May at the farm
May is the usually the turning point for us here at the farm, the month where it all gets down to brass tacks with plantings, massive tilling days, and the beginning of (gasp!) the market season. The air, warmer and more hospitable to work in, breezes across the fields with the soft and gentle touch. Gone are the wretched days of April with snowstorms and heavy cold rains following 75-degree days. May brings us consistency and that is a good thing.
So here we are readying for the 2014 season. The market season has started in New Haven and soon we start our first markets in NYC in well over a decade (Park Slope, Brooklyn). Our other markets in CT – Kent starts the 17th of May, and Weston, Newtown/Sandy Hook and New Haven (Wednesday) start in June. Our stand will be open in June.
The CSA program is just about full for the season and we are excited to launch our inaugural season delivering in to Williamsburg and Prospect Heights Brooklyn (the addition of the Brooklyn farmers market will make the delivery into the city each week much more profitable as well.) We also have our drop spots in New Milford (at the NM Hospital parking lot), as well as in Watertown (at the Taft School).
The fields are packed and we continue to plant each week. In fact, we wont stop planting until September, and we have a top crew of young (and old) farmers working the land to get it done. Led by farmers Quincy and Jed, the farm has a returning group of agrarian mercenaries who take no prisoners, and push themselves to make the farm better everyday. Inspiring, to say the least. Many of you know them already but Lyle “goody gum drops” Nichol, Dana “Noosh” Jackson, and Jason “Tay-son” DePecol are doing the work of six men. When you see them next, shake their hands and buy ‘em a brew. Soon young Will “hippies make me sick” O’Meara arrives from the West Coast and the full time team will be complete. Part time players this season include John “Jack Chuck” Charles and Connor “the fall guy” Green. As usual, there will be times when the crew will swell in numbers – sugar snap pea harvesting, for example – but we think this team is lean and mean.
The new tractor arrived last week, a New Holland 55 HP with a loader that we needed badly. The lads are quite happy, to say the least. And, due to the excellent attention to the machinery (JB) this past winter, all of out tractors are up and running. Fingers crossed nothing goes down this season…
So that’s where we are. The high tunnel will soon be emptied of the greens we are currently harvesting and sun golds will be planted, the fields are stuffed with salad greens, potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips, kales, swiss chard and so much more. The tomatoes go in soon, and then the game is on! It’s going to be an exciting season and we hope to see you all at the farm or the markets.
Cheers.