Sampling the Soil

We took the opportunity of the nice weather to go out and collect soil samples from our fields today. Soil testing is at the heart of of our strategy to build healthy soil where our plants can thrive. When plants grow in healthy soil they are better equipped to fend off pests and disease. In fact, pests prefer to eat at unhealthy plants. We also use our soil test results to develop our Nutrient Management Plan to improve our soil and better understand how our crop rotations are working. The Nutrient Management Plan is certified by the State of Maryland and is a key tool in a broad strategy to increase the health of our Cheasepeak Bay Watershed.

Still Harvesting!

Hakurei Turnips still fresh and heathy!
Thanks to Johnnys Selected Seeds for donating all our seeds in 2006!

I am happy to report that our team of growers has proven that we are able to extend our growing season beyond Thanksgiving this year! The crew has been harvesting chard, turnips, kale, beets and arugula all this week. Some of it was sold to restaurants and some was delivered to the MANNA food bank. We are grateful to the Carl M. Freeman Foundation for a grant that sponsored our harvests for Manna this past season. Not only does the grant ensure healthy local produce gets on to the tables of low income residents in Montgomery County but this is the kind of meaningful, fully included job that we are proud to offer our "clients" with developmental disabilities- whom we call "growers".
-Woody

Last Extended Season Harvest #4

We have been working hard to get our garlic planted. This photo shows our crew hand planting some of the 275 pounds of seed garlic (cloves of the larger garlic bulbs get planted). We are expanding our garlic patch so that we can meet the increased demand for high quality garlic- and this is a crop our group of growers is really edept at planting, caring for and harvesting.
Meanwhile we are still harvesting for T our 20 "Extended" CSA share holders.
Here is what's coming your way in this final week of harvesting for the CSA:
Turnips
Radishes
Beets
Carrots
Kohlrabi
Potatoes
Braising Mix
Arugula
Kale
Swiss Chard
Winter Squash
Garlic

Wow, loads of good stuff to lead you into the Thanksgiving Holiday week!
Enjoy!

-adrienne

p.s. sorry about the sunchokes last week--they choked; they didn't make it!

Harvest for Extended Week #3

Turnips
Radishes
Beets
Kohlrabi
Carrots
Garlic
Potatoes
Winter Squash
Braising Mix
Sunchokes-a new item to try!

-adrienne

Extended Week #2

Oh, a glorious Halloween Day to harvest vegetables for you!

Here's what you got:

Turnips-purple top
Radishes-Easter Egg
Beets-Chioggia/Red Ace
Kohlrabi-Purple
Chard-Fordhook/Bright Lights
Kale-Red Russian
Arugula
Tomatoes
Green Tomatoes
Celeriac
Garlic
Potatoes
Winter Squash

-adrienne

Extended Week #1!!

Here it is, the first Extended Season pickup. It is most definitely fall today. Here's what's coming for this week's pickup:
Turnips
Beets
Radishes
Kohlrabi
Celeriac
Chard
Garlic
Winter Squash (2)
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Green Tomatoes
Arugula
Braising Mix

Enjoy!!
-adrienne

Week 18: The Last Regular Season Pick up!

We've got a bounty for you!
Garlic
Peppers
Hot Peppers
Chard
Braising Mix
Arugula
Salad Mix
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Green Tomatoes
Eggplant
Carrots
Radishes
Turnips
Winter Squash (4)

The PYO is still continuing strong. Get out there and grab some basil before it freezes! Plus, the cosomos are gorgeous.
Also, the potluck is still on. Saturday from 11-1pm. Hope to see you there!
-adrienne

17th Harvest Week

Braising Mix
Salad Mix
Arugula
Peppers
Chard
Garlic
Turnips (Hakurei)
Beets (Red Ace)
Some end of season tomatoes
Green Tomatoes
Winter Squash
Hot Peppers
Potatoes
Eggplant

In the pick your own:
Get your basil for making pesto now! Our first light frost will kill the basil. There is an abundance of basil both purple and green basil make great pesto.
Please look for small quantities of parsley, dill and cilantro as well.
And the Cosmos is in full bloom…take some flowers home today!
Woody

Week 16

Winter Squash Harvest

Here's what we have for this week's delivery:

Braising Mix
Arugula
Peppers
Kale/Chard
Garlic
Radishes
Green Tomatoes
Red Tomatoes
Winter Squash

Winter squash and tomatoes?! Enjoy!
-adrienne

Week 15 Harvest

Peppers
Hot Peppers
Tomatoes
Swiss Chard
Braising Mix
Garlic
Radishes
Green Tomatoes
Winter Squash (Butternut)

Enjoy the Bounty!
-adrienne

14th CSA Harvest and Dinner Report

This week we are harvesting:
Braising greens
Chard
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Eggplant
Garlic
Okra
hot peppers
and possibly a few other things too.
There is still pleanthy of basil and flowers in the PYO

I will update this later with a report on the Annual Dinner and Silent Auction. In short, we had about 170 people here for the dinner and preliminary results sho that we raised about 15% more than last years dinner!!! Thanks to all who helped make this years dinner the most sucessful ever!
Woody

11th Annual Harvest Supper and Silent Auction this Saturday

Here is the email we sent out to people who have RSVP'd for our 11th Annual Harvest Supper and Silent Auction. I am happy to report that at this time we have more people than last year coming and the weather is looking good!

