Category: 2011 Newsletters

We are happy to announce the start of CSA distribution!  Come to the farm Tuesday June 7th or Friday June 10th from 2-7pm to pick up the first harvest of the season.  Bring bags!

We have some beautiful greens for you this first week along with chives to brighten your salads and stir fries.  We’ve been waiting on the first planting of radishes so there’s a possibility they may arrive in your share this first week. We’ll know more on this front when we start the harvest on Tuesday. Strawberries are coming soon!

June is an exciting month, the first hints of fresh local produce to come. The greens of this month benefit from the long days and cool nights. Look for other additions to your share in the next couple weeks like strawberries and scallions.By the end of the month we will get into our first cabbage, broccoli, zucchini and kohlrabi.

We will be here to meet new members, greet old members, and answer any questions you may have.

Local Products Available for You to Buy:

We make an effort to bring in high quality locally grown products to enhance your eating experience and to support our local economy.  If there are products you would like us to carry here, please let us know.   You can expect to find milk, eggs, cheese, lamb, beef, chicken, maple syrup, and more.

Two Great Ways to Support Local Fisherman!

Lobster:  Be sure to pick up a brochure with the information for Interstate Lobster Co-op of Harpswell.  They will be delivering freshly landed lobster Tuesdays and Fridays – you just have to call to place your order by 11:00 am each pick up day.  Their number is 833.5516.

Fish:  Order your community support fish (CSF) shares with Port Clyde Fresh Catch. Pick up fresh fish delivered to the farm each Tuesday.  For more information on how the CSF works see their webpages at http://www.portclydefreshcatch.com/productcart/pc/home.asp

Tofu, tempeh, mushroom share:  This share will start in mid-June. We hope to have some samples next week of all three products for you to try. We’ll have information about this new share at CSA pick up.

See you at the farm!

So everyone wants to know how the farm and the farmers are dealing with this unbelievable weather.  Over the past few weeks we have been cycling between frustration, confusion, anger, acceptance, surrender, hope, and gratitude.  We are thankful that you, our members, are with us as a part of the farm and sending your friends our way to join the CSA.  We are thankful that our soils drain well, making it possible to plant potatoes, onions, summer squash, leeks, beets, carrots, flowers, greens, cabbage, broccoli, parsnips, radishes and tomatoes. The greenhouse is filled with even more crops waiting for the ground to warm.  And we have three hoop houses in the field filled with tomatoes.  We have four amazing women working for us this year and their spirits have not been dampened by the clouds.  Given the high number of natural disasters in the United States and abroad – this spring alone – we are grateful for all that we have.

Summer will come.  We may have to use our imaginations at this point. Long stretches of difficult weather this time of year can push farmers into tough spots. The process of growing a steady supply of produce requires tight scheduling of seedlings in the fields and greenhouse. Missed dates of crops sown directly into the fields means those crops will come in for harvest later. Missed planting dates for crops coming out of the greenhouse means those crops have to stay healthy and strong while they wait. Luckily we are blessed with great soils here at Crystal Spring that are sandy and fertile, meaning they dry relatively quickly when the sun finally comes out. We know many Maine farmers who have yet to be able to get anything in the ground.

Shares for 2011 still available! Many thanks to those of you who have sent your friends our way for a farm share.  We are so appreciative.  We have shares available.   Let us know if we can email you a PDF brochure for your office or neighbors.  Please see our last blog post for more info on why we love to grow for the CSA and what makes it a great value.

Fish and Lobster. Fish and lobster shares will be available staring in June. The Port Clyde CSF (community supported fishery) will be delivering fish share to Crystal Spring again this year on Tuesdays. You can order your share week to week and pay online. Check out their website www.portclydefreshcatch.com.

Fresh local lobster! Call in your order the same morning as your farm pick up and it will be here waiting for you!  It can’t get any easier.  New this year we are hosting the Interstate Lobster Co-op who will be delivering pre-ordered lobster to the CSA each week. This co-op is based in Harpswell and is made up of over 30 local lobstermen who land their catch right down the peninsula. They will be packing lobsters for delivery to the farm that have been landed that day. Look for brochures with more info at the farm. Their number will be posted on our website under the “buy local” tab.

