Produce shares help create a healthier Sisters Country

The Seed to Table (S2T) produce share pickup day is one of Audrey Tehan’s favorite times on the farm. Founder and executive director, she’s looking forward to the 2023 growing season and the first day S2T produce is packed and ready to head home to local families.

“The produce share pickups are a bustling hub of activity where participants and farming staff share recipes and what we’re all learning together about how to cook farm-fresh food in exciting new ways,” said Tehan.

The health benefits of eating local produce are well established. Nutrient content and antioxidants in produce decline the longer it is stored. By buying local, you are getting fresh produce that is at its best both in taste and in nutrient value.

Sign-ups for the S2T produce share program opened this week. Tehan started S2T, now in its 10th year, with the intention to grow food organically and make it accessible for families in Sisters Country. She also saw the farm as a means to teach farm-based lessons, so students understood where their food came from, how to grow it, and how to prepare it in delicious ways. Tehan’s efforts have grown both in sizes and depth, just like the little farm her family has owned for decades in Sisters.

The S2T produce share program reflects Tehan’s original mission to ensure access to fresh veggies for people across all budgets. S2T uses a sliding-scale option that allows members to pay what works for them, as well as a donation option for those wanting to lend a hand to a neighbor in need. Members can pay with SNAP/EBT; those who do pay half price. SNAP users are eligible for Double Up Food Bucks, which cover the other half of the cost.

At the end of the 2022 season, participants gave feedback on some of their favorite parts of the produce share program and suggestions on changes for 2023. Comments described how families benefited from the program, like cooking seasonally and experimenting with new foods. Participants also gave examples of the benefits, like the quality of the veggies, and how it encouraged their kids to eat more veggies.

One person said, “It isn’t just about the vegetables, it’s also about community connections. I have never felt like I was eating healthier or was more connected to the people growing my food.”

Tehan and S2T Educator Hannah Joseph explained the reason for the survey. “We asked for feedback to improve and tailor the produce share program after the first year. With that input in mind, we’re making improvements that can decrease barriers to receiving fresh produce. We added an additional four weeks for everybody and expanded the sliding scale with payment options as low as 65 percent of market value. There’s also a produce share at 150 percent of market value to facilitate the pay-it-forward share,” said Tehan.

“Our team is excited about this year’s expansion with new varieties of vegetables as well as the extended time food will be available. Both were put into effect because of feedback received from participants,” said Tehan.

Seed to Table’s produce share is based on a model called Community Supported Agriculture or CSA. This concept was created in the 1960s by Booker T. Whatley, a Black horticulturist, agricultural professor, and advocate for farming practices that help sustain and rebuild the land. With an S2T produce share, individuals or families pay in advance or monthly for a season of fresh, local vegetables. Each week the bounty of fresh veggies is laid out market-style at the S2T farmstand. Produce share members browse and choose what they want to take home. A small produce share receives six to eight items and a large share receives nine to 11 items each, week.

Sign-ups are open through S2T’s website: www.seedtotableoregon.org/why-choose-a-produce-share. For more information contact Audrey Tehan at audrey@seedtotablesisters.org.

Seed to Table is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; EIN: 82-37956180.