Free choice fruit this week!
- Victoria & Randy Rogowski
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
STORIES & UPDATES
We've always marketed this as a vegetable subscription program so that members would understand what kind of produce their shares would include. Typically we offer just melons as the one fruit offered throughout the season.
This past week, the watermelons surprised us with a wonderful yield. The coyotes have been howling all night long throughout the neighborhood, trying to get into our fenced property. And though they have found their way in and destroyed almost all of the yellow watermelon, the reds came out strong. This has me wondering whether or not the yellows are worth planting solely as a decoy since they ripen a little earlier than the reds... Time will tell what we decide to do in the future.
And just as the melons came in, the grapes became abundant (sorry, birds - the netting prevailed!) and the peach trees are absolutely dripping with beautiful peaches.
Though we've been nurturing these fruit fields for a few years now, they've never produced enough to provide in shares... until now!
This week we are SO excited to offer a FRUIT as your free choice item this week!
Choose from watermelon (red with seeds), cantaloupe, grapes, or peaches at pickup. This might be a one-time offering, and it may take us into next week. We can't promise more fruit, so we recommend choosing as if you won't have the opportunity again.
However, all of these options are available in the store for purchase as well. They'll make a great snack and lunchbox addition this week.
As Randy's wife, I must say how proud I am of him. A few people actually told him that table grapes couldn't be grown successfully, how it wouldn't be worth it, how no one would be interested. And to see these beautiful clusters of grapes, grown with such care and knowledge, makes me so proud. I only know of 1 or 2 farms in this area who grow table grapes. We hope you enjoy them this week!
Did you know?
If you're a Trumbull resident, there's a very good chance that your child will find our produce in the cafeteria next week! We sent two truckloads of produce to the high school this week, including watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, carrots, and summer squash. It'll be prepped and ready for students when they're back at school.
We have partnerships with both Trumbull and Shelton school districts that will mean that our produce will be served in the cafeterias through the fall! Shelton residents, your kids will most likely be served our produce at the high school during the second week of school.
We also periodically partner with Milford Public Schools and the Bridge Academy in Bridgeport, who source our produce as well!
Wishing all of our teachers and students a happy, healthy, successful school year.
SOS!
If you have any of our egg cartons at home, would you kindly return them so we can reuse them? Our new girls are laying now and we forgot to stock up on egg cartons!
To clarify, we won't use cartons labeled from another farm as the info on the carton doesn't apply to our eggs. Shaggy Coos Farm will also take theirs back.
We'd also love to accept gently used boxes for our bulk plum tomatoes and wholesale orders. Think unscented diapers, Chewy boxes, Amazon, Target, wine, or really ANY size. Simply rip off the address label and we'll handle the rest - no need to break it down. Thank you for helping us to reduce and reuse.
Lastly, let's take a peek at a couple of fall offerings.
Because it's been so dry this summer, the pumpkins are in panic mode. Lack of rain forces them to ripen faster... which means we have pumpkins ready to harvest. Didn't they get the memo that it's still summer?!
We can't leave them in the field because they'll start to rot or eventually spread fungus, so we'll harvest them soon. Luckily they do store well, so we'll have to find a place for them until we do our fall changeover in the store (September 6th - after Labor Day.)
This is a type of white acorn squash known as "mashed potato squash" because it makes a good low carb alternative to potatoes. They look pretty ripe, too. We typically don't harvest squash until mid-September, but this is new to us and we'll be excited to taste it ASAP.
Walking around the farm this time of year is just so peaceful and beautiful, you can't help but smile. If you haven't made it to The Fields at 475 Booth Hill Road in Shelton, please consider doing so before we close the pick-your-own for the year. It's a busy time of year for back-to-school, but you owe it to yourselves to score a moment of serenity on our farm...
UPCOMING EVENTS
PICK-YOUR-OWN INFORMATION
NO PYO THIS FRIDAY
Saturday, August 30 - 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. (flowers, raspberries, & tentative peaches)
475 Booth Hill Road in Shelton
Raspberries (limited quantities) are available to harvest into half pint containers for $6.50 each.
Bouquets of flowers are $30, which includes tax and a collectible transport cup for your blooms. Bring the cup to use on a subsequent visit for $1 off! Your bouquet must fit into one hand when grasped around the stems. After you finish harvesting, please see us at the checkout station for a complimentary water cup, to fit into your car's cupholder on the journey home.
Dahlias are now blooming as well as sunflowers. It's prime time for a beautiful bouquet!
If peaches are included, we will send an email out by Friday morning with availability and pricing. Stay tuned!
Our store is CLOSED Monday, September 1st for Labor Day. Our crew will still be laboring, but we'd like to take the store off our plates that day. Thank you for supporting our staff!
The Shelton Farmers' Market runs every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 100 Canal Street.
The Monroe Farmers' Market runs every Friday from 3 to 6 p.m at 7 Fan Hill Road.
STORE INFORMATION
Here is the fresh produce we plan to have in stock while supplies last (through Friday, August 29th):
Basil
Bell peppers
Cabbage
Cantaloupe
Carrots
Cilantro
Collard greens
Cucumbers (slicing and pickling)
Eggplant
Garlic
Grapes (red and green seedless)
Grape/cherry tomatoes
Green & wax beans
Hot peppers (assorted)
Husk cherries
Kale
Lunchbox peppers
Napa cabbage
Onions
Parsley
Peaches
Scallions
Shishito peppers
Tomatillos
Tomatoes
Watermelon (red and yellow, both with seeds)
Yellow squash
Zucchini
CURRENT STORE HOURS:
Monday: 10:30 to 4 p.m.
Tuesday: 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday: 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday: 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday: 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
VEGETABLE SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
MAIN SEASON WEEK 12 of 20
(Tuesday, August 26th through Saturday, August 30th)
Share Contents (Listed approximately from shortest shelf life to longest)
Large:
1 lb. of tomatoes
1 small bunch of kale
1 pint of shishito peppers
1 lb. of bell peppers
1/2 lb. of arugula
1 red onion
1 free choice fruit
Small:
1 lb. of tomatoes
1 small bunch of kale
1 lb. of bell peppers
1/4 lb. of arugula
1 free choice fruit
Storage tips and recipes for all of the vegetables in this week's share can be located on our website, here.
Vegetable Subscription Pickup Policies
All pickups must take place within store operating hours. For many reasons, we can't leave shares outside the store. Pickup days are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
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 change or 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 pickup day in a given week: we offer share pickup on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday only.
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.
Please send us an email to laurelglenfarm@gmail.com 48 hours before your anticipated pickup in order to make a change. You must submit your request in writing in order to leave a paper trail. This allows you to show proof to our store staff at pickup in the event that we need clarification.
If a share is picked up outside of your scheduled time (aside from an approved change) or the 24 hour holding period, you will be billed for an additional share.