Eggplant Lasagna with Ricotta and Asiago

Ingredients:

1/2 pound plum tomatoes, halved and seeded
1 clove garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
2 eggplants (about 3 pounds), sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
1 cup ricotta
1 large egg
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan (1 ounce)
4 cups mixed greens

Preparation: 

Heat broiler. In a food processor, puree the tomatoes, garlic, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
In 2 batches, arrange the eggplant slices on a broilerproof baking sheet, brush with 2 tablespoons of the oil, and season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Broil until charred and tender, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, basil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
Spread half the tomato sauce in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. On top of it, layer a third of the eggplant slices and half the ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer of eggplant and ricotta. Top with the remaining eggplant and tomato sauce. Sprinkle with the Asiago.
Reduce oven to 400º F. Bake the lasagna until bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Divide the greens among plates, drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil; sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve with the lasagna.

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/eggplant-lasagna-herbed-ricotta-asiago-00000000019598/index.html

Raw Kale Salad

Ingredients:

bell peppers, sliced thinly

kale cut into 1 inch square pieces (approximately) (they need to be small or the lemon doesn't do its thing fast enough)
avocado cut into 1/2 inch pieces
tomatoes cut into 1/2 inch pieces
cucumber cut into 1/2 inch pieces
red onion (i usually use a 1/8 inch slice and cut it like a pizza so no piece is longer than 1/2 inch)
basil leaves cut into 1/2 inch pieces
hemp seed
lemon juice
olive oil
salt

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients, tossing well and let sit at least an hour. the lemon helps soften the kale.

recipe courtesy of All Ways Cafe: http://www.allwayscafe.com/

Massaged Kale Salad

**This recipe will be available for tasting this week courtesy of shareholder Tanya Rotenberg!

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale (black kale is especially good), stalks removed and discarded, leaves thinly sliced
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons honey
Freshly ground black pepper
1 mango, diced small (about 1 cup)
Small handful toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), about 2 rounded tablespoons

Preparation:

In large serving bowl, add the kale, half of lemon juice, a drizzle of oil and a little kosher salt. Massage until the kale starts to soften and wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside while you make the dressing.

In a small bowl, whisk remaining lemon juice with the honey and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stream in the 1/4 cup of oil while whisking until a dressing forms, and you like how it tastes.

Pour the dressing over the kale, and add the mango and pepitas. Toss and serve.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/massaged-kale-salad-recipe/index.html

International Scientists Visit Farm

Thank you shareholder Ali Lacombe for suggesting Henry Got Crops as a field trip for the USDA! Ali knew what farm to recommend when her coworker mentioned he wanted to organize a fieldtrip for a team of visiting international scientists. He was showcasing Philadelphia agriculture to a team of agronomy specialists who focus on the study of sorghum grasses. The group was meeting at the Wyndmoor USDA office to exchange ideas from their various research projects in countries as diverse as Mexico and China. They were particularly impressed by the number of people that we feed off this farm (over 100 families), and the diversity of vegetables we grow.

Canning Workshop Recap

Thank you to everyone who came out to our Jam Canning Workshop with Marisa McClellan two weeks ago. It was one of our best attended workshops yet, with about 25 people there. Marisa brought her kitchen to the farm and demonstrated how to make plum jam, from start to finish, outside under the cherry tree. She shared stories about how she got into canning herself, as well as do’s and don’ts in the canning world, and shared some of her tried and true favorite recipes. Everyone went home feeling inspired to capture the taste of summer in a little jar, to be enjoyed on a grey winter day!

Potato, Kale and Fennel Hash

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 pound potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large bulb fennel, chopped
kosher salt and black pepper
1 medium bunch kale, thick stems removed and leaves torn into bite-size pieces (about 10 cups)

Fresh herbs (garlic chives, parsley, thyme) to taste. 

Shaved parm/romano cheese to taste

hot sauce, for serving

Preparation: 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes and fennel, season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden and tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the kale and cook, tossing occasionally, until wilted, 8 to 10 minutes more. Add fresh herbs. Serve with parm cheese and the hot sauce.

