Appleton Farms CSA: Week 8

Good morning shareholders,

We have a lot to communicate about the field conditions this week so we will be catching you up on general farm news and updates next week.   

If you communicated with the CSA Manager or Share Room Manager and you are planning on taking the voluntary week hiatus, please do not pick up a share this week.

 The Share:

Cabbage
Carrots
Kale
Onions
Scallions
Potatoes
Cucumbers
Squash

 Field updates:

Boy, what a week.  If it were not for the growing chance of cooler, wetter weather today I don’t know if we would have had the morale to make it through.  We have watched with thirsty anticipation as the percent chance of rain slowly inched up. Today is supposed to be the big day but the wet stuff just refuses to come.  When I last checked the accumulation expectation was down to less than a tenth of an inch.  This is a pretty big blow.  On the positive side it seems that the heat has finally broken and in many ways this is as important as getting rain.  We have been holding off on transplanting and seeding fall crops for as long as possible in fear that they would be instantly killed.  Yesterday we were finally able to transplant our broccoli and we are working on cabbage, cauliflower and kale today.  It takes between 60 and 90 days for most of these crops to mature so we are cutting it a little close.  I took a closer look at our melons, eggplant, peppers and tomatoes this week as well.  The melons are showing signs of fatigue in spite of receiving a large amount of irrigation.  Fortunately it looks like quite a bit of the fruit set before the heat wave began.  The melons look a little puny but there are plenty of them.  It looks like the fruit sets on the eggplant, peppers and tomatoes are a little more erratic but most of the plants look healthy.  The summer and winter squash have been similarly impacted.  The lettuce looks so good that deer have begun staging raids through our fencing.  We have been forced to construct a secondary fence within the first to protect our lettuce.  Unfortunately our plan to get the deer to pay for this project failed.
I mentioned earlier that the heat wave coming to an end is almost as important as getting rain.  This is because most of the vegetables that we grow do not thrive when the weather is consistently above 85 degrees during the day time.  Long season, fruiting plants (melons, squash, tomatoes, etc.) will terminate fertile flowers above this temperature in a bid to conserve energy for a more favorable time.  Cool weather loving, short season plants (lettuce, greens, etc) tend to “bolt”, that is to become fibrous, bitter and go to seed, when the weather becomes too hot because their shorter life cycle doesn’t give them the opportunity to wait out unfavorable conditions.  Obviously the hot weather has resulted in more rapid moisture loss as well.  Fortunately it does not look like we will be returning to 85+ degree weather anytime soon.  With luck we will be able to catch up on watering a little bit and our plants will respond favorably.  

To summarize the bad news: our summer crops aren’t producing as much as they normally would be and some lower priority crops have succumbed.  Even if we get an inch of rain today things aren’t going to go back to normal over night.  Our staple fall crops have gone into the ground later in the season than we would normally like and some may not have the time to mature.  There isn’t much we can do about the summer crops other than adding this hiatus and riding it out but we can and are taking steps in an effort to safeguard our fall harvests.  First, we are beefing up our plans for faster growing fall crops.  We will be growing extra greens, spinach, turnips, beets, winter radish, napa cabbage, kale and others.  We may also try sowing extra carrots although it is a little late to be seeding those.  I know these might not be as popular as broccoli or cauliflower but they are solid, tasty and quick maturing crops.   Secondly we will be attempting to transplant more of these crops rather than direct seed them.  This will give us a greater degree of control over germination and maturation since we can’t afford to wait for the weather to favor us. Finally we will be turning to our neighboring farms as we have done in years past to help us fill in any gaps that might pop up in the share.  This may be a bit tricky since most other local farms are going through a very similar ordeal right now but it is certainly worth the try.  It is a little early to say how this will impact the fall share which we offer each year but the main season CSA is our first priority. 

Looking forward it seems as though this may not be the last hot, dry summer that we see.  I have been having lots of conversations with other farmers this week both about how they are trying to manage this drought and how they are thinking about dealing with future drought conditions.  Sometimes it takes a minor disaster to rouse us to action and I think we may have some opportunities to further improve our well, irrigation system and other core infrastructure for next season.  Many people have written to me this week offering their support and help in dealing with our water troubles.  Some have even offered to port water in!  While I don’t believe anything short of a long, steady, soaking rain will have a noticeable immediate impact, there is something that anyone and everyone can do to help.   

