A Stone Coop Summer's Day

It's been a rainy week here on the farm, but the show goes on--and we've got plenty to show for it! Broccoli, parsley, summer squash, and kohlrabi have been planted despite the weather's best efforts, and the field kale harvest is brisk and bountiful. You can expect to see bunches of curly red and curly green kale, as well as bags of the ever-popular lacinato variety, at tomorrow's Brighton Farmers Market, 8 AM - 1 PM. In addition, we'll have a very small amount of sweet Sungold cherry tomatoes and 4th of July salad tomatoes available. Come around early to get yours!

Speaking of which, the great tomato harvest is just now ramping up; we managed to pluck some twenty pounds this week, but within a month we can expect roughly eight hundred to a thousand pounds per week. Whether you take them raw or fried, on sandwiches or salads, drizzled with balsamic or sprinkled with salt, this is great news for all tomato-lovers.

That about covers it for now. We look forward to seeing you at market tomorrow, where we'll also be offering eggplants and purple peppers for the first time this season!

Shares on Sale Now!

All farm shares are now available for purchase. We have several types of shares in order to accommodate anyone interested in purchasing fresh, local produce. Enjoy cooking with all different types of veggies and have a sense of adventure when it comes to your food? Try a Spring Share and Summer Share (see links below). If you don't think you'll be able to use all the produce that comes in a weekly share, or would like to pick and choose the produce you get, try a Market Share. And if you'd like to have the experience of working for your produce, we offer Working and Helping Shares for those willing to get their hands in the soil.

Spring Shares
Summer Shares
Market Shares
Working and Helping Shares

If you simply wish to purchase produce from the farm without a share, you are able to do so through our online sales or at farmers market during the market season.

Online Sales and Pre-Orders
Farmers Market

Stay warm, and remember that fresh produce from the farm is only a few weeks away. Our online sales begin in the third week of January, so be sure you're on our email list to stay up to date with produce availability.

Share Information Updates

We are currently updating share information for 2014. If you have any questions about shares that are not answered on the website, please feel free to contact us. Thanks!

Transitions

As the seasons turn, so do the crops on the farm transition. We have been clearing out beds of winter and spring produce in the hoop houses to make way for the summer crops. Tomatoes, peppers, sweet potatoes, basil, okra, and more have all been transplanted over the past month and are all enjoying the extra protection afforded to them by the hoop houses. Some of the tomato plants, planted in late April and early May, are already over six feet tall! We're watching with eager expectation as the little green tomatoes grow, excited for the first taste of summer that will soon be upon us. 

As summer comes to bear, the farm also hits something of a lull in produce production in June. With the spring and winter crops finished and the summer produce not quite mature, this time of year is always low on options for produce. Yet, in just over a week, our Summer Shares begin, and we have to be some creative farmers to determine just what our shares will be getting in these first few lean weeks. Soon enough, though, the summer harvest will be in full force and we won't know what to do with the 2,000 pounds of tomatoes we're harvesting each week!

Remember that shares are still available as well so that you can get in on the bounty when the harvest really begins to come in. Check out the different types of shares to see what is the best fit for you and your family:

Market Share

Summer Share

Helping Share (we are sold out of Work Shares for the season)

Buy a farm share!

We have quite a few different types of shares, so please see the following links to find the right share for you and your family. Remember, you can still buy from the farm even if you don't have a share, either at farmers market May through October or via our online sales system for pickup on Wednesdays. If you have any questions, visit our FAQ page, and if your questions aren't answered there, please feel free to contact us.

Online Sales and Winter Shares
Market Shares
Summer Shares
Working Shares and Helping Shares

Winter Share distribution begins next week

If you haven't looked into purchasing a Winter Share, now is the time to do so! We begin distributing shares next Wednesday, February 6th. The share lasts for six weeks with an average value of $25 per week, totaling to $150 for the entire share. There will be a variety of items in the share, such as potatoes, winter squash, leafy greens, turnips, and rutabaga. This share is perfect if you've been craving some good, fresh greens (grown in our hoop houses) and hearty winter veggies (stored in our cooler and root cellar). You can find more detailed information about our Winter Shares, as well as purchasing information, at the Online Sales and Winter Shares page.

2013 Shares Available for Purchase

All shares are now available for purchase from the farm. We have quite a few different types of shares, so please see the following links to find the right share for you and your family. Remember, you can still buy from the farm even if you don't have a share, either at farmers market May through October or via our online sales system in the winter. If you have any questions, visit our FAQ page, and if your questions aren't answered there, please feel free to contact us.

