Hi everyone!
Last Friday, Laina and I harvested the first of the Laurel Glen Farm flowers. In years past, our friend Katelyn of Rustle Floral Co. grew flowers for her own sales in the CT Flower Collective, and of course arranged the most beautiful bouquets for sale in our farmstand. She has since moved on to working at Shelland Flower Farm in Milford full-time, which is part of National Floral Supply.
We couldn't let that gap go unfilled, so over the winter, I selected easy and pretty flower varieties from seed catalogs to attempt to grow our own. And honestly, it's been a lot of fun! I admit that fruits and vegetables are our biggest interest and priority here and that I had no intention of being a flower farmer, but I suppose in a way I have accidentally become one.
Said fruits and vegetables remain my largest priority here, so arranging flowers is where you come in! This weekend, we'll be harvesting the flowers, and we look forward to seeing you arrange your own beautiful bouquets. Only you have the eye for what you like!
Here's how it'll work:
Visit the store on Saturday (9 to 4). Bring someone special to join you!
We'll have a variety of beautiful, fresh flowers in an array of colors out front in buckets
We'll have signage directing you to take a certain number of blooms of different types - you choose which ones in which colors
Come into the store when you're done to pay ($20/bouquet) and take it home to enjoy! You deserve it!
Please note: we have a very limited amount of flowers as flower season is just beginning, so we recommend coming early on Saturday because this event will only take place while supplies last. If we are able to harvest again for Sunday, we'll let you know by email.
This week, the crew planted, staked, and tied our third round of tomatoes. We rely on succession plantings to keep our crops coming all season long right up until the first frost. We're thankful to the crew for keeping things moving along on the farm. Check that task off the list!
We're seeing lots of new summer crops rolling in now, from greenhouse tomatoes, to basil, beans, beets, cucumbers, cabbage, onions, squash, zucchini, and more! We even have a new planting of lettuce, romaine, and escarole coming in. Plus, I found the first of the ripe sungolds in the field this week.
Unless they sell out, raspberries will be stocked in the store daily, and we're continuing to harvest them most days. There may be a lapse, so we thank you for your patience.
On both Saturday and Sunday, we'll be giving away free mini bunches of garlic scapes with a purchase. Garlic scapes are the top of the garlic plant, and we've harvested the final round in anticipation of harvesting our full garlic crop in July. Garlic scapes can be chopped up and used like garlic; mixed in with hummus; mixed in with butter to be served over steak, fish, or bread; or grilled or sauteed whole to be eaten like a garlicky green bean. Enjoy!
Admittedly, we had a tough week here in our personal lives as we dealt with some concerns with our own kiddos. A reminder that our farm is completely run by Randy and I, and we have limitations.
We would really like to honor our staff's personal lives and our own, as well as our morning to-do list, and for that reason, we need to open and close promptly at the scheduled times. We can not leave veggie shares outside as we've had issues with these requests in the past. We have lots of options for switching share pickups, including coming the next day if you can't make it during open hours (scroll down to read about these options).
We also can not reserve bread or any other products in our store. Though we'd love to offer a personalized experience here on the farm, it surpasses our capabilites, leading to errors and disappointment. Disappointing you is the last thing we want to do! We must commit ourselves to our biggest priorities related to growing fresh fruits and veggies and we need to draw boundaries in order to continue to do so. Thank you, as always, for your support of our family's farm.
Our son Peter took this photo of the barnyard this week, and it brings me peace.
We will be closed on Thursday, July 4th. Happy Independence Day!
We're asking for donations of clean, gently used boxes to pack orders into. Please use the photos below for size references - anything in that range would be so appreciated. No need to break the boxes down either. Simply rip off your address label and bring them into our store. We can also use some clean paper bags at this time - no cloth, please. Thank you so much for your help with recycling!
HOUSEKEEPING
The best way to reach us quickly is always by email -Â laurelglenfarm@gmail.com
Please note that Victoria does not work on Thursdays. Emails or phone calls received on Wednesday night through Thursday will be answered on Fridays.Â
WHAT'S IN THE STORE THIS WEEK?
