Good morning shareholders,The summer heat continues to bake the pastures, veggie fields, farmers and staff but we had lots of fun with our group of farm campers this week, made some tasty pickled carrots, zucchini and corn salsa at our Putting Up the Harvest class in the kitchen, and have our new batch of Broad Meadow cheese in the farm store. We'll be heading off the farm this weekend to sample and sell cheese at the Ipswich Farmer's Market and Beverly's Bacon and Brew Fest.
We are looking forward to an exciting week ahead with our monthly Farm Store Open House on Thursday the 18th and our first Graze the North Shore Food Festival on Saturday, August 20th. Get your tickets and join us for a fun night on the farm with live music by the Jason Spooner band, your favorite local restaurants and beverage crafters.
Next week marks the half way point in the CSA season. In our continuing efforts to improve communication between CSA shareholders and farmers, we will be doing a mid season survey this year in addition to our end of season survey. The survey will be posted here on the blog and will also be available to fill out in the share room next week. This is an opportunity to provide feedback on your CSA experience thus far with a focus on aspects of the CSA that we can improve for the second half of the season. We hope you will participate and let us know how we’re doing and what you would like to see us do better between now and November. Thanks in advance!
Please find the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AFCSAmidseasonsurvey
The Share
Lettuce
Chard
Carrots
Potatoes
Cabbage
Onions
Melons
Cucumbers
Squash
From the Fields:
We finally got some rain this week! It wasn’t a season
altering quantity but it was enough to keep the soil moist for the past two
days. More importantly, the rain signaled both a climatic as well as
spiritual shift here on the farm. With more wet weather a possibility in the
forecast maybe we can begin to hope again for a good fall.
Hope has been wrestling with Pragmatism in my mind for the
last couple of weeks and it hadn’t been looking good for Hope prior to this
Wednesday’s storm. It remains to be seen how much of a practical impact
one storm will have but just for fun lets look on the bright side today.
Tomatoes are still at least a week away from ready but the
red slicers look very large and healthy. When they do finally start
coming in I’m expecting a fast flush. The extra fall crops that we seeded
over the last two weeks have had strong germination and fast growth in the
greenhouse. If we can beat the pests, the extra napa cabbage, sprouting
broccoli and kohlrabi should be great this fall in addition to the extra
greens, radishes and turnips. We aren’t certain exactly when the sweet
corn will be available in the share but it will reportedly be here this
month. I think we may also begin to harvest cantaloupe next week which is
extremely exciting for me. If the yields are reasonable and if they are
popular in the share room we may increase the number we grow next year.
The few cantaloupes that we’ve sampled for science have made me believe that
they should be extremely well received.
Recipe Exchange:
We didn't have any recipes submitted this week in our recipe exchange but our Office Manager, Susan, made Betsy M's Kohlrabi and Veggie soup and claims it is amazing! Check out last week's post if you want to try it. More on the recipe exchange in the survey.
Volunteer Opportunities: Interested? Email appletonfarms@thetrustees.org
We are still looking for a few more volunteers for our Food Festival, Saturday August 20th, from 6pm-9pm. Lend a hand for an early or late shift at our food and beverage stations, set up, or clean up. Volunteers can bring a friend for free. Away on the 20th? Save the date to lend a hand at Family Farm Day on Sunday, September 18th. Your help makes our events possible for hundreds of families to learn, connect, and get involved with Appleton Farms.
Upcoming Programs and Events:
Friday Farm Dinners: Every Friday in the Stone Paddock at 5:30PM. Join us for a summer evening of farm fresh food, live music, and lawn games! Pre-register online here
Cooking with Fire: August 28th at 6PM. Inspired by the farm’s very own wood-fired Earth Oven, this special workshop celebrates the season with signature recipes featuring the freshest farm ingredients along with all the skills needed to enjoy your own backyard grilling all summer long. Class begins in the farm kitchen with menu preparation, culinary tips, and instruction before heading outdoors to the kitchen patio for fun grilling, dining, and local beer! Pre-register online here
