Resident frog in the wash station

Powisset Farm CSA: Week 13

September is almost upon us. Even with todays temperatures hovering around 90 degrees it feels like fall is just around the corner. There are signs of it all over the farm. The peppers are beginning to turn from green to red, the winter squash is ready to harvest, the Canada Geese are using the farm as a stop over as they migrate north (Banjo and I spent some time this morning chasing them out of the chard) and the many species of hawks that call Powisset home are busy chasing our robust mole population.
Another sure sign that fall is on is it's way was the departure of several of our field crew members last week. We wish them the best as they head off to enjoy their fall semesters at universities around New England. We have shared a summer full of sweet treats (so many popsicles) as well as many laughs. I will miss all of the crew members who we have recently said goodbye to. They have given so much to the farm community.
The ten day forecast promises a continuation of the hot dry weather we have experienced all summer. At some point fall will take hold. The frost and hopefully the rains will come.  We are nearly finished putting plants in the ground for the season. Soon the greenhouse will be cleared of transplants in order to be filled up with winter squash, shallots, onions, and sweet potatoes. These crops need a few days of intense dry heat to help harden their skins and sweeten their flesh for winter storage. Autumn may be my favorite season. The frantic peak of the season is slipping past. We are entering a more rhythmic time. Most of our hours will be dedicated to harvesting and cover cropping our fields to get them ready for next year.



Annie cultivating broccoli

In this weeks share:
tomatoes
eggplant
peppers
garlic
potatoes
greens
basil
celery
garlic

PYO:
sunflowers
cherry tomatoes
raspberries

Zannah,on behalf of the farm crew

Upcoming Events

We do have a few tickets left for Friday's Farm Dinner with Blazing Hearth Pizza and the Railroad House Band. Get em while you can!

Don't forget, this coming Saturday is our first annual Makers Day from 10am-1pm at Powisset! Artists displaying/demonstrating their work include potter, Lisa Walker, fiber artist, Kathy Zola, photographer, Karen Cagan, musicians from My Mothers Moustache, and actors from The Gazebo Players who will be doing a mini-workshop on performing Shakespeare. We will have a kids craft for those little artists and don't forget the culinary artists! Christiane Oberli will be cooking in the kitchen from 11-12pm. I hope you will join us in the Powisset classroom and kitchen.

Going out of town for Labor Day weekend? You can still make it back for our Powisset Pig Roast which starts at 3pm on Sept 5th. Buy your tickets now before it is sold out!

Looking ahead...Sat, Sept. 17th is From Nest to Table, a program where kids age 7+ will get the opportunity to say hello to our chickens, learn how to pet and hold them, and even collect their eggs. Then, we will head to the kitchen to cook up a little brunch with our farm fresh eggs.

Photo Contest Voting Ends on August 27th! Cast your votes now!
As many of you know, voting is going on right now in our barn for the Powisset Farm Photo Contest. Please come take a look at the collection and cast your vote. Who knew there were so many talented photographers within our CSA Community?!

Powisset Farm CSA: Week 12

Thank you to the folks who came out Saturday to help at the Great Powisset Raspberry Rally. The raspberry patch looks great!

Youth Corp Crew helps weed the raspberries

In this weeks share:
Peppers
Tomatoes
Scallions
Potatoes
Beets
Summer Squash or Zucchini
Cucumbers
Cooking greens
Cherry Tomatoes (from Neighborhood Farm)

PYO
Cherry tomatoes
Green beans
Sunflowers


James Update!


As many of you know our farm cat James suffered a catastrophic injury this spring. On Friday James had his final x-rays and his leg bracing was removed. James has at least a few more weeks of recovery before he regains his full strength. We hope that he will be able to return to the farm but will continue to monitor his progress.

Zannah, on behalf of the farm crew

Past + Upcoming Events

It was great to see the community come together for our Barn Dinner/Potluck on Sunday night. For a foodie like me, it was also fun to see what everyone cooked with the goal of using Powisset produce. We had some potato salad, an Asian chicken/noodle dish, chicken pesto and quinoa, eggplant "caviar", zucchini brownies, a raspberry trifle, and much more! 

