We did it! We started a brand new farm and you helped make it happen!
Last week marked the end of our first CSA season. CSA members received a total of $717 of fresh produce! That is a surplus of $117 over the value of the share (see chart below). That is one of the perks of belonging to a CSA program; you share in the risk and the bounty. This year happened to be a bountiful year and we feel very grateful.
Moose Hill Farm has been able to donate ~1500 lbs of produce to area food pantries so far and will continue to donate until just before Thanksgiving. That is equivalent to ~$2500 and your membership to the CSA helped to provide this very important service and was very much appreciated by your fellow community members.
Thank you to all who responded to the feedback questions posted in the CSA pick-up area over the last few weeks. We loved reading through all your thoughtful responses and are already planning to make changes and additions for next year. We learned that about half of you are brand new to belonging to a CSA program - Congrats! It was fantastic seeing the list of veggies that were new to people...from ground cherries to kohlrabi to exotic basil varieties, we are so excited to have you hooked! We plan to provide more tips and resources on how to make the most out of your CSA next year; from storage, to preserving techniques, to recipes, to learning more about the health benefits of the different families of vegetables, and to hosting more CSA potlucks/recipe swaps. We also plan to make the PYO section more centralized and provide more information on how to pick the ripest and tastiest vegetables. Based on all the really positive responses to the PYO portion of our CSA program, we are expanding it! You may have noticed the mobile chicken coop close to the greenhouse a few weeks back. The chickens were working the soil for our new flower/perennial herb garden. CSA members will now get to pick a set amount of perennial herbs as part of their share (mint, thyme, oregano, lavender, etc). The flowers at Moose Hill will now be open to the public (as well as CSA members who purchase a flower share). A set price will be charged/stem and the flowers will be accessbile 7 days/week when in season. This is also a nice option for CSA members who do not wish to commit to a flower share.
Most of you commented that the amount of produce you received was just right but several people mentioned that they were glad they shared with other families. Just a reminder that we are now offering half shares for the 2014 CSA program and also look for a "swap" basket next year (leave a veggie behind/take a veggie you love). We were excited to hear that you want more peas, beans,
and carrots - we do too! Because our soil had been plowed for the first time ever this year, there was a lot of sod that needed time to break down. This made crops that grow directly from a seed in the field (versus being seeded in the greenhouse first and then being transplanted into the field) quite difficult to grow this year. Those crops included peas, beans, carrots, radishes, parnsips and some herbs. We're looking forward to much more of those crops next year!
A lot of you expressed interest in the farm either growing fruit or providing a fruit share. This is definitely something we are looking into. Sadly, we had a crop failure on our musk and watermelons this year but we will try again next year. Berries are perennial crops and we are in the process of deciding where perennial crops will be planted at the farm. Hopefully in 2-3 years we will have our own strawberries, blueberries and raspberries but in the meantime, we are looking into offering a local fruit share that will include berries and/or tree fruits such as apples and peaches. Other perennials we are considering growing at the farm are rhubarb and asparagus...stay tuned!
There was also some interest expressed in a meat share at the farm. There are two scenarios we are currently looking into. One is to provide meat grown on other Trustees of Reservations' farms which would include beef and pork. The other option we are running budget numbers on is raising meat birds at Moose Hill...either just chicken or chicken and turkeys. We will be sending out a separate survey to judge the interest in purchasing poultry from the farm sometime in the next few weeks. We also have just found out that we would be able to offer dairy shares from Appleton Farms next season if there is enough interest! Come to the fall farm stands to try cheese, yogurt and milk made from the pastured cows at our sister farm in Ipswich, MA. We think you are going to love it! And of course we will have our egg-cellent eggs again next year :)
We are really looking forward to expanding community events at the farm next year too. Besides CSA potlucks, you all made some great suggestions for Farm Festivals, cook-offs and farm-to-table dinners. The crew and I have already started to brainstorm events too, including a Spring Egg Hunt, Egg Painting contest and work days followed by Contra dances and polucks. If anyone is interested in helping to make these happen, just email Farmer Molly!
Really looking forward to spending next season with you all,
Farmer Molly and the crew
| CROP | AMOUNT | PRICE | VALUE |
| lettuce | 20 | $2 | $40.00 |
| spinach | 2.5 | $6 | $15.00 |
| bok choi | 6 | $1.50 | $9.00 |
| kale | 12.5 | $2 | $25.00 |
| scallions | 6.5 | $1.50 | $9.75 |
| herbs | 20.5 | $2 | $41.00 |
| broccoli | 8 | $2.75 | $22.00 |
| arugula | 3 | $8 | $24.00 |
| radish | 4 | $1.50 | $6.00 |
| turnip | 5 | $1.50 | $7.50 |
| chard | 11.5 | $2 | $23.00 |
| cabbage | 8 | $2 | $16.00 |
| kohlrabi | 2.5 | $1.50 | $3.75 |
| peas | 8 | $3 | $24.00 |
| radicchio | 2 | $2 | $4.00 |
| beets | 6.5 | $2.50 | $16.25 |
| caulifower | 1 | $2.75 | $2.75 |
| squash | 11.5 | $1.50 | $17.25 |
| carrots | 4 | $2.50 | $10.00 |
| scapes | 2 | $1.50 | $3.00 |
| onions | 8.25 | $1.50 | $12.38 |
| potatoes | 13.25 | $1.50 | $19.88 |
| cukes | 9.5 | $1.50 | $14.25 |
| beans | 12 | $3.00 | $36.00 |
| eggplant | 19.25 | $2.50 | $48.13 |
| lettuce mix | 3.25 | $5 | $16.25 |
| tomatoes | 24.5 | $2.50 | $61.25 |
| padrons | 0.25 | $2.50 | $0.63 |
| leeks | 5.5 | $2 | $11.00 |
| hot peppers | 12 | $0.25 | $3.00 |
| asian greens | 2.25 | $6 | $13.50 |
| cherry tomatoes | 21 | $4.00 | $84.00 |
| peppers | 10 | $2.50 | $25.00 |
| ground cherries | 7 | $4.00 | $28.00 |
| beet greens | 0.25 | $5.00 | $1.25 |
| garlic | 4 | $1.50 | $6.00 |
| tomatillos | 2.5 | $2.00 | $5.00 |
| pie pumpkins | 2 | $2.00 | $4.00 |
| shallots | 1 | $4.00 | $4.00 |
| rutabega | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 |
| butternut | 1 | $3.00 | $3.00 |
| TOTAL | $717.25 |
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