At the farm - Week 10

In the Share:
TOMATOES (F/P)
CHERRY TOMATOES (F/P)
CARROTS (F/P) Fresh from the field, but topped to make it easy for harvesting and packing. In general, all roots keep longer in your crisper without their tops.
MUSIK GARLIC (F/P) Only partially cured. Use soon or leave to cure in a dry place. Partial shares get a choice of garlic or herbs.
SUMMER SQUASH & CUCUMBERS: (F/P)
GREEN PEPPERS OR BEETS: (F) First of the summer and last of the spring. Partial shares will get their turn next week.
LETTUCE: (F/P) From under the shade cloth.
HERB CHOICE (F/P) Basil, Rosemary or a dried herb.

Also this week: Bread of Life bread share delivery

Next Week: More tomatoes, summer squash, cucumbers. Beans return. More onions. Spring beets and green peppers for the partials. Meat and egg share delivery.

Farm report
First, here is a song to get you in the mood for washing your vegetables. The Klamm sisters on vocals, lyrics by Scott Klamm. Tom managed to catch it on the camera the second morning they serenaded the wash crew. A perfect song for the bathtub adapted to the farm’s own bathtub full of carrots.

Our used bathtub turned veggie wash sink is just one example of the way we do it at Fair Share Farm. Our goal is to not just be a sustainable farm in name only, but really try in every way to ‘reduce, reuse and recycle.’ Throw-away plastic and paper products are ubiquitous in the vegetable industry from the plastic mulch, drip tape and greenhouse pots to the plastic packaging that purports to ‘preserve freshness’ while it fills up the landfills. One way that our farm reduces its footprint is obvious at every CSA distribution. We pack our produce in reused waxed cardboard boxes from organic farms that supply the metro area’s produce aisles. Once lightly cleaned and with a fresh sheet of newsprint for a liner, these boxes stand up to many more than the one use they are typically given. We learned this trick from Peacework Farm where Tom and I met. Peacework’s CSA distributes the farm’s shares at the local food co-op in Rochester, NY. The co-op gives them their used boxes and the farm sends them in the follow week full of produce for the members. In our case, having no co-op around, we have spent the last six years tracking down boxes from the big retailers with mixed success. This season is the worst yet with most of the boxes being sent to a composting facility before we can grab them. We are mulling over our options and would love any suggestions. One option is to buy new waxed boxes. Not a bad idea, with a bit of money we could keep our packing system the same. Another would be to purchase a more durable alternative, like plastic totes.

While I’m on the topic of reducing our waste, please return any containers you have from the farm that you are not using. This includes the quart and pint containers and the herb tins. We only want the pints and quarts if they are still in one piece. If the top has separated from the bottom, please put them in your recycling. Otherwise, we will take them off your hands. Just bring them to distribution and we will pick them up the following week.