Farmstand Hours:
Wed - Fri 9 - 7pm
Sat & Sun 9 - 5pm |
Upcoming Events
4pm - 7pm
CSA Field Day
A free event for members! Come join us for fun, food and games behind the farmstand.
Saturday, August 4th
9:30am
Nature Crafts
Join us for fun crafts using objects found in nature! We'll have all sorts of fun items available for you to make an unique work of art to take home.
$10 ($8 members) or $20 families ($16 members)
Saturday, August 11th
9:30am
Bug Hike
Help us find some of our legendary, giant tomato horned worms and other bugs that are common at Green Meadows. Bring a jar if you'd like to take one home!
$10 ($8 members) or $20 families ($16 members)
Summer Harvest Drawing Classes with Kathleen Speranza
Ages 5 - 8, Aug 19th
Ages 9 - 13, Aug 26th
Ages 14 - Adult, Sept 23rd
$25 ($20 members) sign up at farmstand
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This Week's Share
Veggies:
Swiss Chard, Kale, Wild Greens, Collards, Summer Squash, Cukes, Carrots, Shallots, Purslane, Beets.
PYO:
Parsley, Thyme, Oregano, Savory, Basil (just pinching tops for now), String Beans, Blueberries (for all CSA members, not just fruit shares)
Flower Shares:
Dozen Stems, 2 Sun Flowers
Additional organic produce available for purchase | |
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Farmer Andrew's Report
Last week I was so excited to see a row of sunflowers bloom in the front field. We are now officially in the bounty of the season! Zucchini and summer squash are growing fast, and we're in a rush to keep on top of the weeds as we balance it with our harvesting and planting.
We were bummed to have to postpone the CSA event last Saturday but hope that you are all planning on joining us this Saturday from 4 - 7 for games, food and fun. Pot luck for sides and we'll have burgers and hot dogs on the grill. |
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Farmstand Facelift
The biggest news on the farm this week is that our farmstand has been rearranged. We've noticed lines and so we have moved the register station to the front of the stand and will now have a second register for the busy times in the stand. We hope that this new layout will be easier for pick up. Many thanks to Chelsea for working extra hours to make this happen, to Nate for his handy carpentry skills, and to Lisa Kawski (of LMK Interiors Ltd.) for picking out our paint and countertops. Speaking of the farmstand, if there are specific products that you'd like to see us selling, please let us know. If our distributor offers it, then we can get it for you. |
Pork and Bacon Ready
There will be ham and bacon for those who have picked up their pork shares already. Please remember to ask for your share when you come to distribution. I'm going to pick it up Friday morning so you should be able to get your share starting at around 2pm. We have limmited storage space for this meat, so we try to distribute it as quickly as we can. For meat shares that have not received their pork yet, your pigs will be ready in December. Bacon and ham usually take a few weeks to cure and are distributed seperately.
Poultry for Sale!
Another exciting meat product that will be available starting this Wednesday is our own chickens for sale. We have an older egg laying flock that is no longer producing for us, so it's time for them to move on. These chickens will be sold as "stew" hens, because they are older birds they will not taste the same as young broilers that most customers are use to purchasing at a grocery store. We are also going to be raising Cornish Cross (pictured here) broilers for distribution. This program will work just like our other meat shares, with customers signing up in advance. The price of these birds will be $4.50 per pound plus a small processing fee if we are charged a fee. Please sign up at the farmstand if you are interested. These chickens will be ready for distribution in late October and will likely be three to four pounds each. The birds will be pasture raised and you can visit them starting in about two weeks. |
| Summer Squash and Zucchini
 Squash was one of the "Three sisters" planted by Native Americans. The Three Sisters were the three main indigenous plants used for agriculture: maize (corn), beans, and squash. These were usually planted together, with the cornstalk providing support for the climbing beans, and the squash vines provided ground cover to limit weeds. The beans provided nitrogen fixing for all three crops.
Here on the farm, it's squash season. There are several types we grow including "Black Beauty" - the very dark green zucchini and "Zephyr" the yellow squash with a green end. The Farmer John Cookbook says it best, "Zucchini and summer squash are kind of like the rabbits of the vegetable world: once they start reproducing, there's no turning back." The cookbook also lists great partners for zucchini and summer squash:
Basil, chives, coriander, dill, garlic, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, pepper, sage, thyme, lemon, olive oil, butter cream, goat cheese, Gruyere cheese, parmesan cheese, yogurt, pecans, pine nuts, walnuts, chile peppers, corn eggplant, onions, sweet peppers, tomatoes.
Most of you probably have some terrific recipes for squash and zucchini. Here are two from the Barbara Kingsolver book, "Animal Vegetable, Miracle" that might be new to you:
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 Green Meadows Farm is considering being a location site for a 4-H group. If any of you have thought about leading or joining 4-H, please contact Laura Davis, our Education Coordinator at ljinishian@hotmail.com to learn more.
The 4-H organization is for girls and boys ages 5 - 18, and operates through the UMASS Extention program. For more information about 4-H, please click on the logo to the left. |
 A Great CD for Kids
Many CDs put out for children aren't so easy on the parent's ears. This is especially true if your kids like to listen to the same one over and over. We love Folk Playground by Putumayo because the music is great, even for the 50th time! Look for it near the kids books in the farmstand. If you'd like to hear samples of the music and you have Real Audio, click on the links below:
Hear a sample of "Crawddad" by Elizabeth Mitchell
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