We want to send a reminder to current members that CSA membership renewals for the 2019 season are still open. While there’s still time to renew, we are opening signups to folks on the waitlist on February 1, so we can no longer guarantee your spot after February 1 for the 2019 season if you haven’t signed already. Huge thanks to all of you who have already renewed!
To renew your CSA, please start here with your Trustees membership. If your Trustees membership is current, contact us at appletonfarmscsa@thetrustees.org and we will send a link for renewal to our current CSA members.We are looking forward to next season and we hope you are too!
Winter updates from the farmers: We received most of our seeds for the upcoming season and have the rest of our supplies ordered. Most of the field crew is hired at this point and we’re only one month away from the first the greenhouse seeding! With only one real snow storm under our belts so far, it’s hard to believe our spring work is only weeks away. We will continue to rest our bodies in weeks ahead as we energize for the upcoming season.
Late winter is a time for us to review some of our practices and systems and find places where we can make improvements. You may recall us talking about a new food safety law last season. The upgrade to our wash station was only a small part of how the new rules impact our production. The bulk of the legislation impacts us through the copious amount of records required to document daily tasks. While the law is focused on reducing food safety risks, it has forced us to streamline some of our practices and improve the way we document operations. Leah has been leading these efforts and I’m glad to report that we’re in great shape for the upcoming season!
Another major area of focus for us this offseason has been improvements to soil health. The addition of five acres for vegetable production this season will allow us to improve our crop rotations and be a bit more intentional with how we cover crop and rest fields. Our focus here is to build soils and fertility through compost applications and annual cover crops, and to rotate crop groups over different parts of the farm over time to avoid the build up of pests and diseases. The new acreage allows us to plan rotations multiple years in advance and avoid cropping some of our worn out fields. We are very excited these developments to say the least.
Upcoming Events on the Farm
Beer in the barn: NBPT Brewing NBPT brewing will join us to tell us all about their beer and career in brewing. Live music and tasty brews to follow. We will have light snacks for sale, or bring your food from home! This is a 21+ event. February 8th 5:30-8:30
Beer in the barn: Saintly Cider Saintly Cider will join us to tell us all about their cider and career in brewing. Live music and tasty brews to follow. We will have light snacks for sale, or bring your food from home! This is a 21+ event. February 22nd 5:30-8:30
February Vacation Programs Check the website for all of the amazing programs during vacation week. February 16-22
Happy to help.
Feel free to get in touch with any questions! email: appletonfarmscsa@thetrustees.org phone: 978-356-5728 ext. 4115
Andrew Lawson, CSA Manager: alawson@thetrustees.org
Sarah Kelly, CSA Coordinator: skelly@thetrustees.org
