Letter from John Krueger (Week 24)

Hi Folks, 

So we have arrived at the end of another CSA season. While every season has it’s particular challenges, primarily weather related, this has been one for the books. While I’m not generally in favor of book burning I might be willing to make an exception in this case. Usually a particular type of weather is bad for some crops and beneficial for others. If there was any doubt we can now state unequivocally that buckets of rain and days on end with no sunshine is not conducive to growing any crop. And now for the final dirty deed of the growing season we are hit with frigid temperatures (21 degrees) and some sleet and snow later this week. I’ve kept so busy complaining about the bad weather I haven’t even had a chance to fill you in about any of the other challenges we face such as trying to keep the trucks, tractors and other equipment functioning. This is something that is currently pertinent as the delivery truck is out of commission and the backup is barely road worthy!

Through the difficult days of this season I have received many kind words of condolence and support. I have been admonished that I should not apologize for effects of things I cannot control such as the weather (e.g. Mother Nature). It’s just that I don’t like to disappoint and I would much prefer to provide you with veggies than excuses. While I am gratified by the support I am also aware that there is some disgruntlement. While veteran members may realize that this is an atypical year and not be discouraged, new members may not return next season. The best reason I can give you for sticking with the farm and the CSA program is an analogy offered to me by one of my long time core group members. The CSA is like the stock market - it has ups and downs which evens out both through the season and over many years. The only way to reap the benefits is to stay invested for the long term.

The shares have been rather small these last few weeks. We have tried to make the final share a little more bountiful. It is still not nearly what I would have liked but nothing has grown right this fall. There are 4,000 Brussels sprouts in the field that have failed to produce sprouts and nearly 5,000 cauliflowers that refuse to make heads. The list goes on… We have done our best for you and I hope you will be able to continue to support the farm.

The share for this week will be: Baby carrots, lettuce (small heads), blue potatoes, carnival squash, spinach, sweet potatoes, scallions, bok choy, choice of turnips (salad, red or purple top), broccoli or cauliflower and choice of dill or cilantro. Premium members will receive choice of collards or kale.

Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving, 

Farmer John

This Week's Shares -- Wednesday, November 7, 2018 (Week 23)

Vegetable Share

Peppers
Beets
Napa cabbage
Spinach
Arugula
Sweet potatoes
Choice of cilantro or dill
Daikon (Premium Share)

Fruit Share
Most likely Cranberries and/or Apples & Pears

Eggs

Pasta

Chicken - Full & Half Shares

Mushrooms - Full & Half Shares
Velvet pio and alba clamshell

Micro Greens - Full & Half Shares
Pea Shoots

Cider
1/2 Gallon

This Week's Shares -- Wednesday, October 31, 2018 (Week 22)

Vegetable Share
Peppers

Choice of arugula or kale

Japanese sweet potatoes

Parsnips

Leeks

Butternut squash

Yacon (Premium shares)

Fruit Share
Most likely Apples & Pears

Eggs

Pasta

Chicken - Full Share Only

Mushrooms - Full Share Only
King oyster and brown clam tomorrow

Micro Greens - Full Share Only
Radish Shoots Mix

Cider
1/2 Gallon

Letter from John Krueger (Week 22)

Hi Everyone, 

So the bizarre weather pattern continues - frequent rain and consistently gray skies with very little sunshine. And we continue to be frustrated that crops are growing so slowly. At least there’s no extreme cold forecast for the moment. We are waiting impatiently for the cauliflower to head up and the spinach to grow large enough to cut. It’s a small share this week…sorry.

The share for this week will be: peppers, choice of arugula or kale, Japanese sweet potatoes, parsnips, leeks, and butternut squash. Premium shares will get Yacon.

Enjoy,

Farmer John

This Week's Shares -- Wednesday, October 24, 2018 (Week 21)

Vegetable Share

Lettuce

Red thumb fingerling potatoes (pink inside)

Sweet potatoes

Peppers

Either broccoli or kale

Baby bok choy

Arugula

Choice of dill or cilantro

Rainbow carrots

Buttercup squash (Premium Share)

Radishes (Premium Share)

Fruit Share
Most likely Apples & Pears

Eggs

Pasta

Chicken - Full and Half Share

Mushrooms - Full and Half Share
Alba
Baby Shitake

Micro Greens -  Full and Half Share
Pea Shoots Mix

Cider
1/2 Gallon

Letter from John Kruger (Week 21)

Hi Folks,

So it hasn’t been raining much lately and the sun has even been shining from time to time. The fields are beginning to dry out a bit, although we still have deep ruts in many of our farm lanes. The weather issue we have been sealing with lately is cold nights. We have had 3 light frosts so far but no hard freeze. We are covering some crops like the peppers to try and keep them coming a little longer. Between the cold and the shorter days everything grows a lot slower. We are waiting for cauliflower to head up and for the spinach to get big enough to cut. I mentioned parsnips in last week’s update but we will hold off on these until next week. For this week we have rainbow carrots for you.

