Sunday, August 30, 2009

Turkey Hill CSA Newsletter - Week 12, 2009


Turkey Hill CSA Newsletter - Week 12

Notes From the Farm

This is Valentin and Lizzie's last week at the farm, a big thanks for all their help this summer! 

We have lots of summer crops coming in now and everything really looks great. The beans are past their peak, but the cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes are really just starting to produce. If the frost holds off for a few weeks we should have plenty more of these crops.

We added up the value of this weeks full box (may vary slightly from what you got, this was the farm box) and got to $45! The full share cost is $500/year for an average of around $26/week. While some of the early and late boxes may be closer to $25 in value, the average is certainly higher. Here is what we added up for this weeks box, these are our farm prices (if we were selling these items at the crested butte or gunnison farmers market we would charge about 20-30% higher prices, which offsets the delivery fee you pay):

Salad - $3.75; Beans - $3; Thyme - $1.50; Chard - $2.50; Kale - $2.50; Collards - $2.50; Artichokes - $3; Tomatoes - $7; Corn - $3; Cucumber - $1.25; Broccoli & Cauliflower - $6; Bulb Fennel - $1.50;  Carrots - $2.50; Eggplant - $2; Peppers - $1.5;  Parsley - $1.5


I hope this helps illustrate the value you are getting with the CSA, and I want to let you know that the farm appreciates your financial support and the fact that you are taking and using all our produce. We hope you enjoy the last upcoming seven final weeks of the season. Box sizes will begin to decline over the next few weeks as cooler weather prevails and the days shorten

 

More Notes:


Last chance to reply to Valentin's CSA survey. You can fill it out online.


Questions and Answers

Please send me your questions, let me know what you want to know!
Send me your questions! Need a recipe? We have a recipe page on the website, or try  allrecipes.com. Want to know when a certain vegetable is coming in? confused about something in your box? email me! 

This Week's Box

Cucumbers - still more to come - call or email for special orders pickling cukes
Bulb Fennel - we harvested the rest of the crop this week- great sliced thinly in a salad
Corn  - Olathe Sweet Corn, Certified Organic
Beans - Green, Yellow & Purple -
Cauliflower - more coming in.
Broccoli - lots more to come.
Carrots - more coming in now
Collards - slight damage, trim the edges if it looks bad.
Rainbow Chard, Collards or Kale - still look good
Salad Mix - a high quality crop at the moment - a few more weeks of salad left
Eggplant  - some boxes, more to come
Peppers - still producing
Tomatoes -  from the hoop house and from Thistle Whistle 
Thyme, Parsley or Savory;
  
Fruit

 

A bit of a lull qty wise in fruit this week, plenty more coming!


Peaches - outstanding, nectarines and pears - First Fruits, Paonia


leave pears out for a day or two to ripen


coming soon: Apples, many varieties


Coming Soon (1-3 weeks)

Potatoes - we will start digging these for the boxes over the next few weeks,  but leave most of the patch for the last few weeks of the season.
Parsley - Starting to be large enough to pick
Tomatoes - starting to really ripen in the hoop house
Beyond 3 weeks
Fall Onions, Leeks
Winter Squash - if i can find some!

Monday, August 17, 2009

2009 Round Earth / Turkey Hill CSA Farm Festival

Schedule of Events

Please call ahead at 970-872-4413 to reserve a spot for the following events - space is limited.

  • 8 am-10 am - Early Tour/Harvest - Tour the fields at Round Earth with farmer Adam Silverstein. We will explore the vegetables, and flowers, learn about interplanting and witness a real pest - grasshoppers! We will sample veggies as we go, and also harvest crops for the day's meals; We will harvest salad, cucumbers, potatoes, beans and whatever else is needed and ready. Learn how we harvest the veggies at their ripest and see where and how we wash and process produce from the field. Plan on getting muddy (at least your shoes). $10/person, limited to 20 participants, reservations required.

