Greetings from the farm,
The farm is bustling with activity in preparation for the summer season. We all count the days until May 1st, but somehow it seems as if a week or two of April just disappeared from the calendar.
A few things that you will see happening on the farm this month are the installation of new property signs updated with The Trustees new brand and logo, the May 21st Gala in celebration of The Trustees 125th Anniversary, and a new circulation route from the farm store to the Carriage Barn & Old House Visitor Center.
Fields are plowed and many planted; the programming is ramping up with our Mother's Day event and weekend family programs; Mark and team are cleaning up downed limbs, making repairs to buildings, and mowing the grass already; while Sandy and the store staff increase the inventory as more customers come to shop with the arrival of nice weather. In the livestock department, we continue to welcome spring calves and have begun setting up the miles of fencing so our herds can head out to their spring pastures. Kristian is busy in the cheese kitchen making his beautiful, creamy Jersey milk cheeses which will be ready to taste in early June while Susan in the office is getting all of the CSA renewals and information wrapped up.
Thank you to all of the volunteers who were able to come to our spring volunteer celebration. We appreciate each and every volunteer on the farm and loved sharing a meal together to kick off the upcoming season.
If you are visiting, come say hi to our three new Merino sheep who have joined our educational farm yard! Alana, Aleah and Molly will be helping children learn about fiber and wool.
The farm is bustling with activity in preparation for the summer season. We all count the days until May 1st, but somehow it seems as if a week or two of April just disappeared from the calendar.
A few things that you will see happening on the farm this month are the installation of new property signs updated with The Trustees new brand and logo, the May 21st Gala in celebration of The Trustees 125th Anniversary, and a new circulation route from the farm store to the Carriage Barn & Old House Visitor Center.
Fields are plowed and many planted; the programming is ramping up with our Mother's Day event and weekend family programs; Mark and team are cleaning up downed limbs, making repairs to buildings, and mowing the grass already; while Sandy and the store staff increase the inventory as more customers come to shop with the arrival of nice weather. In the livestock department, we continue to welcome spring calves and have begun setting up the miles of fencing so our herds can head out to their spring pastures. Kristian is busy in the cheese kitchen making his beautiful, creamy Jersey milk cheeses which will be ready to taste in early June while Susan in the office is getting all of the CSA renewals and information wrapped up.
Thank you to all of the volunteers who were able to come to our spring volunteer celebration. We appreciate each and every volunteer on the farm and loved sharing a meal together to kick off the upcoming season.If you are visiting, come say hi to our three new Merino sheep who have joined our educational farm yard! Alana, Aleah and Molly will be helping children learn about fiber and wool.
FROM THE CSA:
Sunny clear days and cool dry nights have made this a very
pleasant spring so far. With so little rain last week, we got the chance to break out some of our brand new irrigation
equipment. It was amazing to see the peas shooting up practically
overnight after a nice long drink and I expect the carrots to be equally
appreciative although we are still waiting for them to germinate. Somehow
we already seem to be struggling with a mountain of work and not enough hands
to get to it all. We’ve planted our first successions of cabbage, kale,
chard, beets, and lettuce and we got all the new potatoes in the ground over at
Moraine farm but we still have strawberries, onions, shallots and leeks to
plant from last week and spinach and kohlrabi that desperately want to go into
the ground this week. A couple of fields still need to be plowed
and I need to make beds for another succession of carrots. Unsurprisingly, my
inbox is full of unread emails right now. Fortunately we are looking to
start a number of new part time crew members in the next few weeks. That
should be a huge help with chipping away at the work load. Other than
there being a lot to do things have been going pretty smooth. We’ll
be sending out our welcome letter, CSA handbook and season calendar next week
so look for that in your inbox. Right now we are on track for a June 13th
start date for CSA distribution so mark your calendars.
Warm thoughts, Ryan
SAVE THE DATE: Shareholder Welcome and Orientation plus a Farm Store Open House. Saturday, June 4th. Details in your welcome email received this week.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Mother's Day Spring Alpen Celebration
Sunday, May 8th 10AM-12PMA fresh idea for Mother’s Day! Spend the morning at Appleton Farms ushering in the season of spring, the fresh flavors of the farm, and the dairy herd’s return to pasture. A tradition originating in the Alps, this day will include traditional Swiss treats and homemade breakfast goodies from our farm kitchen. A fondue bar, live music, and more. Let the Moms relax and enjoy the festivities while the kids help us open the barnyard, meet the baby animals, and make a gift for mom. Flower crown making in the Carriage Barn for all to enjoy. Decorated with bells and flowers, the cows will end the celebration in a traditional cow parade to their new spring pastures. FREE for moms! Please register all other adults and children. http://bit.ly/MothersDaySpringCelebration
Rise and Shine Little Farmers- Saturday mornings at 9am
Have you ever collected warm eggs from the chicken coop or seen how fast pigs will run for their morning helping of veggie scraps? This Saturday morning program brings families behind the scenes of our working farm. You’ll meet our cows, goats, sheep & chickens when you help with the morning chores (don’t worry, we will go easy on you!) We learn as we go and take advantage of whatever lesson the day has to offer. We conclude our farm adventure with a seasonal farm story. Registration online at www.thetrustees.org. Click "things to do" and search by property- Appleton Farms.
P.S.- Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to learn more about what's happening on the farm
