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2009 Spring CSA Week 4

Dear Shareholders,

I this year is anything, it is a study in contrasts. And they are quick too. First we have very hot and sunny weather. The next day it is cold as anything. I hope you haven't planted all your tomatoes yet. We have a few coldish nights coming up - death, if only slowly to tomatoes who like it no lower than 50. We hope to get ours planted on June 4 - though we will plant a batch of them in the yellow house tomorrow morning.

This week Brian rejoined us. He was on the farm in 2007 and we are glad to have him back. He didn't miss a beat and was out raking hay on his first day. Joey, our almost high school graduate is full of young energy and lots of questions. It looks like a lot of guys on the staff this year with Jack, Rich, Matyas, Brian and Joey. But I think Clare and I can hold our own.

We are still 37 shares short for the Summer CSA which starts on June 15. Many thanks to Lori Schaefer who did a press release. It made the front page of the Barre Gazette today and someone called from the Gardner News to do a story. Any help you can give us to get those last 37 shares will be helpful. Making budget is always a challenge around here.

It is hard to remember all the things that we accomplish in a week around here - even this week which was short. Everyone had the day off on Monday and I enjoyed what I have done for 25 years, marching in the Barre Memorial Day parade. But here is a synopsis - how many seedlings did we transplant, Clare, and get out the door to our pre-order customers. We moved them around a lot too. They were evicted from the yellow house which was set up with tomato trellises. We will plant them tomorrow, as previously mentioned. We roto-tilled much more of the farm, planted out broccoli, lettuce, parsley, dill seeds, lots of perennial and annual flowers, and some more chard. We cleaned out the purple house in preparation for tomorrow's planting of melons and cukes. Tomorrow we plant corn and winter squash seeds in the field, pick up another batch of hay and use it as mulch on our potatoes and chard. No potato bugs this year yet - Yeah! We moved our chickens out to their movable shelters. The chores will now take upwards of an hour per day to accomplish. Today Rich and Brian sprayed the entire farm with our "bubbly" mix. This includes some microbes, a little sugar for them to eat with, and lots of water. We do this every two weeks now, with excellent results

For those of you signed up for a fruit share, Jack did the tour of the fruit holdings today. We have tremendous fruit set of apples and peaches, and some good set of pears, plums and cherries - quite exciting!

For eats this week you will get the following -

We won't have any seedlings in the barn for sale tomorrow, but we do have plenty extras if you want to find one of us and do some shopping. They cost $4/pak. Okay, off to bed to rest up for another long and productive day on the farm.

Julie

Rich Matteson Rich Matteson

Rich Matteson

This week's guest columnist is Rich Matteson. When he is wearing his shades he looks a bit like the ski bum he once was, but Rich is well-rooted in the farm. With a special patience and deliberateness, willingness and wry sense of humor, he is one of Many Hands' treasures.

I grew up in Central Illinois where you were never more than a couple of miles from a seemingly endless field of corn. When I was very young I remember going to a farm stand a mile and a half beyond my grade school on Route 1, where they had a tank made of cider blocks painted white which was filled with water, blocks of ice and whole watermelons. It was a fascinating sight for me to see those heavy, green striped orbs all floating around together. I think I probably had to be lifted up to the edge to see inside. We would point to one and the clerk would pull it to the side with a pole. They were so cold and sweet, just the perfect thing for a hot, humid August afternoon.

The first thing I grew was a marigold my teacher had us start at school in a Dixie cup. Being enthused by that experience, my parents encouraged me to grow in their garden my favorite vegetable, carrots. They turned out kind of stumpy and woody from our heavy clay soil, but we happily ate them anyway. Over the next few years I successfully grew and enjoyed some other favorites, among them, pumpkins, sweet peas and strawberries. But as I entered my teens, my interests changed and I no longer participated in the garden. As an adult I've always lived in an apartment with restricted or no access to land and never felt settled enough to revive my dormant gardening yearnings.

So my experience was limited and basic when I started to volunteer at Many Hands for a few days in the fall of 2006. The next summer I became a working shareholder and slowly began the transformation from novice gardener, puttering about and wonderstruck by everything, to novice farm worker, focused on getting through a long, varied list of tasks. I started the 2008 season as a working shareholder again, but when a position opened up and was offered to me in June, I took it. This was yet another jump in the level of responsibility for producing for the farm. I have to say that I've been deeply satisfied with working here on this farm. I love the animals, being outdoors, the physical work, nurturing growing things.

In a larger context, I've found working here and being around this community of people to also be very personally fulfilling in a number of aspects. Intellectually there is so much science that can be learned about farming. The nutrient dense avenue we are pursuing is one such captivating study. There are also innumerable practical skills to learn. Jack and Julie live an impressive example of a self-reliant and sustainable lifestyle. It's inspiring to be a part of that. There is a rich, thriving social world here at Many Hands that is very warm and interesting and gratifying. And lastly, what brings us all here, the great fresh organic food. Sure it reflects an appreciation for health and for organic growing practices, but simply, it tastes wonderful. I love the food.

Rich Matteson

Nina's Recipes