New 2010 Slide Show and Year End Request

Red Wiggler Community Farm Programs made a difference in 2010:

◦ 400+ people with developmental disabilities were served by our farm programs
◦ 735 youth and adults participated in our Educational Service Learning program activities
◦ 28% of Red Wiggler’s total yield of fresh produce was distributed to low-income residents through our Farm to Group Home and Farm to Food Bank programs

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support our programs for 2011. Thank you and Happy Holidays.

Lottery Applicantions for the 2011 CSA Season

Hi All,

Our 2011 CSA season shares are open to the public via the Jan 18 lottery!

We have about 25 spots open to new members for the 2011 CSA Season. Our lottery for the available shares will be held the week of January 17th with all submitted applications and $50 checks. If you are interested please read our CSA page where you will find a FAQ page and more info. Then open/download the application here.


The Application and $50 check must be received by COB Jan 18.

Please read the entire document/web page before calling or emailing-thanks.

-Red Wiggler Community Farm Staff and Growers

Extended 2010 #2

We're back again for the second week of extended season. We had a light frost Saturday morning, and we harvested the majority of the peppers on Thursday and Friday, so this week brings more peppers to you.
All in all, it's a continuation of all things good and delightful that autumn brings to the kitchen. Enjoy!

Peppers
Hot Peppers
Radishes
Turnips (Hakurei)
Carrots (Danvers--shorter)
Garlic (2)
Tat soi or Pac Choi
Kale (lacinato & red russian) or collards
Beets (and their greens)
Winter Squash (acorns)
Arugula

Extended season 2010 week #1

Oh, we've been mighty delinquent on our blog postings. Please excuse, sometimes it's hard to get outta the fields and behind a desk!

This week for extended share:
peppers
eggplant
hot peppers
kale
turnips
radishes
tatsoi
winter squash

There may be something I'm missing there but otherwise . . .enjoy and eat well!
-RWCF

A late summer day at Red Wiggler

Ten-year-old Sebastian is one of our regular volunteers. Assisted by photographer Tobias, 7, here is his recap of a recent morning on the farm.

When we got there, we harvested beans (it ain't easy:-)).





And while were doing that we saw two pairs of mating (I think) grasshoppers. At one point a grasshopper jumped on my shoulder!



The chickens are fine. :-)





Then we got carrots (also not easy). First, we had to use pitchforks to loosen up the soil. Then we pulled out the carrots and as if that wasn't enough, we had to shake off the dirt, and tie them into bunches. Phew!



After our work was finished, we had a delicious lunch, and some great watermelon for dessert!

NO CSA THIS WEEK--HARVEST SUPPER!

Just a quick reminder, NO CSA PICK UP this week. We're getting ready for the Annual Supper and Silent Auction. See you next week, if not at the dinner!

Week 13 A

It feels like a rough summer on this end but loads of goodness is still coming your way. We planted more fall greens this week--soon, soon enough they'll be back.

Beans--all 3 varities are coming in so: purple, yellow wax or green may be options
Carrots--Danvers variety, previous carrots were the Yaya variety
Sweet Potato greens--a fun addition last year
tomatoes-in some form or another
garlic
bunched herbs--we're trying to push summer savory and basil on you....
summer squash
sweet peppers
hot peppers
eggplant

Eat 'em up, YUM!

Scouts Build Bird Houses

By Liam Fox

Recently I and many of my friends worked to improve the availability of real estate for Red Wiggler, bird real estate that is. My name is Liam Fox, I have been volunteering at Red Wiggler for several years. I am also a Boy Scout and wanted to do something for the farm for my Eagle Scout project.

Working with Liz and Woody, we came up with the idea of building more eastern blue bird homes and installing them. They also wanted me to install a purple martin house. Both of these species bring a lot of benefits to the farm. They eat a tremendous amount of insects, providing a natural means of protecting the crops. The birds are also beautiful neighbors, enhancing the variety of fauna on the farm and in the community.

Many people made donations to help me purchase the materials, including my family, neighbors, and the Knights of Columbus at St.Elizabeth's Parish in Rockville . Steve James at Barrons Lumber on West Diamondback Road in Gaithersburg sold me the material at cost, which helped a great deal.

On Sunday the 15th, 15 friends and fellow Scouts gathered at my house to build 10 eastern blue bird houses. Without mortal injury we completed the houses and ate a lot of cookies.