Dear Red Wiggler Friend,

We’ve been busy preparing for our annual supper and silent auction and we are glad that you will be joining us.

This is our biggest fundraiser of the year and your attendance and support is integral to the success of Red Wiggler. Please know that we are grateful for your support and we are excited to celebrate our 11^th growing season with you this Saturday at 5:00pm here at Red Wiggler in the Ovid Hazen Wells Park.

Each year people ask what to wear- please dress casually- I’ll be wearing khakis and a collared shirt- I hope that helps.

In case you need directions you can print them from this link- http://www.redwiggler.org/other/red_wiggler_directions.html .

Please call if you are lost and need help getting to the farm on Saturday. (Woody’s cell: 301-802-2386)

The menu is entirely vegetarian prepared by Whole Foods using many of our own vegetables fresh from the fields. There will be fine coffee by Stand Tall Espresso, non-alcoholic drinks, wine and beer. Music provided by Widad Kraemer again this year and her Cd’s will be for sale.

Please bring your checkbook as well because we have some great silent auction items.

Some examples of silent auction items:
Original artwork by local artists with a farm and environmental theme, a hand painted doll house and other items geared towards children, a 4x6 oriental rug, classes in botanical illustration at Brookside Gardens, , Roundhouse Theater tickets, hand made photo albums, numerous gift baskets with a variety of themes and as always a selection of Red Wiggler's award winning garlic.

Sporting events:
4 tickets Nationals vs. Milwaukee September 16^th, 2 tickets Nats vs. the Mets September 30 (great seats), 2 tickets Redskins vs. Tennessee October 15^th

Fenwick Island, DE Beach House for a week-long getaway!
This Beach Home offers 6-8 bedrooms, large kitchen and family room, and is located right on the beach!
• Must be reserved for use in the fall, winter, or early spring.
• Home must also be used between September 2006 and May 2007. Reservations will not be extended past May 2007.
Market Value: $3,000
Starting Bid: $400

One week at rustic log home in Deep Creek, MD
It has 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, family room, tv or rec room, fireplace and outside hot tub. The family has reserved the winter and summer months for their own use. Deep Creek is a lovely spot for hiking, biking and enjoying the change of seasons.
• The home will only be available for reservation to the highest bidder for use in the Fall of 2006 or the Spring of 2007.
Market Value: $1,200
Starting Bid: $150

Portrait Gallery DC Package
(come see the newly re-opened Portrait Gallery, have dinner and lodge over night across the street)
- dinner for 2 at McCormick and Schmicks (9th and F Streets)
- DC Trolley tour passes for 2
- one-night stay at the Marriott Courtyard (9th and F Streets)
Starting bid TBD

Informal Cooking Lessons for 4 in your kitchen with Chef Timothy Bartling
· Learn how to prepare a 4-course meal in your own kitchen
(menu to be determined by your individual needs).
· Tim (the chef) will do the shopping.
· Finally, enjoy the delicious meal you just learned to make with good company.
· Dishes will be done by Woody Woodroof
Starting bid TBD

And this just in-
A personalized voicemail greeting in the voice of one of several characters from FOX's animated hit "Family Guy". Mike Henry (who will be joining us at the dinner) plays Cleveland, Cleveland Jr., Herbert the old man, the Performance Artist, and the Greased-Up Deaf Guy (Sorry no Stewie, Peter, Brian or Quagmire). Mike will leave an outgoing message on your phone as one or more of his characters. Included in the package will be 3 season’s of box sets of Family Guy (a total of 63 DVD episodes).
Starting bid TBD

There are almost 100 items in the auction this year. There is something for everyone at many different price points. (thanks to all who have donated items.)

Again, thank you for your support. Our growers, volunteers and staff have worked hard this season and this event is a real celebration of their dedication to growing some of the finest vegetables around. We’ll see you on Saturday!

