The CSA Starts Soon!

A Note from Amanda, our CSA Share Room Manager:

It's hard to believe it’s June! Both farmers and plants are grateful for the warmer weather we’ve experienced over the past few weeks. It’s finally feeling like summer, and our fieldwork is in full swing. During our longer work days, we continue to seed in the greenhouse, cultivate the soil around the crops and transplant seedlings, filling up the fields.

We are pleased with success we have seen in the cover crops that were seeded over the fall. These fields are lush and green, it’s quite a beautiful sight! The grass-like rye has grown to waist high, and the vetch and clover are blooming with brilliant hues of purple and burgundy flowers. We will soon disk the cover crops into the soil, helping to improve soil health and fertility, and closing the nutrient cycle. The strawberries are starting to fruit and ripen, a sure sign that the CSA is about to begin!

Time flies when you are having fun! Before we know it we will be filling up baskets out in the field and preparing them for the pick up! 

Now that Memorial Day Weekend is behind us, we are eager to welcome our seasonal staff to the farm next week. These part time workers play a critical role during the bustling harvest season. Slowly but surely, the items kept in the barn over the Winter are finding new homes, and tables, bins, and CSA signage are being uncovered and cleaned up. As your share room manager, I am already anticipating posting a weekly recipe that CSA Members can snap a picture of on their way in or out of the barn. The weekly recipes will highlight a vegetable available in the share each week, maybe sparking some new ideas for the fresh local produce in your bag!

The share is set to open the week of Tuesday June 12th. 

As a reminder, our share room hours have changed this year. Pick up times are Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays 12:30-6:30. Shareholders are free to pick up their share any day that best suits their schedule, and do not need to commit to the same day each week. Additionally, shareholders do not need to tell us which day they will be picking up. 

Be on the lookout for the Member Handbook in your email inbox in the coming week. It’s a wonderful resource that lays out the ground rules for how the share room operates. We will be more heavily staffed during the first week of the share to welcome new CSA Members, and to answer any questions pertaining to weekly pick up procedures.

See you soon!

- Amanda

 Appleton Farms CSA Share Room Manager

The CSA Barn at Appleton Farms [photo credit: Above Summit]