September Arrives!

It’s the end of the day on a Monday.  Today I walked the fields alone in the early morning, the mellow dew covered the tops of my boots and I let the early, hot sun touch my sleepy shoulders and warm my face in the light of a new month, September.  I let my mind wander into the far corners of the farm season by delighting in the newly sprouted cover crops scattered around our farm and thinking about how tall they would get before the first frost.  The first frost on the horizon? Are we already in that part of the season, on a day when I am sweating by 7:45am and Kasey is picking tender flowers by the truck load under already high sun?  

I walked on past patches of pristine crops, next to others hidden by weeds as tall as my dog.   The to-do list on my pocket sized notebook (with reminders of which tractors need oil changes written next to food shopping lists) was filled with tasks for the week, ideas for the month and changes for next season.  To me, September is the time of the season when I can start indulging in the ideas for next year.  With hours spent in the tomatoes, picking bucket upon bucket, I have time to imagine all the next- season- scenarios in which there are no weeds, the tomatoes are free of blight and never fall from inadequate trellising and there are plenty of people weeding and harvesting and they never get tired and everything is perfect.  This is the time of year when apprentices start to wonder where their path will take them next season and I when I start to fantasize about all the changes that will happen in future seasons when, in these imaginings, I have figure out how to have no weeds and no broken tractors and no sore back and oh I am so clever next season..   So, it is on this early morning walk, I let my task list grow and morph until it encompassed plans for next season, line after line.

kale for dinner!

I directed my blissfully sleepy body back to my home for that first cup of coffee to be sipped in total gratitude that the neighborhood farm was taking the day off, the maintenance team had the day off and so the farm was quiet, a rare thing these days.  Coffee time lingered until I met up with Tessa to craft our share for the week and make our actual plan for the days ahead; slimming down my six month plan written in tiny letters on that tiny notepad.  We lightened the load for the share this week, deciding that the last two shares had been quite hauls and in this week of transition from summer to fall for many of you a slightly smaller tow may be welcomed.  

From there Tessa and I went to inspire ourselves by the talented farmers at Tangerini’s Farm in Millis.  For hours, we took in the fields, corn and veggies as far as we could see.  We stole a minute of the farmers’ time, to connect on the seasons we have been having and I could see their thoughts flowing into future plans, reminiscent of my list from the early morning.  Every time I visit another farm’s operation I learn something.  Their stand, the shape of their share, the equipment they have, tractors (!), crew, the feel of the community.  We drove away between rows of almost-ripe apples and frosted purple cabbage leaves and I felt an inspired and completely grateful for the special farm community that exists and thrives in eastern Mass. 

Our farm visit was followed by field prep for the week and a massive egg collection for the next day’s stand.  And now it’s the end of a Monday, so I rode down the dark farm road to close the doors to the chickens, and continued on in the dim light of the half-moon to grab a kale bunch for dinner.  Navigating around the fields, in the dark makes me realize how well I know each divot, curve and edge of a field.  In the darkness I stripped a kale plant of its leaves, leaves that are praying for rain, pulled a rubber band around the stems and tried to take a big breath of air from this late summer night.  I took in September and exhaled August.  I’m going to pull that notebook from my back pocket, where it’s been all day, and see what kind of strange plans I made for my future.

See you in the fields (welcome to September at Powisset!)

Meryl & the farm crew

What's in the share (most likely):

Full: arugula, spinach or pea greens, bok choi or tatsoi, carrots & fennel, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, melons, garlic

Small: arugula, choice of greens, carrots & fennel, peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, melons, garlic

PYO: husk cherries, cherry tomatoes, greens

peppers in the share again!

Winter Shares and Pork Shares for Sale!

potatoes! all winter!

Winter share:

With the summer CSA heading into its second half, we are thinking about our winter CSA!

  Join our winter CSA and continue to eat Powisset produce deep into the winter!  The winter share has: greens (kale, cabbage, collards, & more), potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, beets, carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, onions, leeks, shallots, garlic and more!  There are four pick-ups, from the end of October through the middle of December.  We will give you a wide variety of produce, tips for storage and recipe suggestions.  

The winter share is a warm, festive time at the farm and we will do our best to provide you with as much variety as possible, as well as produce that is great for long-term storage.

Join us!  To sign up, please email: mlatronica@ttor.org

Or, sign up at the barn when you come for your share.

The cost of the Powisset Winter Share is $300

Dates and times of the 2014 winter share:

October 25

November 8

November 22

December 13

Pork Shares:

Powisset Farm is offering a Pork Share again this season.  The pork share is about 22 pounds of pork (or roughly a quarter pig).  There will be sausage, loin chops, country style ribs, spare ribs, ham slices (or ham roast), smoked ham hocks or pig feet, bacon included in the share.  The price will be $175.  If you are excited about getting a wide variety of pork from our very own Powisset-raised pigs, then this share is for you!  There will also be cuts of pork available at the farm if you just want a little pork and do not want to commit to a share.  

 There are a limited number of shares available; so we will sell shares at a first-come-first served basis.  Please contact Meryl at: mlatronica@ttor.org to sign up or with any questions.  You can also sign up at the barn.  Pick up for most of the share will happen in early September.