Online Sales and Winter Shares
Market Shares
Summer Shares
Working Shares and Helping Shares

First Week of Distribution

Whew, it's been a crazy month! We've been planting fiends and are nearly done with our spring planting, just in time to start with summer weeding. It's been a hot, dry spring, and we've been dealing with temperatures akin to those we'd find in July rather than May and June. Our summer crops, especially the tomatoes and peppers in the hoop houses, have been pleased with the hot weather and are growing quickly. Already many of our tomato plants have well developed green tomatoes on them. This week it's back to more planting and running drip irrigation on our thirsty crops. Let's be hoping for some rain!

It's also the first week of Summer Share distribution! Wednesday pick up is 4:00pm - 6:30pm at Hamburg Fitness Center, and Saturday pick up is 8:30am - 10:30am at Stone Coop. Check out our Contact page for maps of the different locations if you're not sure where to go for your pick up day.

As you may have seen, about a month ago the farm was featured in the Livingston Daily for our work with the Livingston County Hunger Council in establishing Project Farm. Check out the article here: Farming with a purpose.

Summer Shares

In a few weeks we will be opening up our farm shares to purchase for new members not on the current waiting list*. We have had some folks ask us what is a typical weekly Summer Share. Below are three distributions from different times during the summer of 2011. You can also check out the Harvest Timeline for a general idea of when certain produce will be available.

Harvest Items for week of June 22nd (week 2)

Spinach

Broccoli

Radishes

Basil

Thyme

Turnips

Salad Mix

Beet Greens

Kale

Chard

Garlic Scapes

Harvest Items in the Summer Share for week of August 17th (week 10)
New Potatoes
Onions
Beets and Greens
Tomatoes
Summer Squash
Sweet Pepper
Chives

Parsley

Purslane

Cucumbers

Harvest Items in the Summer Share for week of October 12th (week 18)

Kale

Chard

Winter Squash - 2 of your choice

Tomatoes

Green Tomatoes

Beets with greens

Sweet Peppers

Hot Peppers

Kossack Kohlrabi (large storage kohlrabi - so crisp and sweet, almost like eating a crisp apple)

Onions

Herbs - your choice of 2

Eggplant

Popcorn

We do our distributions "buffet-style". Crates of the produce available for the share will be set up with labels indicating how much of each produce type to take, as you can see with the kale and chard above. We also often have recipes for the produce available at distribution and are always happy to talk about the best ways to prepare each type of veggie. During distribution is also a good time for members to go to the u-pick garden to harvest the vegetables there that are available to all members for free. We are always open to suggestions as to what our members would like to have available in the u-pick space.

*If you would like to get on the waiting list for a chance to reserve a share early, contact us before January 28th.

A successful harvest and distribution

 A big thanks to all our members for making the first distribution such a great success! It is so encouraging that we have the community support that we do, as it shows that more and more people are concerned about where their food comes from. Thank you for choosing local and organic! We had a wonderful time meeting everyone and talking about the produce, and we hope that those who received their shares have been enjoying the food.


If you have any recipes that you tried out last week and enjoyed, consider sending them to us in an email, and we will add them to the website to share with everyone.

We look forward to another bountiful distribution this week. The drill is the same as last week, so if you have any questions, please refer to the previous post for clarification. Remember that the u-pick area is available for members coming to pick up their shares, as well as to market members. When you come to distribution, just ask one of the farmers to show you where to go. We will be happy to direct you.

 The hoop house tomatoes are getting ready to ripen.

They should be ready in a few weeks!

-Shannon

First CSA Summer Share distribution this week

The first CSA distribution for CSA Summer Share Members is this Wednesday, June 15th, 4:00-6:30 at the farm. For directions to the farm, see the Contact Us page. Remember that we're on the same property as Hamburg Fitness Center and Camps. We will be in the red and white striped tent on the hill behind the gravel parking lot of the Fitness Center.

If you're not able to make it to the distribution, make sure you call us by 6PM on Wednesday so that we can make arrangements for you to pick up your share on Thursday. If we don't hear from you by 6PM on Wednesday, your share will be donated to Gleaners Community Food Bank. A friend may pick up the share for you if you can't make it, but call us to let us know who will be picking up your share.

Check out the Frequently Asked Questions page if you have any questions about distribution. If your question isn't answered there, feel free to call or email us before Wednesday and we'd be happy to answer your questions.

As always, Market Share members and those who are not members of the farm are welcome to come to market Wednesday night as well.

See the Farmers Market page for the list of what will be available at market this week.

-Shannon