Category: Updates

Hi to everyone in pick-up group A,

The pick-up time will be 1230 to 2. This will be the pick-up time from now on until it gets colder.

Harvest time is at 7 a.m. and veggie prep people can come at 9. Thanks to those who have signed up!

Here’s what I think you’ll be getting tomorrow:

• Red Norland potatoes
• garlic
• carrots
• blueberries
• Swiss chard
• choice of Kohlrabi or fennel
• a cucumber (maybe a choice with summer squash)
• Elizabeth’s tea bread (yum yum!!)

Please text me if you are going to be late and I will bag up your share. If you’ve already told me that you’ll be late, no need to tell me again. Thanks.

See you tomorrow!

Brenda

 

Greetings to everyone in Pick-Up Group B

We will be harvesting and distributing veggies early again tomorrow. The harvest will be ready between 12:30 and 2:00. If you can’t get there by 2, I will pack your share in a bag and put it in a cooler.

If you haven’t already told me that you’re going to be late, tell me by phone or text by Saturday morning. Please check off your name on the sheet if you pick up late. Food that is unclaimed on Monday morning will be donated unless I hear from you. I will leave a note on the outside of the hoophouse door to tell you where the late pick-up shares are. Just lift up the handle and come into the hoophouse if no one is there.

I expect that the following items will be in your share tomorrow.

• A bunch of braising greens
• red potatoes
• Lettuce
• Kohlrabi (purple and green)
• Scallions
• Blueberries
• Elizabeth’s wonderful tea bread

FYI I am seriously considering this as a permanent time change for the hot part of the summer. Feedback welcome.

See you at the farm

Brenda

Greetings to everyone in Group A,

Your second CSA pick up is tomorrow at the farm between 3 and 5 pm. Remember to check off your share name on the pick-up list, look at the blackboard for what’s in your share and choose your items. You may bring a bag, but we will have some recycled bags available.

If you are going to be late, please let me know by phone or text tomorrow (203-645-1734) and I will put your food in a bag. (Please check off your name even if you pick up late.) Food that is unclaimed after Sunday will be donated. I will leave a note on the outside of the hoophouse door to tell you where the late pick-up shares are. Just lift up the handle and come into the hoophouse if no one is there.

I expect that the following items will be in your share this week:

• A bunch of Bright Lights Swiss chard and Beedy’s Camden/Red Russian kale (This might be a mixed bunch again or there might be a bunch of each.)
  
• A bunch of sweet little hakurei turnips
• Garlic scapes (This will be the last of them. Check out the garlic scape pesto recipe at the farm.)
• A choice of a bunch of carrots or Early Wonder Tall Top beets
• Bok choi (It’s called Joi Choi – really nice in stir fry or even raw in a sandwich. Sorry about the flea beetle holes; you can’t taste them!)
  
• Lettuce
• Chocolate mint (I see amazing mojitos or chocolate mint pudding in your future.)
  
• Possibly radishes and/or scallions, if they’re ready.
  

Thanks to the harvest and veggie prep crew who has already signed up to come in tomorrow morning. You too can do that for future harvests. It’s fun and you meet nice people. Send Annmarie Golioto a note to sign up in advance. We need all of the harvests fully staffed.

Sven Pihl’s introductory permaculture workshop is also tomorrow from 1-3 p.m. Send him a note ateducator@boulderknollfarm.com if you’d like to attend.

And a treat during the share-out time – Bill Hesbach will be opening the hive tomorrow afternoon around 3:30. It’s a really incredible experience to see the gentle bees in their hive. Bill is a wealth of knowledge about bee behavior and bee keeping and he loves to share what he knows.

A whole line up of interesting things happening at the farm tomorrow!

By the way – please remember to sign up for work. We need all the good weeders we can get!

See you tomorrow at the farm,
Brenda

Greetings to everyone in Group A,

Your first CSA pick up is tomorrow at the farm between 3 and 5 pm. You will be asked to check off your share name on the pick-up list, look at the blackboard for what’s in your share and take an item from each bin. You may bring a bag, but we will have some recycled bags available.

If you are going to be late, please let me know by phone tomorrow and I will put your food in a bag. (Please check off your name even if you pick up late.) Food that is unclaimed after Sunday will be donated. I will leave a note on the outside of the hoophouse door to tell you where the late pick-up shares are. Just lift up the handle and come into the hoophouse if no one is there.

I expect that the following items will be in your share this week:

• A bunch of Bright Lights Swiss chard and Beedy’s Camden kale
• A bunch of d’Avignon French breakfast radishes
• Garlic scapes (chop ’em up to use like garlic – delicious!)
• A bunch of Early Wonder Tall Top beet greens
• An herb plant to take home
• A tea bread made by member Elizabeth Ciarlelli (thank you!!)
  
