ONE MORE WEEK (CSA is almost here)

Farm crew: Cole, Kirsten and Michaela transplant first of the flowers (in the rain).

So I know everyone is impatient for those super fresh veggies, but CSA is coming next week and you just have to wait a little while longer. It will be a good and not so good start- all this cold, wet spring (the literal opposite of last year!!!!! where is was in the 80-90's for most of May) is making for a slower growing season than usual. This farmer has spent the last three months mostly damp and chilled and literally covered in mud. Some of our fields are REALLY wet (think, swamp) and this spring has been a lesson in patience, humility and flexibility, and right now I am being forcibly reminded that no one can control Nature and it is harder to take water out of the soil than it is to put water in. Challenges are good for keeping you humble, that's for sure- just when I think I have this whole farming thing figured out...I get a backhand slap into reality. Nature is in charge here, despite all my learning and tools and equipment and I need a lesson in respect too. So, we are moving crops around and practicing a whole lot more intercropping and intensive growing than we had planned. We are tilling less aggressively and thinking about plans for semi-permanent raised beds that will use less tillage and more compacted growing. We are altering our thoughts about fertility and going to be using more biological based nutrients that help our soils work with and for us so we need less bagged composted fertilizers, have less weeds, and better soil tilth and healthier plants. If you see us with sprayers in the field, that's what we are doing. These nutrients are mostly in liquid form and are drenched onto the plant root zones.

 

Muddy farmer

Another factor in our upcoming season, the mild winter (I know it doesn't feel like it was, but it definitely was warmer than usual) is already making for a higher pest year- you might be seeing the millions of gypsy moth caterpillars in your yard? Yep. High pest year ahead. We are using a lot of row covers (the white fabric covering the row crops in our fields), but the insects are still making a little more headway on some things than we like. You will see more little tiny holes in our greens than usual- they don't affect the flavor at all, but the look isn't our fave. Know that we are doing our best to keep the greens hole free, but we also know you don't want us to spray pesticides on the produce either.

We will have some beautiful greens and radishes for you! The arugula is spicy, the radish are crisp and delicious, the lettuces are sweet and kale is tender.  And, if we just get a few more bright sunny days, the strawberries will be ready for picking. Cole and I spent Sunday putting in another 3000 strawberry plants for next year and all the eggplant and the first round of tomatoes. Hopefully it will warm up for them since they are looking a little grumpy that we pulled them from the toasty greenhouse and shoved them into cold mud. 

sweetening up the steers

We still have shares available in both the Veggie and Meat CSA!!!! Spread the word!!!! Let us know if you need promo materials or draft emails to send to colleagues and we will happily get those to you. I've been enjoying the beef all winter and it is lovely, rich in flavor and 'good for you' fats. The summer meat CSA is going to be chock full of your favorite grilling cuts- lots of good steaks & ground for burgers. It is only 2lbs of beef per week and is in cryovac packaging so that it can safely stay in the freezer for months. I'm personally thrilled because grass-fed steak and salad are one of my favorite summertime meals. Sign up today for this great add on!

Fruit Share ADD-ON

We are thrilled to offer a FRUIT SHARE as an add-on to your 2017 CSA at Chestnut Hill Farm - if you’re interested, please read on below and follow the link to sign up.

DETAILS:
- Local, seasonal, delicious fruit! 10 weeks for $100 from Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury, Mass., ready for pickup alongside your veggie CSA on TUESDAY of each week. 
- 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).
- 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! If you need/want to change pickup days, that's fine, just come by on the first Tuesday!

ANIMAL NEWS

Meet the Farmer: Kid Cuddle Party

Goats are right next to the trail-head entrance! Good for easy viewing the girls and their kids in their production environment. Did you know they are actually at work? The flock is in charge of grazing all the marginal areas of the farm such as side fields, fence lines and brushy or overgrown areas. They also do invasive and irritating plant removal (or try to) along the stone walls. They do a great job at cleaning up poison ivy and bittersweet and will be tasked with cleaning out some tough areas along the fencelines in the back fields. They have a brand new mobile shelter that keeps the rain and sun off, but we are still working out the bugs. It is a little big and heavy to move and might be a little on the too tall side. It also still needs some doors to keep them locked up safe from predators at night. So it is a work in progress and will evolve as the season moves on.
Fencing will start to go up in a  couple of weeks around the fields that will be pasture for the cattle coming to graze after the nesting season is over in late July. There is also a rumor of lambs coming to graze around the farm with goats...we will definitely let you know if and when the woolies arrive.

EVENTS

FATHER'S DAY BLUEGRASS AND BBQ

Come join us on Father's Day Afternoon for delicious BBQ from Firefly Catering and live foot stomping bluegrass music from Sparrow Blue. 

Sunday, June 18th- bring on the dads and dancing shoes. $36/member adult and $12/member child; $45/nonmember adult, $15/nonmember child. For more details and to register, visit our website at thetrustees.org

Save the DATE:  We are having Farm to Table dinners all summer long! Put these dates on your calendars and come join us for delicious food, live music, games and community! July 7th, August 4th, September 8th. You can preregister for all of them now and that helps us plan how much food, wine/beer and tables we need. Last summer our dinner sold out and then some so get your tickets early. We can't wait to see you all there.

FARMSTAND

Our farmstand is OPEN this Saturday and then starting next Tuesday, for the same hours as the CSA!
Veggies will include: lettuce, kale, chard, arugula, (not too) spicy salad and maybe some radishes!
We have lots of new local and regional products coming in nearly every day. This week we've added Sriracha Hot Sauce and Jabanero Sriracha Hot Sauce from Kitchen Garden Farm in Sunderland, MA; new Maple Basil Salad Dressing and Caesar Dressing from Appalachian Naturals; delicious tea blends such as Cinnamon,Vanilla, Ginger Chai & Rhubarb, Raspberry Honey from TeaGuys in Whately, MA; BOLA granola (this is my favorite!!!) in bags and chocolate bars from Lee, MA. Come and check out the goods.
We will have more transplants for the garden this week! BASIL is back, along with more lettuces, cherry tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, heirloom tomatoes and more. Come check out our big healthy plants- it definitely isn't too late to put them in the ground.

Recipe of the Week

Scallion Pancakes (not traditional, but still amazing!) from the NY times, Mark Bittman

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 bunches scallions or spring onions, about 1 pound
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• ½ cup flour
• Peanut, canola or olive oil as needed

Preparation

1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil while you trim the scallions. Roughly chop three bunches, and mince the fourth.
2. Add the larger portion of scallions to the water, and cook about 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Puree the cooked scallions in a blender, adding just enough of the cooking liquid to allow the machine to do its work.
3. Mix the puree with the egg and soy, then gently stir in the flour until blended. Add pepper to taste, then the reserved minced scallions. Film a nonstick or well-seasoned skillet with oil, and turn the heat to medium-high. Drop the batter into the pan by the tablespoon or quarter cup, and cook about 2 minutes to a side, or until lightly browned. If necessary, the pancakes can be kept warm in a 200-degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Jesse and Tim moving the piglets to their new pasture!