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 Friends of the Farm,
Welcome to our first week of CSA distribution! Although we have been dealing with a ton of weather this spring, the farm is finally starting to look like it’s June. We have been talking about how important listening to our instincts has been in decision making this year. When to plant and when to water has been so much more challenging with all the storms. However, the greens have been loving all the moisture and we are thrilled to already be producing summer squash!
Produce: This week you are getting garlic, garlic scapes, summer squash, bok choy and head lettuce. This is a normal start to our season. In the coming weeks we are expecting to add peas, turnips, cucumbers, kale, chard, onions, carrots, beets, and more. Shares will start out small and gradually gain momentum as more and more vegetables come into season. Each week new crops will be added, and your bags will have a wonderful assortment of produce before you know it!
It is very important that you return all your bags every week! Food safety is important to everyone. Please take care of your bag and make sure animals do not lay on it, it’s not left lying on the floor of your car where people can step on it and please remove all food debris before returning to your distribution center.
It is a good plan to pre-wash produce outside to get most of the soil off in your yard (or an extra-large bowl set in your kitchen sink) and not down your drainpipes. Children may especially love this task. Getting your kids involved in the pre-prep work, talking about the produce & asking them what they want to eat may help get them motivated to try different varieties.
Your Distribution Center: We ask that you have patience and be respectful in any interactions with your Distribution Center. Our amazing members who run distribution centers have offered to allow people to pick up shares from their home. The result is that we can have a CSA program that is convenient for everyone. Distribution Centers may have up to 40 members to keep track of. Please respect their hours. If you need to pick up at a different time than usual or have forgotten to pick up during normal hours, please call and make new arrangements; do not show up after hours without prior communication. Distribution centers will hold produce for 24 hours. If there is no contact from you within that time period, the produce will be donated to a place of need, that includes your fruit. We encourage CSA members to donate their produce when going on vacation. If you plan on having someone pick up your share for you while you are gone, your DC will need their name and phone number. This gives them permission to hand out a share to someone other than yourself and it gives them a contact number if someone forgets to pick up. Ask your DC questions! They are a wealth of information and will help you use your share. Consider getting our cookbook. There are ten recipes for every veggie we grow. Check to see if your DC has a veggie exchange box.
4th of July: This holiday falls on a Tuesday. Any member who receives their share on Tuesdays will be affected. All Tuesday distribution centers will instead receive their share on that Monday, July 3rd. Everyone who picks up on Wednesdays and Thursdays will have no change to their schedule.
Your Expectations and Us: Joining us in CSA involves sharing the risk of farming with us. Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate with our plans often. Remember that sometimes produce looks pristine in grocery stores because it’s been waxed, irradiated, sprayed with fungicide, or all the “imperfect” items have been discarded. This results in tons of unnecessary food waste and a lot of strange things being done to food. If an item has a safe imperfection, we give it out to you! We never treat any produce with anything other than love. We often grow varieties for their taste, not necessarily for their beauty. If there is an abundance of produce, you will get it. If there is a shortage of produce, you will see that too. Along with rain we sometimes get hail. Don’t be surprised if you get produce with scabs from the damage this causes. We work very hard to catch produce that is badly bruised. Occasionally, we miss something. We apologize ahead of time and will do our best to make it up to you if needed. Our intent is to get you the best of the best always picked fresh. We prioritize our CSA membership above all other outlets such as farmers markets. We love what we do and care deeply about the grounds we live on, the food we produce here and the people who eat off this land AKA you!
Statements: We will send statements each month. For those of you who did not pay in full at the time you joined the farm, your first produce payment (including fruit, oil, honey & eggs) is due July 1st. You may pay these fees in full or in half and the other half will be due by September 1st. If you are paying monthly, then continue making the agreed upon scheduled payments.
First Year Members: Allow for an adjustment period as you figure out how to incorporate your share into your life. You will need time to process your produce by sorting and washing. If you are willing to put up with the soil, don’t wash veggies until you are ready to use them. This will help everything last longer. Produce breaks down as soon as it gets wet. You can avoid getting soil in your fridge by bagging things. The more tender a crop is, the sooner it will need to be eaten, i.e. greens, summer squash, peas, beans, broccoli, cantaloupe, cucumbers, and tomatoes. You can revive almost anything with an hour soak in cold water! Potatoes even become more nutritious if soaked for a few hours in cool water before cooking. We will dish out more tips on storage and prep as we go through the summer.
Newsletters: To receive a direct email with our weekly newsletter, head to the homepage of www.monroefarm.com, scroll to the bottom of the page, enter your information, and subscribe. Please notify your DC if you prefer to get a hard copy at the distribution site. It is important to read your newsletters because they will inform you about everything in your share, plus recipes and tips. We will also notify you in the newsletter of bonus you-pick days and other events that may directly affect you or the food you’re receiving plus any farm happenings. Don’t forget to check out our Facebook or Instagram for pictures and videos. Please continue to contact us through the office by email or phone if you have any concerns rather than social media DMs.
How to contact us: The best way to reach us is by phone. We are very good at answering phone calls. However, you can email us if you do not need an immediate response. As the summer gets busier it can take us up to a few days to return an email. If you need to make a change in your share or DC, please call us. We pick veggies on Monday for Tuesday, Tuesday for Wednesday and Wednesday for Thursday. Keep this in mind if you want to make a change. Whenever you call about your share, especially if needing to make changes, always identify your Distribution Center!
Thank you: Welcome to the 2023 farming season with Monroe Organic Farms. We hope you enjoy eating with us. The beginning of CSA is always so exciting! This week’s share is just a sample of what is to come. Our family is looking forward to sharing a fantastic summer with you. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to be your farmers!
With gratitude,
Kyle, Sam, Jerry, Jacquie, Linda and The Crew
Monroe Organic Farms 