This Week's Share: Greens, U-Pick Strawberries & More

 

 

Before we get to the goods, we have a few announcements:

Thank you thank you thank you!

Thanks to all the members who have donated supplies we included on the 2014 Wish List. Your donation of these items helps the farm run smoothly and keep our costs low, so thank you! If there are items on the list that you're able to donate, we welcome them. 

 

Using Instagram? #ClagettFarm

Last week, we included a call for you to email us your photos of Clagett produce or visits to the farm (the photo at the top of today's post was emailed in, from CSA member Jennifer).

Another way you can share photos with us is by posting them on Instagram (we figure quite a few of you are likely already using the app) with the hashtag #clagettfarm. 

 

What's in this week's share?

Here's what you can expect this week:

• 1 pint strawberries
• 1 seedling (you can take 2 if you didn't pick up last week)
• 3/4 pound total combination garlic scapes + turnips+ radishes
• 1/2 pound greens (lettuce, spicy mix, arugula, kale and collards)

 How Do You Use Garlic Scapes?

Don't miss out on garlic scapes! They don't last long and they make a great pesto, work well in stir-fries, and they freeze well. Check out garlic scape recipes from previous years here. And if you have great suggestions for how to use them, please share them by emailing or leaving a comment on the blog. 

What's on U-Pick:

New: Strawberries. There are a lot of nice strawberries, but they are less sweet after yesterday's rain.  Here's when you can pick strawberries. Check the board for full details:

• Now through end of the day Thursday.
• Saturday afternoon after 1PM through end of the day on Monday. 

Herbs: anise, hissop, mint, marjoram, chamomile, sorrel, sage, garlic chives, onion chives that are bloooming, thyme, cilantro, savory, lavendar and nigella flowers.  

 

What's coming up in the share:

We'll continue to have strawberries and garlic scapes next week. Radishes will phase out. More turnips, collards, kale and spicy mix will be here next week, but it may be the last week for spicy mix and arugula. Swiss chard should appear in the share next week, along with zucchini. Carrots are coming soon as well. 

Questions? Email us or leave them on the blog. 

This Week's Share: Greens, Seedlings and More

 

Today's the day: the first share of our 2014 CSA season! Times, directions, what to bring, etc. is all covered on our 2014 CSA Details page. If you have  a question that's not covered there, let us know, we're here to help! 

On Wednesday of each week, we'll tell you:

• What's in the share -- most weeks will include the items + the amounts 
• What's on u-pick -- this will be included in the updates, but when you go to the farm, always check the board at the wash station first and defer to the board - sometimes there are changes mid-week
• What you can expect in upcoming weeks -- an update on how crops are progressing

Lastly, thanks to those who emailed us photos from the Spring Meet 'n' Greet. We'll be using them here on the blog in the coming weeks. We love to feature member photos here on the blog!  If you snap photos at the pick-up or take glamour shots of your veggies after you get them home, send them our way! You can submit them via email. 

  

What's in this week's share:

• 1/2 pound total combination of Spicy mix + arugula + radishes + pre-bagged stinging nettles*
• 1/2 pound total combination garlic scallions (also known as green garlic)
• 3 seedlings -- choices include herbs, kale, strawberries, and others
• Herbs -- we're cutting herbs for Dupont, those who pick-up at the farm are welcome to pick as many herbs as they'd like
• Choice of**:
• 1/2 pound total combination kale and collards
• 1/4 pound spinach
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1 pint mushrooms

* Stinging nettles, while delicious,  will sting you -- do not touch them directly until they have been cooked or dried. 

** We can't guarantee that everyone will all of these choices -- we will spread the choices out through the pick-up time. 

 

What's on U-Pick:

Herbs: anise, hissop, mint, marjoram, chamomile, sorrel, sage, garlic chives, onion chives that are bloooming, thyme, cilantro.  

What's coming up in the share:

The strawberries and lettuces are looking good for next week.

Send us Photos!

Are you snap happy with a camera? If you take photos when you're picking up your share or just visiting the farm, please share them with us via email. They don't have to be fancy -- photos snapped on your phone (like the one above from TheBittenWord.com) are a-ok. We love sharing member photos in our weeklyl updates and on our Facebook page. 

 

In the meantime, do you have questions? Comments?  We hope you enjoy the first share of the season.

What You Need To Know About This Week's Pick-Up + We're Looking for Help at the Pick-Up

  

 

(this photo: CSA member Krossbow. Have a photo you've snapped at the farm? Email it to us and we'll include it in our member updates!)

