Weather Update from Angelic Organics and More
Gulp
Last year, we got into the fields in late March. The year before that, we were in the fields in mid-March, the earliest ever. 2011 and 2012 are the only years when we’ve been able to work our silty clay loam soils in March. This spring was the latest we have ever gotten into the fields. As of this past weekend, we have been able to do 3 days of field work all spring.
The greenhouse has been bulging with seedlings, and 8 wagons were for weeks holding seedlings that needed to go into the ground. We got a bit backlogged with the greenhouse seeding of transplants because we were short on greenhouse space, but just a bit…it wasn’t a dramatic delay. Of course, the effort that has gone into finessing the health of the seedlings as we awaited a weather break was unexpected and it added considerable labor and heating expense to the farm.
Transplanting Onions
No Worries
We have ample equipment, a stellar crew, great field managers, fabulous equipment operators, and well-laid plans. We put 60,000 seedlings in the ground in those 3 days of field work: storage onions, scallions, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, beets, kale, and chard. We also direct seeded spinach, turnips, carrots, and radishes. And four fields of potatoes were finished being planted just before the last series of rains arrived.
I’ll add that 1 1/2 of those 3 days were a Saturday afternoon and a Sunday. I almost never, ever ask the crew to work on Saturday afternoon or a Sunday. But I asked them this spring, and they enthusiastically obliged. The work went at a pace I could hardly imagine: tillage tractors working up the soil in advance, 2 transplanters in action, a seeding tractor purring up and down the beds, wagons full of transplants being loaded and unloaded…a veritable storm of work in answer to the storms of weather.
We are Caught Up
Miraculously, we are now caught up on the field work. By mid-week, we’ll be ahead, which is where we like to have things…a little bit ahead of our projections, to more easily absorb wallops of weather.
Back When
In 1974, we experienced relentless rains like we’ve had this spring, washing out 5 bridges in a row on the nearby Kinnikinnick Creek, some of which had been in place for over 100 years. Water oozed out of the sides of the hills, creating sinkholes where fellow farmers and I had never seen wet spots before. In 1994, rain started in the spring and stayed for 6 weeks. Eventually, it didn’t resemble rain; it was more like an ongoing dome of water with a little air mixed in.
It’s now 19 years later. (Notice the approximately 20 yr rhythm in flooding: 1974, 1994, 2013.) I assure you that those lessons learned from the flooding of 1974 and 1994 have ingrained in me a continual sense of urgency to be prepared for weather adversity, to get the field work done ahead of time, to be fortified with systems, staff and equipment that can out-maneuver weather anomalies.
We were in a similar state of weather adversity last year, but then it was due to the drought and heat. Fortunately, we had irrigation systems in place that were vastly over-sized for a normal weather year, but hey…a little weather paranoia mixed with humility and respect is a good thing, if it leads to proper planning and commensurate equipment and infrastructure purchases. This approach kept boxes full to the brim last season.
First Week of Deliveries
We’ll probably make our first week of deliveries as scheduled, the week of June 9. We might delay deliveries a week, due to the cold, wet weather, but warm weather is scheduled for the next several days, so I predict that the crops will catch up enough. We’ll send your share confirmation details at the end of May, letting you know the exact date you will receive your first delivery. (If we start a week later, you will still receive all the deliveries you signed up for, ending the season a week later than we had planned.)
Farm News as it Happens
We post Angelic Organics updates regularly to www.facebook.com/angelicorganics . It’s a great way to see how the season is progressing.
Check
Please check your share status here: http://angelicorganicsfarm.csasignup.com/members/returning . If you haven’t done so already, this is a good time to add a winter share or a fruit share. Contact Shelly csa@angelicorganics.com to amend your share, or if you have any questions.
We Still Have Shares for Sale
We would appreciate if you let your friends know that we still have shares for sale, and that we have not been thwarted by the floods and cold. Send them to www.AngelicOrganics.com to learn more about our program and to our Facebook page for ongoing farm news. Offer them this $20 discount when they use coupon code friend20 by May 17th. We love when friends of our shareholders join our CSA. It makes for a cozie community.
