Work Day Success -- And We Are Thankful
We really want to thank everyone who came to our farm last Saturday for our “Work Day.” Several folks helped us assemble some high tunnels that we will use in the garden – it's so great to have some extra hands on projects like that! They also saw our first delivery of compost arrive (and how the heavily-laden truck almost got stuck in the driveway!).
In the end the load of compost had to be dumped further away from our garden site than we wanted. That means more work to move it to amend the garden. But … with the first plantings going in this week, it is imperative that we complete this task so the garden stays on schedule for our first CSA deliveries at the beginning of June!
The Garden Is A Go!
First Seedlings Are Being Planted This Week
As temperatures trend higher, the “green sheen” of new growth can be seen across the farm. The Spring Equinox has passed and more daylight hours signal plants to get growing! And next week a warm front is supposed to arrive – just as our first seedlings are planted in the garden!
Yes, we may still get a snow flurry or two, but these early plants – lettuce, kale, peas, broccoli, radishes, turnips, arugula, carrots and bok choi – are hardy and can withstand the cold.
The last month has been a blur of activity here at the Farm. Everyone's been busy transplanting the first seedlings in the garden. spreading tarps, grafting tomato plants, and especially the never-ending task of seeding thousands of plants that will be moved to the garden weeks from now. Just this week, Joel, Daniel and Jed, have been hauling and spreading TONS of nutrient-rich compost in the garden.
We are feeling good about our plan to use heavy compost for crop nutrition and mulch to inhibit the summer weeds. Composting is a key investment for us this season (your CSA dollars hard at work!), and one that we hope will protect and feed our soils for many seasons to come. I hope our pictures help you grasp how big a project it is to lay it down on beds – carrying 5-gallon buckets loads by hand. Now you know why we have sore muscles and sleep well at night!
The Best Roots With the Best Fruits
This week Daniel started grafting process that will provide our CSA members with some juicy tomatoes later this summer.
You see, to get the best tomatoes, we actually grow one kind that has great root qualities and graft those roots on to several varieties that produce the best fruit. The graft is held together by special silicone clips and the end result (we hope!) will give us the best of both worlds! The plants produce more delicious fruit so we get greater production while using less space – and it takes less work!
We will try to keep you posted about their progress so you can anticipate (like we do!) the red (Marbonne), yellow (Margold) and purple (Marnero) heirloom tomatoes!
Making It Easier For Our CSA Members
Many of you know that we've implemented some new software on our website that should help our CSA members in several ways. But maybe you don't realize exactly what it does...
1.) First, we think the sign-up process is more user friendly which should make the sing-up process much easier. Easier to do, and easier to understand exactly what you're getting.
2.) Second, CSA members will be able to create special orders – offering greater flexibility from week to week. If your family doesn’t like the turnips we have scheduled, you can replace it with more of something else you do like! But don't worry--if you love the surprise of it all, you can just leave it be and you'll still get a great share every week.
3.) Another great thing about this software is that we can now offer a few payment plan options
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4.) And finally, buying extra eggs or adding chicken to your order every once in a while during the season should also be a snap giving you more flexibility!
Be watching in the weeks ahead because we plan to have some tutorial videos to help you navigate the new ordering tools!
Special Home Delivery – This Week Only!
This week only we will deliver RIGHT TO YOUR HOME.
That's right--we are starting HOME DELIVERY.
And that's not all. We're also making it free this week. Just for fun. So if you want some pasture raised chicken or free range eggs this week, now would be a great time to place an order because next Tuesday, if you live in Minneapolis or to the west of the city, we'll be passing your direction and happy to bring you some great meat and eggs.
Oh and your friend too!--let 'em know about this offer and we'll bring them a taste of Abraham's Table Farm as well.
Just make sure your order is placed before Monday afternoon (3pm is the cut off).
If you're wondering if your eligible for this, check the list of zip codes at the end of this post.
So go place your orders, and tell your friends!
The ATF Crew
**** Please tell your friends about Abraham’s Table Farm. Having a source for organically-grown food that is locally produced is important to many people. Just forward them our weekly email OR share our website address so they can and discover everything we offer as well. Thank you! ****
ZIP CODES eligible for free door delivery:
55427
55422
55412
55411
55426
55416
55436
55424
55410
55419
55408
55409
55407
55417
55406
55113
55108