Farm News
Annual plant sale on May 26
Starting your garden? Come to our annual plant sale on Saturday, May 26th from 9-3.
There will be plenty of exciting varieties of flowers, herbs, and vegetables that are proven to grow great in this area. Look for robust tomato and pepper plants, basil, thyme, oregano, broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, tons of beautiful annual flowers and much, much more. Email me with any questions.
CSA members get a 10% discount!
The sale is at Bread and Roses Farm Stand across from the Westford Post office on Rte 128.
See you there!
It’s not too late to register now for your 2012 CSA share! Registration forms are available here: 2012 CSA Registration
To read the latest Farm Newsletter click here
CSA NEWS
Notes from the field
Bread and Roses Farm
Spring is in the air
We are currently accepting new members for the 2012 season. The seed order is in and there are a lot of delicious vegetables in store. In the next couple weeks, the first seeds will be sown, and a fresh season will be born. Can't wait to get dirty!
Your farmer, Chris
*** 2011 NEWS ***
Week 17: The end is the beginning
How I’ve forgot what it’s like… The end of a season, the wrapping up. The preparing of garlic seed to renew the cycle once again. And the geese! The geese, shouting out the transition: It’s time to move on.
This time for me is always an intense one. There is the feeling of excitement and joy, for what comes next. A slowing down, a turning inward. I’m looking forward to some quiet days, and sleeping past 5:30 a.m. I’m looking forward to my travels. A month or two taken at the end of the farm season to rejuvenate and find my strength to continue on for another year. I’m looking forward to reengaging with my friends and family when my mind is not always full of a lengthy to do list.
There is also a feeling of loss and a quiet sadness. The 18 weeks we spend together as a farm community brings such energy and drive into my life. Together we are passionate about food – our bodies, the land that sustains us, the connections to our neighbors that nourish us. When we part for the winter, I miss that upsurge of excitement. I miss the weekly smiles, the gift of hand-picked berries from a child, the showing off of what you grew in your garden. It’s amazing, the feeling of a community gathered around what we truly care about.
This year wasn’t always easy. In fact, it started off rough. My farm partner of four years moved on and I was faced with the responsibility of going it alone. The spring – can you remember that season? – was wet, wet, wet. We had standing water in our fields and didn’t get many crops in until late. We lost the window to grow peas – our sweet staple of the spring.
And then, when it warmed up, it warmed UP! Mid-summer was 90 degrees and droughty. We lost lettuce crop after lettuce crop to bolting. And of course, the hurricane. It didn’t directly affect our farm like many others, but it had its way with us nonetheless. The intense rain set off a chain reaction of disease, spreading blight through all of our tomatoes and potatoes. We lost almost half our potato crop – much of it was pegged to be sold wholesale throughout the winter.
Happily, there were so many beautiful moments. Day in, day out with Karen by my side. Her lovely laughter and positive spirit bolstering me. Her singing, her stories, her “get it done” work ethic helping me realize I was not alone. I feel so blessed to have had such a wonderful sidekick.
The garlic, the red peppers were shining stars. All the brassicas, kale, broccoli, cabbage and turnips, loved the cool start to the season. We skipped the summer succession of them (thankfully – they would have hated the mid-90’s!), and once again have been rewarded with great fall crops. Because we grow such diversity of vegetables, even with losses we always have productiveness. Everybody’s share value was met and then some this season!
And the community support… The apple cider press lent to the harvest festival, the apples given to the CSA for pick-up from a local family. The offer of free manure, the empty barn available for tractor storage. There are too many moments to recount. What I know is that they are abundant and I am lucky. As are you. Lucky to live in a state that has such an amazing support system for agriculture. Lucky to share space with people so committed to creating a healthier, more secure food system. I suppose luck is just part of the picture. You have your will, your drive to eat better, be better. You purposefully signed up for a CSA share this season – some for the great food, some to support this model of a direct exchange, some to pick-your-own and commune with the land, some to meet your farmer, some to meet your neighbors. Whatever the reason – a little luck, a lot of intention, we all came together for a common purpose: to enrich our lives. Thank you for enriching mine.
Take care,
Your farmers,
Chris and Karen
CSA Shout-Outs!
- • One-time winter CSA share is available on your last pick-up day. Buy roots, winter squash and garlic and extend your Bread and Roses Farm season. Check out the prices and details on our website: breadandrosescsa.com
- • Monday’s last pick-up day is October 10th, and Thursday’s last day is October 13th. Until next year!
