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The first frost came Friday evening and it was just a light touch but is the beginning of good things. Everyone assumes I am happy about frosts as they mean the end of the farm season and a slowdown in my workload. While there is some truth to this, my happiness when I awaken to white mornings in early October is really about vegetable quality. That touch of frost is like the princess kissing the frog (a beautiful and very tasty frog to keep the analogy on task). Little doses of cold flip the switch in our fall crops and they go from tasting good to great. All these cold-tolerant vegetables like cabbage, carrots, leeks and broccoli respond to temperatures just below freezing by sweetening up; converting starches to sugars. It’s not instant but over the next week or two we will see a big change in flavors. Trying to get someone at your table to try kale or eat more cabbage? This is the strategic time of year for success.

Dinner

We had a perfect farm-to table meal on Sunday evening. Blue sky and a windless afternoon made our four courses and three Maine Beer Co. pairings taste even better. Hats off to those of you that could join us as well as Dirigo Public House for taking our good produce and making it great. This meal was a trial run for what we home will be many more next season.

Maple

After a long hiatus the dark maple syrup quarts are back. Look for them in the egg cooler…I’m dreaming on pancakes now.

Blueberries!!

Our own organic blueberries are back from the freezer in Ellsworth where they have been cleaned and frozen. We are working on getting our berries into some local stores along with some new packaging and labels. In the meantime we will have 30-pound boxes ($105) and 5-pound bags ($25) in the freezer at pick-up. 

Saving Crystal Spring Farm and Many Places Like it

As many of you know, Crystal Spring Farm is owned by the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust (BTLT) and Maura and I have an innovative long-term lease with the trust that allows us to run the CSA as our independent business.  The Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust saved this farm from the threat of development twenty years ago. In the last two decades, BTLT has continued to protect and preserve over 2,500 acres of open space and farmland in our community along with offering recreational and educational programs that allow all of us to get out and enjoy the beauty of this great place we live in.  The trust is a community-based non-profit, staffed by committed local folks that work hard to keep our towns beautiful and accessible. BTLT also runs the Saturday Farmers’ Market at Crystal Spring Farm. Please consider supporting their work by becoming a member of the Land Trust. To learn more about BTLT’s mission and support their programs please follow this link.

2018 and Late Fall Share Sign-up

Thanks to everyone who has thrown their hats in with us for 2018. Your commitment now makes a huge difference for us as we plan and finance the coming season. Still haven’t signed up? Easy payment plans for both shares and add-ons available. Follow this link.

We also have Late Fall shares open. Come to the farm for produce every other Tuesday in November and December, including the Tuesday before Thanks giving and Christmas.  sign up here.

What’s in the Share 

  • Lettuce
  • Napa Cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Delicata Squash
  • Kale
  • Chard
  • Tatsoi/Baby Bok
  • Radishes
  • Peppers
  • Arugula

What’s in Upic

  • Cherry tomatoes/tomatillos
  • Flowers
  • Herbs