Woody Woodroof
Director, Red Wiggler Community Farm
www.redwiggler.org

PS special thanks to Shannon Varley for coordinating this event- we couldn’t have done it without her and she is responsible for bringing Whole Foods in as our volunteer caterers!
Our Dinner Committee (Philora Kittay, Marlene Michealson and Nancy Everett) were a great support to Shannon as well-thank you.
Finally, thanks to Arura Engle-Pratt for hand making our “Big Wig” awards to be given out during the dinner- this is the 3^rd year in a row she has created these special awards-thanks.

13th CSA Harvest

This weeks harvest has been very similar to the past few weeks with no real changes to the variety of vegetables. We have been busy getting the fall garden ready and planing for our Annual Supper and Silent Auction that takes place on Saturday Septemeber 9th. We will update this page with Silent Auction details early next week.
Happy Labor Day!
W

12th CSA Harvest - Pears - Auction update

This week we are harvesting:
a few Red Tomatoes
more Heirloom Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Peppers
Eggplant
Okra
Summer Squash
Garlic
The Wednesday group will be receiving chard and the Saturday group will receive chard next week due to the lack of rain.
And in the pick your own you can still find plenty of fresh herbs, hot peppers and flowers to cut.

Next week we will have ripened Bartlett Pears for the CSA. These pears were offered to us by our neighbors Paul and Mary Majewski who live in Clarksburg. The growers and I were at their home harvesting these pears on Monday- we will allow them to ripen in the barn before offering them to the CSA. It is possible that the Saturday group will receive pears this week- we will have to wait and see. This was a great activity for the growers and for Paul who has never seen his two pear trees picked so quickly! By the way- the pears have not been sprayed at all – which is self evident due to some of the scaring etc. We are delighted to offer these pears to you!

As an additional update on the annual dinner for those of you who may want to think ahead about spending your vacation dollars in a way that will benefit Red Wiggler...
Keys to a Fantastic, Fenwick Island, DE Beach House for a much needed getaway!
Win the keys to a romantic or much-needed, restful getaway weekend! Not too far away, this Fenwick Island, DE Beach Home offers 6-8 bedrooms, large kitchen and family room, and is located right on the beach!

• Must be reserved for use in the fall, winter, or early spring.
• Home must be reserved early to insure availability.
• Home must also be used between September 2006 and May 2007. Reservations will not be extended past May 2007.

Market Value: $3,000
Starting Bid: $400


One week at rustic log home in Deep Creek, MD
The Log Cabin house is approximately 4 years old. It is located one house above beautiful Deep Creek Lake. It has 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, family room, tv or rec room, fireplace and outside hot tub. The family has reserved the winter and summer months for their own use. Deep Creek is a lovely spot for hiking, biking and enjoying the change of seasons.

• The home will only be available for reservation to the highest bidder in the Fall of 2006 or the Spring of 2007.
• Home must be reserved early to insure availability.
• Home must be used in the Fall of 2006 or the Spring of 2007. Offer expires Fall of 2007.

Market Value: $1,200
Starting Bid: $150

Finally- we hope many of you will be able to attend the Annual Supper this year. It is a real celebration of the season and a chance for our supporting community to get together. For more info about the dinner click here
Thanks- Woody

11th CSA Harvest & Annual Supper details

This week we are harvesting:
a few Red Tomatoes
more Heirloom Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Peppers
Eggplant
Okra
Summer Squash
Garlic
And in the pick your own you can still find pleanty of fresh herbs, hot peppers and flowers to cut.

Red Wigglers Annual Harvest Supper and Silent Auction
Celebrating 11 years and growing!

Please Join us on Saturday September 9th at 5pm for our Annual Fundraising event.
This is our biggest fundraing event of the year. It is a true celebration of all the hard work our growers do over the season and the funds raised allow us to keep moving ahead as we deliver on our Vision to "create fertile ground to nourish a healthy and inclusive community". This year vegetarian catering is generously provided by the Kentlands WHOLE FOODS. The meal will be prepared from ingredients fresh from the Red Wiggler fields.

Live music by Camela Widad Kraemer

Where:
Red Wiggler at the Ovid Hazen Wells Park
23400 Ridge Road (Route 27)
Germantown, Maryland 20876

When:
September 9th, 2006 Saturday
5:00pm

Cost:
$60 per person ($40 tax deductable), $20 for children 12 and under

RSVP:
(extended to)September 1

Send RSVP to our mailing adress:
PO BOX 968
Clarksburg MD 20871

Checks should be made out to Red Wiggler Community Farm and please include the names of those attending.

