Hi all -

Well it’s been a pretty crazy few weeks hasn’t it? With my entire family in Italy I can’t say I haven’t been panicking a little bit, but the farm work has been helping me feel more grounded than I otherwise would be.

I know there is a lot of uncertainty right now but please know we are doing everything we can to provide you with the freshest produce. We are re-writing our SOPs to include better procedures and wording regarding COVID-19 and reinforcing sanitation techniques. Right now we are a small team of 3 and we have plenty of hand soap, antibacterial cleaners, and bleach to keep the farm sanitized for a long while. Rest assured that food is not a vector for this coronavirus but please remember to wash all packing, produce, and your hands before consuming anything!

I would also like to remind all our customers that this is an excellent time to support your local farms. If you have been meaning to sign-up for a CSA please do so as soon as you can, your chosen farm will appreciate it more than you know.

As far as our farm is concerned we are trying to come up with a plan to alleviate any economical hardships for our employees - if they cannot work we want to be able to provide them with enough money to cover their expenses, but there is so much uncertainty; it seems every day another one of our restaurants or farmers markets are closing or limiting hours and customers, which in turn reduces our sales.

If you can, please consider purchasing one of the following options: a farm share card or our new boxed share! Farm share cards are a great way to maintain flexibility on your end while helping our spring cash flow, and the boxed CSA (affectionally named Cesta Grande & Cesta Piccola in honor of my Italian heritage) is a highly curated share for the cooks and veggies lovers that runs for arguably the best 17 weeks our farm has to offer. That’s right, you won’t have to suffer through 4 weeks of lettuce and radishes as we’re starting you off right as summer squash comes in, and ending right before it all goes to turnips. It’s a dreamy share AND it’s a collaboration with one of the best local flower farms, Tiny Hearts Farm in Copake, NY.

As some of you might remember, Jenny and Luke of Tiny Hearts Farm were our dearest friends and neighbors while we farmed in Copake between 2014 and 2018. And although they might no longer be neighbors they are still some of our closest friends - farming or otherwise. This CSA program is built to join food for the senses and food for your body in one convenient location. Their flower CSA and our vegetable CSA will be available for pick-up every Friday between June 26th and October 16th. More details on pricing and location are available here and you can take a sneak peek at what should be in your share during each month right here!

I will list below other wonderful farms we know that might provide pick-up days and locations that work best for you. We are all in this together, support any of your local farmers - not just us! - and spread the word. Forward this newsletter or any of the links above and below to your neighbors, friends, and family.

The farming community will greatly appreciate it.

Much Love,

Maria

HOW TO HELP LOCAL FARMS & BUSINESSES

As you will probably be seeing through newsletters and social media posts, many farmers are asking their members to purchase their items online, buy a CSA share, or purchase a “market” or “farm” card. Restaurants are doing the same with gift cards, take-out menus, and delivery options.

As I mentioned earlier, farmers markets and restaurant sales are the backbone of your local farms, without the certainty of when those will switch back to normal we will need to get creative to ease our cash flow. Some farms rely solely on CSA signups so if you haven’t signed up yet for your 2020 CSA, no matter the farm, please do so!

We have two options for our customers; a farm share card and a new CSA program that we are building with Tiny Hearts Farm.

If you already have a card but have been thinking of waiting until market to re-up your balance, please consider doing it sooner. All cards can be recharged from our Square app, so there is no need to do it in person. If you would like to donate a card we have worked with Long Table Harvest and Rolling Grocer 19 in the past to give cards out to needy families. Just mention that your card is a donation in the comment section when checking out - I will personally email you with details on how your card will be donated. If you’d like to gift a card to a friend or neighbor please mention that during checkout and list their address in the ship-to box.

If instead you are looking forward to our boxed share please consider purchasing one today. If you know of someone who might want one please pass this newsletter along.

And here is a list of local farms we know personally that do excellent work - if either of our options do not work for you maybe one of these businesses can be the happy recipient of your patronage.

Indian Line Farm (vegetables) Egremont, MA

Hearty Roots Farm (vegetables) Germantown, NY + drop off sites

Roxbury Farm (vegetables) Kinderhook, NY + many drop off sites

Farm at Miller’s Crossing (beef & veggies) Hudson, NY + drop-off sites

Ironwood Farm (vegetables) Hudson, NY + drop-off sites

Colfax Farm (vegetables) - West Stockbridge, MA

Rocksteady Farm (vegetables & plenty of add-ons) Millerton, NY + drop off sites

Chaseholm Farm (beef & dairy) online + drop off sites

Off the Shelf Farm (eggs & lamb)

Square Roots Farm (meat, eggs, flowers, veggies) online + drop off

North Plain Farm (through their on-site farm store)

And Local Harvest is always a great source to find farms near you.

As for restaurants - please check your local establishment’s websites and social media to see how you can help tide them over during this stressful period.

NOW ON TO FARM HAPPENINGS!

Tess and I have been very busy in the greenhouse these past two weeks as the seeding quantities are starting to ramp up. We seeded more than 15,000 future plants last week alone! Soon we’ll be transplanting some of our first lettuces, chicories, scallions, chard, and kale into some warm plastic beds. Those will get covered to ward against cold nights and hungry deer. We also seeded some radishes, spinach, and arugula into the field last Monday, and it looks like they are all close to sprouting! Fingers crossed we get an early crop of fresh veggies this spring.

Flowers for hanging baskets and potted sales are coming along very well, although I’ve definitely had to make some seeding date calibration notes for next season. It’s always a little tough growing a completely new crop, but overall I’d say we’re looking at some very neat baskets. Other than your standard petunias and calibrachoa you will have the option to buy baskets of beneficials, edible flowers, insanely beautiful nasturtium varieties, late season strawberries, creeping herbs, and if they grow well…even scarlet runner beans. I’m so excited! Next on my list is to get some perennial culinary herb pots together (like sage, thyme, oregano, rosemary) that you can keep outside in the summer and inside in the winter.

GOOD LISTENING and READING!

Thank you for supporting our small local business and being part of our journey!

Eat Well & Eat Local

With Love,

M&M