Week 15: Farmcycle – A reflection
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* This newsletter is brought to you by our very own lovely lady Karen Smith, Farm worker extraordinaire!
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We started out the season ankle deep in our mud boots climbing up scaffolding to erect the hoophouse. Not knowing what would come, but creating a strong foundation to house what may. Chris on the tractor tilling up and shaping beds. Me behind securing black plastic. Sowing seeds and watering them. Soon enough we had the first crops!! Little onions and broccoli raab! Not too long after, we had planted all three fields. Securing the little plants into the fertile soil of mother earth to root down. Before too long, there was no room left in the fields!! At this point we handed over a lot of the responsibility to the cycles of the earth…mainly the solar and water cycles. And boy were we lucky! The sun did quite a great job shining brightly through the plants leaves aiding in their growth on most days…and the soil held the water: not too much not too little (except for with those brussel sprouts and various seedings that got flooded out.)
The game of the farmer at this point is to choose your battles!! I learned through action Chris’s methods of attack! You have to thin what needs to be thinned…and it’s not a fast job. My favorite vegetable has always been the carrot, and I really bonded with them more than I ever have. We spent hours upon hours thinning 600 bed feet of carrots…going down the line. And then, there’s the weeding. The storage carrots in particular were on the perimeter of the field and thus full of grass. We spent even more hours completing this task…I would estimated at least 12 hours on these 400 bed feet. All this hard work showed through in the end product: these were the most beautiful carrots I have ever seen!
At one point in the season, we had conquered all the weeds in the field and were feeling great about catching up…it looked pristine. Things were good to grow. Well the conditions that week were really perfect for growing and everything grew including the weeds! So back to it. We had a couple field trips come to the farm, and this was really great…to be weeding the swiss chard and kale with 14 other people!!! A little bit of time and big results!! People power! The colorful chard jolted out of the field so gracious for being revived and by being surrounded by all the hands that helped revive it!
You’ve gotta do what needs to be done in a timely fashion…on the fly decision making. One morning while harvesting the melons, we started to notice crow damage. Chris made a plan to put up a crow fence around them…pie plates, stakes and rope to hold it all together. We busted it out before the CSA pickup and whaddya know the next day…no more crow damage. It’s amazing to see tangible results like this on the farm.
I am so grateful to put my hands mind heart body and soul into this CSA. Behind my sunglasses, tears were brought to my eyes to be sitting at the harvest festival with 12 tables long full of all of you celebrating. The thought came to me, “OH! I don’t work just for Chris, I work for all of you!” And to be sitting with everyone together was quite poignant. I celebrate this harvest and this community linked to it. What a great group of people and chefs!! Big ol’ moon sized loaf of Heike’s german rye, moist peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and peach pie that could very well win a gourmet pie contest. Teamwork to make it happened and teamwork to break it down. Impressive and silly hula hooping with vegetables balanced on heads! Positive energy, sunshine and gratitude all combined to reinforce the fact that we are all living the good lives. Thanks everybody for participating and contributing. Thanks to Chris for her dedication, persistence and making it so enjoyable with gungho spirit! Shout out to Ginger, Chris’ friend who jumped on board the farmtrain to help out and throw down the rest of the season! Perfect timing for some extra hands and morale!
As fall is coming on, the tomatoes, summer squash and cucumbers are going goin’ gone, but we still have more crops to look forward to! Beets and broccoli, turnips and rutabagas, and everlasting KALE! Plus more! Bon appétit!
p.s. Don’t forget to try kale chips if you haven’t! Heat the oven to 375. Rip the kale off the stems and place on cookie sheet with oil. Sprinkle with salt. Cook for a few minutes flip and cook for a few more minutes until they are crisp. Eat ‘em up or use as a topping for soup!!
Take care,
Your farmers,
Karen and Chris
CSA Shout-Outs!
- The CSA is still going on for four more weeks. The harvest festival celebrates the season, but does not demark the end of it! Monday’s last day is October 10th, and Thursdays last day is October 13th. We have many yummy root vegetables, winter squash, brassicas and greens to come!
