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Each year at Columbia Ecovillage brings new ways of growing and sharing food.

Columbia Ecovillage was previously the home of the Portland Permaculture Institute, so the first year, 2009, our land generously provided us with filberts, walnuts, figs, apples, pears and plums as well as several varieties of berries and grapes during our first summer and fall at the village. Our harvesters picked and froze berries and placed nuts in the Farmhouse attic to dry. We planted greens, tomatoes and other crops for our community meals as well as winter squash and garlic to store in our Farmhouse root cellar.

When there was an abundance of one crop or another, beyond our community meal needs, villagers on harvest duty took the excess to a farm stand we put up where we could help ourselves. The avid food preservers among us used some of this produce to make dried fruit as well as fruit compotes, apple sauce, tomato sauce and more. Several villagers canned grape juice from our grapes for community use and our bee folks donated a good amount of honey to the community, storing it in the root cellar.

Our colorful chickens moved into a new home on the property in the fall and blessed us with abundant egg production. We use the eggs for community meals and also sell them to members when we have more than we need.

Our goal has been to grow and share as much food as residents are willing and able to produce. Those who are interested also share their kitchen crafting skills with each other as well as various starters for cultured foods like sourdough, kefir and kombucha.

This year, 2010, we have new community gardens filled to the brim with vegetables and fruits to harvest for our shared meals. The Food Team works with the Veggie group to communicate with the cooks which produce is ready for eating.