Warmly,
Farmer John Peterson and our Stellar Farm Team
The every popular Beet Burgers from Angelic Organics
| Source: | Angelic Organics |
|---|---|
| URL – Link: | http://www.angelicorganics.com |
| Description: | If you like veggie burgers, you’ll love this recipe. Sweet beets and carrots give luscious flavor to these baked patties—together with pungent onion, snappy Cheddar cheese, and lots of toasty nuts and seeds. Great on wheat buns with mayo! Additional flour and egg can be substituted for the rice. Angelic Organics Kitchen (adapted from theRose Valley Farm Food Book).Excerpted from Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables: Seasonal Recipes and Stories from a Community Supported Farm by Farmer John Peterson & Angelic Organics (Gibbs Smith Publisher). www.AngelicOrganics.com |
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Number of Servings: | 12 patties |
| Ingredients: | butter for greasing the baking sheet 1/2 cup sesame seeds 1 cup sunflower seeds 2 cups peeled, grated beets (1–2 medium beets) 2 cups grated carrots (about 4 carrots) 1/2 cup minced onion (about 1 medium onion) 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup cooked brown rice 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley 3 tablespoons flour 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed (about 1/2 teaspoon) 1/8–1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper |
| Preparation – Directions: | 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with butter.2. Place a small, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sesame seeds and stir them on the dry skillet just until lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning them. Immediately remove from heat and transfer the toasted seeds to a dish to cool.3. Return the skillet to the heat. Add the sunflower seeds and stir them on the dry skillet just until lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning them. Immediately transfer them to the dish with the sesame seeds.
4. Combine the beets, carrots, and onion in a large bowl. Stir in the toasted sunflower and sesame seeds, eggs, rice, Cheddar cheese, oil, flour, parsley, soy sauce or tamari, and garlic (your hands work best here). Add cayenne (use 1/4 teaspoon for spicier burgers) and mix until thoroughly combined. 5. Using your hands, shape the mixture into 12 patties and arrange them in rows on the baking sheet. 6. Bake the patties until brown around the edges, about 20 minutes. Unless they are very large and thick, it should not be necessary to turn them. Serve alone or on buns. |
Poetry and Principles – 23rd & 24th Harvest Week: Tue thru Sat Delivery for Nov 13 – 17, 2012
Farmer John writes . . .
Greetings from Angelic Organics
Please Return Your Vegetable Boxes
Please return all of your vegetable boxes this week. Our driver Lee will pick up the vegetable boxes on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Nov 20.
Final Week of Extended Season
If you signed up for a 4 week extended season share, make sure to pick up 2 boxes this week. If you are receiving an extended season half share, odd or even week, make sure to pick up your final box this week.
2013 Shares
2013 Shares are available now, along with early sign-up discounts.
Questions? Contact Shelly at csa@angelicorganics.com or call weekday mornings at 815 389 2746.
- Angelic Organics Barn (previous winter)
The poem…
The following poem is by our growing manager, Chris Voss. He wrote it last spring to help re-inaugurate our renovated barn loft as a social space.
Barn and Land
The Land gives birth to life and love
Its holders seek its care
It speaks of past and what can be
If those who listen dare
Upon the Land they build their homes
For both themselves and stock
They build their houses and their barns
Upon its gracious rock
Board on board, roof sloped just right
The barn is slowly built
Its goal is not to take from Land
But warm it as a quilt
The barns they build caress the Land
And listen to its chants
They try to become one with it
And soothe it from its rants
The barn and Land become as one
Each tending to each other
They coexist and feed their souls
Wrapped close as held by mother
Yet Land will far outlive the barn
Soon time will have its say
Though Land will always hold the barn
The barn must soon give way
The barn holds stories of us all
It’s like a cherished book
It tells the lives of those around
That time in due course took
These stories live within the barn
And with the Land as well
But only when we care for both
Will all their stories tell
So barns and Land are meant to be
And to each other strive
It’s only when we care for both
We know we are alive
Chris Voss April 21, 2012
It’s Time…
Since the upcoming months of cold and snow tend to lead us inward and make us reflective, I’m closing the 2012 growing season with a reminder of our vision for Angelic Organics via the farm’s mission statement and guiding principles.
Angelic Organics Mission and Guiding Principles
Angelic Organics Mission
Angelic Organics is dedicated to creating and forwarding an economically viable, organic, Biodynamic farm that nurtures its soil, plants, animals, and community of workers and enlivens the connection between people and the source of their food. We are committed to providing the freshest, most vibrant food possible to our shareholders.
Angelic Organics Guiding Principles
We strive to:
Build a sustainable farm system that includes the soil, plants, animals, and humans.