Week 13: Impermanence
With the onslaught of rain and high winds raging through Vermont and coming right up to Westford’s doorstep, I am in awe of the damage done, and what was saved. I personally didn’t take the storm seriously at first, and in fact planned a canoe camping trip on the lake for that weekend. Luckily a few CSA members and my dad dissented, and with a quick check of the weather report, I canceled my plans. As Saturday progressed, there was more and more distress noted on the local farmer list serve for Vermont. People who were in floodplains were harvesting all of their crops. Greenhouses were being shut down and some crops with high susceptibility to disease spread through rain were pulled. The more I read, the more I realized the gravity of this storm. Sunday morning, in driving rain, I too battened down the hatches; fixing some long overdue ripped seams in the greenhouse plastic, reinforcing the end walls, and closing up the roll-up sides and doors. With gusts of winds predicted at 60 plus mph, any wind coming through my high tunnels could take the tops right off. I spent an hour and a half sealing things up, said a little prayer to the wind and rain gods, and walked away.
Thankfully, arriving at the farm Monday morning, all appeared well. The two greenhouses had survived and looked completely unscathed. Some crops were relatively rain/wind battered, leeks and cauliflower plants lying on their side, but the worst pooling of water occurred in our driving paths. I was amazed that the five inches (five inches!) of rain we received seemed to have just soaked right into the soil. Hallelujah for sandy, well-drained soil.
Unfortunately, many of Vermont’s food providers did not fare so well. All week reports have been flooding in of $100,000 worth of damage; livestock, hay bales and tractors all floating down the river. The river cutting a new path through vegetable fields, which are now river beds with a ton of rocks deposited throughout the acreage. CSA’s are done for the season. Many lost all of their root vegetables that were yet to be harvested. This loss equates the loss of entire winter CSA shares. The food security of Vermont seems to be in flux, as the Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets has determined that no crops touched by flood waters are allowed to be sold.
This weekend I went to a wedding of two farmers whose entire fields were lost down at the Intervale in Burlington. Many of the guests were farmers who had experience great loss as well. What amazed me was the collective response of positivity, of people coming together to salvage and be hopeful. The talk of next season, that there is still the energy and will for a next season, proves to me the strength and courage that we all have the capacity to possess. Rather than be beaten down, farmers are sustained by the outpouring of support and generosity.
In a field where everything is related to the weather and the weather is uncontrollable, the Zen concept of nonattachment is key. To farm in Vermont is to accept impermanence. You must agree to risk and the threat of loss. You must also be prepared for the bounty in all its glory. It is a constantly shifting, unpredictable world, in which you learn to bend with the wind, but not to break. Let us all give what we are capable of to help everyone weather this storm.
Take care,
Your farmers,
Chris and Karen
CSA Shout-Outs!
- An opportunity to help: The Vermont Farm Fund is taking donations to provide 0% interest loans to farmers affected by the floods. To make a tax deductible donation, please visit hardwickagriculture.org/donate.html to donate online or write a check to the Vermont Farm Fund and mail to the Center for an Agricultural Economy, PO Box 451, 41 S. Main St., Hardwick, VT 05843.
- Bread and Roses Harvest festival is this weekend, Saturday, September 10th, from 12-3. If you are free, you must come, as you will only have the most fun. Bring a potluck dish and a smile.
- Please stick to the CSA pick-up times. We open at 4:00 and are often working right up to that time. If you are going to be late, please call before 6pm and ask us to bag for you. Thank you for your consideration on what is a very long day for the farmers!
Week 9: Stuck in the middle with you
So enough philosophizing! Where do we stand? It is week 9 of the Bread and Roses Farm CSA, which puts us smack dab in the middle of the season. What a great time to reflect on what has been and ponder on what may be.
Early spring brought with it heavy, hard-hitting rains. For the first time in our existence we had standing water in our fields. Luckily, we never flooded, even though one of our fields runs alongside the Browns River. We did, however, lose many of our first direct-seeded crops. Spinach, salad mix, carrots, and parsnips all were washed away. Some of our second successions also bit the dust. We kept sowing seeds, and the rains kept coming. At some point in there, the rains stopped, the crops stuck, and we actually grew some of our fine-seeded friends. The only plant that actually spent significant time under water was brussel sprouts. Some of you haters might rejoice in this fact, but to your chagrin, we were donated a few trays of those miniature cabbages, and thus we replanted. Brussel sprout lovers sing hallelujah.