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/potato-hash-00100000087987/index.html

Bell Pepper Slaw

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons sugar
Kosher salt
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds
Freshly ground pepper
6 bell peppers (red, orange and yellow), cut into thin strips
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
4 scallions, chopped
1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced and roughly chopped
3 tablespoons whole-grain dijon mustard
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Preparation:

Whisk the sugar and 2 teaspoons salt with the vinegar in a large bowl until dissolved. Add the celery seeds, mustard seeds, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the bell peppers, celery, scallions and cabbage, and toss to combine. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to develop.

Add the mustard and mayonnaise to the slaw and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/bell-pepper-slaw-recipe/index.html

Edamame Dip

**This simple yet delicious recipe will be available for tasting this week courtesy of shareholder Tanya Rotenberg!

Ingredients:

1 lb shelled steamed edamame
1 t salt
1 T chopped garlic
Oil to taste (2T?)
1 T lime juice
1 t sugar

Preparation:

Place ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree to desired consistency! Serve with pita, crackers, tortilla chips and/or fresh veggies for dipping. 

Truly Supported Agriculture

All of us at the farm have been blown away with the unprecedented level of support, dedication and help we have received from all of the working shareholders and dedicated, regular volunteers so far this season. Never before have we had such an involved community at Henry Got Crops! We appreciate your involvement- whether it is making popcorn for the movie night, weeding the beets, or staffing the pick-up. It is about time I introduce this impressive group of people that volunteer at the farm on a weekly basis. There is something really special about this year, as never before have we had such an enthusiastic, dedicated and reliable group lending a hand and chipping in to help get the job done. Thank you all!!!

Jen Kelly- Jen is responsible for keeping the leeks weed free this year!

Jen Hall- Jen always brings the good weather with her on Wednesday mornings, not to mention her good company!

Lory Soda- Lory is a frisbee enthusiast who brings the energy of a competitive Frisbee game to the field!

Ali Lacombe- Ali takes the cake for most enthusiastic shareholder, hands down!

Laura Seeley- Rain or shine, Laura bikes to the farm and still puts in long hard hours helping in the field, she also brings much appreciate gifts in the form of homemade ginger beer!

Lisa Kolker- Lisa staffs the pick-up on Tuesdays from 2-4, plus she ensures our harvest records are complete and puts together our sign-in sheet; she’s been staffing the pick-up for three years now!

Laura Mass- Laura never lets her energy level fade, even as her due date gets closer and closer! She started helping out in the field well before the CSA season started. We are looking forward to meeting the newest farm family member in November!

Ali Dworsack- Ali staffs the pick-up on Tuesdays from 4-6pm and always impresses us by serving double duty: tending to her baby Olive while keeping the pick-up and farm stand running smoothly and maintaining a friendly smile and a level head on her shoulders!

Nicole Barnum- Nicole started volunteering at the farm in the late winter, helping us seed in the greenhouse; we are happy she joined the CSA this season and have her to thank for a strong, happy spring seedlings!

Heidi Barr- Heidi has helped work in the field for two years and everyone always loves working with her; she brings laughter, creativity and resourcefulness to Henry Got Crops!

Kate Pelusi- Kate is responsible for maintaining one of our beds of Swiss Chard; we are grateful for the many hats she wears- helping in the field, helping with the Harvest on Henry fundraiser and being a member of the Farm Committee!

Al Pearson- There is no job too detailed for Al, one of our most thorough weeders! Al not only helps in the field, but is also a diligent seeder!

Sarah Punderson- Sarah is a long standing working shareholder and has done everything from staffing the pick-up in past years, to drying herbs for making teas, to helping in the field. Sarah is so enthusiastic about working at the farm, she is about to start a “week in life of a farm apprentice!”

Beth Johnston- Beth staffs the pick-up on Fridays from 4-7pm. This is our longest shift and yet she always stays until the job is done and helps us pull through our exhausted, Friday night clean-ups!

Nancy Dearden- Nancy coordinates our events, workshops and the Harvest on Henry fundraiser. She keeps Nina on her toes and sets the bar high with her impressive level of organization, professionalism and efficiency!

Ann Keiser- Ann wears two hats at the farm; she not only works in the field, but she is also responsible for formatting our newsletter and finding delicious recipes to share, Thank you Ann for ensuring this key means of communication happens every week without a hitch!

