The first week of the season is here! Is it just us or did this winter fly by? We knew it would since it always does, and yet we're always so surprised when it's upon us. I never thought I'd be the type of person who talks incessantly about the weather, but here I am - a farmer's wife - and my entire life revolves around it. It's been a tough spring due to clouds, rain, and low temps, and we've been so looking forward to being in the clear from frost threats.
For those of you who are new to Laurel Glen Farm, we welcome you with gratitude to our program. Randy Rogowski is the farmer, and his family has been farming the land here for 100 years. It started as a dairy farm and then in 2013, Randy took the reins and converted the remaining land into a vegetable farm. We now farm 20 acres, including 2 greenhouses, 3 acres of fruit, brand new hens, and (also new this year) flowers!
In 2020, I decided to take a leave from elementary teaching to farm alongside Randy full-time. While he's responsible for all of the growing, crop caretaking, and business management, I'm responsible for sales, marketing, customer service, and order fulfillment. I'm incredibly passionate about this Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, and I look forward to cooking and eating seasonally alongside you this season.
Randy and I have two kids, Peter and Janina. Janina will be 15 months this week, and Peter turns 5 on Friday. We celebrated his birthday with an annual farm and music-themed barn bash this weekend. You might see the kids around the farm this season.
We have about 10 crew members on staff who support us in all that we do here. You'll get to know them through this newsletter and in the store. This year, everyone will take a turn in the field, at the wash station, and in the store. While Randy and I are at the helm of the farm, we'd be nothing without our crew. They work tirelessly to achieve the shared goals here, and farm work is no joke. Everything we do is with the intention to bring you the most delicious fresh food and a community to share it with.
So much has happened this spring that it's so hard to summarize here. If you'd like to see daily updates from us, we post regularly on Facebook and Instagram @laurelglenfarmllc. We also send a weekly newsletter (different from this one!) if you subscribe to the mailing list on the homepage of our website. This should come out every Friday this year and will contain the veggies you can expect to find in the store that week. It usually has a featured topic that week to catch you up to speed on farm happenings. This coming week, we'll be talking about Opening Weekend events.
I'd also like to bring your attention to the Vegetable Library of Resources on our website at www.laurelglenfarm.com/resources. There you'll find information about every single vegetable we grow here, including what it is, how to store it, and recipe ideas for enjoying it.
For example, this week, you're receiving microgreens in your share. At the bottom of this newsletter you'll find a list of this week's share contents, storage information, and recipes, but you might also want to head over to the Library of Resources for even more information about microgreens, especially if they're new to you.
Microgreens are incredibly nutrient-dense baby versions of the fully-grown crop. For example, radish tops, broccoli, or carrot greens are some different varieties. You snip them when you're ready to use them and you'll find that a little goes a long way on a sandwich, to top a stir fry, avocado toast, or a smoothie bowl. They don't regrow, but a younger layer may germinate after the top layer, so once you use them up, you can recycle the tray.
If you're new to this process, you can follow the lead of seasoned members in our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/956289389452819/. They'll definitely be posting their culinary creations in the group and giving you recipe inspiration. We'd also be happy to give you suggestions at pickup. We really want you to successfully enjoy all of the crops you'll receive this year, and the best way to do that is to think outside the box, ask for suggestions, read these materials as much as possible, and embrace new veggies.
One thing you'll notice is that the kale and collard greens this week will be super sweet. They've been overwintered since last season (and so have the spinach and scallions!). When frost-tolerant crops are exposed to a freeze, they store up sugars, resulting in a sweeter flavor for us.
Meanwhile, the scallions and lettuce were grown in the greenhouse. For the next week or so, the crops you'll receive will have either been overwintered or grown in the greenhouse for extra insulation.
I'll give you a quick rundown of what's been happening to give you a better sense of what we've been up to.
This week, we moved the hanging flower baskets from the unheated greenhouse to the heated greenhouse just in case we got freezing temperatures overnight. That took 3 of us about an hour and a half, and it'll take another hour to move them back over this week. But, it did give us the chance to give them some TLC, deadheading and pruning them as we handled them. These will be ready for sale for opening day this weekend and the next couple of weeks if you want to plan ahead for Mother's Day gifts.
Emily was a sanitizing superstar this week, getting harvest baskets, storage crates, and harvest utensils ready for the season.
She and I also transplanted kohlrabi and bok choy together, and the crew planted potatoes, brassicas (cabbage family crops), lettuce, and fixed irrigation hose leaks.
The hens have settled into their new coop nicely. We're just waiting for a delivery to cover them with a sunshade to protect them from hawks, and then they'll be fenced in and ready to roam around outdoors during the day. We raised these babies from chicks in early March.
We've been dealing with major critter damage to our seeds like never before this year. Something has been digging up our cucurbits (cucumber, melon, squash family) and eating them every single night. We've talked extensively about this on our social media stories and what we've been doing to combat this and reseed them. It's incredibly stressful and despite all that we've done, we haven't caught a critter yet and we continue to take tons of time-consuming measures to protect what's growing. We had to reorder melon seed and pay to rush the shipping several times already, as one example.
Despite all of this we assure you that we don't harvest anything with obvious critter damage, and despite the fact that we have so many plants growing in the greenhouse, ironically this critter only wants to dig up and eat the seeds.
This week, our focus is on putting the finishing touches on the store, planting, training staff, and celebrating our son's birthday!
Although I could continue to write for hours, I'll wrap it up now and assure you that there's so much more to come in the months ahead. Enjoy your first share and we look forward to seeing you at pickup soon!
