Farm Update 11/12/08

Hello Everyone, Well, we have reached the end of another season and none too soon for my workers and I. We are all quite exhausted and at present chilled to the bone. Washing potatoes and root vegetables during these cold days is quite taxing. It was a difficult year, mostly due to the transition to a new location and not having our infrastructure and organization in place from the start. While I have been doing this for long enough that it should come as no surprise, it still amazes me just how much of a battle it is to produce good quality food. Although I nearly always feel that I could have done better with certain crops, overall I am satisfied with what we were able to grow and provide to the members. I only hope that you all feel the same!  Over the winter I will review the results of the member’s surveys and make plans to improve our production and quality with regard to your feedback. I believe that with each passing year I become a better farmer; learning from my mistakes; brainstorming on new ways to meet the challenges and to outsmart the weeds, animals, insects, and even the weather. There may never be a perfect season but I will continue to strive to do a little better each year. I’d like to thank the many dedicated coordinators and volunteers that make the CSA program possible. The encouragement, support and patience that I have received allow me to do what I love- to farm. And of course thanks to all of you, whose financial support and trust in me is equally indispensable. I wish you a happy and healthy holiday season and look forward to serving you next year.  The share for this week will be: spinach, yellow onions, red potatoes, choice of green or napa cabbage, carrots and parsnips (Montclair and S.I.) or salad turnips(all other groups), acorn squash, celery root, and choice of a green (arugula, tatsoi, broccoli raab or mustard greens).  Enjoy!  Farmer John

P.S. I will again be collecting used children’s clothes and toys to be brought to Central America by my workers when they return or by myself when I travel there in December or January. Anyone who has anything they would like to donate can bring it on the last pickup or the first week of the 3 week extension. Anything from newborn to teenage will be appreciated.

Farm Update 11/4/08

Hi Folks,

In last week’s update I said that I was hoping the weatherman was wrong about the rain predicted. Well he was correct about the precipitation, only most of it fell as heavy wet snow out here, causing havoc on the highways and preventing us from making our Tuesday deliveries! My apologies to all those who were inconvenienced by this, but both Rt. 206 and I-80 were closed all afternoon. We simply couldn’t get there from here!

Although farmers are busy constantly we also spend a lot of time waiting. Waiting for seeds to come up; wondering if they will; waiting for crops to grow and reach maturity and worrying about what calamities may befall them before they do. These last few weeks have been extremely frustrating as extreme and unseasonably cold temperatures have damaged and slowed the growth of crops that are very hardy and normally thrive in cooler weather.

I have been waiting for the broccoli raab to form its small florets and for cabbages and cauliflowers to form heads; for spinach to be large enough to bunch. There are still thousands of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and lettuce plants in the field that should soon mature. With adequate soil moisture and milder temperatures predicted for the next week or so, these crops should reach the finish line. The first of the spinach should be ready next week and I expect to have some broccoli raab to offer as a choice with other greens.

For this week the share will be: Lettuce, white potatoes, white salad turnips, red onions, choice of 2 greens (tatsoi, arugula, mustard green, kale), spaghetti squash, choice of garlic or shallots, baby bok choy, and choice of an herb.

Enjoy! Farmer John