This 2012 has been an exciting year at our County CROPS farm. In its fourth summer of operation, the surplus county lot-turned-farm has produced more than 5,000 pounds of organically grown vegetables for families in need by way of the Oregon Food Bank.
This summer's harvest of garlic, peppers, broccoli, onions, kale and more has been impressive, outweighing harvest totals seen last year at this time by around 2,300 pounds.
Much of CROPS growth can be attributed to generosity of local businesses like Log House Plants, Westwind Gardens, Portland Nursery and Naomi’s Organic Farm Supply, which have donated assorted plant starts and seeds throughout the growing season, as well as volunteers from Hands on Greater Portland who have given their time and energy to help plant and harvest.
In addition to the volunteers from Hands on Greater Portland, people fulfilling their community service obligations through our Department of Community Justice have also contributed to this summer's healthy harvest.
As the case has been for the last four growing seasons, the CROPS' nutritious, fresh, delicious produce goes directly to the SnowCap Community Charities, a member of the Oregon Food Bank network, where it is then distributed to hungry residents in need.
If you would like to help out at the County CROPS farm, head over the Hands on Greater Portland website and sign up for upcoming volunteer dates on Sept. 12 and 29.