 

Are you ready? This Wednesday we have our first share of the CSA season: 

• Dupont Wednesday Pick-up: Wednesday, May 21, 5:30pm-7:30pm
• Clagett Farm Wednesday Pick-up:  Wednesday, May 21, 3:00pm - 7:00pm
• Clagett Farm Saturday Pick-up: Saturday, May 24 1:00pm-4:00pm

These are the pick-up times for the full season. How to get there and other stuff you need to know are on the Details page for the 2014 CSA Season. 

 

We're Looking for Help on Wednesdays and Saturdays

We need more help for the Dupont pickup (volunteeers are needed from 4:45-8:15pm) and the Saturday pick-up at the farm (noon-5pm). In both cases, we're looking for volunteers to start early and end later to help set up and put away food. We need volunteers who are available once or twice a month, and in exchange the volunteer would receive a CSA share. Know someone who might be interested? Please email us and let us know.

 

 

Other important information you need to know:

Our 2014 CSA Details page has been updated and provides you with all the details you should need, such as:

• directions to the pick-ups
• the guidelines for how you can skip a week and double another week (if you're new and have questions about this, please let us know or ask at the pick-up)
• what to bring when you pick-up your share

If you have a question that is not answered on that page, let me know by leaving a comment on the blog or replying to this email, and we'll get you an answer. 

 

How to Get Updates About What's in the Share

Updates about what's in the share and what's on u-pick will be posted on Wednesday afternoons, typically around 3 PM.  There are a few ways to get this information: 

• Visit the blog and look for the latest blog post.
• Sign up for email updates on the left hand column of the blog and you'll get notified when new items have been posted. Are you splitting your share with someone? Encourage them to sign-up to get the share emails. You can add as many email addresses as you want to the list. 
• "Like" Clagett Farm CSA on Facebook and you'll see updates in your news feed. 

That's all for now -- the next time you hear from us will be Wednesday, with details of what's in the CSA share. See you then!

Clay, Carrie & The Clagett Farm Crew 

Announcing Our First Share of the Season and the 2014 Wish List

 

Things are shaping up nicely at the farm and we can confirm that our first share of the season will take place Wednesday, May 21, and Saturday, May 24. We hope you're as excited as we are!

As it stands now, it looks like the first share will feature spicy mix, radishes, garlic scallions, spinach and a few seedlings. By week two, we expect to add strawberries and lettuce.

As the season kick-off approaches, we've found a few items that we need at the farm. If you happen to have any of these items and want to donate them, we'd greatly appreciate it. They range from the small (office supplies) to the large (have an extra log splitter on hand?). If you have any of these items and are willing to donate them, you can shoot Farmer Carrie an email. If you have other questions or ideas, you can post them on the blog or reply to this message if you're reading this via email.

2014 Clagett Farm Wish List

• ​binder clips (large ones are most useful)
• 5"x7" index cards
• scissors
• rubber bands
• markers (dry erase, permanent, etc)
• allergy medicine (Benedryl, Zertec, etc)
• sunscreen
• baskets
• 8.5"x11" paper with one blank side
• calculators (hand-held)
• strings of white Christmas lights
• large, pump thermos for hot drinks
• work gloves
• digging forks (like a pitch fork, but sturdier)
• wrenches
• screws, nails
• drill bits
• tape (all kinds)
• rain gear
• popcorn popper
• cement mixer (we'd like to use it to mix potting soil)
• log splitter
• wood chipper

Thanks all -- see you May 21! In the meantime, please let us know if you have any questions! 

Spring Meet 'n' Greet: This Sunday from 1 to 4 P.M.

We're gearing up for the launch of the new CSA season, beginning with our Spring Meet 'n' Greet that's happening at the farm this Sunday, May 4, from 1 to 4 pm. The weather is looking to be nice, and we hope you can join us to tour the farm, meet other members and take part in the planned activities. 

We'll be offering hayrides continuously from 1 to 4 p.m. In addition, we'll have some Girl Scouts volunteering that will help lead a kids activity planting seeds, as well as a story time. For the adults, you'll learn how the pick-up works, and we'll have an opportunity for you to learn about medicinal herbs if that's of interest (and you can join story time, too!). 

Despite the long-lasting winter, things are starting to take off here at the farm. The plants in the greenhouse look great, and we’ve seeded quite a few crops outside already.  Once the soil warms up, I think everything will start growing like gangbusters.   A weeks ago we published an update on some of the crops  -- if you want to learn more about how crops are progressing, check it out on the blog. 

For the first shares of the season, we're still tentatively looking at May 21 and May 24 - we'll keep you updated on that. We’ve posted some general information about where to pick up your shares, what to bring, what to do if you miss a share, and so forth.  You can find it on our blog here. There’s also a link of Frequently Asked Questions, in case you’re wondering where dogs are permitted on the farm, or if you can come help us work in the fields (the answer: yes!).

More information about the season kick-off will come to you soon. In the meantime, let us know if you have any questions. 

Your farmer,

Carrie