My kids have been glumly reminding me that this is their last week of summer. They have been working the farm in the mornings this season since school ended in June with breaks for hiking trips and  preseason sports. As most of you transition out of summer mode we are also transitioning into fall which means big harvests. We have most of our onions in (about 8000 pounds) and this next week we start on winter squash. Both of these crops go into our greenhouse to cure where they sweeten up and dry down so that they will keep for the fall and early winter. Look for a few new onion options in this weeks offerings.

 

Competition

We have been struggling with pests a bit this year. Each season we have to manage insects that enjoy our crops but this year we have also been grappling with larger pests, mostly deer. For 15 years we have had very little damage from deer but this year they seem to have developed a real passion for our produce. Over the last few weeks we have lost about 800 heads of lettuce and they also like carrot tops, chard and radicchio. We added a few thousand feet of portable electric fencing to the fields this week and the last few nights have seen no damage. From experience we know there is no checkmate move here but hopefully we can protect the next round of lettuce long enough to get some into your boxes.

 

Labor on Labor Day

We invite all of you up to the farm to help us harvest the potato crop on Labor Day starting at 9:00 am. This is a longstanding farm tradition and a great way to chat with neighbors old or new along with the farm crew while we pickup a few tons of potatoes. We have a vintage potato digger that will lift the roots and drop them on top of the soil where we can come through with buckets and bins to collect. Its a great time and for a few hours you and your family can get your hands dirty shoulder to shoulder with the crew. Here's a link to find the field.

 

What's in the Share

Carrots

Potatoes

Peppers

Scallions

Kohlrabi

Fennel

Beets

Cucumbers

Summer Squash

Eggplant

Roma/Slicing Tomatoes

Onions

Melon

What's in Upic

Basil

Dill

Perennial herbs

Cherry toms

The last week of summer is upon us. Hope fully you will get in a couple more swims and some afternoons with your feet up. I know that is our goal.

The end of the heat and humidity is so welcome. It has come a bit late for a few crops that are suffering from diseases that we usually don't see for another month. Heat stresses out the plants and the humidity opens the door for some very happy fungal invaders. Our leafy greens have been hit the hardest, losing their older leaves and trying to keep up with younger ones. Luckily the forecast is for temperate cool and dry air.

We have had lots of good feedback on our sunflower cover crop. The field has been challenging the Saturday Farmer's market for most congested traffic spot in town. We have another week with them so enjoy the view while you can. Building soil was never so beautiful.

Late Fall Share

Our Late Fall Share is still available. It's an easy way to continue with our great produce through the end of the year. Fresh greens and hearty portions of carrots, winter squash, onions, cabbage and more every other week in November and December (including the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas) $160 this share is available if you are currently a member or not.   To sign up  click here  and sign in (current members) or "sign-up now" ( those without a current summer share.

What's in the Share, week of August 21th

Carrots

Potatoes

Collards

Peppers

Scallions

Kohlrabi

Fennel

Beets

Cucumbers

Summer Squash

Eggplant

Roma/Slicing Tomatoes

Basil

What's in Upic

Basil

Dill

Perennial herbs

Cherry toms

August 14, 2018

Blueberry Harvest Vortex Comes to a Close!

As some of you may know, three years ago we started harvesting blueberries here at Crystal Spring Farm, in the blueberry barrens that lie between our fields and Brunswick High School.  Since we began we've had poor to mediocre harvest numbers.  This year has proven to be a welcome increase!  Seth began putting the blueberry harvester together the week of July 23rd and began harvesting berries on July 30th.  He has been sitting on the tractor all day, every day since then, and today marks the 16th and final day of the job.   Its a two person job - one to drive (Seth) and the other to manage the bins, stacking the full ones and moving the empty ones as the berries come in off the moving belt.  Our two kids, along with a few neighborhood kids have done the bulk of the work.   35,000 pounds of berries have been harvested here and sent up to Ellsworth to be flash frozen and placed on the commodity wholesale market.  We will buy back several thousand pounds to sell locally.  Being in the organic market, we'll be somewhat protected from the significant blueberry price drops you may have been hearing about in the news lately.

While the blueberry harvest has been all encompassing for Seth for the past three weeks (oh, and he was on vacation the week prior), the rest of the farm demands have kept coming (August!!) and our steady, competent, knock out crew has been harvesting, washing, packing, sorting, cultivating, seeding, watering...etc etc.   The experienced dedicated women of this farm have allowed Seth to essentially be "off the farm" while bringing food to your kitchen & keeping everything alive and flourishing.  Gratitude to them abounds.

 

Support the Brunswick Topsham Land Trust and Win Beautiful Piece of Art!

To follow up on our notes last week, one of our CSA members, talented artist Maria Castellano-Usery is showing her appreciation for our CSA and support for the Brunswick Topsham Land Trust by offering a Brushstrokes with Impact Paint-a-thon! on Saturday August 18th.  I'm sure many of you are familiar with her vibrant art and generous community work, or learn more here.  She painted our beautiful and inspiring Little Free Library at the bottom of our driveway by the farmer's market parking lot.  For details about this event please see this link

On Saturday, August 18th, she will be setting up her easel at the *brand-new* location of Monarch Massage and Wellness (41 Main Street, Topsham) and painting from roughly 9:30am-5:30pm; at the end of the day, the completed painting will be raffled off, and 50% of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the Brunswick Topsham Land Trust.

How can you help?  It's easy!!

  • This week when you pick up your produce, consider buying a raffle ticket to support the BTLT and a chance to win Maria's painting!
    •  $5 each ticket or 3 for $10
  • Choose one of her prints to take home with you for $35 (10% donated to BTLT)
  • Visit Monarch Massage and Wellness (41 Main Street, Topsham) on Saturday where she'll be painting and will have other art work available for purchase.

Thank you - on behalf of Maria & BTLT & all of us

What's in the Share, week of August 14th

Lettuce

Kale

Collards

Chard

Broccoli

Onions

Peppers

Shallots

Scallions

Kohlrabi

Fennel

Beets

Leeks

Cucumbers

Summer Squash

Eggplant

Tomatoes

What's in Upic

Beans

Basil

Dill

Perennial herbs

Cherry toms

Organic Maine Wild Blueberries

Order organic Maine wild blueberries this week! Quarts are $9 and will be delivered over the next 2 weeks. Order online here.   **Please note we are not able to take orders via phone or email as in years past.

Carrots are back and the people are happy. It takes anywhere between 90 and 120 days to get a carrot to grow from a seed to sugary root. We worry about them as they germinate slowly, are poor competitors with the many fast growing broad leaved weeds and grow below the soil (where we can't easily monitor them). once they are ready it means that we can relax a bit knowing we will have some orange to go with all the green in the share.

I can't tell you how many kids ran across the barn with glee this past week when they saw the return of the carrots. As farmers we are always  caught up looking intently at the trees and each pickup day all of you remind us of the beauty in the forest as a whole.

What's in the Share

Lettuce

Asian Greens

Spicy Mustard

Kale

Collards

Chard

Basil

Onions

Shallots

Scallions

Red Cabbage

Carrots

What's in Upic

Beans

Basil

Dill

Perennial herbs

Cherry toms