Category Archives: News

2012 Enrollment Open!

Enrollment in the 2012 CSA season is now open! Please complete the enrollment form (click link to download) and follow the instructions for sending payment.  There are a limited number of available shares, and we will return any forms received after we reach the limit.  Please read the Member Info and About the CSA pages on the website for FAQs and other details.

2012 Enrollment Coming!

There may have been snow flurries over the weekend, but it is time to prepare for the taste of Farmer John Krueger’s summer vegetables!
Enrollment is coming for the 2012 season of Downtown Harvest CSA – our eighth year! We are happy to announce that Farmer John Krueger of Starbrite Farm will once again be our farmer.  Our members have enjoyed his produce for the past six years and we are looking forward to a new season with John.  While he has enjoyed some well-earned rest, he has also been studying the seed catalogues, attending growers conferences, and preparing for 2012.
Enrollment will open this week, check your emails and the website for more info!

Fall Extension Reminder

Remember that there is NO pick-up tonight!
If you are joining the fall extension, please note that we sent enrollment forms by email.  If you have not received one and wish to participate, please let us know.
Also, volunteers will be needed for the extension pick-ups. Please check your email for the link to sign up on volunteer hub.
Have a great week!

Final Week! News from the farm

Hello!  The shares will be a little bit light this week.  The share for this week will be:  Lettuce (small heads), acorn squash, sweet potatoes, garlic, bok choy, carrots, parsnips, and tatsoi or other mustard green.

Well, there just doesn’t seem to be any limit to the kind of crazy weather that Mother Nature can throw at us these days!   We got about 14 inches of snow from the storm and experienced two nights of frigid temperatures; 19 degrees last Sunday night. The low temperatures did the most damage, the snow actually protected most of the shorter crops, insulating them from the extremely cold air. Continue reading

Week 21 – News from the farm

It’s the next to last week of CSA! The share for this week will be: Lettuce, Red skinned turnips, potatoes, onions, delicata or sweet dumpling squash, daikon, peppers, cauliflower. We will hopefully be able to harvest some herbs and arugula/ tatsoi for greens once the snow melts.

As for snow, we received about 10 inches of snow at the farm and lost power Saturday evening. We harvested everything we thought might have been lost prior to the storm. I expect the snow to melt fairly quickly and the greens beneath the snow to be in relatively good shape. We have a fair amount of stuff ready for delivery so the shares will arrive without interruption.

I am writing from a motel in PA where I needed to come to pickup some soil ammendments for the garlic and cover crop seed. I decided to head out on Sunday night and combine the trip with a hot shower! I will try to write a full update once power is restored and I can assess the state of the crops in the field…

News from Downtown Harvest!

Hope you’ve been enjoying this year’s harvests!  Please note that our 22 week season will conclude Wednesday, November 9.  We do not know yet if we will have an optional fall extension, and will advise when we know.  Also, please mark down our Harvest Celebration to be held Saturday, November 12 at the OLC Church hall from 6-8pm. Watch for your invitation later this week.

Week 20 – News from the farm

The share for this week will be: Red Romaine lettuce, celeriac, garlic, choice of spinach or Swiss chard, butternut squash, choice of red, green or Napa cabbage, Vermont Cranberry beans, tatsoi or other mustard green, and choice of an herb (dill, parsley, or cilantro).

With the exception of some heavy rain on Thursday, the past week of weather was more or less beneficial. The temperatures remain balmy and the winds that followed the rain have helped to dry out the fields a bit. We still have some very soggy spots in the fields, making it a challenge to plant the winter cover crop. We are likely to have our first frost this next week with a hard freeze predicted as we head into November.  At this point most of the crops that remain are cold hardy so except for the peppers, a few cold nights won’t affect us much. Continue reading

Week 19 – News from the farm

The share for this week will be Green lettuce, carrots, acorn squash, choice of tatsoi or other mustard green, sweet potatoes, choice of red, green or Napa cabbage, yellow onions, and choice of an herb.

It was another week of mild temperatures and the rain that was predicted, fortunately did not amount to much.  The fields are still very soggy and I am a bit worried about how I will plant my cover crops and prepare the beds to plant next season’s garlic crop. There is not much rain forecast for the next ten days and the breezy conditions are helpful in drying out the ground, so hopefully there will be a window of opportunity soon. Continue reading

Week 18 – News from the farm

The share for this week will be: Green leaf lettuce, red-skinned turnips, spinach or Swiss chard, choice of arugula, tatsoi, or other mustard greens, red onions, potatoes, choice of beans, peppers, pumpkins, and choice of an herb- dill, cilantro, or parsley.

It’s been a glorious week of sunny weather and mild temperatures. Our fields are finally beginning to dry out although there are still a few wet spots about. While daytime temps have been balmy it is getting chilly at night and clear skies mean strong radiative cooling. Continue reading

Some announcements!

Congratulations to Sister Alice McCoy of Our Lady of Sorrows, who celebrated 50 years in religious life.  Sister Alice operates the emergency food pantry, where the leftover shares get donated each week.  Many of you have met Sister at the pick up site at closing time.  All the best!

A reminder of the last in a series of work days at the farm that can help John recover from the effects of Irene.  Weather looks like it will be warmer this weekend and nice for an outdoor day.  We heard from members who helped pick beans the last few weekends and they enjoyed their visits – thank you!

The volunteer work day is Sunday, October 9 to help with bean picking and with the winter squash harvest. It will begin at 10 am at 141 Brighton Rd. Andover.

Thank you to those who have sent messages to Farmer John, telling him how much you enjoy the produce – we forward them all to him.   I’m sure that it is very encouraging in this particularly difficult year. Now get cookin’!