Delivery Cancellation - Wednesday, July 10th
ALL CSA DELIVERIES CANCELLED TODAY
We received notice this morning from our driver that the rental truck we're using today for deliveries had a malfunction with the refrigeration unit and ALL our boxes of beautiful produce froze in the truck overnight. It is heartbreaking that all our work yesterday harvesting, washing and packing boxes - not to mention the gorgeous produce itself - is completely ruined.
Our driver made the first few deliveries before he noticed that the produce was frozen, so he is in the process of picking up those delivered shares and will be bringing back the full truck to the farm. The boxes will be emptied and all the produce will be composted.
We are currently working out a make-up delivery for all of you, so we appreciate your patience and understanding. These kinds of issues are out of our control and while it's frustrating and a huge loss for us, we are already working on a plan to get a CSA box in your hands as soon as possible. We will be in touch shortly.
With gratitude, Maggie & Matt
2024 CSA Week #4
IN THE BOX
Click on an item below for storage tips & recipes.
Green Zucchini
Yellow Summer Squash
Escarole
Romaine Lettuce
Basil (Thurs)
Red Beets (Thurs)
Scallions (Thurs
Red Kale (Thurs)
Mini "Newham" Lettuce (Thurs)
Carrots (Fri)
Cilantro (Fri)
Bok Choi (Fri)
Toscano Kale (Fri)
Cucumbers (Fri)
STORAGE
Put everything in an airtight container in the fridge. Separate the roots from the greens on the carrots/beets for longer storage.
THIS IS A WEEK “B” for bi-weekly members
The summer harvests are starting to “bulk” up this week! We’ll do our best to keep some cooking greens and salad greens in the boxes each week, but you can see that we’re starting to get into more fun stuff too!
The escarole looks like lettuce, but it can be distinguished by its frilly leaves. It is a member of the chicory family, so it has that decidedly “bitter” flavor when eaten raw. Cooking removes the bitterness. I’m sharing a few recipes here for cooked escarole, but I do love to save a few of the inner leaves for a raw salad with a lemon vinaigrette and freshly shaved pecorino cheese.
NOTES ON STORAGE & USE
Remove the tops from the beets/carrots and store them in an airtight container. All the greens can be stored in an airtight bag together. The zucchini is fine in the produce drawer of your fridge. Basil can be stored “bouquet style” in a glass of water on the counter for a day or so.
WILTED GREENS?
It happens in this heat when the greens get dehydrated. Not to worry! Fill a very large bowl with cold water. Dunk the greens into the water and let them float around in there until they “perk up”. It can take up to 15 minutes of being submerged. This is ok and good for the greens! Shake off excess water and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
2024 CSA Week #3
IN THE BOX
Click on an item below for storage tips & recipes.
Basil
Scallions
Turnips
Red Beets
Red Kale
Romaine Lettuce
Green Boston Lettuce (Wed)
Kohlrabi (Fri)
Zucchini & Summer Squash (Fri)
STORAGE
Put everything in an airtight container in the fridge. Separate the roots from the greens on the beets and turnips for longer storage.
THIS IS A WEEK “A” for bi-weekly members
NOTES ON STORAGE & USE
Basil can sit out “bouquet” style in a glass of water on the counter for a day or so. It should be one of the first items you use in the box due to its tender leaves. The turnips and beet roots (and kohlrabi for Friday members) will last well into 2 weeks if stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Zucchini and all greens should be stored in bags or other airtight containers in the fridge.
WILTED GREENS?
It happens in this heat when the greens get dehydrated. Not to worry! Fill a very large bowl with cold water. Dunk the greens into the water and let them float around in there until they “perk up”. It can take up to 15 minutes of being submerged. This is ok and good for the greens! Shake off excess water and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
WHAT YOUR FARMERS ARE COOKING
• Fresh Basil Pesto
• Perfect Roasted Beets and Balsamic Roasted Beet Salad
• Creamy Kale Risotto
• Scallion Noodles or Grilled Scallion Chimichurri
• Romaine Salad with Rye Crisps and Lemon-Pecorino Vinaigrette
• Simple Grilled Zucchini & Summer Squash
QUICK USE-UP STRATEGIES
If you find yourself with CSA produce left in the fridge and your next pick-up is coming up….don’t panic! Try these tips…
Kale - Wash the leaves and freeze in a Ziplock. You can toss them in soups later.
Scallions - Wash, chop and freeze to add to soups and sauces later.
Basil - Make pesto - it freezes in a glass jar like a dream!
Kohlrabi - Slice thinly and sprinkle with salt to snack on.
Zucchini/Summer Squash - Zucchini bread
Beets - These will last well for up to a month if you separate the roots from the leaves.
2024 CSA Week #2
IN THE BOX
Click on an item below for storage tips & recipes.
