Sept 18, 2021 – honey, olive oil and workdays

NOTE: This blog is posted by a volunteer. No one from the farm checks or responds to messages here. You must contact the farm directly with any questions, comments, etc

Dear Friends of the farm,

This is your last week to order extra honey or oil.  Contact Jacquie at 970-284-7941 to be added to next weeks order.  No more orders will be taken after Thr 9-30.  Please call, do not email…I cannot keep up with it Tue/Wed/Thr.!

Reminder to anyone who is coming to the farm for the Sun. workdays.  The bugs are out!  Wear long sleeves and pants plus bug spray.  Please apply your bug spray and sunblock at home and wash hands thoroughly.  You will not be permitted to use these products at the farm. Hat and gloves are recommended.  You will be working in the dirt.  Bringing water is a MUST.  Please arrive 15 minutes before the appointed times so you can use the restroom.  We cannot wait for latecomers.  We will be in the fields and will not return to the farmyard until the next appointed meet time (8 & 10 am, 1 & 3 pm).  Please let your DC know you are coming and you can always come at the last minute whether or not you have notified the DC.  I only want these names just in case we have to cancel for any reason.  I will call and let you know….and it will have to be a big weather event to stop this!  Some folks are planning to stay and eat lunch in the front yard.  You are welcome to bring your lunch and join the group for good conversation and a simple meal together.

Thank you so very much.  We have the best CSA Members and we love you.  The support you give us each year is so appreciated. 

We look forward to seeing you,

Sam, Kyle, Jacquie, and Jerry

Newsletter – Sept 27, 2021

NOTE: This blog is posted by a volunteer. No one from the farm checks or responds to messages here. You must contact the farm directly with any questions, comments, etc

Dear Friends of the farm,

This is week 16 of an 18-week season: This week you will get potatoes, beets, broccoli, bell peppers, aneheim peppers, poblano peppers, basil, tomatoes, garlic, and sweet corn.

Garlic: There is a shortage of garlic across the country right now! Many farmers harvested a lot less garlic than usual. As was the case for us too. As a result, we haven’t been able to give it out in your shares. Last week we messed up and included it in the newsletter but did not distribute it. This week you will get garlic! Apologies for that misinformation.

Winter Share/DC’s: We still have openings for Winter Shares, but they are filling up fast! We neglected to include the following distribution centers on our signup form: Denver: Ellsworth & Logan, and 6th Ave. & Race St., South Boulder: Table Mesa & Broadway, Littleton: Kipling & Coalmine. Please write in your distribution center if it is not on the form! For your convenience, we will be sending corrected Winter Share signup forms to your distribution centers.

Olive oil bottles & egg cartons: Please return these to your distribution centers! They will be reused!

Workdays: We hope to see you this Sunday, October 3rd or next Sunday October 10th, from 8-5! Any amount of time you can be here will be deeply appreciated. Come check out what it means to be a part of a Community Supported Agriculture project. Also, we have a cute llama you can admire. Didn’t get a chance to sign up? Your Distributor is keeping track of this and can still take your information. They will help manage carpooling if someone is willing to drive and others want a ride!

Here’s another winning recipe from Chef Carrie! For more check out: www.recipesarejustaguideline.com

Beet Burgers (makes 4-6)

Ingredients – all approximate!

A. 1 cup cooked brown rice

1 cup cooked green/brown lentils or beans

1 cup shredded raw beets

B. ½ onion, finely diced and sautéed until golden brown

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, added to the onion along with a pinch of salt

2-4 cloves garlic, minced, added to onion and sautéed for a few minutes, until the aroma ‘blooms’

½ cup breadcrumbs or ground oats for gluten free

2+ TBSP almond butter

Seasonings: salt and pepper to taste + your choice of cumin, smoked paprika and/or oregano

Method of Production

Pulse 2/3 of the ‘A’ ingredients together in a food processor, pulse until well mixed. Add the ‘B’ ingredients and pulse again until mixed. Add the last 1/3 of the ‘A’s and pulse once or twice. The result is much better with some texture! Taste for seasoning, then add the rest of the ‘B’s. Chill. Form patties. It’s helpful to use a scoop for a consistent size. 3 ounces will yield about 6 patties. Bake the patties in a 400 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes. Or fry them with minimal oil; either way, the goal is to get some char color. Layer all your favorites such as tomato, lettuce, onion, pickles, relish, pickled banana peppers, etc. on a bun.

Blessings from the farm,

Sam, Kyle, Jacquie, and Jerry

Newsletter – Sept 22, 2021

NOTE: This blog is posted by a volunteer. No one from the farm checks or responds to messages here. You must contact the farm directly with any questions, comments, etc

Dear Friends of the Farm,

This is week 15 out of an 18-week season. You will be getting red potatoes, sweet corn, garlic, yellow onions, carrots, radishes, honeydew, cauliflower, cucumbers, bell, banana, anaheim & jalapeno peppers, kale, and tomatoes. This is that sweet time of year before fall really hits us. It’s precisely at this time that we work to give thanks and remember to relish all these beautiful vegetables while they’re still around!