Lori Howlett- Lori staffs the pick-up every Tuesday from 6-8pm and keeps the wash station and pick-up building clean and organized; thank goodness we have her help on a weekly basis to keep things in order!

Jessica McAtamney- Jess is a teacher at Saul and our “liaison” with the school. Without Jess, this farm would never have gotten off the ground and we are grateful for the dedication, passion, energy and love she has for this farm and school!

Georgia Kirkpatrick and Randi Weinberg- Georgia and Randi share a share and are old college friends who help the farm in many ways. They staff the pick-up on Fridays from 2-4pm, keep our facebook page up to date and help Nina stay on top of emails!

Katie Maher- Katie is a new shareholder this year but I’m not sure how we survived without her in the past! She often works 8 hour days in the field and has a refreshing eagerness to fully understand the ins and outs of the farm operations!

Claire Morton- Claire is a dedicated volunteer who sought us out under her own initiative to learn more about farming; she is a quick learner and a joy to work with!

Joanna Sinclair- Jo helps fill in for the pick-up, helps out in the field and also helps with the fundraiser. She integrates the farm into her family and her family into the farm in a way that is inspiring to everyone!

Alex McMahon- Alex has taken on the specialized task of helping maintain our orchard across the street. If it weren’t for him, our blueberries would have long since been overcome with weeds!

Brian Rudnick- Brian adopted the row of peas and pea shoots and also boasts one of Weavers Way Farms’ longest standing volunteers- Brian used to volunteer at the Mort Brooks farm back before Weavers Way even had a farmer on staff, more than ten years ago!

Jim Salom- Jim is responsible for maintaining one of our beds of Swiss Chard. Jim is committed to the farm not only as a shareholder, but also as the husband of Ellen, a Saul teacher.
Angela Arnold- Angela is one of our most spirited volunteers; on her first day at the farm she exclaimed, “this is going to be good for my soul!”

Adam Bailey- Adam came to the farm as a volunteer, eager to learn as much as possible about farming. Since starting with us just over a month ago, he has already started a community garden in the vacant lot next to his house in North Philly. We are so excited for his new project, “Good Neighbor Farm!”

Pam Chaplin-Loebell – It is a joy to see Pam on Thursdays with her two daughters who love to come with her to the farm. Pam helps in the field and her husband David, who is a staff member of the co-op, is a lifeline for the farmers in the IT department!

And this is only the tip of the iceberg! There are even more generous people who help with our fundraiser, volunteer at the farm and make donations. It would fill a book to acknowledge everyone, but I can’t thank you all enough for your contributions, both small and large!

Linguine with Tomatoes, Zucchini and Herbs

Ingredients:

1 pound tomatoes, cored and finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped basil
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 small red chile, seeded and minced
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces linguine
3 baby zucchini, thinly sliced
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving

Preparation: 

In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes with the basil, parsley, garlic, salt, chile and olive oil.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the linguine until al dente; drain well. Add the linguine to the bowl along with the sliced zucchini and toss. Add the 1/4 cup of grated cheese, toss again and serve in bowls, passing more cheese at the table.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/linguine-with-tomatoes-baby-zucchini-and-herbs

Roasted Peppers with Leeks

Ingredients:

3 red bell peppers
3 yellow bell peppers
2 medium leeks, white and tender green parts only, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

Preparation:

Roast the peppers over gas flames or under a preheated broiler, turning often, until charred all over. Transfer the peppers to a platter and let cool.
Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the leeks and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Return the leeks to the saucepan with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and toss to coat. Season with salt.
Discard the pepper skins, stems and seeds. Cut the peppers into 2-by- 1/3-inch strips and arrange on a large platter. Drizzle with the remaining 1/4 cup of oil and season with salt. Top with the leeks and serve.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/roasted-peppers-with-leeks

Grilled Vegetables

Ingredients:

3 red bell peppers, seeded and halved
3 yellow squash (about 1 pound total), sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick rectangles
3 zucchini (about 12 ounces total), sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick rectangles
3 Japanese eggplant (12 ounces total), sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick rectangles
12 cremini mushrooms
1 bunch (1-pound) asparagus, trimmed
12 green onions, roots cut off
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Preparation:

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or prepare the barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush the vegetables with 1/4 cup of the oil to coat lightly. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper. Working in batches, grill the vegetables until tender and lightly charred all over, about 8 to 10 minutes for the bell peppers; 7 minutes for the yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms; 4 minutes for the asparagus and green onions. Arrange the vegetables on a platter. The key to getting those great grill marks is to not shift the vegetables too frequently once they've been placed on the hot grill.

Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, parsley, basil, and rosemary in a small bowl to blend. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the herb mixture over the vegetables. Serve the vegetables, warm or at room temperature.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/grilled-vegetables-recipe/index.html

Thanks for your Feedback!

In the last couple of weeks, a handful of shareholders have gone out of their way to pass on quick comments about how much they are enjoying this season so far. I’ve been told the farm looks neat and tidy, that the potatoes and tomatoes have been delicious, that picking up a share on Fridays is the best way to kick off the weekend, and one young girl (maybe about 7) even told me that this is her favorite farm of all the farms she has been to (turns out she has visited quite a few for an urban 7 year old!). When I asked her why, she said, “the food, the way it is grown and the people.” I couldn’t have received a better review! I want to thank all of you for passing on your comments of appreciation. It really goes a long way for not only me, but also for Emma, Nancy, Chris and Hannah who are on the farm production team with me. When all we see are the weeds getting away from us, the items on the list of things to do that aren’t crossed off, and watch the sun setting earlier in the evening with dismay; your positive feedback really helps keep us going! Thank you!

Value of your Share!

As we all know, there are many benefits to being a part of Henry Got Crops- fresh, local food, knowing where your food comes from, knowing and trusting your farmers, visiting a beautiful farm in the city, having access to the you-pick section, and knowing that you are financially supporting a worthy business with the purchase of your share. However, most of these benefits are hard to quantify. Another benefit of being a shareholder is that you partake in the bounty of the harvest, and (in a good year)  receive more vegetables than you pay for. Nancy Anderson, from our farm team, has been dutifully recording the share every week for the past two years and calculating the value of those vegetables, based on retail, organic, farmers market prices. Here is an overview of her record keeping (all totals are averages of weeks 1-12):

• 2012 (actually recieved, with you-pick)- Small: $318.65, Large: $616.29.
• 2013 (actually received, with you pick)- Small: $299.78, Large: $590. 65.
• 2013 (actually received, without you pick)- Small: $249.80, Large: $491.10.
• 2013 (what you paid)- Small: $212.50, Large: $375

**Note: Given that many you-pick items are unlimited, and you have to pick them yourself, we price them at a wholesale price instead of retail, and use an average bunch size, knowing that some people pick more, some people pick less.

Canning Workshop

Jam-Making Explained

 
Wednesday, Aug. 14, 6:30 p.m (By Donation)
Canning guru Marisa McClellan leads a class for novice to experienced jam-makers at the Henry Got Crops Farm, W.B. Saul High School, Roxborough. Marisa, the preserve-ationist behind the book and blog Food in Jars, returns Sept. 18. RSVP:henrygotcrops@weaversway.coop.

Ratatouille

Ingredients:

1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 cup tomato puree (such as Pomi)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant 
1 smallish zucchini
1 smallish yellow squash
1 longish red bell pepper
Few sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
Few tablespoons soft goat cheese, for serving

Preparation: 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in one tablespoon of the olive oil and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper.

Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. As carefully as you can, trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube.

On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.

Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover that do not fit.

Drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your fingertips, running them down the stem. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish.

Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside. (Tricky, I know, but the hardest thing about this.)

Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp. They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce is bubbling up around them.

Serve with a dab of soft goat cheese on top, alone, or with some crusty French bread, atop polenta, couscous, or your choice of grain.

