Come what May

Our new sign!

Read below to learn about…

  • Field updates
  • Start dates?
  • New member orientation for Brunswick members this Sunday!
  • Sign up for your mushroom & egg shares
  • Fish shares – CSF (community supported fishery) with Port Clyde Fresh Catch
  • Opportunities for kids 13 and up at farm camp!

 

This post is coming late which means that we are busy!

Thank you to everyone for signing on with us!  The CSA reached capacity in mid-April which is earlier than in the past few years.  We are gathering the wait list for members for 2013 already.  We appreciate all of the support you’ve given by joining the CSA, and by spreading the good word about our farm to your friends.  We are ever grateful.

Field Updates  The dry weather of April has transitioned into “normal” weather for May and we are actively squeezing work in the fields between the raindrops. In addition to field work, we are getting the farm set-up for the start of harvest and washing, moving sheep onto fresh grass, teaching pigs how to turn compost and finding room for each weeks succession of new plants in the greenhouse.

The crew has been on the farm for about 6 weeks now and they are doing a great job managing the different aspects of the farm and keeping us on schedule. We have a little over 3 acres  of vegetables in the ground and hope to have over another acre planted by the end of the month. The warm dry of April was irresistible and we put a few crops out early which have been dragging a bit with the drop in temperatures and the rain soaked soils.  That said our potatoes are emerging this week and the onion crop is showing its first new leaves since transplanting. May 15th is always my go-to date for the last spring frost possibility. In most years if we don’t have cold night around the 15th and the long-range forecast has no temps below 50 at night I assume we are safe (don’t hold me liable!). For us that means tomatoes can go into or field tunnels, tender flowers can be set out in the Upic field and we have much more flexibility for everything else.

When do we start???  At this point it looks as if we will be right on time with our first harvests either the week of May 27 or June 3. We’ll make the call next week and be in contact with all of you by email and phone. If you are sharing your share make sure to check in with your partner when we set the start date.

New member orientation:  This Sunday May 20th at either 10:00 am or 3:00 pm

If this is your first year as a member of the farm we invite you to tour the farm and talk about how the CSA works. Maura and I will walk you through the process of picking up your share, show you the Upic field and transplant greenhouse as well as introduce you to the piglets.

Mushroom and Egg shares Add more local flavor to your share with an organic egg or mushroom share. Sparrow Farm eggs are pasture-raised with deep yellow yolks and tall standing whites. An egg share guarantees you a dozen each week with your produce.

Oyster Creek Mushrooms are a combination of cultivated and wild harvested mushrooms from Maine.  Each share is a half a pound a week or varieties like shitake, portobella,  black trumpets and morels.

Use our online management system to order either an egg share and or a mushroom share.  All primary members have an account already.  You access your account by going to our webpage and clicking on the green Manage Your Account button on the right.  If you don’t know your password you can hit the forgot password button. From here follow the system prompts and call (729.1112)  or email with any questions.

***Split shares.  If you are not the primary member on your account, but you’d still like to order eggs and/or mushrooms independent of your share partner (realizing they must be picked up every week) send an email to Maura and I’ll send you a link to get into our system.

Fresh Fish Share each week

Once again we are a host site for Port Clyde Fresh Catch CSF (community supported fishery). They will be delivering a fresh fish share to the farm each Friday beginning on June 15 and going for 10 weeks.   New this year you have to sign up for all ten weeks.  If you are a fan of fresh Maine landed fish this is a great deal and the fish is of the best quality.  Seth and Maura do not administer this share.  You pay Port Clyde directly & they handle all the admin.  We are simply the host site.   To download the PDF with sign up info, and prices click here.

 

Junior Counselors!!

We still have a few spots left in our Junior Counselor Program this year.  A great opportunity for kids ages 13 and up who are looking to spend the day outside, having fun, leading younger children, learning about sustainable agriculture, cooking, crafting, reading, and playing. Volunteer to help lead our campers in exchange for great work & life experience!  For the dates and more information see our webpage at:  http://crystalspringcsa.com/farm-camp   For a description of the program and application email Maura or 729.1112.