Here are the fresh veggies we plan to have in stock while supplies last (through Friday, 7/5):
Beets
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots (limited quantities)
Collard greens
Cucumbers
Escarole (BOGO free -Â in store only as the number of crates sent to markets becomes unmanageable)
Fresh herbs (sage, thyme, rosemary, mint, dill, and basil)
Garlic scapesÂ
Green beans
Greenhouse tomatoes (limited quantities)
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lettuce (BOGO free -Â in store only as the number of crates sent to markets becomes unmanageable)
Napa cabbage
Onions (limited quantities)
Radishes
Raspberries
Romaine (BOGO free -Â in store only as the number of crates sent to markets becomes unmanageable)
Swiss chard
Yellow squash
Zucchini
Wave Hill Breads
Delivered fresh on both Saturday & Sunday (limited quantities - come early, no reservations or special orders)
Blueberry and chocolate chip muffins
3 grain boule and baguette
Buttermilk and wild yeast sourdough sliced sandwich loaves
Where is your LGF shirt traveling to this summer?!
Ever heard of "Flat Stanley"? Send us a photo of your 2024 LGF tee out in the world or tag us @laurelglenfarmllc
Shirts can be purchased in our store. They are $22, unisex, and available in S, M, L, XL, and XXL. They're 100% cotton, incredibly soft, and slightly baggy for a trendy, lived-in feel for stepping out at your favorite casual establishment.
The front is the Laurel Glen Farm logo and the back is a beet with the phrase "keep your friends close and your farmers closer."
STORE HOURS
Monday:Â 10:30 to 6
Tuesday:Â 10:30 to 6
Wednesday:Â 10:30 to 6
Thursday:Â 10:30 to 6
Friday:Â 10:30 to 5
Saturday:Â 9 to 4
Sunday:Â 10 to 3
So sorry, but we can't accommodate early or late arrivals even if we are around. Our staff is scheduled to work on prepping the store with the freshest products right up until we open. We also try to honor personal lives by closing promptly.
** Vegetable subscription pickup occurs during all open hours on members' scheduled pickup day and we hold shares for 24 hours afterward.
MARKET HOURS
Shelton Farmers' Market -Â Saturdays from 9 to 12 at 100 Canal Street.
Monroe Farmers' Market -Â Fridays from 3 to 6 at 7 Fan Hill Road.
UPCOMING FARM EVENTS
Book Club
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.) We'll ask you to RSVP once we post the date.Â
This week's reflection question: As we finish the book, what topics from this book would you like to explore more on your own?
THIS WEEK'S VEGGIE SUBSCRIPTIONS
MAIN SEASON WEEK 4 OF 20
(Tuesday, July 2nd through Saturday, July 6th)
Biweekly pickup occurs on all odd-numbered weeks - 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19. (Next week.)
Share Contents (Listed approximately from shortest shelf life to longest)
Large:
Cucumbers
Yellow squash or zucchini (farmer's choice)
2 grab-a-green (you choose from the following: lettuce, romaine, kale, escarole, collard greens, or Swiss chard)
1 lb. of beans
1 bunch of beets
1 head of napa cabbage
Small:
Yellow squash or zucchini (farmer's choice)
1 grab-a-green (you choose from the following: lettuce, romaine, kale, escarole, collard greens, or Swiss chard)
1/2 lb. of beans
1 bunch of beets
1 head of napa cabbage
Caring For Your Share (All of this information, plus long-term storage info, can also be found in our Vegetable Library of Resources).
Remove any greens from the beets and store them in separate plastic bags in the fridge. Use greens within the week; beets can last up to a month. Wash when ready to use.
Store your grab-a-green in a plastic bag in the fridge. Wash when ready to use, within the week.
Store napa cabbage in a plastic bag in the fridge (use two, one on each end, if needed due to size). Wash when ready to use.
Store your cucumbers, squash, or zucchini in the crisper drawer in the refrigerator.
Store beans in a plastic bag in the fridge. Wash and blot dry when ready to use.
The LGF Cooking Club (Recipes to try in addition to those in the Library of Resources!)
Additional Large Share Ingredients
How to Change Your Vegetable Subscription 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.
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