Arugula
Collards
Kohlrabi (Wed & Thurs)
Red Beets (Fri)
Bok Choi (Wed & Thurs)
Radishes (Fri)
Green Boston Lettuce
Red Boston Lettuce
STORAGE
Put everything in an airtight container in the fridge.
THIS IS A WEEK “B” for bi-weekly members
NOTES ON STORAGE & USE
Arugula can go right into the fridge in its bag. It is very tender, so wash gently to avoid bruising the leaves. If it is wet, you can spin it dry in a salad spinner or in a clean dish towel.
All greens need to stay hydrated, so they’ll have to be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. While I try to avoid plastic in my kitchen, plastic bags are excellent for this kind of greens storage. There are fancy plastic bags that store greens longer, or you can use Vejibags (my choice!) made from cotton fabric, when gently moistened keep the greens in excellent condition.
WILTED GREENS?
It happens in this heat when the greens get dehydrated. Not to worry! Fill a very large bowl with cold water. Dunk the greens into the water and let them float around in there until they “perk up”. It can take up to 15 minutes of being submerged. This is ok and good for the greens! Shake off excess water and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
WHAT YOUR FARMERS ARE COOKING
• Arugula Salad with Shaved Parmesan
• Maggie’s favorite Baked Eggs with Arugula, Chili and Yogurt
• Perfect Roasted Beets
• Collard Wraps with a Thai Peanut Dressing or Braised Collards with White Beans, Garlic & Parmesan
• Kohlrabi Slaw with Apples & Hazelnuts
• Bok Choi Stir-fry
• Boston Lettuce Salads - Butter Lettuce Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
QUICK USE-UP STRATEGIES
If you find yourself with CSA produce left in the fridge and your next pick-up is coming up….don’t panic! Try these tips…
Collards - Quickly cut into ribbons and saute with garlic and olive oil. Side dish, done.
Kohlrabi - Peel and slice thinly. Put them out to snack on while you make dinner.
Radishes - Roast in the oven!
Arugula - Arugula Pesto!
Red Beets - Shredded in a salad with olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper
Bok choi- Quick Stir-fry! See this week’s recipe.
Lettuce - Lettuce Smoothie (yes, it’s delicious!)
2024 CSA Week #1
IN THE BOX
Click on an item below for storage tips & recipes.
Arugula
Japanese Salad Turnips
Toscano Kale
Red Russian Kale
Cilantro
Red Radishes OR Bok Choi
Green Boston Lettuce
Red Boston Lettuce
STORAGE
Put everything in an airtight container in the fridge. Separate the tops from the bottoms of the radishes and turnips.
NOTES ON STORAGE & USE
Arugula can go right into the fridge in its bag. It is very tender, so wash gently to avoid bruising the leaves.
All greens need to stay hydrated, so they’ll have to be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. While I try to avoid plastic in my kitchen, plastic bags are excellent for this kind of greens storage. There are fancy plastic bags that store greens longer, or you can use Vejibags (my choice!) made from cotton fabric, when gently moistened keep the greens in excellent condition.
Items that have tops & bottoms (such as the turnips and radishes) should be separated. Cut off the tops and store separately. The tops of the radishes can be made into various recipes and the tops of the turnips are my preferred green to along with my eggs for breakfast. See recipe at right.
WILTED GREENS?
It happens in this heat when the greens get dehydrated. Not to worry! Fill a very large bowl with cold water. Dunk the greens into the water and let them float around in there until they “perk up”. It can take up to 15 minutes of being submerged. This is ok and good for the greens! Shake off excess water and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
WHAT YOUR FARMERS ARE COOKING
• Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese. This is a fancy version.
• Turnip tops sauteed along with eggs for breakfast.
• Turnip roots sliced thinly and dipped in hummus.
• Red Radishes quartered and put on platter with fresh grass-fed butter and Maldon sea salt. Excellent with a baguette.
• Kale frittata made in the morning and served for dinner on a hot night with salad. I’ll use the red kale for this.
• Toscano kale with pasta with sausage. Here’s a quick version.
• Boston Lettuce Salads - Perfect Salad & Vinaigrette Recipe
• Cilantro pesto. I may try this Coconut Quinoa & Kale Salad with Cilantro Pesto
QUICK USE-UP STRATEGIES
If you find yourself with CSA produce left in the fridge and your next pick-up is coming up….don’t panic! Try these tips…
Radishes & Turnips left over? Cut the radishes in half, the turnips in quarters and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven at 375F until tender. Delish on its own or served cool with a salad and some goat cheese.
Kale or Cilantro left over? Make a pesto, add it to your smoothie or freeze it in cubes to put in smoothies later in the season.
Notes from the farm in April!