Early summer came in with some 90 degree days. It seemed the weather wanted to make up for such a ridiculously soggy beginning to the season by sucking up any and all leftover moisture. This deliciously warm weather gave us a jump start on our heat-loving crops. Weirdly enough, our typically wet clay field was our driest, best drained land this season. It is also the place where we rotate through all of our solanums and cucurbits. (Eggplant, tomatoes, melons, squash, cukes, etc!) This means our heat-loving crops got to be transplanted ahead of time, and now, we have had some of the earliest melons, peppers and tomatoes that Bread and Roses members have ever seen. Generally, folks don’t receive tomatoes until the first week of August. And don’t worry – there are some giant, green, later-season tomatoes on the vine, soaking up the sun, and dreaming of your dinner plate.
Last week we completed our garlic harvest, pulling 400 bed feet (3 rows, 6-inch spacing) out of the field in an afternoon. We quickly sorted, bunched and hung the garlic in our barn, which is cool, well-ventilated, and shady, the perfect combination for drying storage garlic.
This harvest has got to be my favorite one. Generally this is so because I love the cycle and continuity of garlic. Planted the year before at the season’s end, first thing up the next spring, and then the seed is saved to sow again. This year we harvested the BIGGEST heads of garlic yet. Now, I take pride in our garlic. It is a beautiful variety, which stores amazingly well and tastes great. But 2011 is a banner year. Prepare to be stunned.
And what’s to come? Our fall crops are shaping up nicely. The rutabaga already has bulbed, our fall carrots are weed free and sizing up, and the storage onions and leeks look lovely. If this weather is to hang on, we could have tomatoes, eggplant and peppers well into the fall. Some gaps that we might continue to see – head lettuce has had a time of it with all the high heat. We plant out successions every two weeks, and it simply keeps bolting before we see any size. I’m hoping with some cooler weather in autumn, you will finally see a head of lettuce in your share again!
I’ve already started dreaming for next year. Two apprentices and a place to house them! A mid-week working member to help with the weeds! Possibly build a cold storage so we can hold on to our surplus, add another market!
With 9 more weeks to come, I can only hope they will be as beautiful and fulfilling as the last 9. Delicious vegetables, warm, sunny days, a happy, passionate community…what more can we want?
Take care,
Your farmers,
Chris and Karen
CSA Shout-Outs!
- Folks have been verbalizing for me many of the delicacies they have created from their share. If interested, email me your recipes and we will post them on our website for all to enjoy.
- We started our Senior Share program this past week, and are now delivering 60 low-income senior shares each week to eligible seniors in Essex.
Week 7: Business, pleasure and ideology
I am sometimes conflicted by the grey area that exists when making decisions around a business you love. When Laura and I first came together to start Bread and Roses, we were fueled on pure passion. We had just completed a two year farming program in Santa Cruz, California where we were daily incited to dream big, explore our interests, and make a stance with our belief system. Within the first year that we moved back to Vermont, we quickly realized that we had meager business skills, and that it would take more than our love of farming to succeed.
We spent a year taking an agricultural small business class, while apprenticing for some highly business savvy farmers who were willing to be transparent about their plans. This whole process was eye opening for me – truly a lesson in a holistic approach to farming. I learned how to organize my goals, short and long term, to market my product, and manage the finances. I also watched my mentor farmer break down in tears the last day of my apprenticeship, owning to me that she wished she made more space for the love of farming she once had. I learned that I was going to have to find balance in order to truly measure success.
And of course, this is my daily struggle. Where do I make compromises for the good of the business? When do I make decisions that may result in less money but more joy for me? Our first year on the farm, Laura and I bought many of our seeds from small, local organic companies, only to have some large orders mixed up, and poor germination in other areas. The next season we stuck largely to Johnnys, still a good business, but larger, without the same ethics as some of the smaller ones – the commitment to not selling genetically modified seeds, for one. Running a CSA for 75 families, 50 low-income seniors, and providing food for a weekly farmers market, we wanted to ensure that the vegetables we planned on would actually grow. Now, five years later, I’ve started to swing back to those small, local companies. I’ve gained confidence as a farmer, I know where we have wiggle room to experiment, and I am committed to aligning my own personal ethics with my farming practices.