Provide our customers with the highest quality products and best service possible.
Build community amongst our members.
Build and maintaining optimal soil fertility.
Provide a safe environment.
Conduct business in a financially responsible manner.
Monitor performance against standards.
Conduct all work in a timely manner.
Conduct all work as efficiently as possible.
Share our knowledge and resources with the larger community.
Provide employees with opportunities for growth, a balanced life, and adequate financial compensation.
Provide an orderly succession of management.
Foster research and development.
Provide the best possible life for farm animals.
Create and maintain infrastructure, which supports the sustainability of the farm.
Maintain a commitment to aesthetics and beauty.
Thank you for your support this year.
Warm Regards,
Farmer John and the Crew
Box Contents
Please Note: this summary is written before you receive your box—please be aware that some guesswork is involved. As always, be sure to thoroughly wash all of your vegetables.
Fruiting crops – popcorn,butternut squash
Brassicas - a stalk of Brussels sprouts cut in half, cabbage, broccoli side shoots, maybe kohlrabi
Salad Greens -lettuce
Cooking Greens – spinach, kale
Root crops - potatoes, beets, carrots, parsnips, maybe turnips
Alliums – garlic
Vegetable of the Week: German White Porcelain Garlic
http://www.angelicorganics.com/ao/images/recipes/garlic.pdf
German White Porcelain Garlic
The Barn is There – 22nd Harvest Week: Tue, Wed & Thurs Delivery for Nov 6 – 8, 2012
Farmer John writes . . .
Greetings from Angelic Organics
2nd Week of Extended Season
Thinking about my upcoming presentation Awakening to the Farm as a Social Organism at Angelic Organics for the upcoming Biodynamic Conference, I’m reminded of an excerpt from an essay I presented at the Northeast Community Supported Agriculture Conference on November 7, 1997, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Some of you may remember reading it in a farm newsletter several years’ back.
Our Barns
Excerpt from The Barn Is There
For as long as I remember, I have loved looking at farms: how the fields were laid out; how the buildings were situated, their color, sizes, forms and states of repair; the landscaping of the farmsteads; the livestock and the pens and corrals; the condition of the crops. Each farm was a fascinating story-these physical outgrowths were where the farmer interfaced with the land. The barn is that big, I would think. It is not bigger. It could have been bigger. It could have been smaller. It is that big. The farmer made it like that. He put it there, right there. He could have put it a little to the left, or to the right, but he put it there. Then I would see another farm, and I would contemplate that farm. I would notice the relationships of the farms to one another, how they sat separate like islands, like outposts, how they each were surrounded with their own silence and their own robustness, and how this emanation of each farm’s individuality somehow made them seem more connected to other farms, not more isolated. I would gaze out over these separated farmsteads, and see their noble separateness and their sublime unity, and notice how these qualities supported one another.
I loved going to the local diners and hearing the farmers talk. Their mannerisms and bodies carried as much individuality as their farmsteads. I would sit there, watching and listening, and I would feel the elements of nature swirling about me; the winds and droughts and rains carried right into their speech and walk and faces.
Today, in my community, whereas once the farmers dominated certain diners, perhaps filling the whole counter at certain hours, now they have shrunk to a tiny minority, just two or three, hunched over coffee and sausage and talking a dying language.
Beets
Vegetable of the Week: Beets
Box Contents
Please Note: this summary is written before you receive your box—please be aware that some guesswork is involved. As always, be sure to thoroughly wash all of your vegetables.
Brassicas - a stalk of Brussels sprouts cut in half, cabbage, broccoli side shoots
Salad Greens -lettuce, arugula
Cooking Greens – kale tops
Root crops - potatoes, beets
Herbs – parsley
The Barn is There – 22nd Harvest Week: Tue, Wed, Thurs, Fri & Sat Delivery for Nov 6 – 10, 2012
Farmer John writes . . .
Greetings from Angelic Organics
2nd Week of Extended Season
Thinking about my upcoming presentation Awakening to the Farm as a Social Organism at Angelic Organics for the upcoming Biodynamic Conference, I’m reminded of an excerpt from an essay I presented at the Northeast Community Supported Agriculture Conference on November 7, 1997, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Some of you may remember reading it in a farm newsletter several years’ back.