For more fun meals, join us for our 3rd Friday Farm Dinner on Friday, August 26th, featuring the Railroad House Band and Blazing Heart Pizza, a mobile wood-fired pizza oven who is painting our pizzas with Powisset veggies. Because so much produce will be used for the meal, registration will close a little earlier than normal on Monday, August 22nd. Get em while you can!

SAVE THE DATE!

Saturday, August 20th is the Great Raspberry Rally from 9-12pm. Volunteer on the farm and join the farm crew as we weed and spread wood chips in the raspberry pathways. This is a great way to contribute to the farm as we grapple with this years drought. Meet at the big white tent. No registration or time commitment required.

Saturday, August 27th is not only our 3rd Meet the Farmer event (do you have questions about the CSA model, wondering how the drought is effecting the farm, want to learn more about growing veggies in general?) but it is also Maker's Day! What is Maker's Day, you ask? It is an opportunity for Artists in our community to not only showcase their work, but also demonstrate how they use Powisset as a platform for their art. Joining us, will be Kathy Zola and her fiber arts, Photographer, Karen Cagen, and music by, My Mothers Mustache. 

Labor Day is Monday, September 5th and on this day Powisset is having a Pig Roast! Our staff is coming together to prepare this meal for our Powisset Community. It will not only be entertaining but it will be delish! Sign up here to reserve your spot.

Preserving the Harvest....We have two more classes that focus on preserving the veggies in your summer CSA - September 24th and October 15th.. Think kimchi, pickles, gingered carrots...and more!

And, stay tuned for more info, but we will be hosting the Powisset Cafe right in our indoor kitchen/space on 3 consecutive Saturdays in October from 11-2pm - Oct. 15th, 22nd & 29th! This will be a place where you can enjoy a cup of coffee or some homemade goodness like quiche, flatbread, soup, or a seasonal sweet, all using Powisset produce. It will be a place where you can grab a snack or lunch after your hike at Noanet, a mid way point on your bike ride through Dover, a place for you to curl up with a book or laptop, or a place where you can catch up with your CSA friend for a cup of coffee!

Hope to see you around the farm!

CSA Week 11

Powisset Farm CSA Week 11

We've made it to week 11! I am growing weary of writing about the drought and I am guessing that you all are probably weary of hearing about it. I will say the little bit of rain we have received has been helpful. Last week the well ran dry but after laying off it for a few days it has regained pressure so we are again able to irrigate. You will probably see fewer squash and cucumbers in your share this week from us being unable to irrigate though. The drought is still effecting our ability to grow and sustain crops and we continue to do the best we can under these challenging conditions.

Carnival winter squash

Here are a few pictures from our week last week:


Cultivating winter root crops

Flame weeding fall carrots





Workshop at Tangerini's Spring Street Farm






 

Annie, Zane, Rachael, and Andrew heading to the field




Buttermilk pancakes with Wild Maine Blueberries from the stand

 

What's new in the farm stand this week:

-Organic Wild Maine Blueberries

-Appalachian Naturals Apple Wood Smoked Barbecue Sauce

-Appalachian Naturals Berkshire Maple Mustard

-Appleton Farm White Park ground beef (this is the good stuff)

-New ice cream flavors from Crescent Ridge

 

In the Share this week:

 

-Tomatoes

-Basil

-Potatoes

- Cucumbers

-Summer squash

- Zucchini

- Peppers

- Eggplant

-Garlic

 

PYO:

- Cherry tomatoes

- Sunflowers

 

 

 





Powisset Farm CSA: Week 10



irrigating fall root crops

Crop conditions continue to be incredibly dry. This week I learned of several farms in the region that have closed for the remainder of the season. In these drought conditions it is impossible to thrive without sufficient irrigation. It's dark times for farmers struck by this drought. Unfortunately the drought is predicted to last into the fall. Because every crop needs water we are unable to leave irrigation on long enough to fully saturate the soil. Plants that are stressed are more susceptible to pest damage. We've witnessed this first hand with the Colorado Potato Beetle wiping out many of our crops in the nightshade family. As well as with the Flea Beetle, turning our brassicas (kale, arugula, leafy mustards, radishes, etc.) to lace. I have never seen the kind of insect devastation I am seeing this year on our farm as well as neighboring farms.
The extra time it is taking for us to set up and move around the irrigation infrastructure, reseed crops, and add extra plantings to our crop plan, is taking us away from other important tasks. We are unable to keep up with field edge mowing, and the raspberry patch needs weeding and mulch spread again. These are issues we are aware of but don't have the time to tend to. I am planning an event for members to join us in our efforts to save the raspberry patch: The Great Powisset Raspberry Rally. The idea is to give community members a chance to chip in and help out the farm during a particularly difficult year. Stay tuned for the official announcement.