Recently a CSA member asked me to start up a Facebook page for Bread and Roses. She is not the first curious as to why we don’t have a Facebook presence. Up until this point, my decision has been purely personal. I have devised this business largely on the principle of bringing community together. It is the main “why” behind why I farm. And my vision for growing a community is this: people coming together, face-to-face, as neighbors, elders, teachers and children; evoking responses when hearing the blow by blow of an amazing fennel recipe; being blessed by a small child placing a lovingly, hand-picked berry in your mouth; sharing the pain and sadness around hearing people’s personal tragedies through touch. I love the interactions that I both observe and participate in on the farm.
Would a Facebook page be good for the business? Would it grow our membership? Would it help you to feel more connected? These are all questions I need to consider. Do I personally want to interact with people through the context of a computer? Not really.
Do you? Because your needs are important to me too. This is our farm. And is there a happy medium? A place we can all come together to build community, to share stories about food – maybe a place we create outside of the box. Please let me know as this is one grey area with which I need a little help.
Take care,
Your farmers,
Chris and Karen
CSA Shout-Outs!
- • More recycled plastic bags if you please. The first round was extremely helpful, but we are nearing a shortage once again.
- • Don’t be afraid of the “exchange bin.” If you don’t take part of your share, put it in the bin because there are other people who love fennel. (Yes, I wound up with 20 leftover fennel on Thursday.)
Week 5: A little help from your friends
It is always interesting to me how an arduous task can be converted into one of joy with a simple addition: another person.
I can't tell you how many times I've struggled with a thing in solitaire, only to find myself lifted up by the presence of another being. Recently, the farm has been blessed with many new additions, aside from our lovely Karen. Three women are standout presences on our farm. Every Monday morning we are graced with the presence of Kathleen Porter, a recent transplant to Westford. She is a local photographer and one of our spectacular working members. (A working member gives up 4 hours of one day each week through the CSA season in exchange for a full share of vegetables. ) At the beginning of each week, Kathleen works by my and Karen's side, harvesting all of the lovely flavors that end up on your dinner plate. She picks turnips, cleaning up their outer leaves, tossing aside any with severe blemishes, and counting them out to ensure a perfect bunch. Salad mix is carefully weeded, sliced near the stem with a sharp knife, then weighed. Upon harvesting all that you will see that evening, we head to the packing shed, to wash/cool down the vegetables, do quality control, and re-weigh/re-count to make sure we have the quantity necessary to feed you all. Kathleen offers up her arms to the red rash that ensues after picking zucchini. She offers up her back lifting crates of cucumbers. She offers up her heart and smile every week to make a positively lovely harvesting experience. For this and all else she brings to the table, we thank her.
We also have a superstar long-time Westford resident in our midst. Charlotte Adams, a soon-to-be senior at Essex High, comes to us on Thursday mornings, full of curiosity and energy. She has never before worked on a farm, yet has taken to it like a pro. I'm sure everyone has encountered that wise soul in the body of a youth. Well we've got one in Charlotte. She is instantly likeable, respectful and engaged. Charlotte bunches kale with enthusiasm, she moves quickly through the fields as only an agile, athletic teenager can do. When Charlotte first contacted me to volunteer on the farm I was thrilled. I instantly knew that she would be a perfect match. Her brand-new farm energy and question asking reminds me of what is fun and interesting about the farm, rather than what I can sometimes perceive as rote or minutae. We thank Charlotte for her wonderful spirit, her curiosity, her amazing work ethic, and her willingness to get wet and dirty.
Amey Radcliffe is a tried and true working member. She is perfect for our farm because she makes herself malleable to fit our needs. Plus, she is an amazingly skilled artist and builder, so she brings with her a creative and stabilizing ethic. Amey has done everything from paint our beautiful roadside sign, to weed in the fields, to design and construct our new "sunrise" fence in front of the pick-your-own garden. Because of her skills and my absolute trust in her ability, Amey tends to take on whole projects on the farm, working independently with a vision. Even though I sometimes love to boss people around, it is truly lovely to take a step back from a project and let someone else take the reigns. Amey is constantly smiling, seemily joyous in every activity she participates in. She can bust it out in the field, and work methodically and thoughtfully on a more artistic endeavor. Thank you Amey!