The million dollar question: When we will start the farm harvest & distributions? We will email and give a phone call to let you know.  We’re still hoping for early June.

CSA shares still available and we need your help!

This CSA lives and breathes because of you.  Thank you for being a fundamental part of our farm.  Farmers in Maine can choose from many models to market their fresh produce.  It is not just happenstance that we have chosen to make Crystal Spring Farm a CSA farm over other options in the market today.

So why have we chosen CSA?  For the past 30 years farms like ours have been a unique place for people to “know your farmer.”  But from our vantage point as the farmers, we value knowing our customers.  Knowing the people that put our food on their tables sustains us through this often challenging work.   You place your trust in us to grow food for your family that is plentiful, delicious, and good for you.  This compels us, in return, to produce the best possible organic vegetables.  We know each other and our relationship transcends a product or a single sale. Every week we watch you, your kids and your partners take home the fruits of our labor.  The next week you come back with questions, ideas and excitement about your food and this farm.   We see you at the schools, the library, soccer fields, and on Maine Street everyday.  We truly value the relationships we have with you in this community.

CSA is a unique experience. In an age when the internet allows us to buy anything from anywhere at anytime, the idea of paying a local farmer upfront for a product that doesn’t exist yet can seem a bit odd.  The fact that so many of you are willing to trade the choices you might find at the grocery store or farmer’s market for the quality, value and experience of being a part of our farm drives us.  Looking back at our records this past winter, we were humbled to see how many families have been members of the CSA since we started eight years ago and how many more have become loyal friends in the years since.

Every fall we look back at the previous season. Harvests are totaled up by crop and by quantity per share and from here we assign a value. This past year we offered each share 392 pounds of fresh organic produce. With a share price of $515 that translates into $1.31 per pound. Next time you are in the grocery store, look at the prices of the conventional produce as well as the organic. It’s hard to buy much of anything for $1.31, much less a pound of fresh organic arugula, baby lettuce, red peppers or snap peas right off the vine.

The unique experience of CSA is built around you supporting the farm by pre-paying for your produce and the farm supporting  you with real quality at a great value. We love sharing the food we grow this way and we are grateful that all of you, given the many local food choices you have, choose to join us in this annual adventure.

Here is where we’re asking for your help.  Each fall we begin our planning for the following spring.  We purchase seeds, order greenhouse soils, hire apprentices, and update equipment, all based on the target number of CSA shares.  This year we’re finding ourselves short of our CSA membership goals.  We know many people in our community seek out local food and there are many venues in which to find local products.  The Brunswick area seems to be a “Mecca” for local food.  However, we know that the vast majority of people even here continue to buy their produce from far away via grocery store chains.  As the supply of fresh local food has increased, we need the demand to catch up.  We are asking for your help by talking with your friends, neighbors and co-workers about your experience at our farm.  If someone signs up for a CSA share with your recommendation, as a thank you we will credit you $25 towards the local products we have for sale during our weekly pick-ups.  Our own lamb, local maple syrup, eggs, milk, cheese, blueberries, and apples are just a few of the great things we will continue to have available each week when you come to pick-up your share.  Please have your friends mention your name when they contact us so we can give you credit.  We are on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/crystalspringcommunityfarm if you are inclined to share us with your friends that way.  Also if you “like us” on facebook, you’ll get our farm action photos and gripping farm posts.

Thank you for your support.  Look for farm updates & news coming later this week.

Best regards from your farmers,

Seth & Maura

Happy April!  We are poised to launch another farm season, and as always, we are so thankful to you, supporters of this farm.  Your dedication to the farm and your trust in us bolsters us more than you know.  Thank you.

You will find lots of information in this newsletter, including some new things to look forward to this year.  If you are short on time, please at least scroll down to catch the “headlines” in bold.