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/07/rat-a-too-ee-for-you-ee/

Chipotle Shrimp Taco with Avocado Salsa

Ingredients:

Avocado Salsa:

1 small onion, quartered
1 jalapeno, quartered, seeds optional
1 garlic clove, smashed
4 medium tomatillos, (about 8 ounces) husked, rinsed, and coarsely chopped
1/2 Hass avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Shrimp:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chipotle or blended chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound medium shrimp (about 20), peeled and deveined
8 corn tortillas
8 sprigs cilantro for garnish
2 limes, cut into wedges

Preparation:

Put the onion, jalapeno, and garlic in a food processor and finely chop. Add the tomatillos, avocado, and salt and pulse until chopped but still chunky. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cilantro.

Heat a stovetop or outdoor grill to medium-high. Mix the olive oil, chipotle or chili powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Grill the shrimp until translucent, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side.

Grill tortillas, until slightly charred and pliable, about 20 seconds per side. (Alternatively, wrap in a damp paper towel and heat in a microwave.) Spoon sauce on the tortilla, then top with about 2 or 3 shrimp and a sprig of cilantro. Serve 2 tacos per person, with a lime wedge on the side.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chipotle-shrimp-taco-with-avocado-salsa-verde-recipe/index.html

Roasted Potato Leek Soup

***This recipe will be available for tasting at the pick up this week. Thanks to shareholder, Tanya Rotenberg!

Ingredients:

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts, cleaned of all sand (4 leeks)
¼ cup good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups baby arugula, lightly packed
½ cup dry white wine, plus extra for serving
6 to 7 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade (or, try veggie stock!)
¾ cup heavy cream
8 ounces crème fraîche
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the potatoes and leeks on a sheet pan in a single layer. Add the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss to coat the vegetables evenly. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes, turning them with a spatula a few times during cooking, until very tender. Add the arugula and toss to combine. Roast for 4 to 5 more minutes, until the arugula is wilted. Remove the pan from the oven and place over two burners. Stir in the wine and 1 cup of the chicken stock and cook over low heat, scraping up any crispy roasted bits sticking to the pan.

In batches, transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor fitted with the steel blade, adding the pan liquid and about 5 cups of the chicken stock to make a purée. Pour the purée into a large pot or Dutch oven. Continue to puree the vegetables in batches until they’re all done and combined in the large pot. Add enough of the remaining 1 to 2 cups of stock to make a thick soup. Add the cream, crème fraîche, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and check the seasonings.

When ready to serve, reheat the soup gently and whisk in 2 table-spoons white wine and the Parmesan cheese. Serve hot with an extra grating of Parmesan cheese

http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=95&S=0

Welcome to our 2,000 new friends at the farm!

Have you noticed the beans in the you-pick section a few weeks ago had many, many holes in the leaves? Well, WE did, and we found the culprit: the Mexican Bean Beetle. After a few weeks of hand picking them off the plants, we decided we needed to bring in extra help. So we called in 2,000 helping hands! Farm apprentice Emma did some research and found a good source for a natural predator:Pediobius foveolatus (Pediobius is pronounced “pee-dee-OH-bee-us”), a parasitic wasp. We ordered 2,000 from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture and they arrived in the mail 24 hrs later. We released them at dusk on Friday night, as instructed. Don’t worry, these wasps are smaller than a fruit fly (1-3 mm) and can cause absolutely no harm to humans. The wasp lays its eggs in Mexican bean beetle larvae, then wasp larvae feed inside the bean beetle larva, kill it, and pupate inside it, forming a brownish case or ‘mummy’.  The wasps can travel a few miles, so perhaps we’ll be helping out any neighbors that may suffer from the same bean beetle pest!

Volunteer Day: Great Success!

Thank you to farm apprentice Emma, as well as shareholders/coop members: Ali, Denise, Jim, Sue, Jo, Duncan, Leah and Matilda who helped weed EVERY tree in the orchard on Saturday. The weather was overcast which was actually nice and cool for the hard work that was in store. Many of the vining weeds were so aggressive, they were growing up the cages surrounding the trees (for deer protection), and were starting to get entangled with the top branches! The orchard is in a MUCH better state thanks to everyone’s hard work!

How Does the Farm Stand Work?