  • 11 am-2 pm - Cooking workshop with Valentin & brunch - We'll prepare the food we harvest and then enjoy a light brunch - we will transform the morning's harvest into lunch and have some pre-prepared dishes as well. $15/person, limited to 2 0 participants, reservations required.

  • 1 - 4 pm - Regular farm tours through the fields - learn about the farm, the crops, the season and plans for the future. Free, drop ins welcome!

  • 4 pm - 8:30 pm - Cooking workshop with Valentin & Dinner - We will continue to prepare and process produce from the morning and previous harvests and prepare dishes for the dinner, which will also be accompanied by dishes prepared in advance. $25/person + drinks - limited to 20 participants, reservations required.

  • Please leave your dogs at home!

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Turkey Hill CSA Newsletter - Week 10


Turkey Hill CSA Newsletter - Week 10    

Notes From the Farm

This weeks newsletter is going out very late - sorry for that. I am just returning from a short river trip (gates of Lodore) and Valentin filled the CSA boxes.  As you can tell from the boxes, summer has hit - lots of everything is coming in. 

The website recipe page was just updated with new recipe sheets including bulb fennel. Are you missing something? Remember, if we  run short on something, we sometimes substitute a different vegetable. If you didn't get a certain vegetable or item and are missing it please let me know!

 

More Notes:

Valentin and Lizzy leave for france in two weeks! As we head into fall, we will have to fill the gaps in our harvest crew. Please come down and visit the farm next Saturday to meet them and at least tour the farm. We are offering several workshops in harvesting and cooking throughout the day, as well as lunch and dinner. I will be posting complete details on the farm festival activities on the website soon and I will email you again then. Bring your friends or family, but please let me know as soon as possible if you plan to attend (how many and for what part of the day). (Also, please leave your dogs at home).


Please don't forget to reply to Valentin's CSA survey. You can return the printed survey, or you can fill it out online.


Questions and Answers


Please send me your questions, let me know what you want to know!
  
Send me your questions! Need a recipe? We have a recipe page on the website, or try  allrecipes.com. Want to know when a certain vegetable is coming in? confused about something in your box? email me! 

This Week's Box

Cucumbers - just beginning this week, lots more next week.
Corn  - Olathe Sweet Certified Organic - our corn is still weeks away
Scallions - purple and green, the last of these for the season
Beans - Green, Yellow & Purple - really starting to come in, we will have even more next week.
Cauliflower - just starting to come in.
Romanesco - this green, fractal/spiral vegetable is in the same family as cauliflower and cabbage, but has its own unique appearance and flavor. 
Broccoli - a little bit coming in now, the big crop arrives in september.
Cabbage - purple and green now coming in.
Carrots - some got artichokes instead - more carrots for everyone in the next few weeks - and more artichokes!
Rainbow Chard, Collards or Kale - its good for you! if you can't use it all, just prep, boil briefly, cool, bag and freeze! You can use it in December and remember the summer.  
Salad Mix - more coming
Onions - more varieties coming in over the next few weeks
Basil -  A small bag each, call or email about pesto qty. NOW available.
Eggplant  - a bit more coming in now, lots more setting fruit
Peppers - hot peppers trickling it now, lots of variety, some are hotter than others. the bell peppers are sill a few weeks away
Bulb Fennel
 
Fruit

 

Peaches - Pruett Orchards (Powell Mesa)

Apples from the Kropps - the first apples of the season, crisp and tart! many varieties to come!


coming soon: Nectarines


Coming Soon (1-3 weeks)

Potatoes - we will start digging these for the boxes over the next few weeks,  but leave most of the patch for the last few weeks of the season.
Carrots -  the fall crop will kick in and we'll have carrots for the rest of the season.
Squash - new crop just a few weeks away, but may not make it. Some trickling in from the field next week.
Parsley - Starting to be large enough to pick
Tomatoes -a few at the farm festival, then some in the boxes the following week.
More salad, greens

Beyond 3 weeks
Fall Onions, Leeks
Winter Squash - also heavily hit by squash bugs and the cool spring

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Turkey Hill CSA Newsletter - 2009-9


Turkey Hill CSA Newsletter - Week 9   

Notes From the Farm

Life is full on the farm. Tons of cucumbers just ready to be picked next week, flowers are going crazy... We have sunflowers this week - beautiful yellow to orange heads with no pollen. They almost look fake! We have had some summer heat, but still lots of overcast, cooler weather. The summer crops aren't faring well this year, but the broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and romanesco are really kicking in. I'll try to take and post some photos soon. 

