From Cook to Farmer Building Community Through Soil

Aaron spent over 10 years as a cook before discovering his passion for farming. When his wife went to grad school in upstate New York, the local cooking scene couldn't compare to Portland's, so he tried farming and found he loved it. After moving back to Hillsboro, it took a few years to figure out how to make farming work, but he's been on that path ever since. The land that would become Stoneboat Farm was an old nursery that had gone out of business and been abandoned for a year. When Aaron and his team first saw it, the ground was full of weeds, rock hard, and in rough shape. Neighbors joked they should just put in a dirt bike track because they'd never grow anything there. But through 13 seasons of careful soil restoration with cover crops and organic amendments, that struggling land has transformed into a thriving farm where quality vegetables and genuine community connection grow together.

Community Supported Agriculture Year Round

When you join Stoneboat Farm's CSA program, you're becoming part of something that goes beyond simply buying vegetables. This is their 13th CSA season on this land just north of Hillsboro, and Stoneboat is primarily a CSA farm, with 80 to 85 percent of their production going directly to their community of shareholders. The main season CSA runs for 24 weeks from mid May through late October, giving you consistent access to quality produce when it's at its peak. They also offer a winter CSA with pickups every other week for 20 weeks from November through March, proving that local eating doesn't stop when summer ends. Winter shares include storage crops like carrots, potatoes, squash, and beets alongside fresh field greens, broccoli, and cauliflower grown through Oregon's mild winters. You can choose a full share that feeds a family of four or a half share perfect for two veggie loving folks. Being a CSA member spreads the cost of food out over the growing season while guaranteeing you access to the freshest possible produce.

Exceptional Quality Variety and Quantity

The quality, variety, and quantity of vegetables you receive is excellent. Each week brings something new, exposing you to vegetables you might not even know about that turn out to be amazing. The amount you get is very generous, and the quality is unmatched compared to what you'd find elsewhere. When you calculate the value, buying the same amount of food at the store each week would cost significantly more than what you prepay for in the CSA. First time CSA members consistently express how impressed they feel with the program, and longtime members return year after year because the experience delivers on every level.

Convenient Pickup Locations and Flexible Selection

Pickup locations make participating easy and convenient. During the main season, you can collect your share at the Hollywood Farmers Market on Saturdays, the Orenco Station Farmers Market on Sundays, or directly at the farm on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. Winter CSA pickups happen every other week at the Hollywood Farmers Market on the first and third Saturdays or at the farm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The farm pickups look like a little farmers' market where you come and select the veggies you want each week rather than receiving a predetermined box. During main season, almost every week when you pick up on the farm, you can have an unlimited amount of cooking greens and salad. This flexibility lets you customize your share based on what your family actually wants to eat.

Helpful Guidance on Using and Storing Produce

Stoneboat does an excellent job explaining how to use and store produce so you get the most out of your share. They always have suggestions on how to eat or cook whatever they're offering each week. Winter shares come with a few recipes for each pickup so if something is unfamiliar you'll know just what to do with it. CSA members gain access to Cook With What You Have, a resource that helps you learn how to use vegetables you're less familiar with and discover new ways to prepare old staples. This transforms the experience into a way more fun and creative way to cook, eat, and connect with family and community. The guidance makes even unfamiliar vegetables approachable and exciting rather than intimidating.

Friendly Knowledgeable Team and Farm Experience

All the people you'll interact with are extremely friendly and knowledgeable, creating a welcoming atmosphere whether you're a first time CSA member or have been participating for years. Aaron enjoys talking about the farm and is happy to answer your farming questions when you visit. On the farm, food growing and making friends come by to sell their goods too, so you can get everything from milk to vinegar, bread to meat, fish to kombucha alongside your vegetables. You can come out and pick flowers, take pictures of the farm, eat a picnic, and genuinely feel like part of the farm community.

Turning the Corner Through Soil Health

About 2 to 3 years ago, things finally turned the corner where Aaron could see the farm becoming what he'd hoped it would be. Where plants once struggled to survive in hard, infertile ground, they now thrive because the soil is healthier. Mistakes are more easily forgiven, and good practices are more likely to succeed. This transformation didn't happen overnight but through years of careful attention to cover cropping, organic amendments, and sustainable farming methods. The farming practices demonstrate genuine commitment to sustainability through trap cropping and predator attractant planting for pest control, which means their pest control looks like rows of beautiful flowers instead of tanks full of questionable chemicals. They carefully amend soils with rock dusts and organic amendments to build fertility, grow diverse cover crops and pollinator habitat, and have Great Pyrenees puppies named Rucola and Enoki guarding vegetables from deer and elk.

Beyond the CSA Farmers Markets and Wholesale Partners

You don't have to be a CSA member to buy their vegetables. During spring and summer, you'll find Stoneboat at the Orenco Station Farmers Market on Sundays and the Hollywood Farmers Market on Saturdays. In winter months, they're at PSU Farmers Market and other Portland area winter markets. Beyond farmers markets, you'll find Stoneboat Farm vegetables at Grand Central Bakery year round, where they supply salad and other vegetables almost every week. They also grow specialty peppers for Hot Mama Salsa, including fermented Fresno peppers and jalapeños that go into her fresh salsas and specialty sauces. They raise heritage turkey breeds and broad breasted bronze and whites, processing everything on site so they can guarantee quality.

Supporting Local Farmers and Building Community

The farm accepts SNAP benefits and works with the Pacific Northwest CSA coalition to match one half of any size share for qualifying members. While not certified organic due to the time, paperwork, and money involved, they demonstrate their practices directly through farm tours and detailed descriptions of everything that goes into the food they produce. Whether you're picking up your CSA share, shopping at the farmers market, or visiting the farm itself, you'll experience farming done right with integrity, care, and genuine passion for feeding the community well. Supporting Stoneboat means supporting the local economy and sustainable agriculture in meaningful ways.