It's hard to believe that we're just 10 weeks out from the start of our CSAdeliveries. Our greenhouse seedlings are growing rapidly this time of year and we'll be transplanting the first round out into the fields in a few weeks. Thank you to everyone who has joined our CSA so far. We still have some spots available at our pick-up locations across Long Island, so it's not too late to get your share of the bounty of the season!
THIS IS HOW IT BEGINS...
Many of the crops we grow begin their journey to your table by being planted into soil inside our greenhouse. The seeds germinate and the plants grow up to become "seedlings" before we move them to their final growing spot outside in the field. This time of year we're seeding everything from lettuce to fennel, leeks, kales, onions and something new for us and our CSA members...celery!
All of the seeds we purchase are Certified Organic and non-GMO. We choose varieties for flavor and for what grows best in our climate. Our favorite seed companies include High Mowing Organic Seeds & Johnny's Selected Seeds.
Here's the family crew seeding flats of lettuces for the early season CSA boxes. Yes, the boys are all grown up now and show varying levels of enthusiasm for farm work. On this particular day, they were in top form working well as a team filling flats and seeding with the vacuum seeder.
We purchase a custom mix of organic greenhouse soil from Vermont Compost Company. The soil is pressed into "flats" of small cells, space for each plant to grow.
Seeding onions (left) and fennel (right). Since these seeds are not uniform size or shape, they have to be hand seeded. The fastest technique is to push them one-by-one off the end of this metal seeding chute with the tip of a pen or pencil. Onions need to have 3 or 4 seeds in each hole. It's a meticulous and time-consuming process, but it's how these plants get their start in life!
A few hour's worth of work, a stack of onion flats seeded and ready to be watered.
For round seeds and pelleted seeds (covered in a clay), we can use a vacuum seeder which makes this process quite quick! You can see a video of this machine in action here.
Once planted, it takes anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to germinate.
The first leaves (or embryonic leaves) are called cotyledons (photo left) and they all look the same! Usually within a week, the plants will start to grow their "true" leaves (photo right) which distinguish themselves. They're like, "Hey, look at me, I'm a kale!"
Moving a farm...
Who moves an entire farm? Apparently, we do!
Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to think that we could move our entire farm operation ourselves, but that's just what we did last season. As you know, we suspended our CSA for the 2023 season while we physically moved every tractor, every piece of machinery, every pump, irrigation pipe and 30 years of accumulated farm "stuff" to our new farmland. We simultaneously built a brand new packing barn, a greenhouse, and grew all the winter share vegetables for this past year's winter CSA. It was a trial to see what growing would be like in this new soil and climate and we were blown away by the amazing yields we were able to get from the land. Growing on Long Island soils is basically growing in sand. The soil here in Vermont is the consistency of brownie batter - deep, rich, and full of nutrients.
Here are some photos of our new land and the infrastructure projects we took on. We are 95% finished, awaiting some final electrical hook-ups, and ready to take on the season ahead! We're also very excited to be bringing back our wonderful employees through the H2-A Visa program, some of whom have been working for us since our first years farming. Having our farm "family" working with us on this new land is a blessing.
Thank you to all of you who have supported our farm over the years and who waited patiently for our CSA to return this season...we are so excited to be back!
Moving our farm sign from our old farmland to our new farmland was a bittersweet day...but so very exciting!
Here's the greenhouse going up! This greenhouse was designed and built in Canada and can handle high winds and snow loads...it should be here for 50+ years or more!
Our packing barn was put up in less than a week by an experienced barn building crew from Pennsylvania. This will house our post-harvest, washing and packing facilities. The historic barn on the property will continue to be used for machinery storage but we needed this space to facilitate our stringent food safety standards for washing and packing CSA boxes. We were able to use locally harvested timber for the structure. Keeping it local...always!
Every proper barn in New England is painted in a traditional "barn red" and ours is no exception. It was a family affair and Galen and I painted the whole barn in just about a week!
Here is Matt and Mario harvesting potatoes for our winter CSA on a sunny day in October. The soil is so fertile and our yields were between 2 and 3 times what we've been accustomed to on Long Island.
Our farm family enjoying some nordic skiing in the "off-season"!
Our historic barn sits at the center of this private farm valley and is a popular subject for landscape painters. This is a lovely piece by local artist J. Ahearn.
We're finally home...
After 30 years of farming, we finally own the land under our boots...
Way back in 1994 we started farming on a rented piece of property on the North Fork of Long Island, and have been leasing our farmland ever since. Neither of us came from farming families, so as first-generation farmers, we weren't lucky enough to inherit land or get in early on the purchase before real estate prices skyrocketed.
About a decade ago, we realized that the soil, air and water contamination on Long Island was becoming increasingly concerning, so we looked beyond our Long Island borders for a place that would be cleaner to grow food to feed our community. It had to have good soil, a remote location with a clean environment, and be well within the local food radius distance to our Long Island members. (A 400 mile radius is considered local, but we needed it to be under 175 miles.)
