Welcome to the 2016 season!
From the Fields:
It’s the Friday before the first week of CSA
distribution. Next Monday we will begin our routine of morning harvests
and our days will become a little more hectic but right now the farm feels
quiet. As I came into work this morning a rainbow was spanning our fields
and the day has cleared into one of those crystal clear beauties that are so
wonderfully rare. I’m taking this as a good omen for the season to
come. Today we are working on getting the better part of our tomatoes and
peppers planted. As with most of our projects this year, we are a couple
of weeks behind schedule with getting these transplants in the ground but the
extra time has meant extra TLC. In spite of being late in planting almost
everything seem to be happier than ever. Since I
often blame bad weather when things are going wrong, I guess it’s only
fair to credit to all the lovely weather we’ve had so far this spring for the
great looking veggies we have coming up. The hours we’ve spent watering,
fertilizing and weeding couldn’t have hurt though.
On the share list I did not include broccoli although it may
in fact be included in the share next week. We planted three varieties of
broccoli this season with the intention that they would mature about ten days
apart starting in mid June and running through early July. Blue Wind is
the earliest maturing variety and, just like those early maturing strawberries,
has decided to begin forming heads a week and a half ahead of schedule. Blue
Wind tends to be a smaller sized broccoli under the best circumstance but,
because the plants didn’t take the extra 10 days to mature, the heads are a bit
less hefty than usual. We will definitely need to limit them and they
aren’t likely to last more than a week but have no fear as there is plenty more
broccoli on the way. Although we weren’t planning to have broccoli for
the first week of share distribution, I’m very excited about its surprise
early appearance. I always tell my staff that our job as CSA farmers is
to knock the socks off of our members with the bounty we bring in from our
fields. It gets harder and harder to do this each season with so many
savvy vegetable eaters out there but hopefully having Blue Wind pass through
the share room on our very first week will do the trick.
It is probably a good idea to provide fair warning now: the
strawberries are in full swing and, between the hot weather and the rain, some
have gone bad. There might literally be a ton of perfect, unspoiled berries
out there but I know how it breaks the heart to see even a little bit of fruit
go bad. We will be attempting to set picking limits that allow everyone
to take home a fair share. It is a joy to grow such incredible berries
for all of our CSA members but some of that joy is lessened when I have upset
members telling me that berries are rotting on the vine with the expectation
that I can change the picking limits right then and there. Setting limits
on PYO crops is tricky guess work. I’m doing my best to make sure that we
all get to share equally in the bounty and more importantly that we all get to
enjoy the experience of picking. Make sure to get out there and have fun
this week.
See you next week
Ryan
What's In the Share:
CSA Week 1
· Lettuce
· Salanova
· Greens
· Kale
· Kohlrabi
· Radishes
· Spinach
· Green garlic (use it as you would green onions)
· PYO strawberries
Volunteer Opportunities:
Flower Fields Volunteers- Thursday mornings from 9am-11am. Email: bzschau@thetrustees.org
Saturday's in the Farmyard- Volunteer opportunity for ages 12-20. Email: crouillard@thetrustees.org
Sunday's in the Farmyard - Volunteer Opportunity for ages 15-20. Email crouillard@thetrustees.org
Wish List: Have these items or know these people? Email bzschau@thetrustees.org
A three sided shed/lean-to without a floor for our sheep
A chainsaw artist who can make us some more vegetables like our carrot. We supply the logs.
Wooden garden carts or wheel barrows in good condition
Scissors! donate to the scissor basket for CSA PYO
Flower Fields Volunteers- Thursday mornings from 9am-11am. Email: bzschau@thetrustees.org
Saturday's in the Farmyard- Volunteer opportunity for ages 12-20. Email: crouillard@thetrustees.org
Sunday's in the Farmyard - Volunteer Opportunity for ages 15-20. Email crouillard@thetrustees.org
Wish List: Have these items or know these people? Email bzschau@thetrustees.org
A three sided shed/lean-to without a floor for our sheep
A chainsaw artist who can make us some more vegetables like our carrot. We supply the logs.
Wooden garden carts or wheel barrows in good condition
Scissors! donate to the scissor basket for CSA PYO
Upcoming Events and Programs:
Father's Day Bluegrass BBQ | Sunday, June 19th 4PM
Beer, bluegrass, and BBQ; the perfect recipe for Father's Day! Bring a picnic blanket and load up the kids for a summer evening on the farm. We’ll have Heritage Truck Catering, CopperDome Crust, Clover Food Lab and Gabi's Smoke Shack providing tasty food for dinner from their food trucks, our friends from Ipswich Ale Brewery and live music by local favorite Old Cold Tater. To top it off, ice cream from Honeycomb Creamery made with our own Jersey cream. A recipe for a super time!
Your family ticket pays for parking, lawn games, cheese samples, a visit with the farm animals, and live music from 5pm-7pm. Dinner from the food trucks and beer and wine, sold on site, are not included in your family ticket price. Make sure to pre-register, these tickets will go quickly. Food and beverages are purchased directly from our vendors. Any proceeds help support our farm education programs. Trustees Members: $24 per family. Nonmembers: $30 per family.
Rise and Shine Little Farmers | Saturday mornings, 9am
Have you ever collected warm eggs from the chicken coop or seen how fast pigs will run for their morning helping of veggie scraps? This Saturday morning program brings families behind the scenes of our working farm. You’ll meet our cows, goats, sheep & chickens when you help with the morning chores (don’t worry, we will go easy on you!) We learn as we go and take advantage of whatever lesson the day has to offer. We conclude our farm adventure with a seasonal farm story. Registration online at www.thetrustees.org.
Fun in the Farmyard | Sundays 10am-3pm
Drop by our Carriage Barn anytime between 10am-3pm on Sundays to experience life on the farm and meet some of our friendly farm animals. Activities are partially self-guided and can include farm crafts, games, story time, playing with the goats, meeting a chicken and more. This event is free and recommended for ages 2-6, but all are welcome! FREE
P.S.- Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to learn more about what's happening on the farm
Fun in the Farmyard | Sundays 10am-3pm
Drop by our Carriage Barn anytime between 10am-3pm on Sundays to experience life on the farm and meet some of our friendly farm animals. Activities are partially self-guided and can include farm crafts, games, story time, playing with the goats, meeting a chicken and more. This event is free and recommended for ages 2-6, but all are welcome! FREE
P.S.- Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to learn more about what's happening on the farm