Signs of spring at the farm. With this weather, the most obvious sign of spring so far this year is the arrival of our new apprentices.  This is week two for three new women and Jacinda returning for a second year.   We have an all woman crew for the first time (except for Seth!).  When you consider that we have all hens (no roosters), 87 ewes, and both dogs are females…it leaves Seth, little Griffin, one cat and seven rams to spread the male energy.   We welcome Nicole, Joanne, and Olivia who have jumped in wholeheartedly training on animal care, tractor operation and maintenance, seeding, and field planning.   The greenhouse is alive, brimming with young plants.  Onions, chard, and kale are hardening off and will be going into the ground next week.

High tunnel debacle. April Fools! Those of you who drive by the farm, especially on Woodside Road, may have seen the sad sight.  Last Thursday, in anticipation of the April snow forecasted for Friday April 1st, three of us put the plastic up on the high tunnel.  The ground had been fairly dry and clear of snow & we wanted to keep it that way to plant our spring greens. Seth of course had been watching the forecast closely & got up multiple times through the night to clear the snow off the plastic.  While we continued clearing snow through the morning, we experienced a heavy mass of wet snow in a very short amount of time, and right before our eyes, while we were pulling the snow off the plastic, the structure collapsed.  Sad.  I don’t think we needed another reminder that we are at the mercy of Mother Nature, but we received one anyway.  The tunnel wasn’t covered under our insurance because in in 15 years of farming we’ve never lost a tunnel to weather.  Needless to say we’ll be looking hard at our coverage for this coming season.  Thankfully, replacement parts are available and en route to the farm, and now the apprentices can put “high tunnel construction” on their resumes, just like last year’s crew.

CSA Memberships are still available.  Please pass the word on to your friends, neighbors, colleagues.

CSA Payments Thank you to everyone for sending in your payments.  If you are on the farm payment plan, and haven’t yet done so, the April payment is $138.33.

Delivery to Portland We will be offering boxed shares delivered to Rosemont Market & Bakery on Brighton Ave.  Spread the word to your friends and family in Portland.  More info on our website.

Facebook “Like us” on Facebook to make it easier to tell your friends about us, build our local networks, and catch an update or photo as we post them.

New this Year …

• Even with the high tunnel debacle, we are planting greens early in hopes of distributing greens in May. We will keep you posted.
• A mushroom/tempeh/tofu share.  We are working with local producers of these great products & will offer a share that will provide tofu one week, tempeh a second week, and fresh mushrooms a third week; rotating each week from mid-June through mid-September.  Price and sign ups for this share will be coming soon.
• Lobster shares available from Harpswell fisherman…details to follow.
• Port Clyde CSF (Community Supported Fishery) share again this year
• More recipes!  We’ll be updating recipes for you and bringing back information on how to make the best use of your CSA produce.
• More cooking demos – early in the season, we’ll show you simple methods to braise and steam greens and prepare your veggies simply at home.

• Eggs! Our chicken flock has lost a few members since they got their start one year ago.  After spending the winter cozy & safe in the greenhouse, they were set out on the far edge of the Upic field by Woodside Road.  We woke up last Sunday morning with our watchful neighbor on the phone and a passerby at the door alerting us to a fox visiting the chicken coop.  Our flock is still going strong, but we will plan to buy in extra eggs from neighboring farms this year for everyone who wants to buy them at CSA pick ups.   Many of you have told us how painful it is to go back to buying grocery store eggs (even organic or “free range”) after having our truly free-range hen’s eggs.  More info to come.

Jacinda’s Art Show – A Must See! Celebrate Earth Day Week at the Frontier Café with our very own Jacinda Martinez’s Sustainable Fashion Project at Frontier Café in Brunswick this Monday, April 18 at 7pm. Come hear Jacinda discuss the evolution and process of taking vegetable by-products from the fields and creating wearable art. She’ll show 18 dresses via slide show along with a description of how each dress was designed and what eventually happens to them. This is a one night only event, not to be missed.  One day you’ll be able to brag, “I knew her back when….”