• A choice between rhubarb, bok choi, lettuce and broccoli raab
  

I was really pulling for the peas and lettuce to be in by now but it’s been a bit slow because of the weather. Not to worry – you’ll get them next time!

Strawberries might be on hiatus for a day or two because they’ve been so popular. Give them a couple of days to ripen some more!

Thanks to the first harvest and veggie prep crew who has already signed up to come in tomorrow morning. You too can do that for future harvests. It’s fun and you meet lots of great folks. Send Annmarie Golioto a note to sign up in advance. We need all of the harvests fully staffed.

Looking forward to seeing new members and old timers alike!
Brenda

 

Strawberries are ready to pick! You may, as part of your share, come to the farm and pick up to a quart of strawberries. The beds are right inside the fence to the left just past the Boulder Knoll Farm sign. You may come any time. It’s ok to come more than once a week. I will leave the quart containers in a box at the end of the first bed. Please walk in the paths to pick. Replace the white netting material when you are finished. Share Distributions! We are starting our veggie distributions this Saturday, June 9 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm for Group A. Come to the farm, bring a bag, and choose your veggies. There is always someone staffing the shed to help. Here is some information about the logistics of picking up your produce: Pick-up dates: This list of CSA members indicates the pick-up dates for Groups A and B. You will pick up your produce every other week on Saturday afternoon between 3 and 5 pm. Late pick-ups: If you are late, your food will be bagged up and placed in a cooler OR in the sliding cabinet on the north side of the tool shed. (I’ll leave a note about where the food is.) If you are going to be late it’s fine to pick it up the next day, but you MUST LET ME KNOW BY SUNDAY MORNING TO HOLD IT FOR YOU. Unclaimed shares may be donated Sunday afternoon or Monday morning. Switching your pick-up week: You may switch your pick-up day to the week prior to or the week after your normal pick-up day. You MUST TELL ME THE FRIDAY BEFORE YOUR NORMAL PICK-UP DAY. If you want to pick up the week before, I need to know by the preceding Friday. Bottom line tell me as soon as you can. There’s a switch list on a clipboard in the hoophouse. Bad weather on harvest day: If the weather is bad on the morning of the Saturday harvest, I will (very infrequently) postpone the harvest until Sunday. You will get an email early in the day to that effect. It will be posted on our Facebook page and the Boulder Knoll Community Farm blog. Parking: Please head-in park in the parking lot right next to the road. Walk back to the white hoophouse to pick up your share. If you are picking up late, you may park next to the hoophouse. It’s fine if someone else besides you picks up your share. Please tell them about these procedures especially the information about picking up late. Education Our Environmental Educator, Sven Pihl, has a great line-up of workshops planned.Check out our schedule of upcoming events. Please RSVP toeducator@boulderknollfarm.com if you want to come to any of his interesting workshops. Work at the Farm Thank you to all of the members and other friends who have come to the farm so far. The crops look good – potatoes, leeks, onions, garlic, kale. People have said it looks better than prior years at this time. You all make a difference – your effort, your attention, your ideas. The new high tunnels are almost ready to plant into. What a difference they’ll make! Working on harvest days: It’s important that we fully staff all of the Saturday harvests. You can sign up to work harvests (starting at 8:30) weeks in advance. Please refer to the work calendar on the Boulder Knoll Farm website to see which Saturdays need coverage. If you sign up for a harvest, I would like you to come at 8:30 when it begins. You don’t have to stay for the full 4 hours. People need to listen carefully, follow directions and move at a reasonable pace. After all, this is where the rubber hits the road. Farm Wish List: Rubber bands and twist-ties for the share-outs (lots) Quart and pint containers 2x8s any length (prefer not pressure-treated) for raised strawberry beds   – wood preservative for the raised beds Cardboard – large sheets without holes and slits - 20 lb barbell weights Binoculars for the education station (got one pair – anyone have another?) Hook up hose to the sink in the hoophouse Compost stuff from your kitchen and yard (grass clippings (no pesticides), veggie-based food scraps including eggshells, rabbit poop)

 

We hope you can join us at what promises to be a terrific event!

The environmental educator position is now filled. Thank you for your interest.

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Boulder Knoll Community Farm CSA in Cheshire, CT is seeking an environment educator for the 2012 season.

Boulder Knoll Community Farm (BKCF) is a small-scale, environmentally sustainable farm in Cheshire, CT that provides healthy, local vegetables and fruit to 50 shareholders, local soup kitchens, and a New Haven restaurant.  Education is a central component and an essential element in the vision of the Friends of Boulder Knoll (FOBK), the farm’s sponsoring organization. FOBK believes that exposing the community, especially its youth, to the wonders, importance and value of agriculture, conservation, and outdoor recreation is critical to fostering future stewards of the environment. Our goal is to emphasis essential links between people, plants, and the earth, to develop interdisciplinary learning, and to promote environmental responsibility.