We will be putting out a mid season survey sometime in the next several weeks.  Your responses to this survey will be reviewed not only by myself but also by the Appleton General Manager, Engagement Manager and the Statewide Agriculture Program Manager as well as several others.  Your feedback on this survey is important for two reasons.  First, just by responding you can show that you are invested in the CSA program and that its future is important to you.  Second, this is a chance for you to directly advocate for the CSA program.  The Trustees is a large organization and capital reinvestment funds are distributed based on a number of criteria.  The CSA has grown quite a bit over the years and reinvestment in the program hasn´t always kept pace.  Your collective voice will make a large impact and you can use this chance to say “Yes we do care about the Appleton CSA program and we would like to see investments in its future stability.”  This year we are dealing with drought but next year we will likely be dealing with some new crisis.  We need to be proactive about potential weaknesses in the CSA program.  Yes this takes hard work from the farm staff and resources from the organization but most importantly it requires the will from our CSA members to see the farm succeed.  You are core supporters of Appleton Farms and The Trustees and your voices are powerful. 

Volunteer Opportunities: For more information email appletonfarms@thetrustees.org

Flower Fields Volunteers: Thursday, Friday or Saturday mornings with Olivia. Weeding, watering, planting, and making flower bouquets for the farm store. 

Food Festival Volunteers: Opportunities include set up, break down, decorating, slicing cheese samples, parking, welcome and registration, and more. Work a shift and enjoy the rest of the festival for free. We promise this will be a fun time and we really need your help!

More Upcoming Events and Programs:
Graze the North Shore Food Festival
Join us for our first local food festival! On Saturday, August 20^th, Appleton Farms will host Graze the North Shore, a food festival with local farmers, chefs, brewers, vintners and food enthusiasts for a day of summertime feasting. Graze your way through this one-of-a-kind summer event featuring generous tastings of local food, beer and wine, a pig roast, farm tours, cheese sampling, and live music by the Jason Spooner Band. Attendees will experience a true farmer to chef experience among the rolling pastures and historic barns here at Appleton Farms. 

Tickets include all samples and must be purchased in advance. This event is 21+. IDs will be checked at the gate as well as by breweries and vintners. Full size beverages can be purchased directly from our vendors.  Rain or shine. Buy your tickets now

Taking part are our friends from the following restaurants, breweries, and vintners:
Restaurants:Grassy Roots, Wenham, Eva's Butcher Shop, Danvers, A & B Burger, Beverly, Foreign Affairs, Manchester,  Vidalias, Beverly Farms, Ipswich Clambake, Ipswich, Naumkeag Ordinary, Salem, Gulu Gulu Café,  Salem, Flying Saucer Pizza Company, Salem , Flatbread, Georgetown, Kim Gregory Pure Pastry, Beverly, Tatiana’s Treats, North Andover

Breweries and Vintners:Old Planters, Beverly, Newburyport Brewing Company, Newburyport, Alfalfa Winery, Topsfield, Far From the Tree, Salem, Ipswich Ale, Ipswich, 1634 Meadery, Ipswich

We expect to host an additional 5-10 food and beverage crafters in addition to those above.  Think your product or business would be a great fit for our event? Email Kathryn at appletoncooks@thetrustees.org

Farm camp, Rise and Shine, Fun in the Farmyard, and Carrot Club continue each week!  Find all the details and registration at www.thetrustees.org

Appleton Farms: Welcome to Week 7

Good morning shareholders,

One of the most rewarding aspects of farming and working so closely with the land is the natural beauty you experience every day.  No matter the season, nature inspires awe.  Unfortunately, when we experience record breaking temperatures, extreme storms, or stretches of drought like we are in now, it is all farmers are thinking and talking about.  The daily moments of awe have become focused on the rapidly changing landscape before us here at Appleton.  We are adapting our practices to protect our crops and livestock each day that passes without rain.  We hope you are conserving water at home and finding ways to reduce your impact on water supplies.  Check out this nifty drought map for Massachusetts.  It has lots of features and interesting ways to compare historical and regional drought conditions.  The coolest thing about drought is this map!  Drought Monitor Map

Farm Camp, our Friday Farm Dinners, the support of our faithful volunteers, and our early morning runners are still keeping the farm filled with vibrancy despite the drought.  We are looking forward to this Sunday's Meet the Machines Summer Picnic where little ones can climb aboard our tractors and make friends with our farm yard animals. We hope you will join us!  Register online if you are coming at the link above. 