Recently a shareholder who volunteers every week (Katy) was helping us weigh our tomato harvest. We were calculating how many lbs each shareholder receives. We were discussing the nuances of this calculation- the fact that it’s impossible to fit the tomatoes into exact units, the fact that some will go bad within the five hour pick-up because they are so fragile, and the fact that we open our CSA pick-up to the public with our “farm stand.” She asked about this last part. I’m grateful she asked because I value transparency and I want shareholders to be well educated about the workings of the farm they support. Her question led to a great conversation over lunch that I want to share with everyone.

In an effort to provide food that is accessible to a large range of people, we have always had a farm stand on site. This enables us to capture and nourish the customer and community member for whom a CSA model is not a good fit (maybe it’s not flexible enough, it’s too much food, it’s too much money to pay in one or two installments, or they are a student or teacher who is only at Saul in the spring and fall but not in the summer). For the past four years, our farm stand was on Wednesdays, and the food on the table was the leftovers from the Tuesday pick up, as well as the crops that grow so fast they need to be picked three times a week (for example, if we only picked zucchini twice a week everyone would have HUGE zucchini which are seedy and less desirable for cooking). This farm stand always limped along; never had huge sales and I stubbornly kept it open despite low sales on the principle that it filled an important niche in the local food system.

Finally, after four years of averaging $40 a week, I realized this was not a practical way for a valuable staff member to spend their time. There was too much work to be done in the field and sales were too low to justify keeping the farm stand going as it was.
Over the winter of 2012-2013, a couple coworkers and shareholders helped me brainstorm a new approach: Incorporate the farm stand into the Friday pick-up. Not only would this be a more efficient use of staff time, but the product will be of higher quality: it will be fresher (being harvested the day before), and out of the sun and wind and rain. We chose Fridays because Tuesday pick-up days are typically more popular than Fridays, so that meant we could harvest the same amount for each day, but the farm stand would absorb the small amount of harvest which was above and beyond the CSA needs on Fridays (otherwise, when you divide the harvest by a smaller number of people, each person receives a larger amount of the harvest). This seemed like a win-win: the farm stand would be better, the farmers would have more time in the field, and the harvests would be even between Tuesday and Friday, which means shareholders would receive more consistently sized shares between the two pick-up days. 

This plan was going well…until we looked at the numbers of Tuesday people vs. Friday people and realized they were almost exactly the same. That blew that rationale out the window! Another thing that happened was we submitted our farm budget for fiscal year 2013-2014. We came in at a loss, as usual. Weavers Way is tightening the belt on finances, and while the co-op is still interested in supporting and operating an urban farm, it was made clear we had to find a way to bring in more income…immediately. So, we creatively edited the painted farm stand sign on Henry Ave. and opened our Tuesday CSA pick-up to the public.

So now, when we calculate the lbs of tomatoes that each shareholder receives, we pretend there are about 5 more people in the CSA, and this covers the sales to the public. Given that we did a farm stand on Henry Ave. for four years, I’m confident in predicting the number of sales we might have to the public. So far, it’s been going well: the farm stand sales are up, shareholders are still receiving more than what they paid for in the value of their share (more on these numbers in an upcoming newsletter), the share has been on par with the size it was last year, and I’m happy to be even more accessible by opening a farm stand twice a week instead of just once. And on the rare occasion that there are popular items that are limited because of an unexpectedly small harvest, we simply say these items are not available to the public at the farm stand and they only end up in shareholder’s bags.

I wouldn’t say any part of this is system is terribly easy to manage or plan, but what in farming is?! It is only the latest rendition of a constantly evolving method of CSA distribution. Every CSA farm does it differently, which is empowering for a farmer who can create a system that works well for their individual farm, but it requires that the farmer also be clear with the CSA shareholder, so the shareholders know exactly what they are supporting, and where their money is going. In the end, in my fifth year managing Henry Got Crops I think this latest version of the CSA/farm stand model is the best way I have come up with to balance: staff time, the privilege a shareholder deserves for investing in a farm up front, being accessible to a wide customer base, and being as financially viable as possible.

If you have any questions about all this, please do ask me- just like Katy did when she was helping at the farm last week. This type of dialogue is exactly what I want to have with shareholders! This direct, transparent relationship with customers is exactly why I like CSAs, as opposed to the many other options for vegetable distribution. So please, take advantage of being part of a CSA, get to know your farmer, and don’t be shy to ask a question that you are wondering about your farm.