Some examples of silent auction items: An off season week at a beachfront Fenwick Island house that sleeps 15-20, An off season Mountain House at Deepcreek, origional artwork by local artists with a "farm country" theme, a hand painted doll house, classes in botanical illustration at Brookside Gardens, Nationals tickets, Roundhouse Theater tickets, hand made photo albums, and as always a selection of Red Wiggler's award winning garlic. ( this is only a partial list which, time permitting, will be updated again the week befor the event.) Finally there is a beutiful hand painted picnic basket being raffled again this year- thanks Mom!
-WW

10th CSA Harvest

This weeks shares will include:
20 Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Potatoes
Eggplant
Okra
Summer Squash
Purple beans
And Chard

This is a message from a Saturday CSA participant- Aaron Kahn:

"We are going on vacation next week and wanted to see if anybody would be interested in switching from the Wednesday, August 16th pick up to Saturday, August 19th. We would love to be able to have our veges for our trip down to the Outer Banks. If you don't mind including this in your blog, I would appreciate it.
I can be contacted at:
akahn14@gmail.com
Thanks and see you soon. - Aaron"

9th CSA Harvest

Ohhh it is a hot one out there- 100 degrees and humid. This means our tomatoes are happy and our growers, one and all, are encouraged to hydrate throughout the harvest. This photo is one Jerry took yesterday.

This week the harvest looks like this:
Regular red tomatoes with a few heirlooms coming in
Cherry tomatoes
Zukes
Cukes
Summer Squash
Potatoes
Garlic
Green (or purple) beans
Peppers
Okra
and the First harvest of Eggplant!

For those of you following the plight of the Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly here is a link to a article in the Gazzette that describes the conservation efforts underway to enhance the habitat for our state insect. click here
ww

8th CSA week

Pardon the late post for the Wednesday group...
Thanks to all who joined us for the Farm Tour and Art Farm. We've been busy preparing for the first "fall" plantings by preparing the soil with Leaf Gro and tilling under the straw mulch in the old garlic patch. Its hard to belive we are already getting ready for those fall greens but its true!
This week we are harvesting:
Green Beans
Cherry Tomatoes
Red Tomatoes (big beef and early girl)
Peppers
Zukes
Cukes
Summer Squash
Garlic
Potatoes
and the Wednesday group got chard but the Saturday group will have to wait for the patch to regenerate. WW

Farm Tour - ARTFARM

Join us on Saturday, July 22nd from 10am to 3pm for the 17th Annual Farm Tour and Harvest Sale.

ARTFARM is a multimedia celebration of arts in nature for people of all ages- music, dance, puppetry, visual arts, environmental sculpture/instillations and more organized by Mary Ann Ross and Ric Wagner of Concerts In The Country.

Additionally, the University of Marylands Solar Decathlon Team will be on hand to answer questions about our Solar House and the upcoming 2007 Solar Decathlon sponsored by DOE.

We will be selling in-season vegetables from our garden. Board members, staff and volunteers will be answering questions about our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, our service learning activities and our employment program for adults with developmental disabilities. We are also excited about our construction project which is currently in the permitting phase. Our new straw bale building will use far less energy to heat and cool the building than your average home or office being built today.

There are 12 other farms on the tour that you can visit too.For more info on the County Wide tour- where there is a brochure with descriptions and location maps for each of the farms on the tour.

Please leave your companion animals at home unless you have a certified therapy dog.

DIRECTIONS to Red Wiggler at Ovid Hazen Wells Park

7th CSA week

We are busy playing a bit of catch up after all the rain- over 12 inches in one week. But our CSA will be enjoying the bounty of the rains in the form of Summer Squash, Zukes and Cukes!
This week:
First picking of Green Beans
Fresh Garlic
Lots of Yellow Crook Neck Squash
Lots of Zucchini- Adrienne will have a zucchini bread recipe for you
Cucumbers
Chard
Potatoes
Chard
Carrots
Peppers
Kohlrabi
(there is still a lot of basil for you to pick in the PYO and with our garlic as fresh as it gets now is the time for pesto!)

Next week our fields and growers take a breather as we spruce up the farm for the Annual Farm Tour and Art Farm event on Saturday July 22nd. There will be no CSA harvests but we hope you all will be able to come out for the event which is always a unique "happening" thanks to Concerts in the Country!
Woody

6th CSA harvest, a wedding and "Artfarm"

We all took a long week end to celebrate the 4th as well as Shannon Varleys marriage to BJ Miller on Monday July 3rd in Pittsburg PA! It was a beutiful, loving wedding set on an idealic farm complete with lots of kids and pleanty of dancing in a restored bank barn from the mid 1800s. Congratulations Shannon, BJ and Mave!

We just harvested fresh garlic and early potatos for you and you can expect plenty of summer squash as well. The early basil from transplant is ready for picking in the PYO. You can also count on getting some cooking greens as well.
I'll update this later on with a more complete list after we finish up the harvest but I thought you'd want to know about the new arrivals listed above.
Later today....here is the rest of the harvest:
Radishes
spring onions
chard
turnips
peppers
cucumbers
kohlrabi.

