CSA Friends and Family Plant Sale

WHAT: Plant Sale--Everything must go: annuals, limited selection of perennials, Dahlias, and hanging baskets!
WHEN: This Sunday June 26th, 10:00 am-2:00 pm
WHERE: Touching Earth Farm
WHO:  Our CSA members, their friends and family.  Please spread the word!

Spring Update

The first CSA pick-up will be this Tuesday after 3pm. You'll have a variety of greens to choose from including mesclun, arugula, and baby spinach. We'll have more details posted on Tuesday. This pick-up will be different than usual — there will be no bags with your share name on them; instead there will be crates of bagged greens for you to choose from.

I ate my first mesclun and arugula last night, and it was amazing. Unfortunately, the mesclun and arugula are not as pretty as we're accustomed to. Many leaves have tiny holes in them caused by a common New England pest called a flea beetle. We haven't had much of a problem with them in the past, but this year, either due to the weather or just a gradual increase in population, they are a real menace. We can't do anything about our first beds of greens, from which we'll still get several cuttings, but we'll be using row covers from now on to keep the beetles out of any new beds that we sow. Fortunately they don't have much of a taste for spinach or lettuce!

The spring in general has been difficult due to the excessive rain and dimness. After we planted our first crops, the constant rain made it impossible to get the tractor into the field, or to use our push seeder. As a result, we were behind schedule. The lack of light also slowed the growth of our basil and tomato seedlings. This last week the field was finally dry enough to get the tractor into it and to use the seeder. We are now pretty much back on schedule — and all the plants (and weeds) have really responded to the addition of pure sunlight.

The initial delay means that some crops (radish, turnip, carrot, beet, raab) will be delayed, and the first share pick-ups will be slimmer than usual. However, as the season progresses we will be making up for it. We ask for your patience.

While the rain dropped, we were still able to plant certain crops like onions, head-lettuce, radicchio, collards, kale, broccoli, chard, napa, choi and cabbage. All those crops are right on schedule, and looking great.

The next few weeks we'll be doing a lot of weeding and planting. If you'd like to volunteer, please email or give us a call — all help is welcome!

2011 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Registration

Happy New Year Folks!
Suddhayu and I have been busy preparing for 2011; sowing pansies & violas, ordering veggie seeds, sitting at our computers (groan) . . . and we are super excited about the upcoming season! This year we will be offering another 60 shares in our CSA.  If you are interested in joining, or learning more about how our program works, check out our CSA page at our website.  Please feel free to contact us regarding your questions.  We will return emails and phone calls as soon as possible.  We look forward to growing for you this year!


1st Annual Harvest Dinner & Bonfire

 

harvest postponed

This week's harvest is postponed until wednesday the 13th, after 3pm, due to a death in the family.

1st Annual Harvest Dinner & Bonfire

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

WHAT:  1st Annual Harvest Dinner & Bonfire
WHEN: Sunday October 3rd beginning at 5:00pm
WHERE: Touching Earth Farm
WHY: To celebrate the harvest with your farm community!
More details to follow . . .

cutting garden today

There is plenty of basil, parsley, salad burnet, and summer savory. You should all be able to take a few small bunches of herbs this week.

There are also more flowers this week. Feel free to pick a modest bouquet. The zinnias need pinching, so please take a few of those.

There is a little sign in the garden describing how to cut. Don't forget your snips! And your water! It's going to be brutal out there today!

cutting garden open

The cutting garden is now open, but you'll have to come with a light touch initially. The cutting garden is located beyond the raspberry bushes, which are just below the large black mat with all the mums planted on it.

There is plenty of basil that needs pinching, as well as some parsley that could be cut. We suggest you bring your own snips or scissors. A sign will be posted with instructions on how to cut.

There are some flowers, but not a lot. Please take a modest bunch, considering while you do so that there are 77 members of the CSA. By pinching (cutting the central stem) a flowering plant, you will be promoting more growth for the coming weeks!

When the cutting garden is more abundant, you'll be able to take a few bunches of herbs and a handful of flowers every week. We'll let you know when the time comes.

Unfortunately, our first sowing of cilantro did not germinate, so it will be a while before it becomes available.

CSA PICK-UP
Tomorrow--Tuesday June 8th after 3 pm--is our first official CSA pick-up. The bags will be located in the walk-in cooler. I will post a sign-off sheet on a clipboard next to the door. Please check off your name (or your group's name) when you pick-up. When you enter the cooler you will find the shares organized & labeled on shelving. Please find your name or group's names on the shelving and take the bag that is associated with your name (or group's name).

BAG RETURN
Next week when you come to pick up your share it is important that you bring back the bag you are taking home this week! Next week please put last week's empty bag on the shelf (in place of the full bag you will be taking home) so that we have a receptacle to pack your food in the following week. This is very important! You are welcome to repack your produce and take it home in your own personal bag if remembering to bring last week's bag difficult. Last year we purchased over 100 bags for the CSA and only 38 were returned at the end of the season! If any CSA members from last year have any bags from the 2009 season we would really appreciate their return.

PLANT SALEWe are holding an "unofficial" plant sale for CSA Members this Sunday June 13 from 10:00 am- 2:00 pm. CSA Members' friends & family are welcome as well. We ask that you make an effort to carpool--especially if you are inviting friends & family--as parking is limited. The greenhouses will be open and the plant material that is available for sale will be well marked. There is a lot of interesting annuals available for your gardens & containers. We hope that you will be able to attend!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us. Thanks and we will see you Tuesday!

early harvest!

We have an early crop of greens that we need to harvest this week. We'll be harvesting on Monday, and will have them ready for pick-up by 3pm. They will be in the cold-room at the back of the barn. The cooler will remain on until Tuesday evening.
This is not the official start of the CSA pick-ups, nor will it be a typical harvest. The pick-up days after this one will be on Tuesdays as previously announced.
We'll have more specific information about what's on offer on Monday. We'll have arugula, spicy mesclun, mild mesclun, and braising mix. We're just not sure yet if you're all getting some of each, or if we'll be offering some sort of choice... more info to follow!
See you Monday!