From the Fields:

In my updates from the last several weeks I have tried to communicate the harshness of the field conditions tempered with humor and cautious optimism. Unfortunately the time for putting on a bold face in hopes of a reprieve has passed.  Uncomfortable as it is, it is time to be very frank.  Many of the vegetables plantings have tipped from “just holding on” to “giving up”.  Although the week’s forecast doesn’t show a high probability of rain outside of a passing thunderstorm, even if we should get the steady soaking rain that we need it will come too late for many of our plantings to recover.  We have been trying to prioritize getting water to our most important crops to keep them from withering.  These include carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, summer squash, cucumbers and melons.  We are only able to water for about 6 out of every 24 hours as our well continuously runs dry and requires time to recharge.  Irrigation is keeping these crops alive but they are not thriving.  When the temperature rises above 85 degrees, most of the plants we grow will not set fruit while crops like lettuce will attempt to go to seed.  With continued stretches of 85+ degree weather we expect to see dips and stutters in yields.  Without speculating too much on the short and long term effects this weather will have on the rest of our season, I can say that we are in for a rough couple of weeks out in the fields and in the share room and that the late summer/early fall hinges on getting some substantial rain and cooler conditions in the near future.

On the bright side Moraine farm does not suffer the same water limitations as Appleton.  The winter squash especially looks very good in sharp contrast with last season’s crop.  Soon we will begin harvesting our new potatoes from the Moraine fields.  I am also hopeful that the fruits set before the blazing hot weather settled in will be of concentrated sweetness from all the dry weather.  Sooner or later this dry spell has got to break.  

In the Share

Kale

Cabbage

Kohlrabi

Onions

Cucumbers

Summer Squash

Garlic Scapes

New this Week

Carrots

In Other News: 
Check out this great article about the Appleton CSA on Foodtank.com, written by one of our fellow shareholders, Kathryn Chiffer.  Kathryn is an undergraduate student and the founder of "Project Lunchbox: Let's Eat!," an endeavor committed to empowering consumers, inspiring informed food choices, and instilling the belief that every person is capable of igniting change within the local and global food system. 

From the Farm Store:
We hope our shareholders who picked up last Monday enjoyed our Farm Store Open House with samples and tastings from our friends at Mojo, Carolyn's Farm Kitchen and our own Appleton cheeses.  Our August Open House will be on August 18th.  Also, Freedom Ranger pastured chickens from Eden Pond Farm are back in the store.  

Volunteer Opportunities: For more information email appletonfarms@thetrustees.org
Flower Fields Volunteers: Thursday, Friday or Saturday mornings with Olivia. Weeding, watering, planting, and making flower bouquets for the farm store. 
Food Festival Volunteers: Lend a hand pouring local beer or slicing cheese for samples at our upcoming food festival.

More Upcoming Events and Programs:
Graze the North Shore Food Festival
Join us for our first local food festival! On Saturday, August 20^th, Appleton Farms will host Graze the North Shore, a food festival with local farmers, chefs, brewers, vintners and food enthusiasts for a day of summertime feasting. Graze your way through this one-of-a-kind summer event featuring generous tastings of local food, beer and wine, a pig roast, farm tours, cheese sampling, and live music by the Jason Spooner Band. Attendees will experience a true farmer to chef experience among the rolling pastures and historic barns here at Appleton Farms. 

