img_2925Thank You.

Another farm season comes to a close this week. Farming is never boring and almost always challenging. 2016 will go into our books as the driest by far. We can be proud that we produced a strong crop and got more skilled with our irrigation systems. One of the great things about farming in the Northeast has been the regular supply of rainfall. The average for Brunswick is about 36″ a year and for the most part this has been spread evenly over the whole season. Not this year. We invested in an irrigation system 12 years ago and have used it at some point during the season each year to keep us at one inch of water a week. Our current setup runs off of a well that we connect to our many fields via 30 lengths of aluminum pipe. This is labor intensive as we have to break down one field to set up the next. Two of our fields are over 1000′ from the well so in 30′ increments you can do the math…its a lot of pipe to move. Usually not a big deal but this year we were moving pipes and irrigating all the time…it was a big deal.

Apart from a massive effort to move water this season we also saw the frost dates pull back in both spring and fall, giving us a longer season and new possibilities in the coming years for earlier plant dates in the spring as well as more successions of tender crops in the fall. Our crew this season was spectacular, putting in endless days pulling tons of food from exceptionally hot and dusty fields. But most important above everything we did was seeing you each week here excited about the harvest – we are ever grateful.

Oysters?

This is the last week we will have Long Reach Oysters available. These are outstanding raft raised native oysters making a very short trip from Harpswell to your table. Pre order by 9pm tonight via email…$16/doz, $9 /half.

Sign-ups

Thanks again for the overwhelming signup enthusiasm. Your support now makes a huge difference for the farm. Still need to get on board? Here’s the link.

What’s in the Share?

Lettuce

Kale/Chard

Cabbage

Carrots

Winter Squash

Parsnips

Turnips

Rutabaga

Onions

Brussels Sprouts

Sweet Potatoes

img_2986Red Turnips make a bold appearance this second to last week of the csa. When I say turnips many of you tune out but wait… These are the close relatives of the white salad turnips we have had the past couple weeks. Smooth and creamy they lend themselves to eating raw (we like to slice them thinly and bathe in vinegar for round the clock nibbling). Don’t pass up the greens either. Feeling southern? Coarsly chop and stew with onions and a touch of butter and all you need to add is the barbecue.

2017

Thanks again for the overwhelming signup enthusiasm. Your support now makes a huge difference for the farm. Still need to get on board? Here’s the link.

The Last Week…Brussels Sprouts

Lots of other good stuff coming too don’t miss the last pickup…bring a box.

Potatoes

We finally have potatoes this week. As you may have guessed it was a less than successful crop for us this year. Biblical beetles and drought gave us very small tubers. What she have tastes great though…

What’s in the Share

Lettuce

Asian Greens

Kale/Chard

Butternut Squash

Acorn Squash

Potatoes

Carrots

Beets

Garlic

Parsnips

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Hurricanes that miss their mark, first frost, and the last two weeks of harvest. So many things to sigh and or exhale about this time of year. Like the trees this fall the season seems to have turned with the flip of a switch. Last week we were still in our short sleeves at 7am and now we are rolling out the row fabric to keep the greens going while the temperatures dive. It’s all dramatic and exciting if we step out of our working, but minute by minute we make our small adjustments and keep getting the day’s work done.

With all of my worrying and wondering about water this this year I have not had a moments doubt about our crew. We somehow ended up with some of the best people on the planet this season and their efforts every hour of each day made this season a great success.

Stock the Freezer Sale

We have a fall “Stock the Freezer” sale going the next couple weeks.  Buy 10 pounds or more of our ground pork, ground beef, or ground lamb for a dollar off per pound.

10lbs Pork or Beef for $70, 10lbs lamb for $60…

We also have 10lb flats of frozen tomato seconds for $10.

Last Week of Mushroom Share…

Our mushroom farmer had a calendar error and did not deliver the last week of mushrooms last week. Make sure not to miss yours this week.

Thank you for signing up for 2017!!

Our appreciation is deep for everyone who has signed up with us for 2017. CSA is a unique collaboration between your families and this farm. By joining now you put your money where your mouth is, supporting local organic food. You also get a great deal. Where else can you buy fresh local organic produce for around $1.50 per pound, pick flowers and strawberries, and swap recipes with the people who grow your food?  Thank you! Still need to sign up? Here’s the link.

When is the Season Over?

We are planning to have our last harvest of the regular farm season the week of October 24th. The last pick-ups will be Tuesday the 24 and Friday the 28th.

 What’s in the Share?

Lettuce

Asian Greens

Jale

Arugula

Chickories

Carrots

Sweet Dumpling Squash

Kohklrabi

Hakuri Salad Turnips

Red Cabbage

screen-shot-2016-10-04-at-5-49-19-amBe careful what you wish for. For a couple weeks I have been hoping out loud for a couple three days of hurricane blow off. This is that nice fine rain that comes soft and constant and soaks the soil without washing a grain of sand away. We commonly get this kind of precipitation in the month of September and in many years it catches us up from a dry August and also signals the end of summer as it brings in our fall fungus infections riding that tropical wetness. With September behind us this year I had resigned myself to irrigating right through Halloween (another first). I’ve been watching Matthew develop and grow since last week, hoping that it would stay alive long enough to spin a few plumes of wetness our way. Little did I know it would grow into the largest October hurricane on record and defy all the models as it keeps moving west (instead of east into the cold Atlantic). What this means for the farm is that you are getting some lovely red veined spinach this week instead of next. Small greens tend to fair poorly in heavy rain, spinach especially as it yellows quickly after having all it’s nutrients washed from the soil. For the rest of the farm…we will watch as the forecast tightens through the week and look to lashing down greenhouses and tunnels, getting things under cover that could blow away in high winds, etc. Welcome to our new climate.

Thank You for Signing up for 2017

Thank you to those who have signed up online in the past week! Knowing we can count on your shares early allows us to refine our plans for crops, order seed before the winter rush, and take advantage of end of the year pricing on big ticket items like soil, fertilizer and supplies. Most importantly it helps us focus on making the farm productive and healthy. If you haven’t signed up yet here’s the link.

Cipolinni Onions

These little flat onions are pure magic. Sweeter than  your standard onion they are great roasted in the oven, cooked slow on the stovetop or caramelized.

What’s in the Share

Lettuce Mix

Tatsoi

Baby Bok Choi

Chard

Spinach

Carrots

Delicata

Radishes/salad turnips

Cippolinni Onions

 

A Poem

Things we don’t have to worry about in a hurricane…

 

Problems with Hurricanes

A campesino looked at the air
And told me:
With hurricanes it’s not the wind
or the noise or the water.
I’ll tell you he said:
it’s the mangoes, avocados
Green plantains and bananas
flying into town like projectiles.

How would your family
feel if they had to tell
The generations that you
got killed by a flying
Banana.

Death by drowning has honor
If the wind picked you up
and slammed you
Against a mountain boulder
This would not carry shame
But
to suffer a mango smashing
Your skull
or a plantain hitting your
Temple at 70 miles per hour
is the ultimate disgrace.

The campesino takes off his hat—
As a sign of respect
toward the fury of the wind
And says:
Don’t worry about the noise
Don’t worry about the water
Don’t worry about the wind—
If you are going out
beware of mangoes
And all such beautiful
sweet things.