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| The farm is so lush this year |
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| Plowing in preparation for cucumbers |
Wow, spring is in full swing here on the farm! We have several killdeer nesting in the fields, swarms of insects buzzing around (both pests and beneficial insects). The farm has really come alive in the past few weeks. We have had a really nice balance if rain and sunshine this spring. The farm is incredibly lush. We seeded a lot of rye and vetch cover crop last fall that did not germinate very well due to the drought but this spring it has come in incredibly lush and vibrant. Good cover crop reflects a healthy soil biome. And healthy soil means healthy, robust crops!
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| Tomatoes! |
On dry days we have been hustling to get the fields prepared for transplanting and seeding. Wet days are ideal for transplanting spring crops(strawberries, lettuce, onions, scallions, beets, broccoli, kale, spinach, and Swiss chard). Over the next few weeks we'll be transplanting the first of our hot weather crops like tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers.
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The piglets are outside and
ready for you to visit! |
This week we welcomed our summer field crew. Jeff, Tim, Kurt, Paul, and Emily (who will join us in June) are critical members of the farm team. The field crew spends their days transplanting, weeding, harvesting, and moving irrigation equipment. They work behind the scene on the farm but we all get to enjoy their handy work. Please welcome them if you see them around the farm.
Springfest is right around the corner. The farm stand will be open and we will have spring produce for sale. We will also have your favorite farm stand products as well as lots of new offerings. Their are tons of activities planned including the annual trail run, farm tours, kids activities, vendors, Powisset Cafe, and much more.
Add a fruit share to your summer vegetable CSA!
We
are thrilled to offer a FRUIT SHARE as an add-on to your 2017 CSA at Powisset
Farm - if you’re interested, please read on below and follow the link to sign
up.
DETAILS:
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Local, seasonal, delicious fruit! 10 weeks for $100.
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For 10 weeks we’ll have fruit from Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury, Mass., ready
for pickup alongside your veggie CSA on TUESDAY of each week.
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The share includes 1-2 items per week (for example: 1 quart of strawberries; or
2-3 pounds of apples; or 1 pint each of blueberries & raspberries).
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Berries generally come in smaller quantities as they are higher-value and more
labor-intensive to harvest (pints or quarts); peaches, plums, pears and
apples come in 2-3 pound bags.
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Generally, here’s what you can expect (but just like the veggie CSA, things may
change with the weather and show up earlier or later!):
early-mid
June: strawberries, cherries
early-mid
July: blackberries, raspberries, blueberries
early
August: peaches, nectarines
late
August/early September: pears, apples
About
the orchard:
Cider
Hill is a family farm, owned and operated by Glenn & Karen Cook (read more about them
& their farm here). Cider Hill is a leader in renewable energy
sources on farm. Their fruit is not organic; they use IPM (integrated pest
management) to track pests & diseases and spray only when necessary. The
quality and flavor is excellent!
If
you want to sign up, click here and bring a check with you to the first CSA pickup (week of
June 12).
Please
note that fruit will arrive at the farm each Tuesday of the fruit share; we
will keep fruit in our walk-in cooler but recommend you pick up on Tuesday as
it’s best enjoyed when very fresh!
2017 Summer Beef CSA:
We are also excited to announce that The Trustees
are launching our first ever Summer Beef CSA!
As a quick overview:
The Summer Beef CSA includes 2 lbs. of beef per week
distributed over the course of 20 weekly pick-ups. This will total
40 pounds of meat over the course of the season.
The meat CSA begins in June 2017 and ends in October
2017. Pickups will be held every week, for a total of 20 pick-ups.
Pick-ups are offered at the following locations and
times:
- Powisset Farm, Tuesday 2-6PM,
Thursdays 10AM-6PM, Saturdays 10AM-4PM
Meat CSA members can choose the time that is
most convenient.
The cost of the Summer Beef CSA is $22 per pick-up, or
$440 for the season. On average, these prices represent a cost of $11/lb.,
which includes all cuts. This is the same price as the Winter CSA
For more information and to sign up, visit:
thetrustees.org/meatcsa
Your farmer,
Zannah
Friday marks our first Friday Farm Dinner of the season! We are psyched to have Chef Didi Emmons with us for the entire season. Castle Island Brewing will be servng/selling their beer and The Railroad House Band will be providing the entertainment. Friday Farm Dinners will be held every other Friday through September. Check them out on our web site here!
This Saturday marks Opening Day for the Powisset Cafe! The Cafe will be open on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month through CSA season (ending Oct 21st) from 10-2pm. We will be serving breakfast, lunch and coffee/tea. On the menu this week you will find lemon scones, veggie frittata, farro salad with turnips and greens and cherry hand pies (which we were delighted to test out yesterday) and of course coffee & tea! These goodies will be made with as much farm fresh produce as possible! So stop in after CSA pickup or make a day out of it and come on by! 