And in the PYO (pick your own) - dill, statice, cilantro, thyme, oregano, batchelor's buttons, snap dragons, daisies, sweet peas, gomphrena,basil and straw flowers.
And in the planter boxes - Sage, mint, majoram, lemon balm, nasturshims, chives, marigolds, lovage.

Please note that during the week of July 17th we will be preparing for our annual farm tour known as "Artfarm". We will not be harvesting for the CSA that week. We hope you will be able to come enjoy the free event here on the farm Jul;y 22nd from 10 am til 3pm. There will be music, site specific performance art and who knows what else. stay tuned for more info- Woody

5th CSA week & the spotted Baltimore Checkerspot

We are honored to be able to report that on June 9th the 11th known Baltimore Checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton) colony in the state of Maryland was spoted by Pat Durkin at Red Wiggler. When this orange-and-black checkered butterfly was named the official Maryland State insect in 1973, the species was common throughout the region within its wet meadow habitat. In 1980 there were 14 Maryland counties with 30–plus known colonies – By 2005 the population had dwindled to only nine colonies in five counties. Researchers had believed the butterfly disappeared from Montgomery County years ago. Over the past year our site and another only one mile from our gardens have been identified. – Now with 11 colonies there is budding hope that the Baltimore Checkerspot will find what it needs to survive. It needs one specific host plant to feed from, the White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra) which is found in open wetlands and along the banks of slow moving streams.
The Washinton Post reported the sighting on June 13, see the article.

This week we are harvesting:
Summer Squash
Carrots
Turnips
Arugula
Kale
Collards
Chard
Radishes
Onions
And Blueberries (from Butlers Orchard)
In the pick your own there will be a limited amount of basil for the first time this season!

-Woody

4th CSA harvest and travel report

This week we will be harvesting:
Salad Mix
Arugula
Kale
Chard
Kohlrabi (see photo above)
Turnips
Garlic Scapes
Spring Onions
and Blueberries (from Butlers Orchard)

The Horticulture Therapy conference in Portland OR was highly informative. In short, there is clear documented evidence that access to plants and interacting with the natural world through gardening is beneficial to our health. This research informs how we at Red Wiggler run our farm. We hope that each of our CSA participants will venture forth into the Pick Your Own (PYO) garden to harvest your own flowers and herbs. Take your time, enjoy the experience and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

I also traveled up to Olympia WA where I visited Left Foot Organics. Ann Vandeman, Left Foots Director volunteered at Red Wiggler back in 1998 for an entire year. She then moved to Olympia and duplicated Red Wiggler’s farm program- she employees adults with developmental disabilities, runs a CSA and attends local farmers markets. See www.leftfootorganics.org for more info.

Finally, everywhere I went out there was by public transportation. The people who live throughout the Pacific Northwest take their public transportation seriously and are proud of the fact that they make time to use the busses, light rail and ferries. I hope that we here in Montgomery County will take the time to participate in our RideOn bus transportation system. It will only become as good as we want it to. So, for any CSA member who rides the bus to pick up your vegetables we at Red Wiggler will throw in a little something extra for your share. (for a limited time) Please be sure to let us know you came to the farm by bus. Here is the link for the number 90 bus route.
-Woody

3rd CSA Harvest and a request

This week in your Share you will find:
Salad Mix
Swiss Chard (photo above is of our growers, staff and volunteers harvesting chard)
Kale
Turnips
Kohlrabi
Spinich
Spring Onions
Garlic Scapes

Sorry for the short posting but I am off to Portland OR for the 2006 American Horticultural Therapy Associations Annual Conference. The conference will be here in Montgomery County next year and Red Wiggler will be a featured agency in the 2007 conference. I hope to learn a lot and get inspired! Woody

Pick-up partner(s) wanted to take turns on a regular or occasional basis bringing shares back from the farm on Saturdays. I live in the Rockville/Aspen Hill area. I'm willing to pick up any week I am in town and hold your share temporarilly at my place. Looking for folks willing to do the same for me when I am away or have another conflict on Saturday mornings. Please call me at (301)460-8468 or e-mail me with "Red Wiggler" in the subject line at djayson05@comcast.net

2nd CSA Harvest/s

This week CSA participants can expect the following:
1 bunch Red Russian Kale - jagged leafs with redish hue-
1 bunch of Collards- rounded green leafs
1 bag of baby Salad Mix- about a half pound
1 bag of Arugula -about a half pound-this can be eaten raw as a spicy salad by itself or you can combine it with the salad mix.
1 bunch of Turnips
1 bunch of Radishes
1 bunch of Spring Onions
Garlic Scapes
1 box of "conventional" Strawberries (from Butlers Orchard). If you would like more strawberries we suggest that you add some time to your trip and go over to Butlers and pick as many as you like. This may very well be the end of the strawberry season. We can give you directions when you pick your vegetables up.

