Newsletter – March 29, 2023

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. Please also note that it is not possible to only receive summer share newsletters.

Hello Friends of the Farm!

Hope everyone is doing well and surviving this spring/winter weather!  We all have been busy here at the farm.  We’ve been planning, planting (when the weather permits) and getting all our ducks in their respective rows for the upcoming summer season.  Please keep your fingers crossed for a great spring for us and for very plentiful, healthy summer crops to produce lots of great yummies for everyone!  

Just a couple quick updates for you all.

Sweepstakes:  You all have probably seen we have a sweepstakes going for a FREE Quarter Share.  Everyone that has signed up already for a summer share has been automatically entered for this drawing!  You do not need to do ANYTHING!  We will be picking the lucky winner Saturday April 8th.  

Eggs:  We are completely sold out of eggs now.  We have reached the maximum number of eggs that Croft Family Farm is able to designate to us for the summer season.  They were very generous to our members by only raising the price of eggs from $7.00 a dozen to $7.50 a dozen.  

Distribution Centers:  The Wheat Ridge Distribution Center that is off of 26th and Sheridan is almost completely full.  Right along with that one, the DC that we call Simms which is off of 26th and Simms, is almost full as well.  If you have not signed up yet for either of these DC’s and one of them is your 1st choice, please list what your 2nd choice is.  The other Distribution Centers still have spots available for you to sign up for.  

Asparagus:  We are still making a list for members who would like to come pick asparagus and take home. YOU MUST CONTACT THE FARM DIRECTLY TO SIGN UP – MESSAGES LEFT ON THE BLOG OR SOCIAL MEDIA ARE NOT CHECKED BY THE FARM. When we meet to pick asparagus, we like for you to be here at the farm about 7:45 a.m.  There is only 1 restroom that is available.  We know most of you will be driving about an hour or so to get here, so we will need to get everyone through that restroom before we head out to the field.  We know that is early for most of you.  We try to get to the field right after 8:00 and hope to be done before the heat starts taking a toll on everyone.  (Hard to imagine that kind of heat right now!)  We will provide more details when it is close to picking time!  If you would like to sign up, you can either email the farm at jacquie@monroefarm.com or you can call the office at 970-284-7941.  We will need a good phone number, when you are available to come – weekdays, weekends only, or if it doesn’t matter. 

Also, just a heads up that Linda will be taking home the list of members that would be coming out the next day to pick.  If for some reason, we would need to cancel the day we planned, she will be calling you first thing in the morning after 6:00 am to let you know before you need to leave your house and start the trip here.  If we know we will need to cancel a day or so in advance, of course she won’t be calling you 6:00 the same day!  (ONLY if you need her to give you a wake up call!! HaHa!) If you are scheduled to come, please watch for an email, an update on the blog, a phone call from the office or a phone call from Linda’s phone that ends with 5848 for any updated information.  

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Wishing everyone a wonderful last week of March!  Take care and HAPPY SPRING!

Farm Jokes 

What new crop is Kyle planting this year?   Beets me!

Why did the cabbage win the race?  Because it was ahead!

Why did the farmer bury his money in the feild?  He wanted to make his soil rich.

Kyle has started to make yachts to sell in the barn….  Sails are going through the roof.

Have a great week,

Kyle, Sam, Jacquie & Jerry

Newsletter – March 13, 2023

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. Please also note that it is not possible to only receive summer share newsletters.

Dear Farm Friends,

We hope this newsletter finds you all well nourished and ready for Spring! We have been eyeing our gardens for bulbs just beginning to peek out at us and the crocus are already coming. We’re now able to cultivate our fields and ready them for planting. We’re heating our hoop houses and starting seeds. We are working to expand our hoophouse spaces and we’re very excited about that!

NOTICE: We have received a payment from Terralta LLC. We are unsure whose account this is for. Please contact the office by phone or email to let us know which account to apply this payment to! *Remember if you’re paying from a name or company that isn’t listed on your membership to note on your payments to which account your payment should be applied to.*

March Munchies: This is the time of year we really start to crave fresh vegetables. We are so pleased to have already filled up half of our available CSA shares! Now is a fantastic time to contact us and secure your spot for summer. Online sign up is an easy option. We also have a good amount of beef, lamb, and pork shares still available. Our meat shares tend to sell out quickly. If you want a full freezer come fall/winter don’t sleep on reserving those.

Well travelled vegetables?! Produce from our farm is traveling less than 70 miles to our farthest Distribution Center. In contrast, each vegetable from the store travels over 1,500 miles on average. Around two-thirds of fresh fruit and around one-third of fresh vegetables in the U.S. are imported from thousands of miles away. They are brought in from mostly Mexico and South and Central America not to mention trucked in from all over the U.S. You vote with every dollar you spend. By joining a CSA farm you are supporting your local farmer and your local economy! It’s a huge move that helps the environment, nurtures community, and allows you to take advantage of our expertise. We want to help you learn what it takes to grow real food and what to do with everything that we grow. There are so many good reasons to join a CSA farm!

Egg update: By the time you read this we may be sold out of eggs. However, we have a few spots left right now. Call the office to inquire.

Mushroom Add-on Notes: Mushrooms will be available during the 18 weeks of our summer CSA for $8.25 per ½ pound. You can choose to receive them either weekly for $148.50 total or biweekly for $74.25 total. Zach at Boulder Mushroom (bouldermushroom.com) will be delivering to us multiple times a week to ensure ultra fresh fungi. Zach will offer whichever varities are in abundance at the time including oyster mushrooms (blue, black, white, pink, golden, and trumpet), Lions Mane, Shitake, Chestnut, and Piopinno. He will choose which mushrooms are given out each week.

Asparagus: We can begin taking names down for those of you who would like to come out to the farm to pick asparagus. Yay for you-pick member benefits! You-pick opportunities are a really awesome *free* membership perk. Asparagus can start anytime in April (depending on freezes) but usually begins by the end of the month. Picking will continue through May and possibly go into June. Take home is around five pounds per member. Our price at farmers market is $8 a pound. We believe it’s very worthwhile to come out, but you can do the math and decide. You must call the farm to sign up. We will need your name, phone number and whether or not you can come during the week or weekends only. We won’t call you back to verify that you are on the Wait List unless you forgot to give us the aforementioned info. We will call you when we see those beautiful heads of asparagus popping out of the soil and when your name reaches the top of the list. You will need your own container to take your harvest home in. Please be flexible! We do not have control of the weather and sometimes we will only be able to give you a two day heads up prior to picking.

Membership Reminders: If you need another sign-up form, please call the office at the number above (or email) to have one sent to you. If you need a payment plan, you will need to join the farm with a hard copy as payment plans are not available online. We are happy to work with you! We would rather have you as a member than for you to decide not to be a member because it is hard to pay the deposits. Call us and we can make a plan. This is a good time to inform friends, neighbors and co-workers we have openings available. If everyone tells one person about the farm, we will fill up in no time. We are able to email extra sign-up forms as needed. Feel free to post them in breakrooms, community boards or any other place you deem acceptable.

We love our CSA members! Many of you have become family to us over the years and we wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you!!!

“You can’t just eat good food. You’ve got to talk about it too. And you’ve got to talk about it to somebody who understands that kind of food.”—Kurt Vonnegut

With joy and gratitude,

Kyle, Sam, Jacquie & Jerry