HOUSEKEEPING
If you're signed up for Tuesdays, the first pickup will be April 30th (10:30 to 6 is the time frame), Wednesday is May 1st (10:30 to 6), and Saturday is May 4th (9 to 4).
You'll park in the lot in front of our farm stand at 247 Waverly Road in Shelton. When you arrive, come into the store, tell us your name, and we'll get our share out of the cooler for you. Please remember to bring a bag for us to pack your share into.
If you can't remember which pickup day you signed up for (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Saturdays), please send us an email in advance to check.
We don't officially open until May 4th, but we will still be open for your scheduled pickups on Tuesday and Wednesday (4/30 and 5/1). For your planning purposes, our grand opening day is Saturday, May 4th but we will have some additional products available for purchase on Tuesday and Wednesday for those who pick up on that day, but no extra veggies for sale until Saturday.
Due to limited quantities of veggies, there will be no veggie swap this week, but we plan to have the swap table available every other week this season.
If you haven't already joined our Facebook group, here is the link to join where we'll be sharing recipes together. https://www.facebook.com/groups/956289389452819/
If anyone else needs to receive the emails and you haven't already sent me their address, please pass it along to me. I think I added everyone who asked, but my apologies if I missed an addition.
If you owe a balance on your share, it is due upon your first pickup. Remember that if you paid a cash or check deposit to get the cash or check pricing in the fall, you must pay your balance by cash or check to keep the discount. If you aren't sure of your balance, feel free to email and ask.
Since we can't make calls to remind you of your pickup, this newsletter will serve as a reminder. Set yourself an alert on your phone!
Please note that Victoria does not work on Thursdays. Emails or phone calls received on Wednesday night through Thursday will be answered on Fridays.
WHAT VEGGIES ARE IN THE STORE?
Here is what's expected to be in the store on Saturday, May 4th and Sunday, May 5th. We will not have vegetables out for sale until our grand opening on May 4th and 5th.
Asian greens mix
Collard greens
Celery (leafy)
Escarole
Fresh herbs (sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley)
Kale
Leeks
Lettuce
Microgreens
Radishes
Scallions
Spinach
Tokyo bekana (a leaf cabbage for stir fry, salad, or slaw)
UPCOMING STORE HOURS
** Subscription pickup occurs during all open hours on your scheduled pickup day. Please note that if you have a Wednesday pickup, although we are typically open on Thursdays if you need us to hold your share for the given 24 hours, we are not open on Thursday this week, so you must come on Wednesday.
Tuesday (4/30): 10:30 to 6
Wednesday (5/1): 10:30 to 6
Thursday (5/2): CLOSED
Friday (5/3): CLOSED
Saturday (5/4): 9 to 4
Sunday (5/5): 10 to 3
UPCOMING FARM EVENTS
Our next book club pick is here! Read on your own at your own pace and we'll meet in person once when we finish.
Our next book club meeting will take place on a Saturday or Sunday morning in July. The date is TBD and will be determined based upon other farm events. We'll be able to announce the date in late June, but we recommend trying to complete the book by July 1st just in case (although many of us at the meeting had not yet finished! Don't let that discourage you from attending.) This gives us just about 10 weeks to obtain and read the book. We'll ask you to RSVP once we post the date. If you'd like to just let us know that you plan to read along with us, we think that would be really cool, especially so we can talk in person when we open! Once you get the book, simply reflect on your first impressions and initial reactions to the book.
SPRING SEEDLING SALE
Saturday, May 18, 2024
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday, May 19, 2024
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Seedlings will be set up in the barnyard on these days. Come browse and bring a box to transfer your seedlings home!
Remaining seedlings will continue to be sold during our store's open hours into June while availability lasts.
How to Change Your Pickup Day
If you need to skip your share for the week, or change your pickup day, you must provide us with 48 hours notice for any of the options below. This is because we pack shares the day before pickup. Once your share has been harvested and packed, we can not cancel your pickup.
For Tuesday pickups being changed, we need to know by Sunday.
Wednesday pickups, we need to know by Monday.
Saturday pickups, we need to know by Thursday.
You have the option to choose another of those pickup days in a given week: Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday.
You can skip a pickup and receive a double the following week.
If you miss your pickup, we will hold your share for 24 hours after your pickup day, and then it will be donated to a local food pantry. With more members than ever before, we don't have the cooler space to hold onto shares longer than this. This is a great option if you accidentally miss your pickup - just come the next day.
You can always send a guest to pick up in your place by simply notifying us of their name.
THIS WEEK'S SHARE CONTENTS & RECIPES
(Listed approximately from shortest shelf life to longest)
Large:
2 bunches of spinach
1 head of lettuce
1 bunch of scallions
1 bunch of kale
1 bunch of collard greens
1 tray of microgreens
1 bunch of sage
Small:
1 bunch of spinach
1 head of lettuce
1 bunch of scallions
1 bunch of kale or collard greens (your choice!)
1 tray of microgreens
Caring For Your Share (All of this information, plus long-term storage info, can also be found in our Vegetable Library of Resources).
Wrap sage in a paper towel and store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Store kale, collard greens, and spinach in a plastic bag in the fridge. Wash and spin out when ready to use, within a few days.
Shake out any excess water in the head of lettuce, then store in a plastic bag in the fridge. Wash and spin out when ready to use.
Keep microgreens trays in a sunny spot in your kitchen. Spritz with water when the soil is dry. Snip and wash, then use as needed. They will continue to grow quickly and lose their tender texture, so try to use the tray within 7 days.
The LGF Cooking Club (Recipes to try in addition to those in the Library of Resources!)
Large Share Additional Items