This week wraps up the Stick Season CSA -- thanks to everyone who took part! We're sending you off into deep winter with an extra-large final share, full of storage veggies to keep you going for a while, plus some tasty greens to use right away. We'll be hunkering down to get some house projects finished (and our baby has to come sooner or later!) so this space might be a little quiet for a while. Be sure to stay in touch on Facebook for the latest updates, and we'll see you in the spring!
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Despite below-freezing temperatures, we're still getting some green things! Spinach, pea shoots, and arugula are growing in the greenhouse, and the last of the Brussels sprouts and cabbage have been brought in from the field. We're nearing the end of the Stick Season CSA - the 16th is the last day - and we're looking forward to some hibernation time. We'll still be wholesaling our storage crops (and hopefully greens as well) through the winter at the Rutland Co-op, so you can get your carrot fix for a while longer! Each year since starting the farm, we've invested in some long-term infrastructure and equipment to make it run more smoothly, increase efficiency, and extend or improve the growing season. These have included tractors and implements, greenhouses, cold storage, and most recently, the installation of a pond and irrigation system. For next year, we're putting in a wood-pellet boiler to provide heat to our greenhouses. This will help us start seedlings, get tomatoes going earlier, and reduce the incidence of disease in the tomatoes later in the season (by being able to heat on cold mornings to evaporate moisture that encourages diseases to spread). The pond and the heating system will also increase the farm's resilience in the face of shifting climate and weather patterns.
The installation of the boiler is one of our major winter projects, along with tuning up our various antique tractors and configuring the implements. (Also high on the winter project on the list: having a baby! Caitlin is due in two weeks, so if it gets a bit quiet over here, that'll be why.) As we've mentioned, the delivery CSA has been a great addition to the farm mix for the past two years. We like being able to reach new audiences and develop relationships with local companies. One of the challenges, however, has been figuring out the best way to package the shares. At the farmers' market and the on-farm CSA pick-up, people generally bring their own bags, though of course we always have extras. For the deliveries, though, we need something that can hold a whole share (which can be quite bulky and heavy, especially in the fall when squashes and roots become prevalent), and something that can be packed and labeled easily.
Last year we used waxed produce boxes, a rotating pair per person, which worked fairly well - but that does put the burden on the customer to remember them each week, and presents a challenge if they don't. For the Stick Season shares, we're currently using large biodegradable plastic bags, which solve the problem of needing to collect them weekly, but introduce the problem of using a lot of plastic bags. We've talked about using canvas shopping bags, but then we have the same bringing-them-back issue. It's a question we keep working on – let us know if you have any ideas! Our Stick Season CSA starts this week! We're excited to be able to bring more food to more people by expanding the season farther into the winter, and by continuing our CSA delivery program, which seems to be reaching some new folks who might not otherwise be able to be part of a CSA. In fact, the Stick Season CSA sold out, and in order to make sure that the boxes are full of goodness, it looks like we won't be at the winter market this year. Next year we'll just have to grow more! We do hope that you'll visit the market anyway – we went as shoppers there last week (a novel and enjoyable experience) and it was full of produce, meat, cheese, baked goods, and community.
(Also, because apparently Stick Season isn't in everyone's vocabulary, it's the time of year – namely right now and often through December – between when the leaves fall off the trees and when it gets snowy and properly winter-like.)
Well, the main season for 2014 is drawing to a close. This is the last week of summer CSA and the final outdoor market will be this weekend. We want to give a huge thank you to all of our supporters this year!
We were really pleased to be able to expand our workplace CSA program this season and bring our veggies to a bunch of new people. And of course, we love to see the same names and faces from year to year – some of our farm pick-up members have been with us since our first CSA season, when we had less than a dozen members and were working just an acre of leased land. Special thanks to the folks who donated to our Farm Share fund and helped make our CSA available to a member who wouldn't otherwise be able to take part. This was a really strong market year for us as well, and it's been satisfying to learn more of our market regulars' names and preferences. After this week, there is a break in CSA for a week before the Stick Season share starts up on November 4, and the farmers' market will move indoors to Mary Hogan school starting November 1. We're still weighing our options with regard to the winter market – it's a great little market, and we love being a part of it, but with a baby coming soon it seems like a little extra down time wouldn't be amiss. We'll keep you posted! Ok, now things are starting to slow down a little. The large part of the storage crops have been brought in, and everything tender in the field has been frosted. It's definitely not over yet, though - the crew spent the whole day processing Brussels sprouts today, and the broccoli is just starting to come in. This week the greenhouse got switched over from summer (tomatoes and eggplants) to winter (spinach, arugula, radishes, and salad turnips). Any tomatoes with a hint of blush have been put into the barn to ripen over the next few weeks; they won't be August tomatoes, by any means, but they'll be as good as what you can get in the store.
This has been a great potato year for us! Last year we ran short on potatoes before the end of our winter CSA, and so this year we planted quite a lot more. In addition, a few varieties we tried for the first time this year did particularly well, doubling or nearly tripling the yield per acre that we had expected. In fact, they did so well that we're facing the challenge of where to put them all! The potato cooler is already stacked nearly to the gills with about 6,500 pounds of potatoes, and more still in the field. We've been exploring some wholesale options and, at least, we are in no danger of running out. If you're interested in stocking up on potatoes for the winter, let us know! We hope you'll join us on Thursday for Share the Harvest! Just dine or shop at a participating business on October 2, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit NOFA Vermont's Farm Share program, which helps limited-income families afford CSA shares from local farms, including ours! Over 70 businesses are participating statewide, including several Middlebury restaurants and the Middlebury and Rutland co-ops. Treat yourself, or just get your groceries, and help make local, organic food available to all. (You can also make a direct donation, if you feel so inclined.) |
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