Our Barns
Excerpt from The Barn Is There
For as long as I remember, I have loved looking at farms: how the fields were laid out; how the buildings were situated, their color, sizes, forms and states of repair; the landscaping of the farmsteads; the livestock and the pens and corrals; the condition of the crops. Each farm was a fascinating story-these physical outgrowths were where the farmer interfaced with the land. The barn is that big, I would think. It is not bigger. It could have been bigger. It could have been smaller. It is that big. The farmer made it like that. He put it there, right there. He could have put it a little to the left, or to the right, but he put it there. Then I would see another farm, and I would contemplate that farm. I would notice the relationships of the farms to one another, how they sat separate like islands, like outposts, how they each were surrounded with their own silence and their own robustness, and how this emanation of each farm’s individuality somehow made them seem more connected to other farms, not more isolated. I would gaze out over these separated farmsteads, and see their noble separateness and their sublime unity, and notice how these qualities supported one another.
I loved going to the local diners and hearing the farmers talk. Their mannerisms and bodies carried as much individuality as their farmsteads. I would sit there, watching and listening, and I would feel the elements of nature swirling about me; the winds and droughts and rains carried right into their speech and walk and faces.
Today, in my community, whereas once the farmers dominated certain diners, perhaps filling the whole counter at certain hours, now they have shrunk to a tiny minority, just two or three, hunched over coffee and sausage and talking a dying language.
pac choi
Vegetable of the Week: Choi
Box Contents
Please Note: this summary is written before you receive your box—please be aware that some guesswork is involved. As always, be sure to thoroughly wash all of your vegetables.
Brassicas - a stalk of Brussels sprouts cut in half, cabbage, broccoli side shoots, pac choi
Salad Greens -lettuce, arugula
Cooking Greens – kale tops
Root crops - potatoes, beets
Herbs – parsley
The Farm as a Social Organism 21st Harvest Week: Tue, Wed, Thurs, Fri & Sat Delivery for Oct 30, 31, Nov 1, 2, & 3, 2012
Farmer John writes . . .
Greetings from Angelic Organics
Extended Season Starts this Week
If you have not signed up for a 2012 extended season share, last week was your final week of deliveries.
A Major Farm Event Approaches Angelic Organics
On Nov 14, Angelic Organics will host 3 all day conferences simultaneously on the farm. Awakening to the Farm as a Social Organism (sold out), Re-connecting to the Earth: A Farm Based Educational Initiative. and a Mentor Farmer Gathering, in addition to an evening performance on Kaspar Hauser by Glenn Williamson.
I will be hosting Awakening to the Farm as a Social Organism. The social organism of the farm is a most compelling topic for me. I have been preparing for my presentation for several weeks, thinking about the various social initiatives that the farm & I have undertaken over the last 40+ years, and organizing these impulses into a narrative form:
* Social Life within the Farm Organism during the Time of The Midwest Coast
* Touring the Midwest with the Play Resolution and Teaching a Workshop The Art of Neighboring
* Touring the World with the film The Real Dirt on Farmer John and Farmer John’s Cookbook
* Architecture, a Transformed Social Impulse: Designing and Creating Social Spaces on the Farm
(Of course, Community Supported Agriculture is a social impulse that could be profiled, but on this conference day, I am choosing to present on social initiatives that are less common on farms.)
I will probably have the whole presentation recorded so you can access it online. Topics will range from this farm as a social impulse over the years to the idyllic age of agriculture in the Middle Ages in Europe to social initiatives on Biodynamic farms in Europe today (farms which I have personally visited.) I will do dramatic readings from plays and stories I’ve written. Chris Voss will read his beautiful poem Barns and Land, in addition to presenting on Europe’s farms in the middle ages. My friend Hannah Spencer, who toured Biodynamic farms with me in Europe, plans to fly in from New York to co-present on their social initiatives. Nancy Melvin, esteemed delivery site host for over 20 years at Ravenswood Manor, will lead a short Eurythmy program and offer an introduction to Lazure painting, an artistic method that can enhance social experiences. Ideally, the conference will inspire farmers in their social initiatives on their own farms.
From Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Biodynamic agriculture: “Today human beings know little about human beings. Spiritual science is only at the beginning of its cosmic assessment of human dignity and human nature. In real life, people today know little about human beings. As a rule, we do not penetrate deeply into the soul-essence of our fellows. A more profound social system, however, will require a new understanding of the human being, and this new understanding will have to become a factor in human evolution.”