In the Pick Your Own (PYO) garden we will have dill, snapdragon and straw flowers. We will need to give the oregano and thyme a rest this week.

We will have recipes again this week in the printed newsletter and an update on whats happening in the fields. Its been a busy week as we harvest, plant and try to keep ahead of the weeds. The growers were laying out tomatoe stakes today and we will begin stringing those plants on Wednesday- weather permitting.

If you wish to make a comment- please click on the light blue “comments” link just below this post. A window will open and you can see a text box in the upper right corner- the curser should already be there. Your comments are very helpful to us.
Thank you and enjoy- WW

ps
Pick up times:
Wednesday 2pm-6pm
Saturday 9am-noon
*If you can not make it for the pick up you may ask a friend to pick up for you but please ask them to be sure to check your name off the "check off list" which is in the barn right next to your weekly newsletter.*
**Please remember to always WASH your vegetables.**

1st CSA Harvest/s

This week is the beginning of our regular 20 week harvest season.
Community Supported Agriculture participants will pick up the following vegetables here on the farm.
Members come on:
Wednesdays between 2pm and 6pm
or
Saturdays between 9am and noon.
Here is what is in this week's harvest:

1 bunch of Hakurei Turnips- these are great chopped and added raw to a salad or lightly braised and added to greens. And the Turnip greens are great treated just like any other cooking greens. We suggest a very lightly wilting of the greens- they are FRESH and harvested on Wednesday and need only a few moments in a pan with olive oil to be ready to eat.

1 bunch of Red Russian Kale- again freshly harvested- just wash chop and wilt on low heat in olive oil for no more than a few minutes.

1 bunch of Collards for braising

1 bag of mixed Braising Greens (komatsuna, mibuna, green wave mustard, osaka purple to name a few varieties in the mix) This mix of greens is for cooking down lightly- same as above.

1 bag of Spinach to be eaten raw or cooked down

1 bunch of Spring Onions

1 handful of Garlic Scapes- sautee'd with greens

1 quart of fresh Strawberries (early glo) harvested across the street at Butlers Orchard. Butlers grows these conventionally.

Please remember to ALWAYS wash ALL of your vegetables. And if you wash them right when you get home from the farm, they will freshen up and keep longer in your ice box. Plus, washing your vegetables ensures healthy food.

WW

Volunteering at Red Wiggler

What a spring we have had at the Red Wiggler Community Farm in 2006!
Plantings abound - from seedlings in flats under lights to direct seeding in the fields. There has been a lot of prep work to develop soil fertility for higher yields. Heavy cover crop seed bags have been emptied - one by one, and generous amounts of organic matter laid in rows to enhance balanced soil fertility from within the soil.
The farm has had many volunteers this spring helping out in the fields. Independent students from local schools have volunteered on their days off school to help plant & straw asparagus, plant kohlrabi, shovel Leafgro on rows, and weeding. The farm has also been open for volunteers one Saturday a month in March & April. We had several CSA families help with the garlic patch, laying drip tape for irrigation, working on our deer fence, and lots of weeding.
The Red Wiggler has had several schools volunteer. Both students with and without disabilities have worked hard filling pots for transplants, shoveling Leafgro, planting potatoes, and accomplishing feats like worker bees to complete jobs that would have taken 1 or 2 people an entire afternoon.
We have also had the honor of working with engineering students from the University of Maryland who have volunteered at Red Wiggler to help us with permitting/construction efforts with the "People's Choice" Solar House that was donated to the farm after the Solar Decathlon on the Mall (DC) last October.
It is great to see enthusiastic folk on the farm! There's something really invigorating and rewarding about being outside on a sunny day and working as a team to accomplish a goal that benefits so many!
There are many different reasons why people volunteer on the Red Wiggler Community Farm: interest in sustainable farming methods; interest in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture); interest in working with adults with developmental disabilities; interest in alternative energy - Whatever the reason, the farm is Thankful to all of our volunteers who help us reach our vision of creating fertile ground to nourish a healthy & inclusive community.
Beth McCormack/Volunteer Coordinator