On Thursday the 19th, 10 friends and Scouts including Woody met at Red Wiggler and installed the houses we built as well as an eight gourd purple martin house.

Next spring we look forward to welcoming the new residents of Red Wiggler.

I got educational material form

Blue Bird

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Bluebird/id

http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/

Purple Martin

http://birding.about.com/od/birdprofiles/a/purplemartinfacts.htm

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Purple_Martin/id

http://purplemartin.org/main/mgt.html

Split Tomato Overload

We have a large amount of tomatoes with splits after last weeks hard rains. They'll go fast but they'll make great sauce or salsa.

CSA Harvest for This Week (12B)

Heirloom
Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Beans
Summer Squash
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Baby Carrots
Eggplant


In the PYO:

Zinnias
Basil
Marjoram
Oregano
Thyme
Sage
Lovage
Mint
Chives
Calendula
Feverfew
Bachelor Buttons
Snapdragons
Statice
Strawflowers
Anise Hyssop

Harvest 10-B

Over halfway through the season, and still churning out the veggies.

This week:
Baby Carrots
Heirloom Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Sweet Bell Peppers
Hot Peppers
Summer Squash/Zucchini
Potatoes
Beans

Remembering Hallie Wells Birthday Today

Red Wiggler Community Farm remembers Hallie Ausmus Wells birthday today August 1, 1893- she would be 117. Below is a re-posting of an archived blog entry describing how she came to donate her 290 acre farm to the Park system in 1981- we are very grateful for this special woman and her contribution to our community.
Originally posted: Friday, August 15, 2008 by Susan Skeith, valued Red Wiggler Volunteer 2008

They had no children, and this fact led, in 1956, to Ovid Hazen Wells and Hallie Ausmus Wells making a momentous decision which affects us all today.

They clearly loved the State of Maryland, the open landscapes of Montgomery County and the charm of farming life. They both seemed to be visionaries of their time desiring to protect the land that they valued so dearly. In 1956 they made their decision to deed the 290 acres of farmland which they owned to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission so that it might remain as open space and be used for recreation. In l981, when Hallie officially made the donation, their vision had become reality.

Ovid Hazen Wells was born in Claiborne County, Tennessee in 1894, as was Hallie, in1893. They moved to the District of Columbia in 1918 when they were in their twenties. Ovid worked on the White House Police Force (now known as the Secret Service) and Hallie worked first for War Risk Insurance (a Federal department for WW1 veterans) and later for the IRS.

In 1940, Ovid retired and the Wellses bought 94 acres on Skylark Road in Clarksburg and later they acquired more adjoining land, including a dairy farm, bringing their total acreage to 290. They continued to live in DC but Ovid worked on the farm with the help of farmhands. Hallie described her husband as a ‘handshaker’, one who was prone to bringing people over on Saturdays and Sundays to show off his farm. She once told the Gazette in a l989 interview that “my husband informed me, one day back in 1952, that he planned to move to Cedar Grove and if I didn’t want to come, he would leave me a bed!” She promptly retired and they moved to the farm permanently.

It was on a Spring morning, four years later, when they had their discussion about who should benefit from their good fortune when they were gone. Between them they had more than 20 brothers and sisters and, as Hallie so eloquently put it, “bequeathing it to all those heirs would have meant a nickel piece of it each time lawyers and everybody got their part”. Besides, the Wellses were more than a little concerned that development was intruding ever closer and they wanted to make sure that their piece of open space was left for the community to learn about their agricultural heritage and to have a recreational park for generations to come; not merely development into houses on one-acre lots.

They also wanted it to benefit children.

Later that same year, Ovid sadly died at the age of 62, having been denied his senior years working the land as he had hoped. One wonders if he knew his life was coming to an end and he needed to have a plan for Hallie.

Hallie made the donation of their farm in 1981, despite the fact that the land had appreciated in value to over 1 million dollars. She continued to live there until her death, at the ripe-old age of 98 and she is buried with her husband in the Salem United Methodist Cemetery on Ridge Road.
Because of the generosity and astounding vision that this couple exuded we are still able to work the farm, as Red Wiggler; providing job opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities; growing and selling high quality produce and continuing to expand the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program which, by its nature, creates and nurtures a healthy and inclusive community.

