Surviving the Freeze

Good Morning! I have a free moment to write the newsletter this morning, so it should save me some time while I plant onions this evening!

My girlfriend, Rachel, and I flew down to Nashville on Thursday afternoon to celebrate my sisters wedding. It was wonderful to watch my sister marry the man she loves and has two beautiful little girls with. It also forced me to take a few days off the farm for a little rest and relaxation before the summer season takes off, especially after cramming a weeks worth of work into 3 1/2 days, hence the condensed newsletter last week. But we got everything that needed doing done, and Joe took good care of the farm while I was away.

In typical farm fashion, of course there was a bit of drama right before leaving. That freeze on Wednesday night was devastating for farmers in New England, particularly fruit growers, and the day before leaving we had to make sure all of our veggies were tucked in for the night. I did a quick assessment this morning after getting in late last night, and will do a more thorough inspection this afternoon. Luckily we seem to have made it through with minimal damage. Often times with a freeze like that it's hard to tell what was damage for a few days until symptoms begin to show, so I wasn't able to get a good read on it Thursday morning. There are a few trays for the stand that were damaged, but overall we're looking healthy and on track to resume regular farm activities.

One of those is that we will be back on the water wheel transplanter this week putting in more summer veg! I wrote about it a little a few weeks ago and now that we have tried it, I couldn't be happier with the results. Being able to water in our transplants allows us to properly follow our planting schedule rather than waiting for the rain to plant. Not only that, but it is faster, more accurate, and easier on the back! The picture above shows us planting beets on a bright and sunny day without worrying about them wilting before getting established. We are able to fill the water tank with a fish emulsion fertilizer for planting which also helps with transplant shock, giving the veggies vital nutrients while their roots get established in the soil. The week after planting we went to cultivate and all of our starts survived despite not seeing any rain after planting. The transplanter is going to be a game changer on our farm, especially after the dry springs we've experienced the past few years.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR FALL CSA!

Tomatoes in the Plant Stand!

Are you ready to plant for memorial day? We'll be putting out all of our tomatoes plus lots of other warm season veggies! Cukes, squash, peppers, eggplant, the stand will be loaded!

Full stock going out on Friday morning.

Available in the stand this weekend:

Hanging Baskets

TOMATOES

▪Mt Fresh (Hybrid, determinate, large red, good for containers)

▪Big Beef (Hybrid, Indeterminate, Classic )

▪Granadero (Hybrid, plum)

CHERRIES

▪Sungold (classic)

▪Sunpeach

▪Black Cherry

▪Indigo cherry drops (brilliant red blaze on bottom with deep purple top)

▪Sunrise Bumble Bee (show stopper with red and yellow flecked fruit)

▪Super Sweet 100 (standard cherry)

HEIRLOOM

▪Brandywine (classic heirloom, pinkish hue)

▪Green Zebra

▪Black Krim (smaller plant, popular heirloom)

▪Valencia (orange heirloom tomato, Low acidity

▪Moskvich (extra early, red heirloom)

▪Striped German (beautiful ripening from green to yellow to red from the bottom, delicious large tom

▪Garden Peach (Victorian heirloom, sweet little treat in the garden)

▪Yellow Brandywine (lil twist on a classic)

Veggies
Beets
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Napa Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard
Cucumbers -- Slicers & Picklers
Eggplant
Green Curly Kale
Red Curly Kale
Flat Kale
Red Leaf Lettuce
Romaine Lettuce
Leeks
Peppers
Red Onions
Summer Squash
Tomatoes
White Onions
Yellow Onions
Zucchini

Flowers
Begonia
Cosmos
Dahlia
Geranium
Pansy
Petunia
Snapdragon
Sunflower
Yarrow
Zinnia

Herbs:
Basil
Lavender
Thyme
Sage
Mint
Parsley
Oregano

Spring Shares Week 11

It's the penultimate week of shares and the greenhouses are still producing some beautiful veggies! Carrots will be in shares for the first time since we were digging over wintered ones in March! We've come a long way!