Junior Counselors! Farm camp filled up in record time this year.  We do still have volunteer opportunities for kids 12-15 to gain great experience with their leadership skills and knowledge about farm work.  Email Maura if you or someone you know is interested.  maura@crystalspringcsa.com or 729.1112

New member orientations. Come out to the farm on Saturday, May 21^st at 3pm or Sunday May 22^nd at 1pm and learn the ropes. Tour the farm, meet the farmers and see how it all works. If you are a new member and can’t make these dates, don’t worry we will be on hand for the first few pickups to explain everything. Please RSVP Maura at seth@crystalspringcsa.com or 729.1112

Hello out there! It’s been a long time since our last newsletter – did you think we left the country? No, we’re here, although its hard to see us behind the massive hills of snow that hide the farm from the road!

Hopefully winter is going well for you. We’ve been enjoying this wonderful snow and having kids old enough now to do even more sledding, x-country skiing, and snowshoeing without having to leave the farm.  What else do we do here over the winter?  Lots of things.  The day to day chores of course include the animal care.  Along with feeding the sheep and chickens, we have to monitor their water buckets frequently to make sure they haven’t turned into frozen blocks.  We also take a lot of care daily keeping the many doorways and gates free and clear of snow and ice allowing animals and people to move in and out.  Like many of you, we’ve clocked some good hours moving snow off the driveways and walkways.  We have produced however, fabulous “mountains” of snow right outside the front door – endless activity-making for the kids, and we all sleep better as a result.

Enough snow talk.  The majority of the daytime hours are spent indoors working hard planning for the coming season. Thanks again for all of your thoughtful surveys which help us in this process.  Our seed orders are all in and we are looking forward to another great year.  This month we’ve been working on hiring apprentices, reworking the website, tweaking the budget for 2011, finishing the bookkeeping for 2010, and advertising the CSA for 2011, among other projects. Next month Seth will start to be outside a bit more, fixing a roof, changing oil in machinery, welding a multitude of new and broken things and splitting wood. While we don’t ever stop working, the pace of winter slows down as compared to summer; Seth can sleep in until 6:30 a.m.!

We’ve been lucky to have Bethany with us for another winter helping manage the animal care before she moves on to her next farming challenge this Spring.  Jacinda spent December with us, then headed south for the month of January to Brazil.  She has been working with children and helping to create a community garden in a small rural town.  She’ll be back just in time to catch a few lambs (more on this below.)  Adrien has been helping us with some data management this winter, putting his MBA and accounting background to good use, while he is also trying to secure a home and land of his own to farm. We’ve been in touch with emily who is mastering the art of heating with a woodstove while working at Wolf Pine Farm in Alfred.

Things to look for in the coming months are a lamb open house; a redesigned website with more recipes and a local businesses page; a “greens handbook” with info on all the different greens we grow and cooking ideas; summer dates for cooking & preserving classes at the farm; and enjoying early Spring Greens!

Spring Greens! We will be starting our greens mixes early this year in the new high tunnel (greenhouse) along the Upic field. Our plan is to offer 2 CSA pick-ups during the month of May for all of you featuring tender succulent greens. More on the details as we get closer.

CSA Payments. February 1st is approaching and a payment of $138.33 is due for all of you on the winter payment plan. If you have yet to sign up for a share just drop us a deposit and we’ll make sure to reserve one for you.

Lamb time is coming! By the end of this week we expect to be welcoming in our first lambs in the barn.  We are hoping to have around 130 lambs this year and will be hosting an open house just for CSA members on Sunday February 27th from 1-3 p.m. Bundle up the family and come on out and spend some time with some very cute lambs.

Farm Camp. Maura is planning an even better farm camp this summer. Session dates and sign up will get underway in mid-February. Rates and discounts for CSA members will be on the website soon!

Farm Camp Junior Counselors. We will be looking for junior counselors to help with farm camp. If you know any 12-15 year old kids who would like to spend a week at the farm while gaining great work experience contact Maura: maura@crystalspringcsa.com or 729.1112

Share the love. Tell your friends and neighbors about what it’s like to be a member of a CSA – if they sign up based on your referral we’ll thank you with $20 towards your CSA share or in credit for eggs, milk, lamb or whatever you like from the summer CSA store.

Sledding, snow shoeing and cross-country skiing at the farm. What a year for dry snow! The farm has a great sledding hill and miles of trails for shoeing/skiing. Just park where you do in the summer for CSA pickup and walk up the trailhead.