What a superb legacy Ovid and Hallie have left for this community and, like them, we must continue to protect and preserve the land around us as our responsibility for this generation and generations to come.


by Susan Skeith, Red Wiggler Volunteer 2008

Harvest Week 9 A

We're back again after a very hot week from the Annual Montgomery Farm Tour. Thanks to all those who braved the heat and came out.

This week in your share:
Eggplant
Sweet Bell Peppers
Hot Peppers
Potatoes
Onions
Zucchini
Cucumber
Cherry Tomatoes
Red Tomatoes
Heirloom Tomatoes

That's some good eatin'!

It's Cooler in the Country

This past Saturday was the Annual Montgomery County Farm Tour & Harvest Sale. By most reports the temperature was above 100 Fahrenheit throughout the county but our temperatures did not go above 98- so it is in fact "cooler in the country"! Attendance was a fraction of past years numbers yet over 300 people were "clicked" in by our official crowd estimators (thanks to Wiggins et al.)

Here is a short slide show of photos from the day:


We are grateful to Janet at Le Soleil Catering who was on hand with Gazpacho, trail mix, lemon cake and water. Our bee keeper, Chet from Banner Bee Company, was also selling honey and showing off his "observation hive". And thanks to Matthew Pennington for organizing the music- The Rookery Project. There were also more than 15 volunteers who staffed the Farm Tour and we are grateful to them as well. Hoola hooping in the shade was the hit of the day!

Annual Farm Tour This Week End

2010
Annual Farm Tour
Saturday July 24th 10am-3pm
Live Music : Rookery Sessions (same great musicians as last year with a few guests)

Come out and join us for a day of music, hay rides, and educational activities! This free event is a great way to learn more about life our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm and how green farming can be when we work with an eye to environmental stewardship and utilize sustainable farming practices. Take a tour and visit the vegetables growing in Red Wiggler’s fields. See the plant based treatments that a rural physician might have used to care for patients in Montgomery County in the 1850s. Watch honeybees in their hive and learn how they participate in the life of the farm. Enjoy a family friendly hayride and learn to hoola hoop!. We will have seasonal Red Wiggler produce and flowers for sale along with honey and bee based products from The Naked Bee. Hope to see you here next year. Directions

Spring and Summer Slide Show

Here is a slide show of photos from the 2010 growing season

Harvest Week 8B

In the share this week:

Garlic
Potatoes
Onions
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Eggplant
Summer Squash
Cucumbers

Farm to Food Bank program highlighted

Click here to donate now
Channel 7 in DC did a story about our Farm to Food Bank partnership with Manna Food Center, Kaiser Permanente and Whole Foods.

here is the blurb from Channel 7's web site:
GAITHERSBURG, Md. - A new program in Montgomery County is bringing some of the highest quality foods to those who can least afford it. The Farm to Food Bank initiative, organized by the Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg, is bringing fruits and vegetables to the masses.

"It helps people that don't have enough money to go and buy groceries," said Janet Rugh-Williams, who says she cannot afford fresh produce.To make matters worse, her 9-year-old daughter suffers from a severe health condition. "She does have a health problem," Rugh-Williams. "So when I couldn't help her, you guys help."

The food will come from twelve local farms and orchards, including Red Wiggler in Clarksburg.

The program, which runs through the fall, including everything from garlic and eggplant to peppers and potatoes. Every single vegetable is certified organic.

"The basis of a healthy society is its food system. And I believe we have one example, in a small way, that demonstrates that," said Woody Woodroof, the founder and executive director of Red Wiggler, which employs individuals with disabilities.

After its harvested, the produce goes to Manna Food Center in Gaitherburg. The hope, says the center's executive director, Kim Damion, is that healthier food will lead to healthier lifestyles.

"We can also make them healthier, and ultimately get them on the road to self-sufficiency," Damion said.

The program will harvest 3,500 of fruits and vegetables each week, enough to feed eight hundred families through January.

Chickens on the Move

The chickens have moved! After determining that it is time for them to start earning their keep around here, we found a nice spot in the retired spring greens for our mobile chicken tractor. Last week we rolled our friends up to the field, set out the fencing to keep them happily contained, then turned them loose!

They seem to be thoroughly enjoying the chance to hunt and peck through their little corner of the field for seed heads and can be seen darting back and forth erratically, which looks a little odd from a distance, but up close reveals that they are hard at work chasing down insects. In addition to reducing the pest population, they will fertilize the soil with their droppings, then incorporate them into the soil as they scratch and do their chicken thing. All of this activity is excellent for the fields, which will get a nice rest while they are groomed.


update: after 27 days with only 3/8ths of an inch of rain- today we recieved 1/2 inch under cloudy skies- a good day to get some chix pix. Last week the chickens spent the hot "code orange" days in the shade of the chicken tractor- all of us are grateful for the break.