And through it all there are the constant surprises. My southern Baptist cousin, whom I haven't seen in 10 years, who fixed the starter on my new tractor without my knowledge. The friends who, passing through town, put all of their energy into whatever is on the to-do list for the day - running a market, hilling potatoes, and sowing seeds. City people who show up wearing inappropriately white shoes, and walk away dirtier yet happier. My dad, who breezes in on a hot summer morning, because he knows it is the best time to weed. All of these people who take time out of their life, doing it happily, willingly - for me, for them, for their community. Luckily we all benefit. We become stronger, physically and emotionally. We hold each other up when something feels a little too hard, a little too hot. We dip in the river, cool down, join arms, and do it all over again.
Take care,
Your farmers,
Chris and Karen
- Please make sure to call us in advance if you know you can't make your share time. We are happy to bag for you if you can't get to us by 6:00 pm. 233-4781
Week 2: Wondrous zucchini, inspiring community
unknowing before the heavens of my life
i stand in wonder. o the great stars.
the rising and the going down. how quiet.
as if I didn’t exist. am i part? -rainer maria rilke
What are the things that get you excited? Where in your life do you find joy? When do you stand in wonder?
Recently, Karen and I were transplanting our second succession of summer squash. Rotation number two went in right next to rotation number one. The juxtaposition was eye-opening. One plant was four inches high, sort of leggy, and starting to turn yellow from being in it’s tray a week too long. It’s neighbor, planted a month earlier, came up past my knees, was deep green, and sported a 6 inch long zucchini. In that moment I paused to appreciate the miracle of seed to plant to fruit. I, a seasoned farmer, was dumbfounded that our transplants that day would ever look like their predecessors. That they would grow, take root, and produce such a delicious outcome. And yet they do. I realize I give them some guidance. A nudge here of fertility, a tug there of some weeds. Water on a droughty week. But above all, they have expressed the desire to grow all on their own.
For those of you who don’t know, I am home grown. Yep, I grew up right here in Westford. I managed to wrest myself away for 10 years of adventure and maturation, but I happily returned to the place that nurtured and raised me. You’d think with a record like that, I would firmly know my sense of place. However, I only realized where I fit once I began this CSA. As neighbors, past teachers, friends of my parents begin to sign-up, I re-learned people as fellow foodies, community organizers, outdoor enthusiasts, and more. I loved discovering our connections – and I promise you, we all have at least one. And as the CSA has grown, I increasingly meet more new faces, all equally inspiring. It’s amazing to think of the web we all are creating – in the work that we do, the food choices we make, the way we parent/help to raise children. Meeting you all confirms my decision to farm, as I feel so lucky to weekly interact with some a dynamic group of people.
My hope for you, in the journey of this season, is that taking the time to come to the farm, taking a break in your day, will allow you the chance to be awestruck. Perhaps it will be the beauty in Westford, of the rolling hills, steepled background and mountainous views. Maybe it will be watching your child take their first step on the farm. Or it could be the knowledge that you are helping to create a strong, local food system. There is something we can find in every day that brings us excitement, that emphasizes are part in things.
Sometimes my overwhelming joy in farming comes from the big picture. The keeping of land in agriculture use, the knitting together of community, the production of food in an ecological, sustainable way. Other times, it’s as simple as watching a summer squash grow.
Take care,
Your farmers,
Chris and Karen
CSA Shout-Outs!
Plastic bag alert! We always need plastic bags at CSA pick-up and farmers market. Please bring us your plastic bags for re-use.
Monday members: There will be no pick-up Monday July 4th. Instead, you will pick-up at the same time Tuesday July 5th.
Parking lot chaos! We know parking is a tight fit. Please help to make parking manageable by parking your car in the gravel lot with the front (or back) end facing the pick-up shed. We can fit more cars this way, and it allows people to get out. You can also park in the grass perpendicular to the fence.
Week 1: Cha Cha Cha Changes
Hello new and returning members! I am excited to welcome you into the 2011 season, the 5th year of Bread and Roses existence. It feels like a milestone, as many seasoned farmer’s have reported, once you get to year five, you’ve made it. While I’m not sure exactly what “makin’ it” entails, I can certainly say things feel smoother every year. This spring, we built a 30 x 74 ft hoophouse, a beautiful structure granted to us by the NRCS. It currently houses tomatoes, cucumbers and other tasty delights. This hoophouse will most likely save the lives of our tomatoes if the rain keeps on coming as it has. It also has the potential to double our yields of each crop.
