Help us celebrate

What would you do if you met someone who is about to turn 70 and discovered that no one had ever thrown him a birthday party?  You'd throw a big one, of course!  This gentle soul, Mr. Joe Brown, turns 70 this month and we need your help to celebrate.    He is quite shy, after all, and hasn't left the farm much in these 70 years, so you are some of the lucky few he has met.  Don't have a lot to say to Joe?  Don't worry!  Come for the food, cake and good cheer.  The farm staff are throwing the party right after the Spring Open House, so you can come early for the hayride and stay late for the birthday festivities. 

Saturday April 28th

5:00-9:00pm

No need for birthday gifts--just bring yourselves.

RSVP here.

A little history about Joe:

Joe Brown came to this farm with his family when he was 16 years old.  This was a tobacco farm owned by Charles Clagett at the time, and Joe's father was a well digger.  Joe spent his working life planting, hoeing, harvesting, hanging and stripping tobacco.  In 1982 when the farm was donated to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Joe continued to live on the property, while helping our neighbor, Billy Addison, with his tobacco.  In the 90s, Billy stopped farming tobacco and Joe started working with us on the vegetable operation, and helping with mowing and hay.  We appreciated his incredible strength and endurance, and he is quietly kind to everyone he meets, without fault.  Joe is now retired, and continues to live by himself in one of the farm houses.  He takes a walk through the farm every day to check out what's new, and during the CSA pick-up, Joe likes to sit at the bench and watch everyone come and go.  

If you're interested in bringing food to the party, let us know.  Joe likes soft foods (egg salad, tuna salad, pasta salad...).  No need to bring him a bottle of wine--Joe does not drink alcohol.  

 

Spring Open House at Clagett Farm Saturday April 28th 1:00-4:00pm

It's that time of year when we bring out the hay wagon and show off the baby lambs.  The cows will be dressed up in their fresh spring coats.  The calves will romp around playfully.  And your farm staff will be excited to tell you and your friends and family and neighbors and anyone else you can cajole to the farm all about our CSA and how marvelous it will be this year.  Bring a picnic if you'd like!  We'll have a great time.  

Saturday, April 28th

1:00-4:00pm

FREE for all, everyone welcome

  

Photo credits: Instagram user JordanPShreiber (top) and Lauren Winther-Hansen

Spring Open House, Saturday April 29th

Would you (or someone you know) like to learn more about the organic vegetables we grow here at Clagett Farm?  Know anyone who wants a free hay ride tour?  Would you like to pet some adorable baby sheep?  Come to the Spring Open House!  Everyone is welcome.  Saturday April 29th, noon to 4:00pm.    

We still have memberships open in our 26-week organic vegetable CSA, so we would love it if you could invite people in the area who might be interested in purchasing our produce.

 All of the activities are free.  

Spring Open House, Saturday April 29th, FREE

We hope you'll join us on Saturday, April 29 from noon to 4 p.m. for Clagett Farm's Spring Open House.

It's a great opportunity to tour the farm, take a hay ride, meet the farmers and attempt to pet our cows & sheep!

The event is free and open to the public.

Future Harvest conference coming soon: Jan 12-14

Looking for a fun way to hang out with your farmers and talk about food?  We'll be at the Future Harvest conference in a few weeks.  Come join us!  

www.futureharvestcasa.org/conference/2017-conference

Mixer meltdown--no pizza Saturday

We are still planning to have the hayride tours and cow/sheep visits on Saturday.  The lambs are friendly and adorable!  But we will not have pizza.  

At about the time that we made the pizza oven and started making more than 20 pizzas at a time, Rob discovered that he needed the help of an electric mixer to make the dough.  So we borrowed my mother's KitchenAid, which started to overheat.  Then we went out on a limb and bought a Professional-grade KitchenAid, which has a more powerful motor.  Last year for the Burgers and Brews for the Bay event, Rob made dough for 200 pizzas.  He had two mixers going and kept bags of ice on the motors to keep them cool.  But now the Professional grade mixer has overheated and broken.  

We will fix the motor, but considering that pizza dough seems to be the equivalent of a summit climb of Mount Everest for a mixer, we've ordered a Commercial grade version.  Why is a Commercial grade motor stronger than a Professional grade?  Who knows, but they assure us it is.  

Unfortunately, we don't think it will arrive in time to make all the dough for Saturday, so we're not promising pizzas for the Open House.  We considered kneading the dough by hand, but we have lots of crops to plant, and they take priority.  Our first week of harvest is coming soon!  

 Stay tuned, for more pizza news, and in the meantime, we look forward to seeing you Saturday.

-Carrie

(Photo below: the mixer that just wasn't up to the task...)