Tickets include all samples and must be purchased in advance. This event is 21+. IDs will be checked at the gate as well as by breweries and vintners. Full size beverages can be purchased directly from our vendors.  Rain or shine. Buy your tickets now

Taking part are our friends from the following restaurants, breweries, and vintners:
Restaurants:Grassy Roots, Wenham, Eva's Butcher Shop, Danvers, A & B Burger, Beverly, Foreign Affairs, Manchester,  Vidalias, Beverly Farms, Ipswich Clambake, Ipswich, Naumkeag Ordinary, Salem, Gulu Gulu Café,  Salem, Flying Saucer Pizza Company, Salem , Flatbread, Georgetown, Kim Gregory Pure Pastry, Beverly, Tatiana’s Treats, North Andover

Breweries and Vintners:Old Planters, Beverly, Newburyport Brewing Company, Newburyport, Alfalfa Winery, Topsfield, Far From the Tree, Salem, Ipswich Ale, Ipswich, 1634 Meadery, Ipswich

We expect to host an additional 5-10 food and beverage crafters in addition to those above.  Think your product or business would be a great fit for our event? Email Kathryn at appletoncooks@thetrustees.org

Farm camp,Rise and Shine, Fun in the Farmyard, and Carrot Club continue each week!  Find all the details and registration at www.thetrustees.org

Appleton Farms: Welcome to Week 6

Good morning shareholders,

This week on the farm we welcomed our new Artist in Residence, Laurie Miles.  Laurie Miles (http://lauriemilesart.com/) has been a friend of the farm and The Trustees for many years.  She knows our properties well and has long been inspired by the nature they provide access to.  Laurie's artistic process at Appleton is focused on paper making using the farm and field leftovers; broccoli and cabbage leaves, the tops of leeks, seed pods and roots left in the wake of the plow.  Laurie's weekly medium is as dependent on the harvest as what goes home in your share bag. Her process is available for all to experience in front of the Old House.  Please wander back and say hello- you won't be disappointed as both Laurie and her paper making process are absolutely wonderful. 

We also enjoyed the first week of Appleton Farm Camp!  The Little Peeps, Farmhands, and Foragers dug into farm chores, gardening, cooking in the kitchen, hiking, crafting, and plenty of sprinkler fun.  You should see these kids cook! Staff favorites included the herb biscuits (with their own homemade butter) and the zucchini muffins with a close runner up in the mini quiches with eggs and herbs collected by the campers.  We may be training the next generation of chefs AND farmers here at farm camp.

Back by popular demand, Carrot Club is back! If you have little ones, make sure to stop by and say hello to Caroline, our Farm Educator, on Tuesdays or Thursdays between 2pm-4pm. She will be in front of the CSA barn offering farm crafts, discovery stations, and more fun for the kids while you pick up your share.

 Don't forget! GARLIC HARVEST THIS SATURDAY!  BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!  9AM-NOON, MEET IN THE CSA BARN!!! 




Field Updates:
Unfortunately I’m going to be square this time around as I will be away this weekend but please come to help with the garlic harvest- it is fun for all ages.  Stop by for some or all of the morning to lend a hand. We are still waiting for any substantial amount of rain with a string of 85F days behind us and another string in front of us.  There is no doubt that this weather is having an impact on our growing season at this point but we can’t do anything except wait it out.  When the heavens finally do open up we’ll be out there dancing. -Ryan and crew

The Share
Lettuce
Chard
Scallions
Beets
Cabbage
Kohlrabi
Summer Squash
Garlic Scapes
PYO Herbs
PYO Flowers
New This Week
Fennel
Onions

The Recipe Exchange: We had some great submissions this week.  Keep them coming shareholders!

Email your favorite recipe highlighting veggies coming out of the fields to appletonrecipeexchange@gmail.com.

Spanish Gazpacho  from Kate S
This one is from her Spanish abuela (grandma) from Madrid .Very yummy and very healthy
For four - Adjust according to number of people

8 large peeled tomatoes (fresh) (peel by dunking in boiling water and cool skin peels off)
4 cored green peppers. 1 cored and diced green pepper for garnish
3 or 4 depending on size peeled cucumbers. 1 cucumber peeled and diced for garnish
One red onion diced for garnish
Slightly stale bread, cut into rough cubes for garnish
3 cloves garlic
Three tablespoons good olive oil for soup
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Garlic salt

Put tomatoes, 4 peppers, cucumbers, garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper and tablespoons olive oil in mixer and blend. Remove, season to taste and chill
Drizzle bread with oil, garlic salt and salt and pepper and bake to make croutons
Garnish soup with croutons, teaspoon of onions, peppers and cucumbers.


