We’ve arrived! The first week of the 2020 season! We’re so excited to share with you the very beginning of the veggie tsunami that we’ve been working so hard to seed, transplant, mulch, weed, harvest, and bring to you. We have a wonderful crew of apprentices and employees (Katie, Charlie, Rose, Angela, Becky and Christina) and a few dedicated volunteers who have helped made this all happen, and we know this is just the very beginning of a delicious season.
I usually share a few stories or farm experiences in the newsletter, but with all the ways that we are trying to do things safely this year, I’m going to focus on logistics in this first letter. Please read it all the way through!
Tuesday Members:
You have signed up for the Tuesday 3:30-5:30 pm pickup (starting June 16th) in the parking lot behind the First Universalist Church of Rockland, at 345 Broadway. You must wear a mask to pick up your share! We will have a post marking the start of the CSA line, and subsequent posts every 6 feet to show where to wait. Please have only one person per family or share get out of the car to go through the CSA line. When it is your turn at the front of the line, we will check your name off the list and give you a pair of gloves to choose out your veggies. At the end of the vegetable table, we will have your add-on shares set out for you to simply pick up and go. If you wish to receive a pre-packed share, either give a little toot of your horn as you pull into the parking lot and we will come over to you, or walk up and ask the list-holder (from a safe distance) to get you a pre-packed bag.
Please note that on rainy days we will be located under the overhang in front of the church. You can still park in the back lot and walk around the outside of the building to get to the front. The church will not be open this year for the bathroom or to walk through.
Thursday Members:
You have signed up for the Thursday 4:30-6:00 pm pickup (starting June 18th) at the farm (1133 Finntown Rd, Warren). You must wear a mask to pick up your share! We will have a post marking the start of the CSA line, and subsequent posts every 6 feet to show where to wait. Please have only one person per family or share get out of the car to go through the CSA line. When it is your turn at the front of the line, we will check your name off the list and give you a pair of gloves to choose out your veggies. At the end of the vegetable table, we will have your add-on shares set out for you to simply pick up and go. If you wish to receive a pre-packed share, either give a little toot of your horn as you pull into the parking area and we will come over to you, or walk up and ask the list-holder (from a safe distance) to get you a pre-packed bag.
If you miss your CSA pick-up, you may come out to the farm to get it at any time through the following Monday. When pulling into the farm driveway (1133 Finntown Rd, Warren), the CSA pick-up shed is immediately to your left. Go in the left side sliding door, and the walk-in will be straight ahead. Please use the available hand sanitizer before opening the walk-in door (we will also be cleaning daily). Take any one plastic bag of veggies from the shelves, and your add-on shares (if you get them) for the week. Non-refrigerated add-ons will be on the metal shelves across from the walk-in. If you have a question about what shares you get, there will be a list hanging outside the door, or you can always call or text me at 207-712-7382.
At the bottom of each week’s newsletter will be a list of the vegetables you will receive in that week’s share. Sometimes there will be items in brackets, and that means you may or may not receive that veggie that week – but never fear, everyone will get everything, eventually! There will also be a list of all add-on shares for that week (since some add-ons are every-other-week or less frequent), and links for recipes that use that week’s vegetables. Our website also has a “word cloud” of vegetable names. Click on the name of the vegetable that you want a recipe for, and up will pop numerous well-loved recipes!
The newsletter is where you will also learn about changes to any pick-up protocols, or when we have other food-related information to share such as when we have beef available to purchase, or at blueberry ordering time.
Finally, a little bit of info about this week’s veggies. The pea shoots are the tender first growth of the pea plant, from seeds we plant just for this purpose. Snip them into salads, add them in the final minute to a stir fry, or just munch on them for your most bovine-y moment of the season. As for the broccoli, seed was not available this year for our favorite variety of sprouting broccoli (aka Gailon or Broccolini). So we experimented with a whole host of other varieties. You’ll likely get a range of different sprouting broccoli in your share (purple, green or yellow; long stemmed or short). Whichever variety you receive, the stalk, flowers, and leaves are all edible, and are all delicious (though our old variety is still our favorite and fingers crossed it’ll be back next season!).
Have a great week, enjoy your first HCF greens of the year, and please be in touch with any questions!
Reba, Bill and the HCF family
Week One Vegetables: Spinach, Arugula, Lettuce Head, Kale or Chard, Pea Shoots, Radishes, Broccoli (Broccolini, Sprouting, or Head)
Week One Add-ons: Cheese, Mushrooms, Oil or Vinegar, Milk, Bread, Eggs, Tofu, Yogurt, Ferments
This week’s recipes: Lemon-Arugula-Parmesan Salad, Quinoa Wilted Spinach Salad, Pasta with Pea Shoots
HATCHET COVE FARM 