healthy food for underserved communities. PNWCSA has played a key role in advancing CSA in the region, which currently includes more than 35,000 households and more than 75 CSA member farms. PNWCSA is a 501(c3) nonprofit organization. For more information, please follow on Instagram, Facebook and visit their website at https://www.pnwcsa.org/.