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!

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.

 

A Busy Winter on the Farm

A note from Farmer Andrew: 

People always ask me what a vegetable farmer does all winter. It probably seems like we just vacation for three months, but that isn’t the case! Winter is a busy time in the office planning next year’s harvest, ordering seeds and other supplies, working out budgets, updating policy, and researching best practices for the farm.

Morning fog over a field of dormant cover crops

Cover crop crimson clover, growing underneath 

winter-killed oats

A large part of our efforts this winter have been spent learning the guidelines outlined in the Produce Safety rule of the Food Safety Modernization Act, which went into effect last month. We have always taken food safety very seriously at Appleton Farms and we have several protocols in place to prevent food-borne illness. But the new regulations have compelled us to dive into the science behind the standards and to update our protocols for the safe growing and handling of our vegetables. The new law has also facilitated an upgrade to our washing area, which we had outgrown in recent years and is something we’re very excited about!  

We have opened signups to people on the waitlist but there’s still space for current members interested in renewing if you haven't done so already. If you need the link for online renewals, feel free to contact us at appletonCSA@thetrustees.org.

  UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE FARM    

Simple Cooking: 5 Ingredients or Less

Thursday, March 1st 6-9pm
This workshop is all about keeping it simple in the kitchen!  No lengthy recipes or special shopping list needed……we’ll prepare delicious, creative dishes using only a handful of seasonal ingredients and culinary techniques for simple success in your home kitchen.

Click HERE for more information or to sign up

Sugar Shack Saturdays
Sat, Feb 24th, March 3rd & 10th
10-11:30am & 1:30-3pm

Spring is coming and the sap is running! Experience the time-honored tradition of maple sugaring with Sugar Shack Saturdays at Appleton Farms. Spend the morning with us and see how we turn sap into sweet syrup. Start by getting creative with some maple themed crafts in the Appleton Old House then get outside and explore our very own sugar shack! Learn how we tap our trees every spring, see the evaporator in action, and taste the freshly made syrup.  We will end back inside with a farm snack, including Appleton Farms cheese, apple slices, and homemade maple ice cream while we read a story about maple sugaring!

Recommended for ages 8 and under but everyone is welcome! Space is limited. Registration is by the family- if you have 5 or more in your family, please register 2 families.  Crafts and snacks included and we want to have enough for all.

Maple Happy Hour

Saturday, March 3rd, 5-7pm
Grab your friends and start your Saturday evening off with a unique and delicious maple experience! Join us for Happy Hour at the Sugar Shack and experience how we turn our sweet sap into tasty syrup before sampling local beers that highlight the flavors of winter. We’ll start with a tour of our sugaring operation where we will collect sap and bring it back to the sugar house for boiling. Learn the process of filtering the sap, stoking the fire and boiling the syrup to perfection. Taste our finished product before sampling a variety of local beers or roasting marshmallows in our earth oven. Light refreshments and beer samples provided. Full beers available for cash purchase. Ticket includes one beer flight and sample of our syrup to take home!

Part of this program is in our unheated sugar shack so please dress for the weather. Must be 21+ please.

Click HERE to register for our Maple Sugaring events.  See you on the farm!

Boiling down the sap

  IN THE FARM STORE   

Spring is in the air at Appleton Farms!  We are excited to welcome our spring customers back to the farm, and our farm store shopkeepers are ready to meet your needs for local &

Everyone loves the goats at Appleton! [photo: Kate Crawford]

specialty food & gifts. Shop local and supplement your weekly groceries with Appleton Farms grass-fed beef, Jersey cow milk, Trustees eggs from Moose Hill farm, & artisanal cheeses made on the farm by cheesemaker, Kristian Holbrook. Our aged hard cheeses, Goodhue and Pinnacle, are always in stock (now available in handy pre-cut and packaged cubes!) 

As we wait longingly for the return of our soft cheeses, Sunset Hill & Round Point (back in stock within the next few weeks), Kristian brings us a delicious treat with a limited edition rum cheese, Privateer, an aged hard cheese infused with Privateer amber rum (Ipswich, MA), as well as a limited supply of our famous Broad Meadow, aged over 3 years in our cheese caves.  The staff is hard at work boiling sap, and we can’t wait for the return of Appleton Farms maple syrup (available for retail sale in the coming weeks).

Over 50% of the Appleton Farms store inventory is sourced from Essex county small businesses, and our inventory selection keeps growing.  Best sellers include: Sidehill Farm yogurt (Hawley, MA); Harbor Sweets (Salem, MA); Lark cookies (Essex, MA); High Haven Honey (Gloucester, MA);  A & J King bread & pastries (Salem, MA); Kim Gregory Pure Pastry gluten-free treats (Beverly, MA); the Inn at Castle Hill granola (Ipswich, MA); Pigeon Cove Ferments (Gloucester, MA); Jaju Pierogis (Gloucester, MA); Grey Barn Organic Eidolon cheese (Martha’s Vineyard, MA); Goldthread Herbal Tonics (Greenfield, MA); Aqua ViTea kombucha (Middlebury, VT); McCrea's caramels (Boston, MA); & so much more!

Check out our new kid's corner, filled with thoughtfully selected, farm-related toys for all the kiddos in your life.  Recent additions include Maple Landmark (Vermont) all wooden rattles, teethers & toys plus farm & train playsets from Green Toys (made in USA from recycled plastic milk jugs). 

March Madness at the farm means crazy deals! Join, renew or buy a Trustees membership for a friend before prices go up in April.  Between 3/1-3/31/2018, purchase an individual membership in-store and receive: a ½ lb wedge of Appleton Farms cheese; a Trustees “Hike” reusable shopping bag; a one-time 20% off coupon for your in-store purchases; plus 10% off every day purchases in our farm store throughout the year. Join at the family level or higher and we will give you a full pound of Appleton Farms cheeses plus an Appleton Farms canvas tote bag to haul all your goodies, in addition to the one-time 20% off coupon for your in-store purchases & 10% off every day purchases in our farm store throughout the year.  

Gift certificates & tickets for upcoming classes & workshops on the farm are always available for purchase in-store.

Finally, be sure to check out Appleton Farms at the Drink Craft Beer & Cheese Fest on Friday, March 9th and Saturday, March 10th at the Boston Cyclorama! Tickets available HERE.