Archive for the CSA Newsletter Category

It all starts in the fields with our farm crew. Many of them worked alongside us from the beginning, opening up packages of seeds. They seeded down every single flat, transplanted the plants when they were ready, and then cared for them in the fields. They have weeded, picked, washed and prepared the produce for your CSA shares and the farm stand and it’s been quite an undertaking.

Wow, we have learned the true power of the internet this week! It appears that someone wrote and posted an article about the top ten outdoor dining experience in Massachusetts, and we were number 5! Thank you!

Ever wonder what we do when we have a few too many cucumbers? We partner with these guys! Did you know that Worcester County Food Bank (WCFB) is the region’s leading anti-hunger organization distributing over 6 million pounds of donated food and grocery product in partnership with food donors, financial supporters, and volunteers? WCFB provides this product to a network of 128 Partner Agencies that have programs for feeding people including food pantries, community meal sites, and shelters.

The blueberries are gorgeous this year and if you haven’t picked yet don’t wait much longer. Right now they are really sweet and plentiful but, we are usually done picking by the end of the month. Our big sunflower field is coming into bloom and it will be a perfect time to get some family photos.

What a difference a year makes! These are some Walla Walla onions that will be showing up in the share this week. The rain of course has helped but also the ability to fertigate ( organic fertilizer and water through drip irrigation). Our next hurdle, will be to find a place to store them all for the winter. They are going to be a great for our Winter Share!

Pesto Making is an annual event here at the farm. Many of you have been coming since we held the first event 10 years ago. Here’s how it works. We supply the basil (but you have to pick it) and garlic. You bring your food processor, olive oil, cheese(if you like), salt and pepper, and nuts if you like. And together we spend the evening making pesto. It fun and relaxing and a great way to meet CSA members. Space is limited so please contact Angelina in the farm stand to register. This event is FREE to CSA members. Wednesday July 12th at 7:00 PM.

This week we also hosted a Twilight Meeting. About 70 agricultural specialist and farmers converged here to hone their skills and to figure out how they could apply new technologies and ideas to farms across the state. We have hosted many of them in the last few years since we work closely with UMass extension, the coordinators of these events. This session was on irrigation and we learned a ton.

We have a new UPick opportunity: Juneberries. Probably five years ago we replaced our field of raspberries with an berry called a Juneberry. After the strawberries are done and before the early blueberries, they are ready to be harvested . It’s a unique little berry that looks like a blueberry but tastes like a cross between a blueberry and a dark cherry with a hint of almond flavor in its soft seed.

I’m happy to report the first week of distribution went really well. It was great to get a chance to see all our veteran shareholder and meet many new ones. I met four different families that became members this years because they had the opportunity to pick-up a share for a friends last year. They enjoyed it so much they became members themselves. If you are ever away for a distribution, feel free to have a friend come pick up your share so they can try it out too.

Welcome to all our new members and a big hello to all our returning members. We are so excited to meet and see you all in the next couple weeks. So here’s to another CSA season, our 10th I believe. We’ve come along way, thanks to the continued support of our CSA members that invest in us during the lean months of the year. Your support has allowed us to grow and prosper, and we look forward to farming for many more years to come.