Clagett Farm Spring Open House THIS SATURDAY, 1-4pm

Ready to get friendly with some sheep?  In the mood for some pizza, hot from the clay oven?  Do you know someone who would enjoy a hayride?  

It's all happening this Saturday at Clagett Farm!  

Saturday April 30th, 1:00-4:00pm.  Entrance and hayrides are free, and open to everyone.

11904 Old Marlboro Pike, Upper Marlboro MD 20772 

We'd love to see you!

New CSA members, you're especially encouraged to come get to know your farmers.  Our fellow Upper Marlboro residents, we also send you a special welcome to get to know Clagett Farm.

 

Spring Open House at the Farm and More Updates

This image of Swiss chard is from Farmer Carrie on Instagram. 
 

Join us on Saturday, April 30, from 1 to 4 pm, for a spring open house at Clagett Farm. That day we invite our members and the general public to join us at the farm for tours and hayrides, and you can meet our new baby lambs! The event is free and open to the public. Feel free to bring your friends! We hope to be able to send members home that day with some greens. 

Here are a few more updates for you:

Know someone looking for a CSA? Speaking of friends, we still have a few slots available in this year's CSA. Know someone who might want them? Send them our way!

Curious about what the weather means for this year's CSA season? Over the weekend Farmer Carrie shared on the blog some thoughts about our recent cold weather and what it means for our crops. Check it out!

2016 Chesapeake Foodshed Feast is April 21. Future Harvest is hosting their Chesapeake Foodshed Feast in a few weeks. Get all the details on the blog. 

First Share: May 11 + 14. We expect to kick off this year's CSA season on May 11 and May 14 with our first shares of the season. More on that as we get closer!

Other questions or comments? Let us know!

 

You're Invited: 2016 Foodshed Feast

Clagett Farm and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation have a close alliance with Future Harvest, so we wanted to make sure this event was on your radar. We hope to see you there! More info and tickets are available on the Foodshed Feast website. 

Kale Cook Off! Sunday June 7th

Ever feel like you have enough kale to fill a bathtub?  No?  Just us?  

After all these years of swimming in kale, we thought it would be fun to find out which kale recipes really knock our socks off.  And we know that many of YOU have favorite kale recipes.  Since we'll use anything as an excuse for a party, let's have a kale party.  

RSVP NOW

What?  KALE PARTY!

Who? Everyone!  People who don't know how to cook kale.  People who need some new ideas for preparing kale.  And people who already have some great ideas for cooking kale.  You can invite your friends, neighbors, co-workers, the people who brought that great kale salad to the pot luck last year...

When?  Sunday June 7, 2015, 3:00pm - 6:00pm

Where?  Clagett Farm, of course.  11904 Old Marlboro Pike, Upper Marlboro MD 20772.  If the weather is nice, we'll be in the Washing Station area, outside.  If it's raining, we'll move into the Education Barn, which is the largest of the 3 barns in a row--can't miss it.  

Price?  Free, for any household who brings a kale dish and the recipe.  $5 per person if you don't.  Reservations are required for all (paying or not) by Friday noon, June 5th.  Friday afternoon we'll send a note to everyone signed up to let you know how many servings or ounces we need you to bring of  your dish.  

Kale Rules?  The main ingredient of your dish must be kale.  Other than that, you can do as you please.  We welcome kale salads, stews, soups, chips, smoothies, and even desserts.   We'll expect you to prepare enough so every attendee can sample a few ounces.  You can include meat, dairy, eggs, or other allergens, as long as we know what's in it.  Also, please bring a serving utensil, if needed (such as a soup spoon or tongs). 

Recipe Rules?  Everyone who brings a kale dish should also bring the recipe for that dish.  Please print it on a 5"x7" card (or a half sheet of office paper).  Credit the source, if it was published.  If you have adjusted the recipe from the original, then the source is you.   

Can I keep get copies of the recipes I like most?  After the event, we'll scan the recipes into a booklet, which we can mail you at a discount if you give us advanced payment at the event (enough to cover printing and mailing costs--probably $5).  We'll also have copies at the CSA pick-ups.    

Prizes?  We'll vote on our favorites, and there will be multiple categories.  Winners will get a free copy of the recipe book (and bragging rights, of course).  Don't be intimidated--the point of this occasion is to have fun and try new foods, so the more dishes the merrier.    

What if the dish needs to be hot?  We'll have a few camping stoves and some chafing dishes that can keep food warm, as long as it's hot when you bring it.    

Dress?  This is a very relaxed, informal event.  

Kids welcome?  Yes!  In fact, kids will get their own special ballot. 

Dogs welcome?  Sorry, not this time.  

OK, start practicing folks.  There's lots of kale to harvest soon, and we want your best ideas!