In this newsletter:
What is happening at the farm?
CSA news and events
Farm store and what is available this week
Weekly farm fun fact
What is happening at the farm?
Hello beautiful community! I hope December is treating you well and you were able to enjoy some sun and snow. It feels a little unbelievable to be writing the final newsletter of the year. We have a couple more active days at the farm while we wrap up the Fall CSA and prepare for our winter break. The seven of us who work throughout the winter will take time off to spend with family, travel, settle into a new home and rest before starting up again late January. This week we have our staff holiday outing at the bowling ally! Special shoutout to Christine for covering the Farmstore so we can have our special outing. Thank you Christine!
The farmstore will be open until Saturday December 23rd so you can join us for some last minute gift ideas and meal planning. Our Christmas wreaths are 10% off so it's a great time to come and check them out! We have farmstore gift cards which can be used any time of year including for our Upick flowers and strawberries in the summer. You can also find jams, preserves, candles and more for your holiday celebrations.
Here is a peak into our greenhouses for those who are curious. There has been interest in learning more about our winter production so we are considering hosting a winter farm tour in the new year.
CSA News and Events
We had so much fun packing your customized Fall CSA boxes over the past 8 weeks! I love seeing all the different variations and preferences. The CSA Facebook group has been an inspiring community resource for sharing recipes and storage techniques. Thank you all for your wonderfull contributions!
Above: Member posts on our private CSA Facebook group
Above: Examples of customized CSA boxes
"What is CSA"? Well, I'm glad you asked...
Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is an intentional relationship between the folks who grow food and the folks who eat it.
When you become a member of our community, we commit to using the most sustainable methods to produce the most delicious and good-for-you veggies, in return for a season-long commitment from you, our valued share member.
This means you are guaranteed a bountiful supply of healthful, local, organic produce at a lower price than shopping at the farmers' market.
Our three season CSA program includes customizable shares on a weekly or biweekly basis. We offer unlimited vacations so you can pause your subscription whenever you're away. We have numerous drop-off points and flexible payment plans. Members can add-on items from our online store and we offer options to include eggs, mushrooms and greens with your share.
For more information and to sign up for our upcoming 8 week Winter CSA (February - March) and our Summer and Fall programs visit our website.
Above: Our winter program includes fresh green vegetables from our electric greenhouses.
We are discussing plans for community fundraising so we can offer "community shares" at reduced or no cost for a few local families. Stay tuned for more news on this including fundrasing events!
And some very excitting news: We now have Flower Shares!
For the first time we are now offering a flower share to our CSA members. Receive 3-5 market bunches of what is glorious from the flower field. You can arrange them How YOU like! Find more information here.
Above: flowers and fun
Farm store and what is available this week
***The farmstore will be open Saturday December 23rd! 10AM-3PM
January hours:
Friday January 19th: 11h-5h
Saturday January 20th: 10h-3h
Friday January 26th: 11h-5h
Saturday January 27th: 10h-3h
Winter hours starting in February:
Thursdays 11h-5h
Fridays 11h-5h
Saturdays 10h-3h
Available this week:
Roots:
Beets
Carrots
Parsnip
Garlic
Kohlrabi
Onions
Potatoes
Daikon radish
Watermelon radish
Rutabaga
Celeriac
Greens:
Spinach
Salad mix
*popular these days so come very early on Saturday or during the week if you want to ensure a supply! We're working on getting our supply up.
Herbs:
Cilantro
Dill
Parsley Curly and Flat
Other Veggies:
Chickory (endive: great roasted and raw!)
Kale
Chard
Napa cabbage
Caraflex cabbage (a tender sweet variety great for slaw and amazing roasted !)
Red and green classic cabbage
Squash
Autumn Frost butternut (butternut flavour with a more pumpkin like texture)
Kabocha: winter sweet (sweet nutty flavours reminiscent of roasted chestnut)
Testukabuto (low moisture content; rich notes of hazelnut and browned butter.)
Pie Pita Pumkin (great for pies/deserts and the seeds are especially tasty!)
Flowers:
Dried Flowers
Wreaths
Garlic braids
Farm-made preserves *more to come in thenew year:
Salsa
Passata (Italian tomato sauce)
Kimchi
Our version of a Sriracha hot sauce
Frozen soups: tomato
cowboy candy (Farm-made)
Other:
Decorative pumpkins and squash
Wreath making frames and materials
Above: picture of the farmstore vegeatbles and preserves
Weekly farm fun fact
Greenhouse crops tend to be more delicate and tender than their field counterparts because they are more protected from the elements (wind and rain). They don't develop the same "muscles" as field crops. Our greenhouse kale might wilt a little faster than field kale but it sure is tender and delicious!
Bonus fun fact:
Greenhouse swiss chard tends to taste saltier than field chard because of the higher sodium contents in greenhouse soil. I love muching on it raw! Reminiscent of chicken soup in my opinion.... but open for debate!
Keeping in touch
***The farmstore will be open until Saturday December 23rd! 10AM-3PM
January hours:
Friday January 19th: 11h-5h
Saturday January 20th: 10h-3h
Friday January 26th: 11h-5h
Saturday January 27th: 10h-3h
Winter hours starting in February:
Thursdays 11h-5h
Fridays 11h-5h
Saturdays 10h-3h
*Check us out on Facebook and instagram to get a daily glimpse of the Roots and Shoots Farm life.
Happy holidays to all!
-The Roots and Shoots Farm Team
Comments