How a Season Feels and Share Value Report

This past Tuesday, I woke up and rushed down to the barn to grab the harvest log and meet with the crew in my usual, beginning-of-the-week frenzy.  I pulled a new sheet out from the log book and as I began to write the harvest list, remembered that we didn’t need those 200 heads of lettuce, or 150 bunches of carrots.  It was our first Tuesday since May that we didn’t need to load the truck up with hundreds of pounds of produce for the distribution ahead.  For most of the season, our week on the farm is organized according to the rhythm of the harvests, of the distributions, of the times when you begin arriving at the barn to collect the week’s bounty.  Without that deadline, my Tuesday morning energy lost a little steam and I let out a small chuckle to my crew, who were, at that moment, probably wondering why I came into the office like a steam roller, ready to get out to the fields! 

It’s taken me a few days to adjust to this shift from summer CSA to winter CSA, but I am getting there.  Our crew, now just our five full-time farmers, head out to the fields each day to pick thousands or pounds of roots, take down hundreds of row feet of tomato stakes, and process the last of our shallots, onions and garlic, cleaning and sorting and weighing until the light becomes dim in the barn.  As we work on our hands and knees in the cooling fall soil, spread a good distance from each other, I can take good, long breaths in between pulling each potato from its dark, moist, hiding spots and think about the 2013 summer season.

At this time every year, I am reminded that the value of our CSA goes beyond our “share value report.”  Powisset Farm means something different to each of us.  For some, it is simply a place to get local, organic vegetables.  For others it is a place to connect with your friends once a week, while picking cherry tomatoes in the field together.  For others, it is a place to let your children run free in the flower garden and watch your littlest ones walk their first few steps.  For some of us, it is where we learn to farm, or drive tractors, or eat swiss chard for the first time.   

I love writing the share report because it allows us all the opportunity to compare how we felt about the season with what was actually provided to you up in the barn and out in the fields.  I always wonder, does the share report change how you feel about your farm season?  Does it seem surprising?  This season we focused on providing variety without overwhelming you.  We did our best to offer some choices, while staying true to our model of a CSA, where we encourage you to try new things.  We worked hard to offer extras in the stand, like honey, eggs, yogurt, cheese and pies that would make your stop at Powisset even more fulfilling.  

Every season has its joys and its challenges.  This season we had a great onion and leek crop and were able to offer alliums almost every week in the share.  We had beautiful carrots that almost lasted all the way through the season.  Our tomatoes were delicious and plentiful, without making your house too overfilled with the beauties.  Our lettuce crop was OK, but our hope is to do more small lettuce mixes and more consistent head varieties next season.  As usual, we want to do better at growing spinach and other greens, while making sure you are not overwhelmed with cooking greens you don’t want.  For me, our spring festival, summer potluck and volunteer drop-in afternoons were joyful highlights that reminded me that there is more to this farm than growing great vegetables.

What were your joys?  What was challenging to you about our CSA season? Please feel free to share with me your feedback about this 2013 growing season.  This is our farm that we are creating together and as we move into the planning phase for next season, we hope to incorporate your thoughts!  (please get in touch with me via email at: mlatronica@ttor.org if you want to share your experience).

Thank you all for another great summer season at Powisset Farm.  You all make this farm the wonderful place that it is.  I am lucky to work these fields and fill this barn with food that feeds us all. 

I hope to see you next season or at our winter markets!

Meryl & the Powisset Farm Crew

(I will be continuing to update the blog weekly through the end of the year, and then monthly in the winter months)

Powisset Farm 2013 Share Value Report

Our 2013 farm season ran for 19 weeks, beginning on June 4^th and ending on October 12^th.  

The value of the share distributed at the barn (not including pick-your-own crops) was $625.48.

That is an average of $33 per week of Powisset veggies, not including PYO crops.

Including PYO crops, the value of our farm share this season was $825.73! 

We compiled our share data by tracking the amount given each week in the share multiplied by the price of each vegetable.  In our report you may see a range or a fraction of a bunch given—this represents when a vegetable was part of a choice—maybe you could choose between kale or swiss chard, we would enter that in our records as distributing a half bunch of each item. 

As you can see, we exceeded the amount that you paid for your share!  Each season, we strive to provide you with the produce that you paid for (this season our share price for TTOR members was $590) and maybe a little more.  Our produce is grown in accordance with all organic standards and growing practices and our prices are set based in comparison to organic and conventional prices at nearby supermarkets, farmers’ markets prices and neighboring CSA prices, also taking into consideration the cost of running our farm.  This season, in response to your feedback, we strove to provide you with a well-rounded bounty each week that would feel plentiful without being overwhelming.

