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Community Supported Agriculture
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Last Pickup of the Main Season:
Bring Bags for your Share and Return All Bins
We ask that you please take a look around your house for any of our plastic CSA bins that may need to be returned. Please plan to bring bags with you to the final CSA pick up this week so that we can collect all of our bins for storage and reuse next season.
Thank you.
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Farm Notes: After Apple Picking
Our native poet (he attended Lawrence High School), Robert Frost, spent plenty of time harvesting apples. And we on the farm can certainly appreciate his words of weariness after the end of a long growing season. All moments, awake and asleep, focus on the harvest at hand. We know we must keep working hard until the last fruit is brought in. But then we can enjoy the relaxation of the long nights of winter ahead until we begin planting again next year.
This is the last week of the main season. Thank you to all who joined us in this flavorful adventure throughout the season. We trust you enjoyed the variety and flavors of the harvests. To those continuing with the Late Fall Share get ready for the robust flavors of fall that these hearty foods will surely entail. Greens are growing in the fields still and we also have greens growing in the greenhouses to complement the field harvest especially if the weather should turn frigid. We will harvest the leeks and celeriac this week and enjoy some of the celeriac stalks now for flavoring broths and soups. The celeriac we will store for later when the frigid cold sets in. The fall cole crops of broccoli, cabbage, kale, collards, Brussel sprouts and more will carry us into December. The underground crops of carrots, potatoes, and sweet potatoes will all be harvested as soon as we can- some for the shares and some for storing. The last of the apple varieties will be maturing at the end of this month. As a CSA member, if you have not already taken advantage of the benefit, please come to the farm next weekend and pick a free bag of apples. The Gold Rush apples are just now ready for picking. The Gold Rush is slightly tart when first picked, but after several weeks in refrigeration, they become very sweet and full of flavor. This has become my favorite late fall and winter apple. While in the orchard read Frosts' poem and imagine yourself 100 years ago helping to bring in the apple harvest. These apples would be about the only fruit that the community would enjoy for the next seven months, until the spring strawberry harvest begins in June. Filling the apple storage for the winter was critical for keeping the community healthy.
Enjoy the Gold Rush apples and the gold rush of vegetables to come!
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Register for Late Fall
!
Not ready for the fresh vegetables to end? Extend your season another 7 weeks!
Now is the time to register for your late fall share and enjoy all of your favorite fall treats like winter squash, sweet potatoes, and brassicas into December!
Small and Regular sized shares available!
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What's In My Share
The last week of the share features plenty of fall favorites. Sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, fennel, winter squash, and celeriac tops.
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.
Vegetable Shares
- Celeriac Tops (see below for tips on how to use)
- Brussels Sprouts
- Sweet Potatoes
- Fennel
- Green Tomatoes
- Potatoes
- Winter Squash
- Tuscan, Winterbor, or Red Russian Kale
- Peppers
- Carrots with tops. (The tops are edible too!)
- Beets
- Lettuce
- Herbs
- and more!
Fruit Share
- Mcintosh Apples
- Macoun Apples
- Jonagold Apples
- Cortland Apples
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.
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How to use Celeriac tops
The celeriac tops are a great seasoning to use in stocks. Just chop and freeze until your ready to use.
The leaves can be dried out to use in soups or to make celery salt. Check out the photo tutorial.
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Try These Recipes From Our Blog
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.
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Farmer Dave's Special Bulk Purchase for CSA Members
Love Farmer Dave's jarred and pickled produce? Stock up for the off season and for making those "Eat Local" holiday gift baskets.
Buy 5 jars and get a 6th jar FREE.
Included in this sale: Our applesauce (no added sugar), bread and butter pickles, crushed tomatoes and pickled beets.
Quantities are limited, do not miss out!
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.
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Pick-up Day
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Add-on Order Cut-off
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Monday
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Sunday - Noon
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Tuesday
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Sunday - Noon
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Wednesday
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Monday - Noon
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Thursday
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Tuesday - Noon
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Friday
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Wednesday - Noon
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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.
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Pick-Your-Own Apples Last
Weekend!
We are excited to announce Pick-Your-Own Apples are underway at both our Dracut and Westford locations:
Farmer Dave's
437 Parker Road, Dracut
Farmer Dave's at Hill's Orchard
4 Hunt Road, Westford
Your CSA member benefits include 25% off PYO apples as well as one free 1/2 peck of apples per CSA membership for the 2018 PYO season.
We would love our CSA members to come and see their farm!
Farmer Dave's picking guidelines apply.
Please check our website below for picking conditions and times.
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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.
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