Hot tip: any pepper that is starting to turn a different color, if left on the counter, it will continue to turn.

Hot tip #2:  If your honeydew is too firm, leave it out on the counter and it will continue to mature and soften.  It will be sweeter and the flesh will be softer.

Fruit Share Members: We would like to apologize to those of you who received what appeared to be moldy peaches. This was in fact a harmless fungus that occurs only on the skin of the peach when they’re picked after torrential rain. The peach beneath the skin remains unaffected. We hadn’t planned on delivering these peaches to you at all and felt it was a bonus box because of that! In the future we will work harder to inform you in a timely fashion about the fruit you’re getting. We hope you figured out quickly that there wasn’t anything wrong with these peach and enjoyed the last of the season. Apples will be headed your way the first week of October!

Kipling & Coalmine Winter Distribution Center: Oops! We messed up and didn’t include the Kipling & Coalmine winter distribution center on our Winter Share sign up form. Kristen will still be graciously running her Littleton distribution center for us this winter. Feel free to pencil that option in on your form. We will update the form shortly!

Calling all members!!! We are in desperate need of your help. We are currently operating with only three full time employees after losing three employees last month. As such, we need help harvesting root vegetables. Please consider coming out and working together as a CSA toward the common goal of getting as much produce harvested as possible for the Winter Share!

Work days will be the first two Sundays in October, the 3rd and the 10th, from 8 am – 5 pm. Come for any amount of time that you are able! We’ll take a lunch break from 12-1 (consider bringing a sack lunch). For those of you who can bless us with your presence, there will be extra veggies and our unending gratitude to take home with you. If you haven’t been able to come out yet this is a great opportunity to do so. Kiddos, extended family, and friends are all welcome! Social distancing will be very easy as we will be working outside (masks are optional). Please join us!

Sign up for workdays: We will have a signup sheet available at your Distribution Centers. Consider carpooling with other members from your Distribution Center and making the trip more fun!

Quote of the week:

“At first people ate simply because they were alive and because food was tasty. Modern people have come to think that if they do not prepare food with elaborate seasonings, the meal will be tasteless. If you do not try to make food delicious, you will find that nature has made it so.” ― Masanobu Fukuoka, The One-Straw Revolution

Thank you for supporting us, Kyle, Sam, Jacquie, and Jerry

Newsletter – Sept 15, 2021

NOTE: This blog is posted by a volunteer. No one from the farm checks or responds to messages here. You must contact the farm directly with any questions, comments, etc

Dear Friends of the Farm,

This week you are getting red potatoes, sweet corn, red beets, Japanese eggplant, cauliflower, green or red bell peppers, yellow bell peppers, Anaheim peppers, poblano peppers, jalapeno peppers, beefsteak tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, and orange flesh honey dew.

Winter Shares: We have not filled all our Winter Shares and are still taking orders! You can sign up online and we will send order forms (link below – must print, fill out both the sign up and declaration form & return to the farm) to your distribution centers as well.

winter-storage-share-sign-upDownload

Not sure what to do with your peppers? Check out the recipe below! You can use any of the peppers in your share for this recipe. Vegan? Substitute with a vegan cheese!

Blistered Cheesy Peppers BY MOLLY BAZ

It’s almost silly how easy this dish of impossibly delicious, ooey-gooey cheesy chiles is to execute. But that’s also what makes it so great. Inspired by the must-order fried, cheese-filled peppers at Gregory’s Corner Taverna in Astoria, Queens, it all comes together in about 10 minutes. Just broil poblano chiles until charred and softened, stuff them with pepper Jack (though any melting cheese will work great here), and then finish with topper of quick-but-mighty marinated shallot dressing. Serve alongside some grilled sausages to make a full meal of it.

Ingredients

4 SERVINGS

1 large shallot, halved, thinly sliced lengthwise

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. sugar

¾ tsp. kosher salt, plus more

3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 large poblano chiles or 3 large Cubanelle peppers or Anaheim chiles (about 8 oz. total), cut in half lengthwise, seeds and ribs removed

Freshly ground black pepper

8 oz. pepper Jack, cut into ½” cubes

2 garlic cloves

Preparation

Step 1

Using your fingers, toss shallot, vinegar, sugar, ¾ tsp. salt, and 2 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl to combine. Let sit while you prepare the chiles.

Step 2

Heat broiler. Arrange chiles on a small rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle all over with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil; season with salt and black pepper. Turn chiles cut side down and broil until slightly softened and skins are blistered all over, about 5 minutes.

Step 3

Remove from oven and, using tongs, turn chiles cut side up. Divide cheese evenly among chile cavities. Finely grate garlic over, frequently tapping grater against baking sheet to help release garlic somewhat evenly over everything.

