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.