Week 5: The Height of Summer!

The rains last week and hot weather this week has the crops (and weeds!) growing well. Hot crops like zucchini and cucumbers are thriving, onions are starting to bulb up, and the tomatoes grew a full foot in the six days! This week we turned over what amounted to a great strawberry crop and transplanted out next year’s plants. Fresh herbs featured in our pick your own field are thriving and are a great addition to summer salads. Many thanks to our hard working crew for pushing through the recent heat wave and staying on top of things. It’s their hard work (and sweat!) that makes our share possible.

This week the share will include:

• Mixed greens
• Head lettuce
• Radicchio
• Rainbow chard
• Fennel
• Beets
• Carrots
• Scallions
• Cucumbers
• Yellow squash
• Zucchini
• Napa cabbage
• Pointed head cabbage
• PYO herbs
• PYO flowers

Despite our best efforts to keep a good stash of scissors for the pick your own field, every week many go missing. We encourage you to bring your own scissors if you plan on picking.

As a reminder, our hours for pickup have changed to Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 12:30-6:30PM. We are also open for pick your own on Saturdays, 8AM-Noon. 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.

Vegetable of the week!

RADICCHIO is a leaf chicory, sometimes called Italian chicory. It is a good source of selenium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, B-vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin E and folate. Radicchio has been known as a healthy food for quite some time. In fact, Pliny the Elder, a Roman author and natural philosopher, claimed in his encyclopedia, “Natural History,” that it was useful to purify the blood and treat insomnia. While this document was written during the first century, it’s actually true that one nutrient found in the radicchio plant, intybus, is a mild pain reliever and sedative.

Grilled Summer Salad

Dressing:
3 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil (& more for drizzling)
1 TBSP chopped fresh dill
1 TBSP Sherry wine vinegar
2 tsp dijon
1 tsp honey

Salad:
6 garlic scapes, trimmed at both ends (or scallions/fresh onions )
1 head romaine lettuce, 1 head red leaf lettuce, 1 head radicchio, all quartered with cores intact
2 summer squash and 2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise

Whisk dressing ingredients and set aside. Light grill to medium high heat. Arrange prepared veggies on baking sheets, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill vegetables: romaine 2 minutes per side, leaf lettuce 1-2 minutes per side, radicchio and squash- 4-5 minutes per side. Remove from grill, core and slice the greens; chop the squash and onions/scapes/scallions. Serve with additional fresh greens, kale that's been massaged with the dressing, or dressed over quinoa/rice. Enjoy!

Week 4: Pick-Your-Own Flowers are Back!

Week 4

 

The big rains on Thursday put a halt to field activities for a few days as we wait for fields to dry a bit. We had been fairly dry and preparing to irrigate again. I expect we will see a quite a boost in growth from the recent moisture and heat. Despite the slowdown, a rainy day is welcome from time to time as it allows us to pause a bit, clean up and reorganize work spaces, tune up equipment, and look ahead at weeks and months to come. We sure are excited for some delicious and beautiful summer crops!

 

This week the share will include:

 

Mixed greens

Head lettuce

Leaf lettuce

Beets

Carrots

Green cabbage

Broccoli

Kohlrabi

Kale

Scallions

Zucchini

Summer squash

PYO peas

PYO herbs

PYO flowers

 

Despite our best efforts to keep a good stash of scissors for the pick your own field, every week many go missing. We encourage you to bring your own scissors if you plan on picking.

 

As a reminder, our hours for pickup have changed to Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 12:30-6:30PM. We are also open for pick your own on Saturdays, 8AM-Noon. 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.

 

Vegetable of the week!

 

Cabbage is a member of the brassica family, a relative of kale and broccoli. It’s dense heads can range from green to red and purple and leaves can be smooth or crinkled. It is delicious eaten raw, sauteed, added to soups, and even fermented! It’s a good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, and fiber.

 

Sauteed cabbage with roasted beets

 

Ingredients:

1 head cabbage, chopped

2 tbsp butter

2-3 beets, diced and roasted

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

 

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray beets with oil and wrap in parchment paper, roasting until tender. Meanwhile, heat butter in large saute pan over medium heat. Add cabbage and cook until softened and starting to brown. Once beets are soft, let cool and peel off skins. Dice beets and combine with cabbage. Season with salt and pepper. Serve as side dish, add pancetta and serve over pasta, or use with salad greens, goat cheese, and apples. Garlic scape pesto would be great with it!

In the Farm Store...

Please note that the Appleton Farms store will be closed on Wednesday, July 4^th, in observance of the holiday.  Stock up on all your favorites this weekend and take advantage of ongoing in-store promotions ending on Tuesday.

Friday, 6/29, stop by the store between 1:30 to 6pm for a taste of Dancing Goat raw-pressed olive oil and speak to the local owner, Voula, about the community oriented business model & health benefits. Now through July 3rd, take 20% off Dancing Goat olive oil - pure and raw pressed with love from a single source of olive groves managed by women in Greece. Dancingfoods.com

 

Also on sale through Tuesday, July 3^rd: Party packs of 12 - 6 oz. burgers for only $20.  3 packs of 6 oz. burgers are buy 1, get 1 50% off.  Be the host with the most or the favorite guest by serving up Appleton Farms Jersey cow beef patties: pasture-raised, grass-fed cows supplemented with non-GMO grain and guaranteed antibiotic-free.  50% off sale on Top Round and Chuck steaks.

 

Love cheese and want to try new varieties each month?  Sign up for our Summer Cheese Subscription - $100 for 6 biweekly pickups spread over 12 weeks of summer.  First pickup starts Friday, July 6 ^th.  Sign up in store now or e-mail appletonfarms@thetrustees.org.