Late April Garden Up-date & Mission Statement Up-Date

In March I am told we endured the least amount of rainfall since area records have been kept. The up-side of low rainfall is it allows us to work in the gardens. This meant we were able to work the soil and plant our seeds and get our irrigation system up and running. Thanks to the hard work of our growers and with the additional support of volunteers we were able “set the table” for a successful season. Over the past two days we have received plenty of slow steady rain.
As of this writing just about everything we have planted has germinated. Even some of the potatoes (Peruvian blues and Red Norlands) have sent leaves sprouting. Additionally, peas, fava beans, red ace and chioggia beets, purple top and hakuri turnips, two plantings of spinach, Red Russian and Toscano kale, collards, bright lights and mammoth green chard, carrots, salad mix, braising greens and kohlrabi. Additionally, the snap dragons from last year over wintered and we can expect early blooms on those flowers. We also had good luck over wintering Winterbor and red Russian kale, arugula and collards- all of which are now flowering and will go to seed. That seed will be saved and planted in August and next spring.
We also want to thank the Montgomery County Division of Solid Waste for donating over 75 yards of Leaf-Gro soil conditioner last week. Over the upcoming summer our growers and volunteers will apply liberal amounts of leaf-gro to our fields as we attempt to give back to the land as fast as it gives to us.
And for those of you interested in our Solar House and Straw Bale admin and training buildings- we are with in a month or two of obtaining the septic permit and construction permits. We look forword to a Community Farm that will be able to give to the community in an ever creative and abundant way. Conversely, we are all looking forword to toilets that flush! As costs for these projects increase with the cost of fuel etc. we will soon be sending out a request for donations. Your support will help us grow Red Wiggler into an organization that lives up to our vision, mission and core values. And in case you were wondering….here is a recently updated statement on Mission from our board meeting in February:

VISION
We create fertile ground to nourish a healthy and inclusive community.

MISSION
We are community farm that cultivates healthy food through:
• A Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that provides fresh, locally-grown produce.
• Meaningful employment for adults with developmental disabilities.
• Educational and service opportunities for youth and adults.
• Environmental stewardship.

CORE VALUES
Red Wiggler Community Farm believes in:
1. Reconnecting people with the source of their food and the local community.
2. Creating an environment of respect, cooperation, integrity, and innovative thinking.
3. Ensuring purposeful work and equal treatment for all stakeholders.
4. Fostering opportunities for outreach and meaningful education of youth, adults, and employees.
5. Building local food security for our community.
6. Being a catalyst for community collaborations and volunteerism.
7. Practicing environmental stewardship through ecologically sensitive best practices.

Thank you for your interest in Red Wiggler. ww

Busy busy busy

The past few weeks have been extremely productive. We direct seeded kale, collards, braising greens, turnips, beets, more spinach, carrots, fava beans, more peas and an assortment of “green manures”. We also planted 200 more crowns of asparagus. We now have 500 crowns growing and we expect our first major harvest of asparagus to be in mid April of 2007. The growers were busy deconstructing and reconstructing our deer fence with the help of volunteers. As of today the fields are well protected from deer. Work continues on ensuring fertility with the spreading of lots of Leaf-Gro. (Special thanks to Montgomery County's Solid Waste Division)We are also busy laying out our drip tape lines for irrigation. Last nights rain was the first we have seen in over one month. In the office we have about 40 flats of plants growing and next week we are set to start our second planting of tomatoes. ww

Spring Planting

Today we finished planting our onion sets. Red and yellow. Last Friday we planted all our potatoes: Yukon Gold, Red Norland, Kennebec, All Blue. Spring planting has arrived, soon we'll put in our peas, hardy greens, and root crops. Let the growing begin!

One of the big tasks we are undertaking is spreading Leaf-Gro compost on all of our beds. It's a really great donation from the county operation. It really helps our plants grow.

In the beautiful weather last week we accomplished many tasks. The farming season is under way!

Lime

Yesterday we spread 820 pounds of lime over a 27,000 sq. ft portion of our garden beds. We also began setting up lights in our office where we will be growing over 3,000 seedlings from seed during the next 3 months.

Shannon Varleys article published on newfarm.org

In 2003 Shannon Varley came to work with Red Wiggler. Reciently she published an article on NewFarm.org

New Farm is published by the Rodale Institute and is an outstanding resource for farmers on the cutting edge of the sustainable agriculture movement. I am delighted that Shannon was able to find the time to tell her story with such passion. Thanks Shan.
Here is the link-
Farming Felt Deeply, and Without Limits
"Growing healthy food with people working at the top of their game provides special education for this young farmer seeking a career that is engaging, dynamic and thrilling."
By Shannon Varley

posted by WW

Excerpts of the day

Over the weekend we held a board meeting to discuss our Mission, Vision, and Core Values. It went well and a lot of thinking went into how to fully express our intentions here at Red Wiggler. In the coming months look for the changes on our website's mission page.

Lately, I've been working to secure some straw for mulching this season. It's been a little difficult with the prices that I've been quoted, but last Friday we got a virtual windfall when another local farmer said she had some used straw that would be perfect for our needs. Now, I just need to get some more stakes for stringing tomato plants.