I want to say thank you again to all those who have sent me encouraging messages or stopped by at the market to give me a hug or a pat on the back. And also to those who have made donations to help the Perez family. It is a tremendous boost for my morale to know that our hard work is appreciated and I know that my workers are very touched by your generosity.

The share for this week will be: Lettuce, Red thumb fingerling potatoes (pink inside), sweet potatoes, peppers, either broccoli or kale, baby bok choy, arugula, choice of dill or cilantro and rainbow carrots. Premium member will receive buttercup squash and radishes.

Enjoy!
Farmer John

This Week's Shares - Wednesday, October 16, 2018

Vegetable Share 

Lettuce

Peppers
Broccoli or cabbage (Most likely broccoli)
Potatoes
Sweet dumpling squash
Salad turnips
Choice of arugula or another mustard green
Baby bok choy
Choice of an herb (parsley, dill or cilantro)
Kale (Premium Share)

Fruit Share
Most likely Apples & Pears

Eggs

Pasta

Chicken - Full Share Only

Mushrooms -Full Share Only
Hen of the Woods
Forest Nameko

Micro Greens - Full Share Only
Signature Mix

Cider
1/2 Gallon

Letter from John Krueger (Week 20)

Hi Folks, 

So it’s another gloomy day here on the farm. What happened to the sun! We narrowly missed a frost on Sunday morning but more cold air is moving in and we will certainly be hit by Wednesday or Thursday. This will mean the end of the eggplant and soon the end of the peppers. We are trying to cover as much as we can to protect it but it depends on how low it goes as to whether we succeed. Most of the crops remaining in the field are hardy and are not hurt by frosts or light freezes. Let’s just hope the mercury doesn’t dip too low anytime soon. They say the parsnips get sweeter after a frost so I guess we can begin to harvest them for next week.

The share for this week will be: Lettuce, peppers, either broccoli or cabbage, potatoes, sweet dumpling squash, salad turnips, choice of arugula or another mustard green, baby bok choy and choice of an herb (parsley, dill or cilantro) Premium share will receive kale.

Enjoy! 

Farmer John

This Week's Shares -- Wednesday, October 10, 2018 (Week 19)

Vegetable Share

Lettuce

Radishes

Bok choy

Potatoes

Peppers

Choice of arugula, tatsoi or mizuna

Sweet potatoes

Yellow onions

Choice of parsley or cilantro 

Green cabbage or broccoli

Endive (frissee) (Premium share)

Fruit Share
Most likely Apples & Pears

Eggs

Pasta

Chicken - Full & Half Share

Mushrooms - Full & Half Share
Chicken of the woods
Brown clamshell

Micro Greens - Full & Half Share
Pea Shoots

Cider
1/2 Gallon

Letter from John Krueger (Week 19)

Hello Everyone, 

So last week was forecast to be free of rain but they changed it at the last minute. I thought we might get a little light rain overnight and it began to drizzle as I rushed to finish seeding some spinach. By the time I got back to the house and showered it was raining harder than I think I have ever seen. We received over 3 inches in about 3 hours.  The farm is a muddy mess again and I’m still waiting to see where those spinach seeds ended up!   

I was excited last week to see that the broccoli was beginning to head up. We have planted nearly eight thousand broccoli plants for the fall. On Sunday while walking the fields I saw that most of the heads had turned black, a condition aptly named black rot that is caused by a bacterium. It appears that we will lose most of this planting (about 2,000). We are cutting what we can that is good and removing the diseased heads in hope of some side shoot production.  Hopefully weather conditions will not be as conducive to this disease when the next planting starts to head. We will ship what we have to a few groups and cabbage to the rest. I recommend that you cook it and eat it quickly as it may not keep. Not to worry though, plant diseases pose no threat to humans. We have some beautiful bok choy for you and we have started digging the sweet potatoes. We are shipping them without washing because they keep better that way. We have tried to brush most of the soil of but cannot be too aggressive because the skins are still tender.  I recommend washing the immediately before preparing them.

The share for this week will be: Lettuce, radishes, bok choy, potatoes, peppers, choice of arugula, tatsoi or mizuna, sweet potatoes, yellow onions, choice of parsley or cilantro and green cabbage or broccoli.  Premium shares will receive endive (frissee).    