Lettuce and Broccoli Soup from Betsy M. who warmed out hearts with this quote at the end of her recipe: "It is wonderful to be part of the Appleton Farms community!"

This is a recipe that uses only CSA ingredients, except for the oil & water, salt & pepper. ..        
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 scallions
2 garlic scapes
1 cup lettuce, chiffonade
1 cup chopped broccoli
1/2 cup lightly chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Chop scallions and scapes. Saute scallions and garlic scapes for about 2 minutes. Add broccoli stems, then lettuce. When lettuce is wilted, add 4 cups of water (broth/ stock optional) . Boil until broccoli is tender but not soft. Use an immersion blender or blender to "cream" the soup.
This is delicious hot or cold. Dollops of sour cream or yogurt could be added.

From the Farm Store:
We have pastured heritage chickens from Eden Pond Farm back in stock as well as mozzarella, ricotta and burratta just in time for basil picking season.  Know of something that you’d like us to carry?  Please let the shopkeeper know. We are always looking for new products.

Upcoming Events:

Meet the Machines Summer Picnic | Sunday, July 24th from 4pm-7pm
Balers and bucket loaders and harrows, oh my! Pack a picnic and spend a summer evening at Appleton Farms meeting our machines. You'll get to climb aboard backhoes, check out manure spreaders and try out the view from our tractors. Afterwards, enjoy live music and your picnic brought from home in the stone paddock. When you’ve gotten your fill of machines try your hand at some lawn games or get your face painted! Also make sure to say hello to our goats, sheep, and bunnies in the barnyard.  Limited picnic tables will be available, but feel free to bring your own lawn chairs or blankets. We'll have free lemonade and water available for all. Top it off with ice cream for sale from Honeycomb Creamery, made with our own Jersey cream.  Member family: $24. Nonmember family: $30. Register online at http://bit.ly/29DlaNR

Graze the North Shore Food Festival  | Saturday, August 20th from 6pm-9pm
 Graze your way through this one-of-a-kind summer event featuring generous tastings of local food, beer and wine, a pig roast, farm tours, cheese sampling, and live music by the Jason Spooner Band. Attendees will experience a true farmer to chef experience among the rolling pastures and historic barns here at Appleton Farms.  Members: $40. Nonmembers: $50.
Restaurants:Grassy Roots, Wenham, Eva's Butcher Shop, A & B Burger, Beverly, Foreign Affairs, Manchester,  Vidalias, Beverly Farms, Pastaio Via Corta, Gloucester  With more joining each day!
Breweries and Vintners:Old Planters, Beverly, Newburyport Brewing Company, Newburyport, Alfalfa Winery, Topsfield, Far From the Tree, Salem, Ipswich Ale, Ipswich, 1634 Meadery, Ipswich

Appleton Farms CSA: Welcome to Week 5!

Greetings Shareholders!

Ashley here - I'll be taking over the CSA blog this week. For those who don't know me - I'm the CSA Share Room Manager. Hopefully I've had the chance to introduce myself to you at pick up - it's been great getting to know the friendly faces of shareholders over the past weeks. If we haven't had a chance to meet, please introduce yourself at pick up. I'm in the share room every day and I'm happy to answer questions, address concerns,  tell you about programs at the farm, and let you know what's happening in the fields. Last season I worked as a Farm Educator and helped out at the Friday Farm Dinners, so I have first hand experience with our great programs and would love to let you know more about them if you're interested.

The farmers are nice enough to let me tag along and help out in the fields every Monday morning. This has provided me with wonderful insight into what we will likely be seeing in the share room each week. So if you're wondering about when your favorite vegetable is making it's way to the share room, ask me! I can't guarantee I'll have the answer, but I'll be happy to figure it out for you. Last time I was out we harvested kale and transplanted watermelons. I'm also out their checking the progress of the pick your own fields - beans, basil, and dill will hopefully be ready for picking soon.