It seems that Farm Manager duties also include masonry work. I've been filling in and laying brick in what was formally the feed trough of our lower dairy barn. On warm days I'm out fiddling with that. I'll try to insert a picture here.
Hope all is well!
-Adrienne

Exciting Developments

Well, things have begun to gather steam around these parts lately. Last weekend we went to the PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture) conference at Penn State. We all (Beth, Woody, and Adrienne) walked away excited for the new season, loaded with lots of new knowledge and ideas.

Shouts of joy were let out this morning around 11am as, Mike, our UPS man delivered the bulk of our Johnny's Selected Seeds order. Now things can really begin! Though we'll wait to the end of the month to turn the office into a thriving greenhouse. Thanks Johnny's for the generous donation!!

On another front, Woody and Shannon have been working hard on a new BIG grant! Go team!!

To top things off, as I was sitting here at my desk, a chubby little groundhog wandered by the window and when I went out to investigate him I noticed the daffodils budding up. Whew, spring is on the way!

Saturday CSA is FULL - still openings for the "extended season"

We opened up the CSA this past Monday to new participants. We had about 20 spaces to fill and they are now ALL GONE for our regular season (June-Oct).
We do still have shares available for our extended season which begins in mid-October and runs for 4 weeks. If you like greens, root vegetables and winter squash you may want to try this out. The fee is $100 for four weeks of late fall harvests. This is also a good way to be first in line for our 2007 CSA season. We will update the web site later with more details about the "extended season" It's been a busy week. whew. I'm off to the movies!
-Woody

Wednesdays are FULL

Hello and Good Afternoon. This is my first entry on our blog, so pardon my excitement.
Well, after fielding many a phone call in the past two days and getting a literal "haul" at the post office today, we are officially full for our Wednesday CSA pickups. We only have about 8 spots left for our Saturday pickups. It's exciting to think that it's mid-January and already people are excited about getting veggies this summer! I'm pumped to start getting into the swing of planting, even though it means long, hot days and lots of hard work. Some how that tiredness has vanished and I'm left with renewed energy (however that could be the mocha I drank to warm up speaking).
I believe this year will be truly exciting and fruitful. Yipee!
Ciao,
Farmer Adrienne

First Come First Serve For New CSA Participants

Today we opened up the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program to new participants. At this time we have about 50 of last years 72 participants returning. We have also updated our CSA web page with all new information including a revamped list of “Crops We Grow” and a Frequently Asked Questions page.

This year our CSA costs $450 for a total of 18 harvests over a span of 20 weeks. We are also offering an optional 4 weeks of “extended season” for those participants who LOVE winter greens, storage roots and winter squash etc. The cost for the 4 week extended season is $100.
For more info go to www.redwiggler.org

-Woody

Saving Seeds in January

Our crew of growers were out in the fields 3 out of 5 days last week. They were busy collecting seed from 3 different varieties of basil as well as seed from summer savory. They also harvested the remaining purple top turnips. These turnips are being stored in a cool dry place until mid March. We will then transplant them back into the ground and watch as they produce a seed stalk. Those seeds will be collected and ultimately planted again in August for our fall crop (2006). Seed saving is a great way to reduce our costs while developing strains of crops that are acclimated to our climate and soil conditions here in upper Montgomery County Maryland.

Winter Harvest

It was actually in the 60s again today. This photo was taken back in December of our farmer, Adrienne, harvesting kale! This past fall we ran a small "extended" CSA as a "pilot" to see if winter harvesting could be a viable way to expand our programs. As you can see here we were sucessful and we plan to "extend" our CSA in 2006 all the way to Thanksgiving.

Winter Work - planning out crop rotations

The temperature went just above 60 Fahrenheit today. We had one volunteer here working on a project in the barn. Adrienne (our Farm Manager) and I were also able to get out and walk the fields to discuss the upcoming season.

The bulk of our conversation centered around our “crop rotation” . That is, where the 50 some odd different crops (and over 100 varieties) are going to be planted in the field this season.
Legumes, like beans and peas, get planted where leafy crops ,like lettuce, were last year.
Fruits, such as tomatoes, get planted where legumes were last season.
Roots, like carrots or beets, go where fruits, like tomatoes, were.
It goes like this:
Leaf > root > fruit > legume > leaf > root etc...

Why? This is one tried and true "organic" method of ensuring that bad bugs and diseases do not linger in the same garden patch year after year. Additionally, legume crops fix much needed nitrogen into the soil where "nitrogen needy" crops like squash or tomatoes (fruits) get their requirements naturally. Our goal is to grow healthy plants for our community without the use of harmful chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. At Red Wiggler we only use pesticides that come from plants. And if possible we prefer not to use even those natural sprays if at all possible. Rotating our crops help us to achieve healthy soil which can grow healthy plants which will nourish our community.
Woody