Enjoy!   

Farmer John

This Week's Shares - Wednesday, October 3, 2018 (Week 18)

Vegetable Share

Potatoes (probably russet)

Lettuce (mini varieties)

Beets

Acorn squash

Choice of arugula or mizuna

Peppers

Eggplant 

Choice of kale, chard or dandelion greens 

Choice of assorted herbs 

Daikon or purple top turnips (Premium Only) 

Extras: Lima beans, Cranberry shell beans, okra and hot peppers

Fruit Share
Most likely Apples & Pears

Eggs

Pasta

Chicken - Full Share Only

Mushrooms - Full Share Only
White Chanterelle

Hen of the Woods

Micro Greens - Full Share Only
Sunflower Shoots

Cider
1/2 Gallon

Letter from John Krueger (Week 18)

Hello Everyone, 

Thanks to all who have expressed condolences and support. I know I have rather gloomy and down lately; it’s been a tough year. Farming can be a frustrating endeavor since the principal factor in success or failure-the weather is totally beyond one’s control. I like to give you all loads of nice produce not excuses and I think we did okay for the first 2/3 of the season. Now we are feeling the pinch of the problems that all the rain that began in August has caused. There are 2 main aspects to the problems. The first is inability to plant-when the ground is constantly sodden we can’t prepare beds for planting and we can’t sow seeds. We make succession planting of many crops all through the season and there is a cutoff point at which it is too late to plant especially for the frost sensitive varieties. The other aspect is disease. I’ve been telling people it’s been a rotten year and I mean it both literally and figuratively. Alternaria, commonly known as early blight affects many crops and is rampant this season. Then there’s powdery mildew and gray mold. I wanted to send the beets with their tops this week but they are too ugly! I’ve been hearing stories from other farmers- CSAs cancelling their pickups; pumpkins being brought in from Michigan; the Amish have lost many of their crops and there is very little for sale at the auctions where they bring their produce. The Amish are really good farmers and most of them are not organic and will use any chemical available to them to save their crops. You know thing are bad when the Amish are losing their crops. It makes me feel a little better to know it’s not just my farm that is struggling this year, but I still have to worry about how to pay the bills. We’ve had so many really good years recently in spite of challenging weather; I always knew there would come a season when we would disappoint a bit. But we don’t give up on the season and I’m not contemplating quitting farming. I get to live in a beautiful place and do what I love to do, and what I consider important work.

There’s still a lot of good stuff to come. Hang in there with me!

The share for this week will be: potatoes (probably russet), lettuce (we have many mini varieties), beets, acorn squash, choice of arugula or mizuna, peppers, eggplant (in rotation), choice of kale, chard or dandelion greens (so get there early if you don’t like dandelion!) Choice of assorted herbs (including papalo, a Mexican green, not exactly an herb). Premium members will receive either daikon or purple top turnips. For extras there will be some Lima beans, Cranberry shell beans, okra and hot peppers.

Enjoy! 

Farmer John

This Week's Shares - Wednesday, September 26, 2018 (Week 17)

Vegetable Share

Lettuce (small heads) 

Carrots

Peppers

Spaghetti squash

Potatoes

Scallions

Cabbage 

Basil

Escarole (Premium Share) 

Fruit Share
Apples

Eggs

Pasta

Chicken - Full & Half Share 

Full Share gets two chickens 

Mushrooms - Full & Half Share
Wild Hen of the Woods
Baby Shiitake

Micro Greens - Full & Half Share
Pea Shoot (Living Trays)

Cider
1/2 Gallon

This Week's Shares -- Wednesday, September 19, 2018 (Week 16)

REMINDER PICK UP CLOSES AT 2 PM

Vegetable Share
Butternut squash

Peppers

Potatoes

Garlic

Beets

Choice of kale or Swiss chard 

Eggplant 

Decorative gourds

Celery (Premium Share)

Watermelon (Possibly)

Fruit Share
Apples

Eggs

Pasta

Chicken - Full Share Only

Mushrooms - Full Share Only

King Oyster

Maitake

Micro Greens - Full Share Only
Signature Micro-Greens Mix

Cider
One Gallon

NEWS:  Farm & Fork Society Fall Event Schedule - Clicke HERE

Letter from John Krueger (Week 16)

Hi Folks, 

I apologize that last week’s update was so short and somewhat gloomy. I’m afraid that this week will be rather curt as well. I don’t feel comfortable griping about the weather, even in my half-joking way when our neighbors to the south have been dealt such a severe blow (no pun intended). This week’s share will be a bit light. I was unable to plant any seed for most of August and many crops have succumbed to disease caused by damp conditions or just aren’t growing right due to lack of sunshine. The eggplant is starting up again so there will be at least one more round for everyone over the next 2 weeks. We are hoping to have some zucchini again in a couple of weeks but meantime we will be counting on our winter squash crop to fill the void. We also had a terrible garlic crop this year, but there will be some in the share this week. We have been working hard to get seeding and transplanting done in between the rainy spells. There are more greens, roots and cabbage family crops on the horizon. We’re doing the best we can for you!