I am honored that I have been asked to lead a conference on building up the social organisms of farms that will ideally lead to more social warmth and deeper insights into our fellow human beings.
cabbage
Box Contents
Please Note: this summary is written before you receive your box—please be aware that some guesswork is involved. As always, be sure to thoroughly wash all of your vegetables.
Brassicas - a stalk of Brussels sprouts cut in half, cabbage, broccoli
Salad Greens -lettuce, spinach
Cooking Greens – kale tops
Root crops - potatoes, carrots
Herbs – cilantro or parsley
Season Synopsis and again the Future – 20th Harvest Week: Fri & Sat Delivery for Oct 26 & 27, 2012
Farmer John and a Shareholder Write . .
Greetings from Angelic Organics
Final Week of Deliveries for Some of You
If you have not signed up for a 2012 extended season share, this is your last week of deliveries.
Thoughtful Note From a Shareholder
Thank you Farmer John and Tom Spaulding for thinking about the future. This year was kind of a wake-up call. Initially I felt a smug satisfaction that I was a CSA member getting spectacular vegetables even during this year of drought, but soon that feeling gave way to a sense of alarm. How would the rest of the world get by as the future brings more and more challenges and they don’t have Angelic Organics to rely on? How would I, and my family, get by if Angelic Organics has trouble coping? Thank you Farmer John for being so persistent in developing the farm and the community needed to keep it going. Thank you Tom Spaulding for helping to spread the knowledge within and beyond the Angelic Organics community. I hope you are able to come up with a way to sustain the farm and keep spreading the knowhow forever. Sara
Sara, Thank you for your beautiful, encouraging words. We know that Angelic Organics Farm and the Angelic Organics Learning Center can endure and thrive much further into the future than Tom or I can. A farm and an educational program can span generations, even centuries. We mortals, Tom and I, can help to achieve that, and that is our goal. We are studying other farms and farm communities that have demonstrated longevity, that have survived their founders and that now carry forward, adapting, growing, and refining. This is a long, involved process that Tom and I have entered into, one to which we are highly committed. We deeply appreciate your interest and support.
Farmer John and all the Rest of us at Angelic Organics
Wrap Up
Our coolers are brimming with vegetables to finish out the season. Our cover crops are shimmering in the late October warmth, nurturing the soil for the 2013 season.
Angelic Organics was put to a tremendous test this year and the result was blessings from many directions. We were blessed with operators who ran our many machines with great skill and care, a field crew who worked conscientiously and harmoniously in extreme heat, managers who inspired and encouraged, an office team that cheerfully handled the vast details of CSA administration, a delivery team that faithfully headed out of the farm yard several times per week in the middle of the night. We were blessed with the water from below that kept our crops growing, with the buildup in fertility from past years that infused our crops with vitality, and with shareholders who put their faith in us and wrote us often, commending our hard work and our full boxes. Thank you, shareholders, for believing in us.
Rutabaga revealed
Box Contents
Please Note: this summary is written before you receive your box—please be aware that some guesswork is involved. As always, be sure to thoroughly wash all of your vegetables.
Fruiting Crops – Butternut squash
Brassicas - a stalk of Brussels sprouts cut in half, broccoli, maybe cabbage
Salad Greens -lettuce, arugula
Cooking Greens – Pac Choi
Root crops - potatoes, rutabaga
Allium- garlic
Herbs – cilantro
Vegetable of the Week: Rutabaga
http://www.angelicorganics.com/ao/images/recipes/rutabaga.pdf
Season Synopsis and again the Future – 20th Harvest Week: Tue, Wed, & Thurs Delivery for Oct 23, 24, & 25, 2012
Farmer John and a Shareholder Write . .
Greetings from Angelic Organics
Final Week of Deliveries for Some of You
If you have not signed up for a 2012 extended season share, this is your last week of deliveries.
Thoughtful Note From a Shareholder
Thank you Farmer John and Tom Spaulding for thinking about the future. This year was kind of a wake-up call. Initially I felt a smug satisfaction that I was a CSA member getting spectacular vegetables even during this year of drought, but soon that feeling gave way to a sense of alarm. How would the rest of the world get by as the future brings more and more challenges and they don’t have Angelic Organics to rely on? How would I, and my family, get by if Angelic Organics has trouble coping? Thank you Farmer John for being so persistent in developing the farm and the community needed to keep it going. Thank you Tom Spaulding for helping to spread the knowledge within and beyond the Angelic Organics community. I hope you are able to come up with a way to sustain the farm and keep spreading the knowhow forever. Sara
Sara, Thank you for your beautiful, encouraging words. We know that Angelic Organics Farm and the Angelic Organics Learning Center can endure and thrive much further into the future than Tom or I can. A farm and an educational program can span generations, even centuries. We mortals, Tom and I, can help to achieve that, and that is our goal. We are studying other farms and farm communities that have demonstrated longevity, that have survived their founders and that now carry forward, adapting, growing, and refining. This is a long, involved process that Tom and I have entered into, one to which we are highly committed. We deeply appreciate your interest and support.