Our search finally brought us to this private fertile valley in southern Vermont, nestled between the Connecticut River and and a small mountain range. It was remote and pristine and the perfect place to put down roots for our farm and our family. The river bottom soil is amazing, yielding multiple times what we could grow on Long Island's sandy soils and it is one of the earliest known agricultural sites along the Connecticut River.
We are honored to be stewards of this magnificent property and to grow food for our Long Island members while building soil for future generations.
Relaunching our 2024 CSA!
Hey, Friends! We hope your 2024 year is off to a great start! You may have received the e-mail notice that our CSA is returning to Long Island this season. We’re so excited to finally grow on our very own farmland as we celebrate our 30th year of CSA farming! Our land is located in a private fertile valley along the Connecticut River in southern Vermont. We were looking for farmland in a place that was pristine to grow food - free from water, soil and air contamination that unfortunately, has become all too common on Long Island. We will be bringing down the shares to Long Island each week in our energy efficient refrigerated trucks. You will receive the same incredible variety, quality and beauty in the shares each week that you have come to expect from our CSA program. You can see some photos of the new farmland here.
We are committed to keeping our share price accessible to all, so our Full Share is just $36.95 per week this season. We offer custom flexible payment plans where you can pay installments over a 2, 3, or even 4 month period. And as always, we offer to option to “split” the share, for a bi-weekly pickup at half the price. You are encouraged to find someone to split with or we can help match you up! Please reach out if you’d like to discuss payment plans or help finding a partner to split a share. We are always willing to work with you to make CSA membership accessible and practical for you.
Fruit CSA News… We have a new fruit farmer that will be supplying us with Ecologically-grown tree fruit! The farmers at Champlain Orchards have certified Eco-apples, pears and other tree fruits. Growing tree fruit in VT can be done more sustainably and with less chemicals because it’s away from the overly humid coastal conditions. We are very excited about this new partnership for those who want healthier fruit in their CSA.
Finally, we have a handful of new pickup locations on the Island, including Dix Hills, Glen Cove, Locust Valley, Floral Park, Stewart Manor, Mineola and Northport! Find a full list of locations and a map here.
Thank you again for your support of our farm over the years. Please contact us with any questions, concerns or suggestions!
Warmest wishes from the farm,
Maggie & Matt
Vermont Farm // A new beginning
The beauty of this land is breathtaking. Pristine mountains shelter the valley on the west, and the mighty Connecticut River flows to the east. We’ve managed to clear another 25 acres of land this past tree season, so there will be more land to put into cover crop in anticipation of the vegetable production to come in 2024. Our days are filled with plans for greenhouses and a new wash/pack barn. It’s been 29 years since we started farming, but it’s never been on our own land and we’ve never had the chance to build infrastructure that truly fits our needs. It’s no wonder that we’re agonizing over the correct design of the floor drainage system, the detailing of the frost wall and the new greenhouse plastic snow loads. We want to get this right. XO Maggie & Matt
CSA Newsletters
Hi folks! Please note that you can find your weekly CSA Newsletters in your e-mail inbox for the remainder of the season. I will no longer be posting duplicates here on the website. Thank you!
CSA 2022 - Week #4
This week's harvest
Buttercrunch Lettuce
Storage: In an airtight container in the fridge.
Uses: Raw
When to use: Within 5 days
Mini Romaine Lettuce
Storage: In an airtight container in the fridge.
Uses: Raw
When to use: Within 3 days
Toscano Kale
Storage: In an airtight container in the fridge.
Uses:Raw/Cooked
When to use: Within 5 days
Cilantro
Storage: In an airtight container in the fridge OR bouquet style in a glass of water in the fridge.
Uses: Raw/Cooked
When to use: Within 5 days
Scallions
Storage: In an airtight container in the fridge.
Uses: Raw
When to use: Within 3 days
Red Beets
The greens are just as good as the roots. Separate before storing and cook the greens like spinach!
Storage: In an airtight container in the fridge.
Uses: Raw/Cooked
When to use: Within 5 days
Escarole
The ribs of this green head are white and the leaves are a little frilly. You can eat the very inner leaves raw in a salad, but I think it's best in a soup with white beans. Classic!
Storage: In an airtight container in the fridge.
Uses: Raw/Cooked
When to use: Within 5 days
Mint
Storage: In an airtight container in the fridge.
Uses: Raw/Cooked
When to use: Within 5 days
Recipes!
Roasted Beet & Beet Green Salad with Feta
Escarole Soup
Indian Cilantro Mint Sauce
Cilantro, Chicken & Rice Soup
Beet & Quinoa Salad
Visit our website for a full database of beloved recipes to make good use of your veggies.