The New England Eclipse!
We took the day off from the farm yesterday to travel up to see the eclipse and I gotta say, WOW. I have never experienced something quite like it in my life. It was night time at 3:30pm in April. We stayed with Rachel's parents in Glover, VT and got to see totality right from their front yard. Luckily, too, because the town was packed to the brim. When totality happened the whole town could be heard cheering, the streetlights turned on, and we stood in awe. The photo above is a picture I got about a minute into the total eclipse. What an experience.
Back on the farm we were excited to get home and see all of the snow had melted away! That was a bummer, and made getting off the farm even more worth it. Rachel can attest to the poor mood a week without sun and a late snowstorm can put me in. It was nice to step away for a couple days and not think about it much, although the stress of leaving for two days probably also attributed to my mood.
We've got a great forecast for this week, and not a week too soon as our heated greenhouses are bursting at the seems with plant starts. We've tapped out al the indoor bench space we have, so some nights in the 40's will be good to start pushing them out doors to make way for newly seeded flats.
On Saturday Joe, Rachel, and I visited our friends Tyler and Jenna at Partners Gardens in Nelson to learn how they graft tomatoes. We're going to be grafting for the first time this spring and it was nice to see how other farms do it before diving in ourselves. Tomato grafting has been gaining popularity on farms in the past decade or so. It's an amazing process that allows us to grow heirloom quality fruit on a rootstock that lends hybrid traits to the fruiting portion of the plant. It is also supposed to increase plant vigor and fruit quality. We're just doing it on the heirlooms we grow in the hightunnels, but I can't wait to see how they turn out this summer!
2024 CSA SHARES
Time to Sign Up for Summer and Fall CSA Shares!
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.
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 6
Halfway through spring and the tunnels are really starting to get into form! We've got a great list of greens to go out to members this week. Salad turnips are new this week and one of my absolute favorite items we offer. The greens are super flavorful, and the roots are deliciously sweet! I love them sliced raw in a salad.
Spring Week 6
▪Chard
▪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!