Harvest Week 7-A

In the share this week...

Zucchini & Summer Squash
Cucumbers
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Spring Onions
Green Garlic
Eggplant

And new this week...
Red Norland Potatoes!

Havest Week #5-A

Oh, boy it's HAWT out here this week!

Veggies:
Chard or Kale or Collards
Spring Onions
Kohlrabi
Zucchini!!!
Garlic Scapes
Green Garlic
Sweet Pepper
Butler's Blueberries

Harvest Week #4-B

This week we have a few new items to enjoy and a few repeats, but enjoy them while they last!

Lettuce Mix
Garlic Scapes
Kale or Collards
Swiss Chard
Spring Onions--they look gorgeous!
Turnips
Beets
Fava Beans--oh, boy are they delicious!
Kohlrabi
Zucchini
A tasting of Arugula

Popcorn & Asparagus==Bonus

Harevst #3-A

Sorry Folks the week has gotten away from me and I haven't posted the harvest list yet and it's Thursday afternoon and I should be doing 10 other things....but here we go.

Lettuce Mix
Garlic Scapes
Collards
Kale
Spring Onions
Radishes
Turnips
Fava Beans
Popcorn

*Onion Scapes
*Asparagus
* in small quantites

-a2

Fabulous Fava Beans!

Fava Beans have come to Red Wiggler! Not just a cover crop any longer, this season we decided to experiment with the Fava Beans (also called Broad Beans) and see if a tasty new crop would join the ranks of Red Wiggler favorites. Yesterday was a beautiful day to harvest the great green pods, and we are looking forward to hearing what our CSA customers have to say about them next week, thought we have already appreciated their buttery goodness straight from the fields. Here is an ode to Fava Beans from NPR a few years back that includes some recipe ideas. Happy Shelling!

Jerry, enjoying the challenge of a brimming basket of beans!

CSA 2010 Harvest #2-B

Hello to all you CSA-ers out there! Hope you had a nice extended Memorial Day weekend. To those who picked up their shares last week, we hope you had some great meals. I heard a few reports back that things went over very well. This week we have a similar harvest but with a few added goodies.

Garlic Scapes
Mesculan Mix--new this year.
Collards--oh, how I love thee...
Swiss Chard
Spring Onions
Radishes-Cherriette variety
Turnips-Purple top variety

Butler's Orchard Strawberries **Conventionally grown

And making it's debut....is the fabled popcorn harvested last fall.

Enjoy!!

First Week of CSA 2010!

Hello All,

Welcome Back to the Red Wiggler CSA. We are happy to bring you the first harvest of many good things this season! Here's what we've got on tap this week:

Garlic Scapes--you know you've missed them!
Braising Mix--with a little spinach mixed in
Spring Onions
Kale
Collards
Turnips or Radishes
Butler's Strawberries

Enjoy!

Chicken Little -or- Chicks arrive at Red Wiggler!

The chicks are here! They arrived yesterday evening after a short ride down from Whitmore Farm and settled into their new digs for what ended up being a chilly night. Even so, the little ones kept each other cozy through the night and were happily chirping away in the barn this morning. We are all very excited that they are here, and they are bound to be a source of frequent comment in this space!

After spending last week freshening up the wagon with a new coat of paint and rigging just the right brooding situation...

we abandoned the outdoor setup in favor of a smaller, more insulated brooding space inside the barn- at least until these cold overnight temperatures subside!


The chicks were greeted by some eager farmers...



(Adrienne still thinks they are awfully cute, even when they leave unexpected surprises on her clothes)

and when acquaintances were made, the chicks settled in for the night. Night chickies!

Planting Potatoes

The potatoes are in! In classic Red Wiggler style, we have planted not one, not two, but six (yes, six) beautiful varieties of potatoes over the past two weeks. Red Norlands, Yukon Golds, German Butterballs, French Fingerlings, Purple Vikings and All Blues have been tucked into their beds and are waiting for a nice rain to get them on their way.

