Welcome!
Here’s a recap from the email I sent out last week: If you know you will not be able to pickup, please login to your farmigo account (you created one when you signed up with us) 48 hours in advance and make changes so we may plan accordingly. It is your responsibility to remember your box. Unclaimed boxes are donated locally, or if it’s been an extra hot day, dumped to the livestock. Asking us to make up a forgotten box is the same as asking for double. ANYONE can check off your name and take the box home.
Please pick up during your time frame ;). Asking for another box because you forgot is the same as asking for double.
Handy info out there: Stillman’s Blog, the Member Connect Page on the blog, Stillman’s Farm facebook page – where I generally post what might be in the box at the top of the week, and my new CSA Pinterest Board that I hope to get lots of pins on J
The following is directly out of last year’s letter…but I liked it 🙂 Farming is not a particularly consistent business. It may not be obvious, or something anyone even thinks about, but because we do not control all the factors that affect production, it is impossible to guarantee results. When you consider your favorite coffee shop has an exact formula for how they make their coffee, the results are the same every time. Your farmer knows exactly what everything growing on the farm needs, but there are so many factors out of his control (sun, rain, high wind) that he must constantly make adjustments to ensure a good harvest. If the weather was very predictable (and it’s New England, so it isn’t) we could exercise more control and guarantee consistent results. This is the very reason why I write every week “these are things you may get”. Also, we could grow all the same variety of lettuce and ensure that every member received the same exact kind as the other member from week to week, but I rather like that you can see some variety, experiment a little, and even encourage you to open your box and take a peek; so you might get a chance to try the Golden Beets or the Red Romaine, or the Ruby Chard. Yes, switch boxes to try something different or new! Also, as we pick every single day of the week, it is possible that on Monday we were not picking peas, but by Friday we were. Or, sometimes, at the beginning of harvesting a particular crop, we choose to bring what we have to share with the CSA members, but there isn’t enough for all the members, that day, or even that week. HOWEVER, in 15 years of CSA deliveries, I have found it magically works out: over the course of 16 weeks, everyone receives the same value. Item for item, there might be variations, different but equal. Within reason, we welcome your requests and substitutions to make this your most perfect CSA 🙂
Several of our members are awesome about posting pictures of their weekly pickup on FB (the above is Jessica’s week 1). Like us on facebook so you can get a sneak peak.
You MAY have these things: strawberries, lettuce, beets (Chiogga(red), Forono(long dark), Ace(round,dark red), Golden Beets or Bianca (round white)), chard of some color, peas of some type, kale of some type, and perhaps something else green. The greens have only been rinsed, and even that is a challenge with the amount of mud clinging to everything! None of them have been sprayed (this will be obvious at times with little pinholes from the flea beetles 🙁
Please pick up your box every week, return your boxes without destroying them, read your letter, email us with questions (after you have read and re-read your letter ;)), login to your farmigo account to make contact and pickup changes, and have fun with all the goodies!
About Lettuce
We grow A LOT of lettuce. I have to tell you, we love our salads and I am one of those greens snobs who really whines all winter when my salad greens don’t taste like anything. All the greens benefit from a brief soak in lightly salted water. The salt will cause any small creatures to let go of your greens. Drain, rinse and spin dry. If you take care of all your greens when you get them, you will be more likely to use them. I keep mine loosely in a bag in the fridge. Varieties to look for: Romaine, Red Romaine, Boston, Simpson, New Red Fire, Waldman’s, French Batavia, Red French Batavia, Red Leaf, Oakleaf, plus mesclun mix and arugula. If you are unsure, please email or post on fb.
Farm Dirt
Farm Dirt is where you will read about what is happening at the farm, wildlife sightings, our family, etc.
Curt and Halley are getting married!
Jaide is a delicious, giggly grandbaby (Kate’s second boy) and a joyful addition to the Stillman family.
Bears, bobcats, many bluebird families, and an absurd number of nuthatch are populating the farm. The hops are at the top of the wire and growing…my hops people out there, please contact me so we can try to I.D. the older, unlabeled varieties when they produce. The good news is the new hops are beautifully labeled and we’d love your input on how you’d like to seethem marketed.
The tree frogs pipe up at any time of the day and sometimes are deafening. The toads and all the other frog sounds fill the late afternoon and night. Butterflies and assorted wasps and bees are everywhere. It’s a sight to behold. The row crops are looking awesome and I just had a new banner made of the onion field.
We encourage you to become part of the farm and be connected to your food and farmer; visit, check out the crops, sample in the field, picnic, watch the birds, amphibians, and insects!
Eat well,
Geneviève Stillman