We did this last year, and were very happy customers. What follows is the letter that organizer Gretta Anderson sent out to last year’s list about signing up this year:
Season’s Greetings!
Summer is upon us and already it’s time to plan for fall and winter! Onions, leeks, sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots, winter squash, popcorn and other winter share veggies are growing well this season. Riverland farmers, Rob and Meghan, write that their garlic crop may be the best they’ve ever grown. Soon the leafy greens – spinach, lettuce, kale, escarole, napa cabbages and pac choi, just to name a few — will be transplanted to the fields. Your farmers are busy growing some very tasty vegetables for you!
Support of local agriculture, especially a willingness to partner with CSA farms, can make the difference between success and failure for many farmers. This is especially true this year. This growing season has presented growers in the Northeast with exceptional challenges. Late blight, the fungal disease responsible for the Irish potato famine, has destroyed tomato and potato crops in the Northeast already and threatens to destroy more. Days and days of rain, over-cast skies and cool temperatures have slowed the growth of heat-loving plants and quickened the spread of late blight. So far, our Winter CSA farms have not been effected. The great variety of food being grown for the winter share ensures that even if there is a crop failure, the shares will still be bountiful and diverse.
I’ve appended information about the Winter CSA below and attached a subscription form. If you want a winter CSA share this year, now is the time to act. If you’ve already got your winter share lined up but haven’t yet spread the word to neighbors and friends, feel free to share this email with them. I expect all the shares will be sold by mid-August.
As always, my sincere thanks to all of you who support local agriculture.
Gretta
Gretta Anderson
Shared Harvest CSA (formerly Belmont CSA)
P.O. Box 533
Belmont, MA 02474
781.507.6602
Farms and farmers growing for the Winter CSA
Picadilly Farm in Winchester, N.H. will continue to provide a box of veggies each distribution. This will be Bruce and Jenny Wooster’s third season growing for our Winter CSA. Here’s what Bruce and Jenny write about their farming practices: “Our growing practices are rooted in sustainable farming methods for our environment, fair working conditions for the farm crew, and sustainable methods that benefit all of us. We use no herbicide, chemical fertilizers or synthetic pesticides.
Riverland Farm, a certified organic family farm in Sunderland, MA will be providing some of the veggies for the winter share. Rob Lynch and Meghan Arquin purchased Riverland Farm in 2007. They grow for an on-farm summer CSA and are very excited to extend their growing season through this Winter CSA. They write, “The mission of Riverland Farm is to continue to bring high quality, fresh organic vegetables to our community at an affordable price. We enjoy developing a relationship with our members so they feel that Riverland Farm is their farm, too. There is something special about becoming part of the landscape that provides your food and knowing the farmers that tend the crops for you.”
Glenn Cook and his skilled crew at Cider Hill Farm will supply delicious apples in the first share distribution. Charlie Baer grows heirloom dried beans at Moraine Farm in Beverly, and will supply us with Baer’s Best Beans. When I’ve determined the level of interest in other locally produced items, I’ll connect with other small scale producers in the area to provide a menu of add-on items to the winter share. See the attached subscription form for more information about this.
Where will the Winter Shares be distributed? We have a new distribution location: Busa Farm, 52 Lowell Street in Lexington. Busa Farm is located on the border of Arlington and Lexington. Here’s a link to a map that shows our distribution site.
When and How Much? This year there are two share distribution choices: Choose either a two month or a three month winter share. The two month Winter CSA will be distributed on Nov 7 and Dec. 5 and costs $160.00. The three month Winter CSA will be distributed on Oct 24, Nov 14 and Dec 12 and costs $240.00.
What’s in the Share? Each winter share distribution will contain about 38 pounds of produce. Plans for the winter share include beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, celeriac, collard greens, escarole, fennel, garlic, hakurei turnips and greens, kale, lettuce, leeks, red and green bell peppers, purple top turnips, onions, parsnips, popcorn, potatoes, radishes, radicchio, sweet potatoes and winter squash. Apples and dried beans are also planned for the share. The two month share will not include celery, fennel, broccoli, red and green peppers, red onions or Brussels’ sprouts.
Share a Ride A ride-share community map helps to keep CSA traffic to a minimum. Your contact information is recorded on a private, on-line map using maps.google.com The map is only available to shareholders. The map makes it easy to identify and contact other shareholders for car pooling or forming driving cooperatives. You can opt-out of the ride share map.
Ready to buy a Winter Share? Contact Gretta at: GrettaAnderson@earthlink.net.