Spring Keeps Marching On!
I didn't get a chance to send out the newsletter last week, my apologies! I hope all the spring CSA members enjoyed the surprise carrots in their baskets!
We have been chugging away as we gear up to start planting in the fields. Last week we were able to prep the plots for our early plantings--peas, kale, chard, beets, fennel, cabbage, bok choy, lettuce, radishes, lettuce mix, and many more! We even got out to plant peas on Thursday! It always feels good to plant in the fields for the first time. Each seed contains hope for the season to come.
After planting peas, we hosted our monthly meetup of CSA farms in the area. 6 farms and their crews were in attendance! We call out group Farmers Helping Farmers and this is the sixth year that we have been meeting up on a monthly basis through the spring and summer to lend a hand to our "competitors." We go to a new farm each month and do a variety of tasks from weeding to installing insect netting on high tunnels, then we all sit around and talk shop. It's an amazing group for a number of reasons. For one, you would not believe what a group of 10+ farmers can get done in just a few hours. But also it gives us a chance to get to know one another. We're usually all too busy through the summer to actually hang out, but during our FHF meetups we do just that. It's my favorite day of the month!
Couple more things before I sign off:
The plant stand will open this weekend! Woohoo! We've got some absolutely gorgeous cool season crops ready to go out on the stand. Just waiting for this stretch of cold weather to pass, and then we will set it up.
Summer CSA is nearing capacity. We have about 20 slots still open. If you're on the fence about signing up, do so ASAP. We have flexible payment plans available if you can't cover the whole cost up front.
The farm store is open! It's been open-ish for the last few weeks, but we just got a freezer full of ice cream, which means it is open for real now!
The Keene Farmers Market is back in session! Visit us on Saturdays from 9-1 on Gilbo Ave.
That's all for this week. Hope to see you all soon!
2024 CSA SHARES
Close to Sold Out! Sign Up Today!
Join us for another great growing season in 2024! Our summer CSA will run from June to September, and fall shares will finish out the year from October to November.
We're getting close to capacity for our summer CSA shares. If you want to sign up, I recommend doing so ASAP!
Pickup on the farm is market style on Wednesdays from 3:30pm-7:00pm. Delivered baskets are pre packed and delivered on Wednesdays by 7:00pm.
Spring Shares Week 8
The tunnels are cranking now! It was fun harvesting carrots for the first time this spring. We're gonna take a week off for them to keep sizing up, but we should have them in shares again next week. Turnips and chard are back in shares this week, and claytonia is a newcomer. Claytonia is one of my favorite salad greens and it's great on sandwiches!
Spring Week 8
▪Chard
▪Claytonia
▪Lettuce Mix
▪Microgreens
▪Radishes
▪Spicy Salad Mix
▪Salad Turnips
▪Spinach
Workshare With Us!
Want to help out on the farm and get a free basket of veggies each week? The workshare progarm is th perfect spot for you!
Our workshares trade a day a week on the farm in exchange for a CSA basket with eggs and bread included! We also do half days if folks would prefer a half CSA share. Although it is a lot of weeding workshares get to experience all the differenet aspects of the farm from planting, to harvest, to trellising, and more! We love having new folks on the farm and meeting our neighbors. Many of our workshares have even been coming back for years at this point!
If you're interested, send me an email at jack@dogdaysnh.com and I will get you more details!
Help Make our Produce More Accessible!
Dog Days Farm tries its best to serve all members of our community, and our members often do the same! Many of you have already contributed to the Share Care Fund, which we use to offset the cost of CSA shares that we donate, provide at a lower cost through the Monadnock Farmshare Program, and draw from when members are unable to finish paying for their share due to emergency.
The Fitzwilliam District Nursing Association (our local food pantry) buys CSA shares from us each year and the farm matches the amount of shares they purchase. We also work with the Jaffrey and Rindge Food Pantries to provide fresh produce during their pickup days.
I am extending the match offer to any member that would like to purchase a share for any of these organizations, the FDNA, Jaffrey Food Pantry, or Rindge Food Pantry. A half CSA share would be matched to make a full CSA share donated to one of the pantries, and a full CSA share would become two shares to the pantries.
If you would like to donate a CSA share to any of these local organizations, please send me an email jack@dogdaysnh.com and let me know the size share you would like to donate and to which pantry. We have long standing relationships with each one of them, and every summer we get to hear how happy their patrons are to see farm fresh produce as part of their weekly pickup!