We are still encouraging share holders to submit to our recipe blog. If you have a great CSA recipe you just can't get enough of, please share it with the rest of us! Thank you Stephanie for your wonderful recipe a couple weeks back! I printed out recipe cards and people were excited to try the recipe themselves. Please submit your recipes to: appletonrecipeexchange@gmail.com. See week 2's blog post for more information about recipe submissions.

Have you noticed the beautiful garlic scapes have made their debut in the share room this week? I know many people were anxiously awaiting their arrival, and they are here! Curious as to what to use them for? Here's my favorite use for garlic scapes: pesto!

The most recent batch I made is as follows:

Garlic Scape Pesto
-1/2 cup fresh basil
-1/2 cup garlic scapes, chopped
-juice from half a lemon
-a few pinches of sea salt
-1/3 cup olive oil
-1/3 cup lightly toasted pine nuts or cashews
-1/2 freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:
In a food processor, blend basil, garlic scapes, lemon juice, nuts, and salt. Slowly add olive oil while blending. Once finely blended, stir in parmesan cheese.


See you in the share room!
-Ashley Chapman
CSA Share Room Manager

From the Field:

In the share room this week:
Lettuce
Salanova
Cabbage
Broccoli
Garlic Scapes
Kale
Scallions
Kohlrabi
PYO Herbs
PYO Flowers
New This week:
Chard
Beets
Summer Squash

News from the Field:

After some light rain in the beginning of the week we are back to dry weather.  Keep your fingers crossed for some good rain this Saturday.  We really need a full day of very steady precipitation, 1” or more, to get us back on track.  The continued lack of rain is definitely having a deflating effect on certain crops, especially on higher, well drained ground with sandy soils.  If this dry spell keeps up we may need to sacrifice one of the apprentices as an offering to the weather gods.  Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
We are coming to the end of our spring crops but with our cooler bulging with stored broccoli, cabbage and kohlrabi there may well be brassicas in your diet until late summer.  The summer squash has started up and our first succession looks very strong.  In another week or two the pickling cucumbers should begin with the slicers soon to follow that.  With any luck we should shift into seamlessly into the summer bounty without missing greens and turnips too much (they will be back again in the fall).
The Garlic Harvest is swiftly approaching!  Come one come all to help pull, bunch and hang our garlic.  If you are interested in volunteering to assist with harvesting garlic we would love to have your help on Saturday July 16th from 8am-noon (or whenever you are able to arrive until noon).  This is a very fun and social event for aspiring farmers between the ages of 8 and 80 and we can accommodate all ability levels and levels of physical intensity as there will be activities happening both out in the field and in the shade of the barn.  Help us Bank the Stank!
 Ryan Wood
CSA Manager 

Welcome to Week 4

Good morning shareholders,

This week on the farm we have been enjoying the joyful presence of our 10 new camp counselors. Led by our Camp Director, Pilar, the group has been familiarizing themselves with every corner of the farm, meeting the staff, and developing some absolutely fabulous activities for the campers who join us for the first week of camp on July 11th.  

Our livestock team continues to hay, hay, and hay some more. The mountain of round bales grows by the day, making our farmers and cows feel secure about the winter feed supply. We have new volunteers helping in the dairy barn and starting this Sunday we will be welcoming some young volunteers to help with our Sunday barn chores.  We are wrapping up our expansion project in the Carriage Barn and welcoming lots of families to our weekend Fun in the Farmyard and Rise and Shine programs. Friday Farm Dinners continue each week with some great restaurants coming to the farm in July. 

   

We hope you enjoy a festive 4th of July weekend.  We will be open regular hours for share pick up this coming Monday, the 4th - 1pm-7pm.  

News from the Field:

I had hoped not to rely upon talk of the weather for content.  It is a trite New England tradition to begin with and twice overworked when it comes to the talk of farmers.  However my consternation overbears my restraint and I must speak.  It is about as dry as powdered biscuit mix out there.  I’ve been binge watching Deadwood, a  tv show set in the Badlands of South Dakota, and I’ve notice that Appleton is taking on a similar color scheme.  How dry is it?  Yesterday our well ran to empty for the first time in at least 4 years.  After all my bragging about new irrigation equipment we end up not having enough water to run it when we need it.  Please take a moment to appreciate our shiny new filters, lines and overhead sprinklers on your way out to picking because, for the time being, they have been reduced to expensive instillation art.