Every year as we struggle with the uncontrollable powers of the weather, we make a commitment to adding a new mechanism/structure/system to the farm, which will ensure a lengthy season full of all of our favorite vegetables. This season we bought a new tractor that exists solely for weeding. If you haven’t heard by now, a farmer’s life in June and July consists of weeding, weeding and more weeding. This new piece of machinery will save backs and countless hours.
Another reason for adding more efficient structures and machinery is that this season, my long-term business partner, Laura Williams, has left the farm. She devoted 4 years of her life to building the farm, and her touches are everywhere. I am now running the farm with Karen, my first official employee. We are kicking butt together. She is the perfect blend of fun, energetic, savvy and hardworking. As Laura will most definitely be missed, she is happy in her new position as a farm educator. I am also positive that you will love getting to know Karen.
Each season has its magic. Whether it’s a surprising, new favorite vegetable, a budding connection amongst neighbors, or the unexpected beauty found in an entirely locally grown meal, this year’s CSA is bound to present us all with moments of awe. Impossible to predict, we must all accept the excitement of not knowing what comes next.
Take care,
Your farmers,
Chris and Karen
The following pages are a detailed orientation for our CSA. Please read them carefully, as these are questions that always come up. The guidelines are in place to facilitate a smooth-running CSA, for both members and farmers.
Pick-up times/days:
- There are two pick-up days each week, Monday or Thursday. The day of the week you have chosen for pick-up is set throughout the 18 week season. Once a Monday member, always a Monday member! We ask you to stick to your day in order to have balance in our harvest. If you temporarily need to shift days, let us know, and we will happily accommodate you. Please give us 24 hours advance notice if you are going to change days, or not pick up your share. Folks going on vacation can choose to double up your share for a week, donate it, or find a neighbor to pick up for you.
- The CSA pick-up runs from 4pm – 6pm. Please come only within this timeframe. We will be working right until pick-up begins at 4:00, and won’t open the CSA until then. Likewise, we will start packing up at 6:00. If you are running late, please call and leave a message and we will bag your share for you. (233-4781) We will leave your share under the pick-up shed – make sure to come as soon as you can as it is not 100% weather or critter proof. If we don’t hear from you, we will either donate or compost your share.
What to bring:
- Please bring your own bags. Plastic bags will be helpful when weighing out greens. Sturdy baskets, bins, and bags will be necessary as the harvest gets heavier. You may want small containers for herbs, or jars with water to carry home flowers.
Parking areas:
- There are two places to park; alongside the road perpendicular to the fence, and to the right of the pick-your-own garden. Parking may be tight at times – make sure to leave enough room for your neighbors to come and go. The CSA pick-up is right atop a hill on a busy road. Be very careful when exiting.
Arrival at CSA pick-up:
- Always come and check-in with us first. We will let you know what’s happening on the farm for the week – from the latest delicious recipe, to pick-your-own harvest techniques, to extra items for sale and more.
Accessing your share:
- There will be signs on every box labeling the vegetables, herbs, and fruit within. The signs will also detail the amounts to take per share size. Some vegetables will need to be weighed out. Ask us if you need help with the scales.
- We have a “Mix-n-Match” system to allow you choice amongst the harvest. If you see the mix-n-match sign, read it carefully! You will get to choose amongst a grouping of vegetables, not take all of them.
- Some of you have purchased a weekly or bi-weekly share of eggs, cheese and/or bread along with your vegetable share. The eggs and cheese can be found in a cooler under the pick-up shed. They are only available as pre-paid shares. Bread for bread share members will be bagged on top a small table. Any un-bagged bread is available for sale on a week-to-week basis.
Exchange table:
- The exchange table is a place to put an unwanted vegetable or take a more desired one. It more aptly could be called “the free bin.” Any time something is in there you want, take it.
Pick-your-own:
- The pick-your-own garden is the place to get your hands dirty. A blackboard in the pick-up shed will tell you what is available for picking. Always check the board or talk to us before venturing out – some things may look ripe that are not. Also, different share sizes get to pick different amounts. We are happy to give harvesting pointers, so if in doubt, ask.
The pick-your-own garden is only open from 4-6 on Mondays and Thursdays.
Website:
- Please use our fabulous website BreadandRosesCSA.com! Every Sunday, click on our “News” heading to see what to expect in your share for the week, plus delicious recipes to use, and our ever informational bi-weekly newsletter.