The share for this week will be: Butternut squash, peppers, potatoes, garlic, beets, choice of kale or Swiss chard, eggplant and some decorative gourds. Premium shares will receive celery.

Enjoy! 

Farmer John

This Week's Shares - Wednesday, September 12, 2018 (Week 15)

Vegetables

Lettuce
peppers
choice of kale or chard
fingerling potatoes
salad turnips (or beets for some)
red onions
choice of arugula or tatsoi
green cabbage
choice of dill or cilantro.
Premium shares will receive cherry tomatoes

Fruit Share
TBD

Eggs

Pasta

Chicken - Full and Half Share

Mushrooms - Full and Half Share
Alba clamshell
Baby shiitake

Micro Greens - Full and Half Share
Sunflower Shoots

Cider

One Gallon

Letter from John Krueger (Week 15)

"And I wonder, Still I wonder, Who’ll stop the rain”- John Fogerty

Hi Folks, 

Well, I’m starting to run out of song lyric quotes about rain and I’m also starting to lose my sense of humor. Seriously, this is getting ridiculous and it’s doing the farm a lot of harm. The tomatoes are pretty much done as are the melons. My second planting of spinach came up nicely, but if it keeps raining it will wither and die. All I can say is we’re doing the best we can for you. I got some seeding done during the brief dry spell, but it’s time to do some more and I can’t. Crops begin to grow very slowly as the days get shorter and the nights cooler; I have less than two weeks left to get some more seeds in the ground. 

The share for this week will be: Lettuce, peppers, choice of kale or chard, fingerling potatoes, salad turnips (or beets for some), red onions, choice of arugula or tatsoi, green cabbage, choice of dill or cilantro. Premium shares will receive cherry tomatoes. 

Enjoy! 

Farmer John

This Week's Shares - Wednesday, September 5, 2018 (Week 14)

Vegetable Share

Peppers
Tomatoes
Yellow onions
Radishes
Choice of arugula or tatsoi
Lettuce
Potatoes
Choice of cherry tomatoes or goldenberries
Beans
Spaghetti squash
Choice of an herb (parsley, dill, and basil)
Sweet corn (Maybe)
Bok choy (Premium Share)

Fruit Share
Apples
Plums

Eggs

Pasta
2 containers each member

Chicken - Full Share Only

Mushrooms - Full Share Only

Chanterelle 

Brown Clamshell

Micro Greens - Full Share Only
Pea Shoots

Letter from John Krueger (Week 14)

Hello Everyone, 

I hope you had a pleasant Labor Day weekend. Just another holiday we labor through here on the farm. We had 8 days with no rain (hurray!) and I was able to get a lot of planting done. I am seeding spinach, turnips, radishes, arugula tatsoi and other mustard greens. I even sowed some carrots although it’s a bit late. We are into our final two plantings of sweet corn now so there will be a few more ears for you –this week or next. The zucchini and summer squash are done for the moment. There is another planting so hopefully, they will make a comeback before the first frost. In the meantime we have mature spaghetti squash which we are shipping so that you can use it with the plum tomatoes you will receive, if you choose.

We are also sending some ½ pints of goldenberries (pysalis peruviana) as a choice with the cherry tomatoes. These are the South American version of the ground cherries (physalis pruinosa).

The share for this week will be: Peppers, tomatoes, yellow onions, radishes, choice of arugula or tatsoi, lettuce, potatoes, choice of cherry tomatoes or goldenberries, beans, spaghetti squash, choice of an herb (parsley, dill, and basil) and maybe sweet corn. Premium members will also receive bok choy.

Enjoy! 

Farmer John

This Week's Shares -- Wednesday, August 29, 2018 (Week 13)

Vegetable Share

Tomatoes
Beets
Peppers
Lettuce 
Potatoes 
Sweet corn
Red onions
Beans 
Arugula and 
Choice of an herb (basil, parsley or summer savory) 

Fruit Share
TBD

Eggs

Pasta

Chicken - Full and Half Shares

Mushrooms - Full and Half Shares
King Oyster
Baby Shiitake

Micro Greens - Full and Half Shares
Signature Mix Micros