The Environmental Educator (EE) will be an energetic, well-organized environmentalist with experience in farming and education who will provide a variety of educational opportunities, primarily for school-age children, youth, and adults at the farm and off-site when appropriate.

The EE will work with the farmer to develop programs that provide hands-on experiences for children, youth and adults, including people with special needs.  Programs will enable people to understand where their food comes from, what it takes to get it there and the importance of eating healthy, whole foods.

Job Description

The EE will design, publicize and implement a variety of educational programs for children, youth and adults. Lessons may cover topics ranging from sustainable agriculture, food preparation, to wildlife habitat. Programming may include, but is not limited to, fall and spring school programs, field trips, community groups (youth and adult), community events, adult classes, and summer programs on the farm. The EE will support the mission of the farm by providing assistance in the farm operation and by working with CSA members, volunteers and interns. The farmer must approve the content and timing of educational programming.

All BKCF school programs will be tied to CT learning standards and the EE will work with local teachers and administrators to design and execute learning experiences. The EE may provide opportunities for the teacher’s to design customized follow-up lessons and activities.

The EE will work collaboratively with the farmer and will report to the FOBK Board. The EE will communicate periodically with the board regarding activities and success of the programs and will submit a written annual report on the educational program.

Qualifications:

The right person for this position will be able to demonstrate experience and basic theoretical knowledge in organic and sustainable food production systems, and ideally, will have worked an entire season on a farm or garden project. This is a position for someone seriously interested in sustainable farming, food, and community education. We offer the opportunity to be integrally involved in  a small organic farming operation and in farm education.

Specific skills include, but are not mandated:

• Background in Environmental Science, Agriculture, Education or related field;
• Demonstrated experience in working with youth in formal and/or informal education programs including working with people with special needs;
• Experience educating in an outdoor setting;
• Ability to link student learning to CT state curriculum standards;
• Demonstrated ability to get along and communicate with all ages;
• Enthusiasm for education, sustainable agriculture, and the environment, and an interest in service learning and volunteerism;
• Familiarity with farming and farm-based education, and a willingness to assist with physical farm tasks as needed;
• Ability to think strategically and creatively to enhance FOBK and BKCF while following the leadership of the farmer;
• First aid /CPR certified or willingness to obtain the training;
• Well organized, flexible, with an ability to take initiative and adapt to new situations.

Hours and Compensation:

The EE position is seasonal, 34 weeks, April through November. In general, the EE will make his/her own hours but is expected to work an average of 20 hours/week or approximately 600 hours for the season. The EE will be expected to work some of these hours on farm tasks so as to familiarize him/herself with the farm operation. Some work is required on evenings and weekends, depending on timing of educational programs. Attendance at occasional FOBK board meetings will be expected with prior notice.

The position requires a full season commitment.

The EE will work for the Friends of Boulder Knoll as an independent contractor. Worker’s compensation will be provided. The position offers no benefits, and no taxes will be withheld.

Salary range: $15 per hour for a total of $8,000 – $10,000, depending on hours worked and documented.

Please send inquiries to : jordans28@cox.net

A 16-week schedule of harvests has just wrapped up at the Boulder Knoll Community Farm. The season began in mid-June with the last weekly share distributed on Oct. 6

Read all about it at http://cheshire.patch.com/articles/cheshires-community-farm-wraps-up-season

Your share this week might include:

• carrots
• beets (Sunday) Thursday group will get them next week
• bok choi
• arugula
• New Zealand spinach which you can use like spinach (better for cooked recipes). Here’s a link to some more info about it. http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2010/06/pasta_with_tetragon_new_zealand_spinach.php
• tomatoes
• salad mix
• shallots
• braising greens
• mint (dry this for winter tea and such by putting it in a paper bag for a couple of weeks – when dry, crush into a jar)
• apples or pears
• Next week – sweet potatoes, fingerling potatoes, leeks, lots of other stuff

Potato harvesters needed!!

Potatoes and sweet potatoes will be harvested on Wed Sept 28th, Sat. Oct 1st and Wed. Oct 5th starting at ten on each day. This is sort of hard work, but fun and rewarding. Kids welcome. Let Amy amywojenski@yahoo.com know if you’d like to come to help.

Pick-up time for Sunday, Oct 2nd

We’re shortening the time that the shed will be staffed this Sunday so everyone (including me!) can go to the farm celebration next door. Please come between 3 and 4 if you want someone to greet you in the shed. At 4 pm we will put everyone’s shares in bags for pick-up

Reminder about work hours

If you have completed your member hours by Sept 30, you will be eligible to participated in a bonus 17th week of produce. I anticipate that this share will be distributed during the week of Oct 17th or Oct 24th. Stay tuned for details.

Thanks and hope to see you at the farm celebration on the 2nd,

Brenda