Our crew did the lions share of the planting work, and we were lucky enough to get a helping hand from enthusiastic volunteers from the Community Foundation Mothers and Daughters group for the last two varieties to go in. One of our crew, Samantha, shares her perspective on the potato process here:

Some of the staff and growers cut potatoes in quarters, then we let them dry out. We planted them within the week to prevent mold from growing on them. We rolled out potato fabric and cut holes in the fabric. Then a piece of cut potato was placed in each hole. We also made hills in the dirt and planted the potato cut side down, skin side up, then covered the potato with dirt. To keep the holes in the fabric lined up with where the potatoes were planted, metal stakes as well as some wooden stakes and rocks were placed on the fabric to keep the fabric from blowing off during a storm or in high winds.

Adventures in CHICKENS!

That’s right friends, the rumors are true- Red Wiggler will be adding CHICKENS to our farm this season! Ready to start this project off on the right foot, Andrea and Liz headed out to Whitmore Farms at the beginning of March to visit our old friend Loran and our new friends, Will and Kent, owners of Whitmore Farm. Whitmore Farm is a certified organic farm that specializes in American Heritage breed livestock raised on pasture. Loran showed us around, giving us the chance to see how they raise their laying hens, have a look at their mobile coops, and see the hatchery operation, where our Red Wiggler Chicks will come from!

All in all, the day was a huge success! We walked away knowing exactly what we’ll need in a chicken wagon and how to get it, as Whitmore Farms has offered to sell us one of theirs (that beauty in the picture above). We also got to meet the various heritage breeds that will make up our flock- The Welsumers, deep red chickens that lay large, dark brown speckled eggs;

Delawares, our white feathered friends with the bright red comb, eye, and wattle laying light brown eggs (the light yellow chicks )

and the Ameraucanas, best known by their beautiful blue eggs (pictured below as fluffy little chicks).

Since our visit, we have been busy plotting and planning both our strategy for raising a happy healthy flock and thinking about how we’ll get the support we need to make our chicken dreams a reality as soon as possible. We have decided to go organic and raise our flock on pasture, which means these chicks will be tended by us from their second day out of the shell. This also means that there will be a long period where we’ll be supporting the chickens before they are mature enough to produce eggs to sell. If you'd like to support this new project please consider making an on line donation. We are very excited to watch them grow, and if you are too, let us know!

Support Red Wiggler by eating at Chop't

Hello Loyal Friends and Supporters!

We wanted to let people know that if they stop into Chop't Restaurants in DC--there are 5 convenient locations--you can support Red Wiggler by ordering their featured salad for the month. Part of the cost will go to Red Wiggler to support our programs. So eat a healthy delicious meal and do good for one of your favorite NGOs!

Thanks in advance!!
-Red Wiggler

Farm Conference Fun!

We're off to the annual PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture) conference at Penn State University in State College, PA. We're sure to meet old and new friends and learn a few new tricks to bring back to the farm. Whoohoo!

CSA 2010 is Complete

We want to thank all those who submitted applications for the Red Wiggler Community Farm’s 2010 CSA. We have a limited number of shares available and many applicants. We limit our CSA to focus on growing in a safe and sustainable method for our fields and our employees.

Our farm is a unique Non-profit with a diverse social mission and we have many great events open to the public throughout the year. For those who’d like to possibly come out and volunteer with us, please visit the volunteer page of our website here.

There are lots of great resources for finding fresh, local food in our area. For other CSAs, we recommend looking at Local Harvest. They are a great resource. Each CSA is a little different and brings added benefits. The Washington Post also lists local CSAs in the beginning of February each year in the Food section of the paper. Here is last year’s (2009) article. Another great resource for local food are farmers markets. Here is the listing of farmers markets in the metro area.

We thank everyone for their interest and support and wish the best in local eating for 2010 and look forward to connecting with everyone in the future!

2010 CSA Lottery Receiving Applications Now

Our 2010 CSA season shares are open to the public via Jan 19 lottery! (The lottery has taken place for the 2010 season- see our web site for 2011 details)

We've had an 82% return rate from our 2009 customers. Again this year, we are holding a lottery for the available shares the week of January 18th with all submitted applications and $50 checks. If you are interested please read our CSA page where you will find a FAQ page and more info. Then download the 2010 Registration/Application form. The Application and $50 check must be received by COB Jan 19.

Please read the entire document/web page before calling or emailing-thanks.

-Red Wiggler Community Farm Staff and Growers

Another step into social media in 2010

You can follow us on twitter now!