But que sera, sera.  While I am trying to be very cautious about planting or seeding brand new vegetables into this dust bowl, the veggies that we all ready have in the ground seem to be holding on for the most part.  Soon this endless stretch of perfect sunny days must break and the rain will come as a great relief to plants and farmers both.  In a month or so I expect the share will reflect our present troubles with a break in the successions of our beans and cilantro.  We haven’t seeded these things in a couple of weeks because, with so little water, many of the seeds could die before they even fully germinate.  For now we’ll save the seed and the time it takes to plant them and after the rain comes we will plant double to make up for lost time.

The Share:

Greens

Lettuce

Turnips

Bok Choi

Kale

Cabbage

Scallions

PYO herbs

New this week:

Garlic Scapes

Broccoli

Volunteers Wanted: We are still looking for volunteers to help us in a number of capacities.

Sunday Barnyard Program Assistant (Kids 12+). Email Caroline at crouillar@thetrustees.org

Flower Fields Garden Maintenance Email Beth at bzschau@thetrustees.org

Volunteers also needed for the Boston Pops at Castle Hill. Email Marc at mmahan@thetrustees.org

Handy Volunteer to make 25 wooden reindeer for our winter Reindeer Quest Event 

Upcoming Programs and Events:

Friday Farm Dinners

Fridays starting June 24th │ 5:30-8:30PM

Join Appleton Farms and our local chefs for a summer evening of farm fresh food, live music, and lawn games! This family-friendly dinner in our Stone Paddock will feature a seasonal menu of fresh food grown or raised at Appleton and other local farms. We have also invited the Ipswich Ale tap mobile to offer beer and wine for purchase.   Ticket price includes the full dinner buffet, non-alcoholic beverages (beer and wine will be available for purchase), dessert, games, music and all the fun you can handle! Dinners are held rain or shine. Menu changes every week. Register online.

*July 8th- Food by Bambolia, rustic pizza makers from Salem and music by the Austin Torpedos

*July 15- Food by A&B Burgers and music by Derek Rando

*July 22nd- Food by Grassy Roots and music by Highway's End

Carrot Club

Starting the Week of July 5^th 

Tuesday & Thursday │2-4PM 

Carrot Club is our drop in, pop-up program outside the Appleton Farm Store every Tuesday and Thursday from 2-4pm. Drop in anytime between 2 and 3:45 for a fun farm craft, story or game. Activities will change every session so there is always something fun to try! Activities will average 15-20 minutes and will be guided by our farm educator.  FREE 

Wee Farmers Mini Camp - Week of July 11th – August 15^th

Wednesdays and Fridays │ 9-10:30AM

Wee Farmers is designed for our 3-4 year old  friends who want to explore the farm, meet our animals, and get a taste of what Farm Camp is like at Appleton! You’ll get to dig into life on the farm and lend a helping hand  brushing our goats, feeding our bunnies, singing songs, and taste testing in the education garden! Learn about how we grow our vegetables and see how good your senses are with Harvest Blanket. Tour the Cheese Kitchen and learn how sunshine helps to makes our delicious milk. We’ll start our morning with a quick craft and song before venturing out for some farm discovery and nature exploration. This program is perfect for younger siblings who have older siblings signed up for the Appleton Farm Camp and want to join in the fun too!

Meet the Machines & Summer Picnic

Sunday, July 24^th │ 4-7PM

Balers and bucket loaders and harrows, oh my! Pack a picnic and spend a summer evening at Appleton Farms meeting our machines. You'll get to climb aboard backhoes, check out manure spreaders and try out the view from our tractors. Afterwards, enjoy live music and your picnic brought from home in the stone paddock. When you’ve gotten your fill of machines try your hand at some lawn games or check out crafts in the carriage barn. Also make sure to say hello to our goats, sheep, and bunnies in the barnyard! Limited picnic tables will be available, but feel free to bring your own lawn chairs or blankets! We'll have free lemonade and water available for all. Ice cream will be available for sale.