I was hoping we would have enough asparagus for shares by now, but unfortunately that freeze knocked back a lot of spears that were growing up. There's a chance we get enough by Wednesday, and if not I'm crossing my fingers for next week.

Spring Week 11
Carrots
Lettuce Mix
Romaine Lettuce
Microgreens
Mint
Radishes

Egg Share: Weekly + Every Other Week Eggs

The Farm Store is OPEN!

Open to the Public.

Dawn - Dusk

Honor System

In the store this week:

Carrots
Lettuce Heads
Microgreens
Salad Mix
Kale
Radishes
Kielbasa
Maple Breakfast Sausage
Hot Dogs
Pesto
Ice Cream
& Eggs!

RECIPE LINK:Smashed Carrots w/ Feta and Mint

Ingredients

▪3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

▪2 pounds large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

▪Salt and pepper

▪2 cloves garlic, minced

▪6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

▪2 tablespoons freshly chopped mint leaves

▪Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)

Instructions

Step 1
In a large, heavy pot with a lid, warm olive oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add carrots and stir to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Step 2
Add garlic, stir, and let sizzle just until golden; do not let it brown. Then add 1 cup water and cover pot.

Step 3
Reduce heat to low, and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove lid, and turn heat to high. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Step 4
With a potato masher, crush carrots roughly, right in the pot, leaving mixture a bit chunky. Set aside until ready to serve.

Step 5
To serve, reheat carrots over low heat. Fold most of the feta and mint into the hot carrot mixture, reserving enough for garnish. Transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper, if using. Top with remaining feta and mint.

Pickup Location for Archway Farm Meat CSA

I heard back from a few of you interested in an Archway Farm meat CSA share, so Mark has added the farm as an additional pickup location. Now if you want to sign up, you can pick up your meat share from the same place you get your veggies! It makes choosing what to make for dinner a breeze!

Visit www.Archway.farm to explore options and order a share delivered to the farm!

Support the Fitzwilliam District Nursing Association!

Each year our farm provides CSA shares to the Fitzwilliam District Nursing Association for their food delivery program. The FDNA has been providing food for members of our community for decades, and Tracie's Farm, and now Dog Days Farm, has been providing CSA shares as a part of their programming for over 10 years. Last year we packed 8 baskets per week for their food delivery program. The FDNA is run by a group of volunteers that are passionate about not letting members of the Fitzwilliam Community go hungry. We are lucky to have them as our neighbors.

I am putting out a call for members or friends of the farm that would like to pitch in to help purchase CSA shares for the FDNA this season. I match shares purchased for the FDNA, so if we are able to get four shares paid for, we will be able to offer another 8 baskets per week for our community members in need. Shares can be purchased directly from the farm and receipts for your donation from the FDNA are provided upon request. Donations are tax deductible.

If you would like to help purchase a CSA share for the FDNA, please send me an email at jack@dogdaysnh.com. Additionally, if you are in need of food assistance and would like to be on the delivery list through the summer, please send me an email and I will put you in touch with a member of the FDNA.

Workshare with Us!

We are looking for workshares to come help out on the farm one day a week for the summer season in exchange for a CSA share. Workshares are one of my favorite parts of the farm. We often get returning workshares year after year, and they almost always become longtime friends of the farm. It's a great way for me to get to know our CSA members and for members to get to know their farm.

Physical labor is a given for workshares, but we are often able to find tasks that suit the abilities of those that are able to help out. We have seen workshares of all ages on the farm over the years. It is a full day commitment, and we ask that members pick one day out of the week and come in that day for the duration of the season. Workshares are allowed to miss up to three days during the summer to accommodate vacations. In exchange, you receive a full summer share plus bread and eggs, as well as lunch on the farm on the days you work and access to deals on bulk veggies.

If you are interested in worksharing, please email me at jack@dogdaysnh.com