Farmer John and all the Rest of us at Angelic Organics
Wrap Up
Our coolers are brimming with vegetables to finish out the season. Our cover crops are shimmering in the late October warmth, nurturing the soil for the 2013 season.
Angelic Organics was put to a tremendous test this year and the result was blessings from many directions. We were blessed with operators who ran our many machines with great skill and care, a field crew who worked conscientiously and harmoniously in extreme heat, managers who inspired and encouraged, an office team that cheerfully handled the vast details of CSA administration, a delivery team that faithfully headed out of the farm yard several times per week in the middle of the night. We were blessed with the water from below that kept our crops growing, with the buildup in fertility from past years that infused our crops with vitality, and with shareholders who put their faith in us and wrote us often, commending our hard work and our full boxes. Thank you, shareholders, for believing in us.
Rutabaga revealed
Box Contents
Please Note: this summary is written before you receive your box—please be aware that some guesswork is involved. As always, be sure to thoroughly wash all of your vegetables.
Fruiting Crops – Butternut squash
Brassicas - a stalk of Brussels sprouts cut in half, maybe cabbage and maybe broccoli
Salad Greens -lettuce, arugula
Cooking Greens – baggedkale, Pac Choi
Root crops - potatoes, rutabaga
Allium- garlic
Herbs – cilantro
Vegetable of the Week: Rutabaga
http://www.angelicorganics.com/ao/images/recipes/rutabaga.pdf
Our Crew was Stellar in the Hottest, Driest Season on Record – 19th Harvest Week: Fri & Sat Delivery for Oct 19 & 20, 2012
Growing Manager Chris Voss Writes . .
Greetings from Angelic Organics
Until September, it has been hot this season, really hot. Hot and dry. The farm crew, like their vibrant vegetable pledges, handled the heat with remarkable resilience and endurance. Crops have wilted in the fields, folding their leaves in an attempt to minimize the amount of water that the sun’s rays leech away from them. Livestock have sought the shelter of the shade in an effort to stave off the heat. But the farm team, your farm team, continued to toil. Here’s a brief glimpse into their day and the efforts that they took in order to bring you the very best vegetables that we could provide.
The days typically begin at 7:00 a.m., but with the hot, dry summer we decided to start at 6:00 a.m. The extra hour in the cool, dew-laden morning was just the start that both crew and vegetables love. Many of the vegetables that we provide could quickly wilt in the late morning sun once harvested from the ground that provides the supply of moisture they require, so earlier is better. The mornings always start with a morning meeting in which responsibilities and tasks are divided out amongst the four teams of four that handle the vast majority of the workload. By 6:15 a.m., the crew was out into the fields beginning the day with a vigor and enthusiasm that was palpable. The quicker the harvest is, the better it is for the vegetables and crew alike.
By 10:00 a.m. the heat began to creep up. Many of the faces of the farm team began to share the same color as the red mercury in the thermometer that signaled the increase in temperature. Still they harvested and worked to provide. We always take water out into the fields with us when we work, but in the searing heat constant reminders to drink were critical. The temperatures quickly rose and as they did, the work tended to slow down. The crew, just like their counterpart plants, has biological mechanisms meant to conserve hydration.
After lunch, any harvesting of leafy vegetables was over but there were countless fruits (melons, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers) that could be harvested in the afternoon. And even if we were ahead of the harvest with the fruit crops, fieldwork such as weeding or managing our row covers needed attention. In other words, although some of the harvesting stopped when the heat got too intense, the crew continued to work in the fields to provide for our shareholders. If harvesting vegetables in 110 heat index weather sounds challenging, applying a four bed row cover complete with 225 sand bags, each weighing 25 pounds, spaced six feet apart became a true struggle of fortitude.