Need to renew your membership or considering buying for a friend?  Join or renew in-store and receive free Appleton cheese plus Trustees swag and a 20% off coupon for a future purchase.  IN-STORE PROMOTION ONLY!

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]

Our Farmers Kick into High Gear!

From Farmer Andrew...

The crops are looking good so far as we’ve had a couple excellent weeks of sunny weather. With the warm temperatures come a burst of new weeds and we are focusing our attention on early cultivation techniques. To help in this effort, we have utilized the newest member of our equipment fleet, the Kress cultivator, to help quickly cultivate crop rows and to save time on manual weed removal from our crew. This implement is equipped with “finger weeders,” which look wheels with soft tines that gently pull weeds close to the crop plant. While we’re still learning the all the adjustments, we’ve had some early success!

The longer days have given us more time to work, of which we have been taking advantage! The crew is busy transplanting, adding and removing row cover, and finishing up our spring clean up projects. In the past few weeks we’ve transplanted over an acre of onions and leeks and another acre of potatoes. Staples like lettuces and brassicas are rooted and looking great, and a whole lot of direct seeding has been in the works over the past week. The strawberries are just starting to flower, a sure sign that the warmer weather is here to stay.

Our new wash station is coming right along, as you may notice a new concrete slab behind the barn, and a beautiful fence (built by our own Appleton Staff) creating the barrier between the farm store picnic area, and our tractor equipment. In the coming weeks the finishing touches will be put in our wash station. We are looking forward to being able to use it!   

Fruit Share

We still have a few spots left in our new fruit share for Appleton Farms CSA shareholders! Ask for more info at appletonfarmscsa@thetrustees.org.

Meat CSA

Have you signed up for the Meat CSA yet? Pickup is at Appleton Farms, so it's a convenient, tasty way for shareholders to expand support for our local food system. For more information, check out the Meat CSA page on our website.

What's Happening on the Farm?

All sorts of incredible activities, our Farm Camp, the fantastic selection of local food and Appleton Dairy products at the Farm Store...the list goes on. Stay in touch! For details, head over to the Appleton Farms page – you'll be amazed at what happens at the farm!

Spring is Here!

A Note from Farmer Andrew: 

Farmer Leah, vacuum-seeding broccoli 

Ross, working away in the greenhouse

They say, “March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb.” After some extremely mild weather last month, we certainly felt the harsh return of winter over the past few weeks. Despite the snow and blustery cold, we have spent most of March in the warm oasis of the greenhouse seeding onions, leeks, beets, and the first rounds of broccoli and cabbage. After two months of mostly office work, it feels good to be back in the sun with our hands in the soil. If the proverb about March weather rings true, this snow will be gone in no time!

We are very fortunate to have Ross MacGregor back on the crew this year, his third season at the farm. He returned to work here the first week of March and has been helping in the greenhouse with seeding and with carpentry projects. Ross brings a positive energy and has a keen interest in continuing to build his skill and understanding of vegetable production. His role has expanded slightly this season, as he takes on more of the tractor work and a lead in some of the field production. We’re happy to have him back this season and to see him continue to grow.

Here’s another reminder to renew your CSA membership for the 2018 season if you’re still interested in participating in the upcoming season. We have opened signups to people on the waitlist but there’s still space for current members interested in renewing. If you need the link to renew, feel free to contact us at appletonfarmsCSA@thetrustees.org.

The greenhouse is full of life!

Upcoming Events at the Farm...    

Egg-Cellent Easter Adventure

Saturday, March 31st 

10AM-12PM

Info & Registration

From Cultures to Rinds: Cheese Making Fundamentals

Saturday, April 7th

9:30-11:30AM 

Info & Registration 

From the Farm Kitchen: Brunch Culinary Class

Sunday, April 8th 

9:30AM-12:30PM

Info & Registration

Appleton Farm Camp Registration

Summertime is coming to Appleton!

Appleton Farm Camp registration is open and weeks are filling quickly. Sign up soon so you don’t miss out! For more information and to register visit www.thetrustees.org/appletonfarmcamp

In the Farm Store...

The Easter Bunny is here to bring you great deals on all the treats & toys you need to fill your baskets this weekend. Check out our make your own Easter basket display at the store & receive 20% off $20, 30% off $30, or 40% off $40 or more on selected items.

This weekend is your last chance to renew your membership in store & receive our March madness promo deals. Join, renew or buy a membership for a friend through 3/31/18 & receive free Appleton Farms cheese & a tote bag (see shopkeeper for details & availability).  As if you needed another reason to join, April is Trustees Member & Volunteer Appreciation Month in the farm store.  In addition to great sales on staff & customer favorites, throughout the entire month of April Trustees Members will receive an extra discount in store - 20% off on all non-sale items purchased at the farm store.

Attention: Cheese Lovers!

The Appleton Farms Spring 2018 Cheese Share starts Friday, April 13th.  Sign up in store or via e-mail today to reserve your spot!

The Spring cheese share will be 6 pickups spread over 12 weeks for $100 per share.  Pickups start at 11 AM on the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month, beginning with Friday, April 13th and ending on Friday, June 22nd.  Pickups are at the Appleton Farms Store during regular store hours (Monday-Friday: 11 AM - 6 PM; Saturday & Sunday: 10 AM - 4 PM).  Each pickup will feature at least one Appleton Farms signature hard cheese along with a rotating selection of our own or another local cheese selected in collaboration with our cheesemaker.

Late enrollments at a pro-rated amount will also be accepted.  Please e-mail the store manager, Staci Zarimba, directly at szarimba@thetrustees.org with any questions or if you need to sign up via e-mail. Please spread the word to your fellow members & cheese loving friends! 

Hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of Spring. We look forward to seeing you in the store.