Our report below shows you how much of each item you received during the 2013 season:

Crop	Units distributed to each share:	Price per unit:	Value in share:
Arugula-bunches	6 bunches	$2.50/bunch	$15
Basil-bunches	5.5 bunches	$2.00/bunch	$11
Beets-bunches	8.5 bunches	$2.50/bunch	$21.25
Beets-loose	3.5 pounds	$2.50/pound	$8.75
Broccoli	10.5 pounds	$2.50/pound	$26.25
Cabbage	4-6 heads	$2/head	$8-$12
Carrots-loose	2.5 pounds	$2.25/pound	$5.50
Carrots/bunches	10 bunches	$2.25/pound	$22.50
Cauliflower	1.5 pounds	$2/pound	$3.00
Celery	1.5 bunch	$2/bunch	$3.00
Celeriac	0	$1.50/pound	$0.00
Chard (not in pyo)	3-4 bunches	$2.50/bunch	$7.50-$10
Cilantro	3 bunches	$2/bunch	$6
Collards	1 bunch	$2/bunch	$2
Corn	2 dozen (1/2 dozen for four weeks)	$5/dozen	$10.00
Cucumbers	12.5 pounds	$1.25/pound	$15.60
Eggplant	15.5 pounds	$2/pounds	$31.00
Escarole	1-2 heads	$2/head	$2-$4
Fennel	2-3 bunches	$3/bunch	$6-$9
Green Garlic	1 bunch	$3.bunch	$3.00
Garlic	5 bulbs	$1.50/bulb	$7.50
Garlic Scapes	3 dozen	$3/dozen	$9.00
Specialty Greens bunches/heads (tatsoi, mizuna, broccoli raab, bulls blood, komatsuna, bok choi)	12 bunches/heads	$2.50/bunch or head	$30.00
Hakurei turnips	9 bunches	$2.00/bunch	$18.00
Kale	8.5 bunches (not including pyo)	$2.50/bunch	$21.25
Kohlrabi	2-3 bunches	$2.50/bunch	$5-$7.50
Leeks	3-5 bunches	$2.50/bunch	$7.50-$12.50
Lettuce	23 heads	$2.50/ head	$57.50
Lettuce mix	1.5 pounds	$3/pound	$4.50
Melons (watermelons)	2 pieces	$3/piece	$6.00
Onions -loose	7.5 pounds	$1.50/pound	$11.25
Onions -bunched	3.5 bunches	$1.50/bunch	$5.25
Parsnips	0	$1.50/pound	$0.00
Peppers, bell (green, colorful, sweet)	10 pounds	$2.50/pound	$25.00
Peppers, hot (not in pyo)	1 pound	$2.50/pound	$2.50
Popcorn	2 ears	$1/ear	$2.00
Potatoes	15 pounds	$1.50/pound	$22.50
Pumpkins	1 pieces	$2.50/piece	$2.50
Purple Top Turnips	3 pounds	$1.25/pound	$3.75
Radishes-bunches	6-8 bunches	$1.50/bunch	$9-$12
Rutabaga	1.5 pounds	$1/pound	$1.50
Scallions	7 bunches	$2/bunch	$14.00
Spinach	3.5 pounds	$4/pound	$14.00
Summer squash	16.5 pounds	$1.25/pound	$20.63
Sweet potatoes	6 pounds	$2.50/pounds	$15.00
Tomatillos	2.5 pounds	$2.50/pound	$5.00
Tomatoes	27 pounds	$3/pound	$81.00
Winter squash	8.5 pounds	$2/pound	$17.00
Total share Value without Pick-your-own:			$625.48

The total value of PYO crops offered was $200.25.  That is an average of $10.50 per week over 19 weeks.  We know that you didn’t always make it out to the fields to participate in the pick-your-own part of our CSA, so you probably didn’t take home all $200.25 worth of PYO produce this season.  But, most of you spent time picking and we are proud to have a CSA that continues to provide the opportunity for you and your friends and family to get your hands dirty, find joy in picking your favorite bean, and bending low to get that last pint of husk cherries.

 Below is our Pick-your-own report for 2013:

PYO crop	Units Distributed	Price per unit	Value in Share
Bush beans	4.5 quarts	$2.50/quart	$11.25
Chard	10 bunches	$1.75/bunch	$17.50
Cherry tomatoes	10.5	$3/pint	$31.50
Dill	10-13 bunches	$1.50/bunch	$15-$19.50
Fava beans	2 quarts	$2/quart	$4.00
Hot peppers	4 pints (roughly 30 pieces)	$2/pint	$8
Husk cherries	6 pints	$3/pint	$18.00
Kale	8 bunches	$1.75/bunch	$14.00
Peas	6 pints	$3/pint	$18.00
Strawberries	6 pints	$3.50/pint	$18.00
Flowers (including sunflowers)	12 bouquets	$3/small bouquet	$36.00
Popcorn Stalks	Up to 25
Herbs from herb garden	unlimited
Raspberries	3 pints	$3/pint	$9
Total Value PYO Crops:			$200.25
	Total Share Value:	$825.73

Farm Stand Open! Winter CSA Starts Soon!

