Community Supported Agriculture
 
Garlic poking through the soil
Garlic poking through the leaf mulch in the spring

Farm Notes:

With a break in the rainy weather and a forecast of freezing nights ahead this week, we took last Saturday as our best window of opportunity to plant the garlic for next season. In New England garlic should be planted in October or early November, but this year's incessant rains and muddy fields have made it difficult to prepare a field for planting. And once the soil surface freezes, it is impossible to plant.

Garlic is a very expensive and labor intensive crop to grow. As a result, the majority of garlic consumed in the US is now imported from China. Garlic is also the least productive crop that we grow. Each bulb of the northern hardneck garlic that we grow has an average of only five cloves. That means that in perfect conditions we would need to save 20% of the crop to seed the next year's crop. In a poor garlic year like this, more than half of the harvest can sometimes need to be saved for seeding the next year's crop.

Garlic cannot be planted in New England too early. If planted too early the plant could emerge and then get killed by frigid temperatures. The secret is to plant the garlic late enough that it will not emerge this year, but early enough that it will send out a good amount of roots before the ground freezes. To ensure that the soil remains warm enough that the root system develops before winter, later this week when it is dry enough again, we will spread a 3 inch layer of leaves on the garlic patch to insulate the ground a little and trap the ground warmth long enough to allow the garlic to establish a good root system before the ground freezes solid this winter. In the spring we will pull back at least some of the leaves to ensure that the garlic can emerge.

Farmer Dave 

Please Return all CSA Bins!

There are only 2 weeks left of the 2018 season and it's time for us to start inventory for next season.

Please take a look around your home and return any Farmer Dave's CSA bins that may have accumulated.


Plan to bring bags to your pick up next week to transport your share home.

Thank you!
What's In My Share

Don't forget to use the swap box! It's not just for trading for your favorite vegetables. If you won't use something in the share, have a busy week and won't be able to cook everything, or just feel overwhelmed leave your extras in the swap box and they'll be donated to one of our many hunger relief partners.
  • Spinach
  • Kale
  • Carrots
  • Celeriac
  • Brussel Sprouts
  • Onions
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Potatoes
  • Butternut Squash
  • Golden Delicious Apples
  • Macoun Apples
  • and more!

This is what we are planning and hoping to harvest this week.  Ultimately Mother Nature has the last word so the actual contents of your share will vary.

2019 CSA Registration is Open!

Early Bird Special

Shares registered and paid for by 1/4/2019 will receive 2018 pricing.

All shares now available in Andover & Jamaica Plain!

Potato
Vegisode of the Week
VEGISODE: Fun with Onions - from Soup to Cuts!
VEGISODE: Fun with Onions - from Soup to Cuts!

In this Vegisode, Denise and Stacey show you how to store, chop, and caramelize your onions in the crockpot (for short term use or for freezing)....and how to make French Onion Soup!


Check out all our Vegisodes and subscribe to be notified when timely new videos are added.
These videos are designed to help you make the most of your CSA share with tips on storing, preparing and preserving your veggies.  


15% off Farmer Dave's Holiday Gift Boxes!

Share a Taste of the Farm and Save!

Collections of pickled produce, tomatoes, jams, hot sauce, and raw honey. All products are made from produce grown on the farm, and our wonderful bees.

Choose from:
  • Sweet & Spicy on the Farm (pictured)
  • A Taste of the Farm
  • Farm Jam Session

 

Check out all of the collections & ordering information here.

Add-on Order Deadlines

All orders must be placed online before your order deadline listed below. If you are even a minute late CSAware (our ordering system) will attach the order to the next week's share. Please double-check the time before completing your order.

Pick-up Day
Add-on Order Cut-off
Monday
Sunday - Noon
Tuesday
Sunday - Noon
Wednesday
Monday - Noon
Thursday
Tuesday - Noon
Friday
Wednesday - Noon

If you are having trouble placing an order online, make sure you are logged into your account. If you don't know your log-in information, send us an email, and we will send you an invitation to reset your password or create your account. Creating an account on the spot won't help; it needs to be the same account that is connected to your CSA shares.

CSAware will ask that you attach your order to a share. If you don't have a current share, you cannot purchase add-ons. If you attach your order to a share that is not activate it will not be sent to you.

If you do not pick up your add-on order, it will be donated or distributed, we do not offer
refunds for missed add-ons.


Groundwork Share-a-Share
Thanks to generous donations by you (our CSA Members) to the Groundwork Share-a-Share fund, we were able to subsidize the cost of shares in 2017 for over 30 individuals and families, as well as shares for local food pantries.  
Please consider helping us in our efforts to make the CSA accessible to more families by donating to Groundwork Share-a-Share.