Step 4

Return chiles to broiler and broil until cheese is melted and browned in spots, about 3 minutes.

Step 5

Transfer chiles to a platter. Spoon shallot dressing over and season with more black pepper.

With love from the farm,

Kyle, Sam, Jacquie, & Jerry

Newsletter – September 6, 2021

NOTE: This blog is posted by a volunteer. No one from the farm checks or responds to messages here. You must contact the farm directly with any questions, comments, etc

Dear Members of the farm,

This is week 13 of an 18-week season.  You will be getting red potatoes, sweet corn, carrots, muskmelon (may be short so everyone may not get one), orange flesh honeydew, cucumbers (one of any type), eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes, anaheim peppers, and poblano peppers.  What a delicious week…

Honey & Oil:  Members who ordered monthly (both oil and honey) deliveries and those who ordered a second 32oz bottle of oil will get them this week.  Please Note:  If you are finding you need more of either of these products, call or email us.  Please do not neglect to tell us your DC location!  The order is needed no later than September 25^th for an October 4^th delivery.

Winter Share:  We are attaching the Winter Share form to this newsletter in hopes you will fill it out and return it so we can plan for the winter.  So far, only about 100 members have chosen to go with this share and most of them signed up for this last spring.  We believe we have enough produce for 50 to 100 more shares.  So spread the word or share this form with your friends.  Thank you

Colorado Senate Bill 21-087, Forever changing the face of Colorado agriculture:  Early this year a bill was introduced into the senate known as “Agricultural Workers’ Rights”.  This was recently signed into law by Governor Polis.  What does this mean for farmers?  The people and groups who pushed this bill did so on behalf of agricultural workers and workers’ rights, however the outcome will most likely be severely detrimental to Colorado farms and their employees.  The issue that has the most potential to damage Colorado farms is how the overtime rules will be written.   We will be required to pay overtime to our employees; however, we don’t yet know what will be classified as overtime.  The original proposition was that overtime will start after 40 hours per week or 12 hours in a day. 

We’re currently in a government program called H2A where people come from Mexico for 9 months of the year.  They are paid, provide with housing and driven to town weekly for any needed provisions.  We are responsible for all their needs.  We take this responsibility very seriously.   The H2A regulations are stringent on all fronts.  Our housing must meet high quality standards (our own home would not meet them).  They’re paid a fair wage above the minimum required.  We’re inspected to make sure we’re following guidelines.  H2A workers surveyed in Colorado reported that they won’t be able to come back to work here if they cannot be offered more than 40 hours per week.  The issue here is that farmers cannot afford to pay time and a half when workers go into overtime.  They’ll simply have to stop work when the limit has been reached.

 Farmers very rarely, if at all, have a collective voice.  We only constitute 1% of the population in the US.  There are many issues here that are complicated to address.  But in a nutshell, we only have a limited amount of time to get certain work completed.  For example, our honeydew field is ready to pick.  If we don’t pick them when they’re ready, they will rot in the field.   The plants won’t produce again.  That was our only chance to get them out to you.  The same goes for when we need to weed.  If we miss a window which can be as small as a few days, the weeds outgrow the crops, and we can’t catch up.  We abandon the crop in those situations.  We have a short lived and very intense growing season here in Colorado.  If we don’t act quickly, we lose big. 

Most workers do not work year-round, therefore they want the maximum number of hours available.  They then live off what they’ve made during the growing season for the remainder of the year.  Most can build their family’s homes and go above & beyond providing for their immediate and extended families in Mexico with their farm wages.  If H2A workers refuse to come here, we will not have any employees.  We can’t run the farm without people to help us plant, harvest, weed, and irrigate.  (We joined the H2A program in 2020 because we could no longer find American workers.)

Where would you see the results of this bill and how will it affect you? The middle-sized farms will cease to exist.  What will remain are some 1-5 acre farms and the huge mega farms.  Farmers markets could begin to look slim or will have to close.  It’s very likely that most Colorado farms will go out of business, and we could very easily be one of them.

Did you know that 72% of your food in grocery stores come from outside the United States where there are less stringent regulations for ag workers, chemicals and processing?  Do you know where your food comes from? Have you noticed the Country of Origin labels?  They should be on everything from meat to your vegetables.

We desperately need your voice and public input while rulemaking for this bill takes place!!!  Please add your comments immediately if you would like mid-sized farms, CSA farms, and farmers markets to remain in Colorado.  You can head to the CDLE (Colorado Department of Labor and Employment) website to submit comments.  You can google: “CDLE Agricultural Labor Rights and Responsibilities Public Comment”.  The direct link is: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSci49EmAsxXtGTCZGT9pRMWHZxFarVopNcY5wGATdSGAvosSA/viewform

Thank you for supporting us and all Colorado farmers,

Kyle, Sam, Jacquie, and Jerry