Squash - The worst crop of the year has to be the summer squash and winter squash. I did a second planting after realizing how bad the first crop was doing, but it will come in late and maybe not at all if we get an early freeze. I'm on the lookout for these crops from other growers, but a lot of the local valley growers are in the same squash deficient position we are in! 

Basil - Just a reminder that we don't wash the basil, its too sensitive to water damage. Just rinse before using! We are offering basil to CSA customers at our wholesale price which is $12/lb. A recipe calling for four packed cups requires close to a pound.

 

More Notes:

 

Accounts due! At this point all accounts are due - please send your balance in full ASAP! We need these funds to pay works and the farm bills. I sent statements out last week by email - if you aren't sure about your balance, please call or email me. I will also mail statements and call, but please save me the trouble by sending a check immediately to PO Box 969, Hotchkiss CO 81419


 

Questions and Answers



Please send me your questions, let me know what you want to know!
  
Send me your questions! Need a recipe? We have a recipe page on the website, or try  allrecipes.com. Want to know when a certain vegetable is coming in? confused about something in your box? email me! 

This Week's Box

Corn  - Olathe Sweet Certified Organic - we'll have this on and off for the next 3-4 weeks
Scallions - purple and green, the last of these for the season
Beans - Green, Yellow & Purple - really starting to come in, we will have even more next week.
Cauliflower - just starting to come in.
Romanesco - this green, fractal/spiral vegetable is in the same family as cauliflower and cabbage, but has its own unique appearance and flavor. 
Broccoli - a little bit coming in now, the big crop arrives in september.
Cabbage - purple and green now coming in.
Carrots - some got artichokes instead - more carrots for everyone in the next few weeks - and more artichokes!
Rainbow Chard, Collards or Kale - its good for you! if you can't use it all, just prep, boil briefly, cool, bag and freeze! You can use it in December and remember the summer.  
Salad Mix - moving into a new patch next week.
Onions - white 'candy' onions
Herbs -  A small bag each, call or email about pesto qty. NOW available.
Eggplant  - just starting to come in from the hoop house - a portion of you will get these each week!
Peppers - hot peppers trickling it now

 
Fruit

 

Peaches - Red Havens - First of the season from Paonia - First Fruits

Coming Soon (1-3 weeks)

Carrots -  the fall crop will kick in and we'll have carrots for the rest of the season.
Cucumbers - we have a huge crop of these coming in NEXT WEEK
Squash - a poor main crop, we'll have a few squash, but not enough. I did plant a second crop that looks great right now, but might not have enough time to ripen. I will also try to find another local organic source.
Parsley - Starting to be large enough to pick
Bulb Fennel - sizing up, ready next week
Tomatoes - whenever they start to ripen!
More salad, greens

Beyond 3 weeks
Potatoes
Fall Onions
Winter Squash - also heavily hit by squash bugs and the cool spring



Farm Festival Events

Don't forget the farm festival! We have a great menu and day of activities planned, so please try to attend! All of the details will be posted soon at RoundEarth.com and I will email you again to remind you. August 22nd. is the date, activities all day. In the morning we will harvest and wash crops, then we'll have a cooking workshop and lunch. After an afternoon siesta we will resume with a cooking workshop and then dinner.  Cost is by suggested donation, the entire day is suggested $50, or $10-15 for each workshop/meal. 

I need to rent and purchase supplies for this event so please let me know as soon as possible if you plan to attend (and the number attending which part!)... thanks.