blister beetle chewing up the chad

This all sounds very doom and gloom, but there are some highlights: Many of the diseases we worry about this time of year are not present. Basil downy mildew and late blight have been major issues in this region the past few years. They are virtually non-existent this year. Another highlight is the incredible support we have been receiving from you all. Thank you for your words of encouragement.

Upcoming farm events:
Join us for the annual Barn Dinner on Sunday, August 14th. There is no cost to attend this but we do require registration as there is limited space in the barn.

What's new in the farm stand:

Maine Blueberries

What's in your share this week:
Basil
Peppers
Eggplant
Chard
Lettuce
Summer squash
Zucchini
Cucumbers
Tomatoes

Zannah, on behalf of the Farm Crew

Past + Upcoming Events

Last Friday was our second out of five Friday Farm Dinners. It was another picture perfect evening, filled with delicious food (catered by Heritage Truck Catering Company), an amazing band (The South County Rounders) and a wonderful community! The evening ended with a starry, starry night. The next "Friday Farm Dinner will be Aug. 26th and for this one, Blazing Hearth Pizza, a wood-fired mobile pizza oven based in Medfield, will be providing our meal. In addition, the awesome Railroad House Band will be providing the entertainment.

And if you enjoyed the telescope and sky viewing portion of the evening, join us for our BYO Picnic & Astronomy Night on Friday, August 12th! Our last one was packed with eager BYO'ers with some impressive spreads. We are holding it on this night in celebration of the perseid meteor shower. Make sure to check our Facebook page in for weather updates.

If you would prefer a potluck where you get the challenge of producing a dish using as much farm produce as possible then join us for the annual Barn Dinner on Sunday, August 14th. There is no cost to attend this but we do require registration as there is limited space in the barn.

Whether you are traveling or not for Labor Day weekend, the official end of summer (noooooo!), you can still join us for our Powisset Pig Roast, held on Monday, September 5th from 3-5pm. We will be roasting a pig and accompanying, will be all of the typical fixins' like cornbread, coleslaw, and beans. Beer & wine will be available for purchase. 

Lastly, this week is the last week to submit your photo for our Photo Competition. The deadline is Friday, August 5th with voting Aug. 6-27th. All photos must be taken on the Powisset Farm property, all ages and all skill levels welcome! For more information or to register for the competition, feel free to grab a flyer in the barn or contact toddimmick@gmail.com.

Have a great week!

Powisset Farm CSA: Week 9

Powisset Farm CSA: Week 9

It rained!!! The skies opened over Dover this weekend and we did get some rain. Hurrah!!! We are still significantly under for rainfall this summer but I am soaking up (literally) this much needed event. The plants have perked up a bit with the rain and the cooler temperatures have perked up the crew as well. I have peeked at the ten day forecast and there doesn't appear to be more moisture heading our way so we will continue to focus our efforts on our irrigation rotations.

Last week was full of activity on the farm. We moved the pigs from the piggery to the paddock across the farm road. The pigs can now be found happily wallowing amongst the amaranth weeds or tussling with one another to establish rank. Several flocks of birds showed up on the farm last week. There are about eight crows that have taken up residence on the eastern side of the main field. They sit on the tomato stakes and steal ripening tomatoes. A small flock of geese has also been doing the rounds in the lettuce. More pests to attempt to out smart.

The nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants) are on the cusp of being ready. We are so close.

In more somber news some folks are aware that there was an accident involving a car and a bicycle at the entrance to the farm last Thursday. The cyclist is a member of our field crew. He suffered a concussion as well as lacerations. Fortunately he will make a full recovery.

In this weeks share:

Lettuce
Cucumbers
Summer Squash
Zucchini
Potatoes
Beets
Eggplant(maybe...)
Garlic
Cabbage

Zannah, On behalf of the farm crew