Hi everyone!  Just a reminder that our summer CSA season has ended and we will soon start our winter CSA season.  The Powisset Farm stand will be open for
our regular hours through October 26th.  Our farm stand will also be open on the following days: Saturday, November 9, Saturday, November 23rd and Saturday December 14th: from 10am-3pm.

If you want to sign up for a winter CSA share there is still space available!  Please email meryl at: mlatronica@ttor.org to sign up or for more information. 
Also--there are still a few pork shares available! contact meryl for more info!


There will still be cheese, pork, beef, eggs, veggies and more available through December 14th!

We hope to see you at the stand or at the winter share pick ups!  Thank you for a wonderful summer season!  A share report and reflections of the season will be posted to the blog later this week!

See you in the fields!  We'll be out there picking potatoes until the snow falls!

Meryl & the Powisset Farm Crew

broom corn in the sun

What Makes a Great Farm Season?

By noon on October 7^th, the sky had cleared, the sun was shining and I was getting ready to make the harvest list for our nineteenth (and final) week of our Summer CSA.  I listed veggies down a torn yellow piece of paper, numbering as I went, trying my best to craft a share with a great mix of crops that would send you all off into late fall with a few weeks of Powisset farm in your fridge, or on your counter—reminders of the summer season that just ended and of the farm that fed you through the last four and a half months.  As I wondered out loud in my kitchen about quantities and whether or not we should distribute rutabaga or turnips or both, I thought about what makes a season a great one. 

harvest morning

As grower of the veggies and keeper of the veggie list, I have many thoughts on whether or not this has been a great season and many questions about how to even judge or measure the greatness of a season.  Is a season great because we have harvested over 100,000 pounds of produce?  Is it a great season because we have exceeded our share value by over $100?  Is it a great season because we harvested almost 4000 bunches of beets, 11,000 heads of lettuce and 6000 bunches of carrots?  Is it great because we have donated nearly $10,000 worth of produce?  Or is the measure of a great season about whether our farm apprentices worked hard, enjoyed their time and learned more about farming.  Is it about having an incredibly talented part-time crew that made harvest mornings fly by and arugula bunches look bride-worthy.

Should I measure the greatness of a season on how tired I am, or how many times I needed to ice my back or on how many days I had to order pizza because I was too busy and tired to cook.  Or is the measure of the success and greatness of a season ultimately up to you, our members, and whether or not you feel satisfied in your experience at our farm?  Did the vegetables taste good?  Did you get enough of the things you had wanted?  Did our barn and farm feel welcoming, friendly and peaceful?  Did you pick any flowers or watch the leaves change color in these fields?

To me the greatness of a season is the weight of all those veggies plus the feel of the soil, hot on my knees in summer and cool on my hands in the fall.  It’s the quiet shuffle of people picking cherry tomatoes in August, looking through thick green branches to find a perfect sun gold bite. Greatness is teaching an apprentice how to manage a 70 horse-power tractor for the first time and watch as she turns a field over for planting.  Greatness is being tired at the end of the week but still being able to laugh with my crew and want to go out and pick kale in the dark just so I can have a vehicle for my garlic consumption.

The growing has been hard, the weather has knocked me down and made me dizzy, some crops didn’t come out as I expected or ripen at the right moment or ever get big enough to harvest.  Yet, farm dinners and festivals filled me with joy, picking melons and eating them in the field on a hot summer day made me grin from ear to ear, and evenings alone on the tractor, working the compost piles, gave me peace and satisfaction.  Greatness, I think, was happening every day this season at Powisset Farm.

See you in the fields and thanks for a great season,

Meryl & the Powisset Farm Crew

Winter CSA - Last Week of Summer CSA - Farm Stand Schedule

field of fall broccoli

 **There is still space in our winter CSA for more members!  Please let us know in person or by email (mlatronica@ttor.org) in the next week if you would like to sign up for a share!**

Just a reminder that this week (!) is our last week of our summer CSA.  Our farm stand will be open until October 26 during regular distribution times on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.  Come to pick up veggies, eggs, pork, beef and more!  Our farm stand will also be open during each of our winter share distribution days: October 26, November 9, November 23 (pre-Thanksgiving) and December 14th from 10am-3pm.  

celebrating fall with bushel + crumb pies! 

  & pre-ordered holiday pies

the pies are back this week, for a final sweet treat. this week's flavor highlights fall in its finest: a spiced apple and pear pie!

if you are a pie share member, please remember to collect your pie from the farm staff. we'll also have a few pies for sale if you would like to purchase one.

in November, bushel + crumb will also be offering a special holiday pie, to be picked up the week of Thanksgiving at Powisset. these will need to be pre-ordered, so check their website and blog for more details (http://bushelandcrumb.com/), or grab an order form from in the distribution barn this week.


What's in the share:

In the barn:  potatoes, sweet potatoes, rutabega/turnips, kale or chard, lettuce, peppers, eggplants, onions, butternut squash, carrots,


In the fields: parsley, husk cherries, corn stalks, hot peppers, raspberries