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Massaro Farm CSA Week #14
Notes from the farm: I know the week following Hurricane Irene was a long one for many of you. I hope that by now you all have power back and that you’ve been able to clean up and recover from any damage you may have sustained around your homes. Despite the damage here at the farm, we were able to put together a great harvest last week. Because we harvest the crops for the CSA on the morning of your pick up (Tuesdays and Fridays), on occasion it will happen that I cannot predict exactly all of the produce we will harvest for everyone by the time this newsletter goes out. This week, owing to damage incurred by Hurricane Irene, there are a handful of crops that may or may not be included in the distribution. I have noted a few items below as part of “In this week’s distribution”.
In this week’s distribution: Lettuce, Onions, Carrots, Basil.
Distribution may also include: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, chard, beets, kale
U-Pick (Depending on field conditions): Flowers
Massaro Farm CSA Week #13
Notes from the farm: Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene was felt here over the weekend, and though there is some damage around the farm, the impact surely could have been worse. A few trees are down, including one on a portion of our deer fencing. The greenhouse and hoop-house are both in good shape, as are all of the buildings here. We did receive at least another six inches of rain creating some wet spots and washouts, and the high winds did knock some plants over and injure plant foliage. Considering what we have seen this year from other storms, and what has happened throughout the state and all of the east coast this weekend, I am very glad that will still have produce ready to harvest. Thus, distribution will be held on our normal days and times this week.
In this week’s distribution: Lettuce, Onions, Fennel, Dandelion Greens, Purslane, Basil
U-Pick (Depending on field conditions): Beans
Notes from the farm: This week we are hosting a group of eight incoming freshman at Yale University. Led by two upperclassmen, the group is camping in the woods here on the farm, and helping out with tasks throughout the week as part of Yale’s freshman orientation “Harvest” program. Already the group has been involved with planting some fall lettuce, turnips and beets. With the additional hands, we’ll plan to harvest green beans for you this week. Cherry tomatoes and flowers will still be available for U-Pick. This is the second year we are participating in Yale’s “Harvest” program. We are very glad to have them here once again, so be sure to say hello when you see them on the farm.
Week #12
Notes from the farm: This week we are hosting a group of eight incoming freshman at Yale University. Led by two upperclassmen, the group is camping in the woods here on the farm, and helping out with tasks throughout the week as part of Yale’s freshman orientation “Harvest” program. Already the group has been involved with planting some fall lettuce, turnips and beets. With the additional hands, we’ll plan to harvest green beans for you this week. Cherry tomatoes and flowers will still be available for U-Pick. This is the second year we are participating in Yale’s “Harvest” program. We are very glad to have them here once again, so be sure to say hello when you see them on the farm.
In this week’s distribution: Mixed Tomatoes, Mixed Summer Squash, Rainbow Chard, Scallions, Baby Romaine Lettuce (Little Gem or Breen), Green Beans, Basil
U-Pick: Cherry Tomatoes (limit 1 pint), Plum Tomatoes, Flowers, Sunflowers (limit 3);
Unless otherwise noted, U-Pick is open only during regular CSA pick-up hours.
Massaro Farm CSA Week #11
Notes from the farm: I have a rain gauge in the field allowing me to monitor how much rainfall we get each time there is some precipitation. On Monday morning, my rain gauge was full, showing 6” of rain in the last 24 hours… and it was still raining. This is quite a bit of rain, however it was not severe like the storm we had a few weeks ago, so the crops continue to grow and recover well from the hail we had. Tomatoes are one of the plants that need some more time for recovery. With many tomatoes having been knocked off the plants, and the tomato flowers having been knocked off as well, the plants need a few weeks to set more fruit before we can harvest much more. That said, there will be some tomatoes in this week’s distribution, though not the same large quantity as we had last week. Similarly, peppers and eggplants should also come in small amounts for now with some time needed for the plants to set more fruit. Carrots, on the other hand, growing under ground as they do, were not impacted by the hail, and the rain we’ve had in the last two weeks has loosened the soil sufficiently to make for an easy harvest. Pulling carrots up out of the soil by their green tops, revealing a great orange prize is definitely one of the most satisfying things to do on the farm. If you’ve got a garden at home, I highly recommend sowing some carrot seeds in the next few weeks so you can experience it later in the season.
In this week’s distribution: Mixed Tomatoes, Carrots, Cippolini Onions, Lettuce, Dandelion Greens, Purslane
U-Pick: Green Beans, Basil, Dill, Cilantro, Parsley, Flowers, Sunflowers
Massaro Farm CSA Week #10
Hail Storm: As many of you know and experienced, last Monday evening a severe storm came through the area. Here at the farm we received over two inches of rain in under two hours, including roughly ten minutes of hail. The hail tore holes through leafy greens such as lettuce and chard, knocked off and damaged ripening fruit on tomato and pepper plants, and washed out recent plantings of kale, broccoli and carrots. Following the storm the farm staff and volunteers worked hard to clean up the damage, rescue plants where possible, and sow new seeds where need be. The recovery has been strong thus far, and we hope the conditions allow this trend to continue.
Severe storms such as these along with some of the extreme weather we’ve seen throughout this planting season (heavy snows, heavy rains, extreme heat), serve as a reminder of the changes and challenges farms encounter from year to year. All the preparations and efforts put in through the winter, spring and early summer do not guarantee the harvest one hopes for. With this in mind, I feel grateful to bring in so much produce following the recent storm here, and prefer to savor that which has come in, rather than lament what was lost. Thus, as you will likely notice some impact from the hail, be it rips in the outer leaves of lettuce, or a ding, dent or hole in a tomato, it is my hope that the produce will taste all the better for it.
Best,
Farmer Steve
In this week’s distribution: Mixed Heirloom Tomatoes, Plum Tomatoes, , Mixed Cucumbers, Cippolini Onions, Lettuce, Radicchio ‘Virtus’, Fennel, Red Dandelion Greens
U-Pick: Cherry Tomatoes, Plum Tomatoes, Green Beans, Basil, Dill, Cilantro, Parsley, Flowers, Sunflowers
Guide to ripe cherry tomatoes: (we have three kinds here at the farm)
-sungold ripe when they golden orange
-black cherry ripe when mostly purple
-bing cherry, ripe when red
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