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CSA Newsletter: Year 17, Week 3: June 30 - July 4, 2008

Dear CSA friends,

Yes, we are picking and packing food on July 4. We will do the CSA and knock off a little early on Friday to enjoy the fourth. If you can't pick up your food on Friday, it will be waiting for you in the cooler over the weekend, although the cooler will be turned off.

Someone asked if we are collecting yogurt containers still. We are indeed. We use them for frozen applesauce, rhubarb, summer squash and lard. We always appreciate your grocery and plastic bags too.

There are 13 little honkers in the chicken house - too cute. Stop and say hi.

From working shareholder Becca Miller:

Hi Julie,

I saw the question you pasted in the newsletter and I wanted to mention the great cookbook you sold at the farm about three years ago, From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce published by the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition. I have since purchased a few more copies for gifts from Amazon and always recommend this book for any newbie shareholder with whom I come in contact. I call the book my "veggie bible" and would not have been able to use half the veggies on the farm during my first year if I didn't have it as a resource. The book is organized by vegetable/herb, particularly veggies you get in a CSA. Not only does each vegetable section include wonderful, relatively simple recipes, but it also includes "Cooking Tips" and an especially helpful section entitled "Storage Tips" (how to store for short term and long term). Using this book has helped me to prevent waste...I hardly ever end up throwing veggies away because they go bad or are too plentiful!

My Best,
Becca

We have 11 remaining shares available. Tell your friends that they can join and get a share for $496 this week.

Troubles in the Worcester coop pick up

Hi folks, for the second week, the Worcester pick up person missed a bag. This is what we can do on our end. We have a sign posted on the cork board right outside the cooler. On the bags that go to Collective a Go Go on Friday, we write "Worcester" on the address label. If you have any questions, or want to make sure you have taken all the right bags, find me and I will help you double check. Here are the folks who are presently in the Collective's pick up group. Email Dave Schmidt if you want to join.

Friday Worcester Pick Up Coop

People doings

It was a really big week for almost everyone here at Many Hands. Starting with Sunday, our daughter Ellen graduated from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York City. You will see her work published here from time to time.

Gustavo Gaspar Santana Gustavo Gaspar Santana

Nate graduated Almost Home and has moved to Dismas House where he will have reasonable rent to pay and some supervision and support as he moves to his next phase in life.

Becca and Edwin became proud parents Monday night. Gustavo Gaspar Santana (Avie for short) is his name. Due to a breech position Becca required a Caesarian, but strong woman that she is, is home and doing much more than she probably should be already. Edwin runs between home and the farm, juggling these two major responsibilities. Everyone remember how much sleep you get with those cute little newborns? Avie is the first baby that has ever been born from folks that met at the farm - we feel quite honored.

On Tuesday, son Dan and daughter-in-law Roshni looked at a farm in West Hardwick and subsequently put down an offer.

Wednesday Shawnee turned 30. Steve, a Worcester friend brought his friend Aline and they volunteered all morning and stayed for the party. Therese, a sometimes volunteer, also came to help that day. Jack flew out to Boulder, CO from Wednesday to Friday. He, as editor of The Natural Farmer, was invited to the Organic Summit conference to hobnob with all the organic industry types. As it turns out the Natural Farmer (NOFA's regional publication) is a highly respected rag.

Thursday was Chris' (from Almost Home) birthday. Thursday night Nina, Shawnee, Clare and I went to the 20th anniversary of Dismas House celebration. The guys were all dressed up (as were we) and we enjoyed seeing each other not caked with mud. Buddy Cianci, Mayor of Providence and 4½ years in prison, was the amazing key note speaker.

Friday was Brian's birthday (also from Almost Home). And Friday was Danny's graduation day from Almost Home. He has moved home with his family in Charlton.

Saturday Kim, working shareholder, ran a tasty and informative cooking class at the farm where 8 or so folks learned, worked and ate. Congratulations to all of these wonderful people who passed important markers this week.

Crop report

Celina Lagrant Rivernider enjoys spending time with Zooey. Image courtesy Patrice Lagrant. Celina Lagrant Rivernider enjoys spending time with Zooey. Image courtesy Patrice Lagrant.

Here is where the farmer gets to complain. This week's complaint is too much rain. Every day it has rained, almost. As I write this on Sunday morning at 5:30 am it is pouring rain. Many of these generally positive thunder storms have brought excessive downpours which have ravaged the crops some. Maybe it was hail on Monday night that left everyone flat on Tuesday - not sure. But we are experiencing some rot. The weeds, of course, are having a hay day. The good news is that we completely finished the west field. That is the one across the street. There is a chocked full field of potatoes, leeks, onions and garlic. Though soggy, it is beautiful over there. As an interesting aside, my soil test recommendations for that side of the street were double applications of rock phosphate, fish/seaweed emulsion and calcium limestone. Arden Andersen promises that when the soil is in balance the weeds go away. The weeds over there have been quite light, and they are not coming back. I am hopeful that what I am seeing is a substantial improvement in soil biology that is kicking in.

Back on this side of the street, however, the north field (already usually a wetter field - the one behind the hoop houses), has been problematic from the get go. This is our beets and carrots field this year. The weeds keep coming up before our small seeds do, so weeding is horrendously slow. We have two plantings in the safe zone, however, and are working on our third. We are diligent with our lettuce weeding, as this is a high value crop that necessitates extra attention.

Normally by now, we have done copious amounts of mulching. The mulching of newly weeded fields keeps the weeds from coming back. With the tractor out of commission, we have been set back. The good news is that it is being fixed - as it turns out it was a blown head gasket, not a complete engine blow. We should have it back here by Tuesday!

In the garden, we got the tomatoes almost all done. They need to be tied. They are still struggling a bit with potato bugs, as are the eggplant in the blue house (not so in the enchanted potato field). The peas are beautiful but very slow. I thought we would have a burst of peas this upcoming week, but no. I don't know the reason for this. We still need to save the mint and the asparagus and rhubarb from the bind weed.

The south field needs a lot of weeding. The corn and squash, though larger than the weeds, are in need, and some of the brassicas still need work, though we have been picking away at the weeds when we are harvesting. The flowers over in the pond field are in great need. Speaking of flowers, I am sorry that the sweet William on Friday were near the end and not of the best quality. We will take a week off on flower shares and be back on line with annuals next week.

Want to help out? Come on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday and weed from 10 to noon with us. That is our greatest need right now. The weed pressure will slow down naturally now. We are past the solstice and on the down side of the sun. By the end of July things will be a little less hectic.

This week we will have

Monday and Wednesday will get strawberries. Monday and Friday will get broccoli as we had a surprise for Wednesday last week. We are in a bit of a farm lull right now for "new" food.

Thank you for all of your appreciative emails, your thoughtful comments when you stop by, your support of our work. Farming is such in our world that it does not remunerate financially as well as so many other jobs for hours of work put in. Luckily, for those of us who are blessed to be farmers, it is extremely satisfying work that feeds that soul and the body and provides an amazing community connection. Each day on the farm is so tremendously fun. When a former prisoner gets the first taste of a real strawberry or someone on staff starts to open up and really share a personal concern, or when we are spraying each other with water, listening to background salsa music, slip sliding through chicken manure as we move the pens each day, or wiping mud on each other just for fun, we know what heaven is. Come join us M, W, F 7 to noon. (Cutting out early this Friday)!

Recipes

Here is Nina's recipe

Since we may not be getting too many peas this week I am adding another recipe. I made these a couple of weeks ago and my family liked them very much. If you don't know what to do with the garlic scapes, just chop up fine and use like onion or garlic. Don't let them get crispy when being sautéed.