It would be easy for one to think that this work environment would have become stifling or too much to bear, leaving the crew dour, but quite the opposite occurred. The farm team smiled, laughed and expeditiously went through the work buoyed by a sense of pride and accomplishment when the work is done. It’s not the sweat caused by the heat or the continuous dust that fills the air that gave them this sense of purpose. This sense came from the incredible work they did together as a team to provide food that they hope will nourish not only your bodies but also your souls.
Now, as the season winds down, the crew encounters the cold, the rain and the wind with the same enthusiasm and determination as they did the summer’s heat. We truly do have an incredible farm team!
2012 Farm Team
Box Contents
Please Note: this summary is written before you receive your box—please be aware that some guesswork is involved. As always, be sure to thoroughly wash all of your vegetables.
Fruiting Crops – Butternut or Acorn winter squash
Brassicas - a stalk of Brussels sprouts cut in half, broccoli
Salad Greens -lettuce, arugula
Cooking Greens – bagged baby kale, Pac Choi
Root crops - potatoes
Herbs – dill
Vegetable of the Week: Brussels Sprouts
Our Crew was Stellar in the Hottest, Driest Season on Record – 19th Harvest Week: Tue, Wed, & Thurs Delivery for Oct 16, 17, & 18, 2012
Growing Manager Chris Voss Writes . .
Greetings from Angelic Organics
Until September, it has been hot this season, really hot. Hot and dry. The farm crew, like their vibrant vegetable pledges, handled the heat with remarkable resilience and endurance. Crops have wilted in the fields, folding their leaves in an attempt to minimize the amount of water that the sun’s rays leech away from them. Livestock have sought the shelter of the shade in an effort to stave off the heat. But the farm team, your farm team, continued to toil. Here’s a brief glimpse into their day and the efforts that they took in order to bring you the very best vegetables that we could provide.
The days typically begin at 7:00 a.m., but with the hot, dry summer we decided to start at 6:00 a.m. The extra hour in the cool, dew-laden morning was just the start that both crew and vegetables love. Many of the vegetables that we provide could quickly wilt in the late morning sun once harvested from the ground that provides the supply of moisture they require, so earlier is better. The mornings always start with a morning meeting in which responsibilities and tasks are divided out amongst the four teams of four that handle the vast majority of the workload. By 6:15 a.m., the crew was out into the fields beginning the day with a vigor and enthusiasm that was palpable. The quicker the harvest is, the better it is for the vegetables and crew alike.
By 10:00 a.m. the heat began to creep up. Many of the faces of the farm team began to share the same color as the red mercury in the thermometer that signaled the increase in temperature. Still they harvested and worked to provide. We always take water out into the fields with us when we work, but in the searing heat constant reminders to drink were critical. The temperatures quickly rose and as they did, the work tended to slow down. The crew, just like their counterpart plants, has biological mechanisms meant to conserve hydration.
After lunch, any harvesting of leafy vegetables was over but there were countless fruits (melons, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers) that could be harvested in the afternoon. And even if we were ahead of the harvest with the fruit crops, fieldwork such as weeding or managing our row covers needed attention. In other words, although some of the harvesting stopped when the heat got too intense, the crew continued to work in the fields to provide for our shareholders. If harvesting vegetables in 110 heat index weather sounds challenging, applying a four bed row cover complete with 225 sand bags, each weighing 25 pounds, spaced six feet apart became a true struggle of fortitude.
It would be easy for one to think that this work environment would have become stifling or too much to bear, leaving the crew dour, but quite the opposite occurred. The farm team smiled, laughed and expeditiously went through the work buoyed by a sense of pride and accomplishment when the work is done. It’s not the sweat caused by the heat or the continuous dust that fills the air that gave them this sense of purpose. This sense came from the incredible work they did together as a team to provide food that they hope will nourish not only your bodies but also your souls.
Now, as the season winds down, the crew encounters the cold, the rain and the wind with the same enthusiasm and determination as they did the summer’s heat. We truly do have an incredible farm team!
2012 Farm Team
Box Contents
Please Note: this summary is written before you receive your box—please be aware that some guesswork is involved. As always, be sure to thoroughly wash all of your vegetables.
Fruiting Crops – Butternut squash and an Acorn or Sweet Dumpling squash
Brassicas - a stalk of Brussels sprouts cut in half, broccoli or cauliflower
Salad Greens -lettuce, spinach
Cooking Greens – kale, Pac Choi
Root crops - carrots
Herbs – dill
Vegetable of the Week: Brussels Sprouts
