November News

We have huddled around the fire and come up with a plan for our winter growing. A little late, a little experimental, but we think it is a good one:

Announcing The Hickories Winter Share:
For many years we have had greenhouses and cold frames on this farm... We use them for winter storage of summer's extra root vegetables. Fred Jones, the farmer here when I was a child, even grew cacti in his! They are a delightfully green remedy to the winter doldrums on a frozen farm. And the bottom line is, we want to share four seasons of harvest with our local community.

In our greenhouses and cold frames this year, we have planted cold-hardy salad mixes, spinaches and other dark leafy crops. Rob, along with some loyal volunteers, can now write volumes on how to put together a eco-friendly heating system. And it's working: we weathered the first killing frosts this week without a blemish. Fresh local greens all winter!

Feeding yourself through a New England winter is not an easy task, and it cannot be done alone. So we are enlisting the support of a few other local farms that are curious about this idea. New Pond Farm, in Redding, will supply some food from their dairy. Warrups Farm, in Redding also, has some extra fall crops from his harvest that he has offered to our CSA as well. With our climate creating such a limited winter food supply, you will see a lot more repeats in your share. But if you like greens, the winter share is for you.

Items in the winter share will include: salad (head lettuce or baby salad mix), spinach, potatoes, turnips, honey, milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, etc.

How about the logistics?
Pick-up will be Wednesday between 2 and 8pm. Because the shares are much smaller than summer shares, we are asking each shareholder to bring his/her own bag (or just two hands and a crook of an arm) for the items in the week's share. Our Localvore bags are available for purchase here at the farm.

The cost of the Winter share will be $150.00. As this is a new venture for us, and winter seems more and more unpredictable these days, we will have a short first season: around 8 weeks. The first food will be ready for pick up November 21st, just in time for Thanksgiving.

Why CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)?
Many small farms are moving to the CSA model, and I think it is for several reasons. First, it guarantees a fresh, local harvest with as few "food miles" as possible. Food is grown for you, picked for you, and it all happens on a farm and by a farmer you know. Second, the CSA model is a way to ensure the continuance of small locally owned and operated farms, an increasing rarity these days. The reason for this is the shared risk. With unexpected mid-winter heat waves and unexpected blizzards, winter growing is extremely risky business. CSA shares the risk and the rewards of this work. The shares are non-refundable; some years you get more than you expected, other years less. In essence, the idea is that the community makes a commitment to the farm and the farmer to stick it out through thick and thin.

How do I sign up?
We are offering 20 winter shares of our harvest. Due to environmental concerns, we have an unusual system for selecting our shareholders this winter. If you can gather a few people from your very local community (neighborhood, work, church, etc.) and pick up for all of them, then you will be saving fossil fuel • and that is our priority, too. So, if you make the effort to do the environment a good turn, we will put you on the top of our list.

(Better yet, your group can take turns with pick up and share the work!) Groups can be two or more • every effort we make counts. If you do not have a group, and want to sign up anyway, please do: sign-ups will be first come first serve.

Just send an email to us. We will send you the form to fill out, and when you send in your check, you are a shareholder.

What about a waiting list?
As this is our first year, if more people sign up that we anticipate, we will start a waiting list (as we did for our summer shares.) And, if all goes well, we might have a second winter share offering in February or March.

All the best,

Dina Brewster and Rob Kelly