|
Earlier this week it was hard to believe that it was the second week in June since Sarah was still wearing her fur-lined arctic hat and full rain gear to stay warm.  We were eager for sun after several weeks of working in cold temps and continuous rain, so the past two sunny days have been glorious. It's been amazing to finally dry out and warm up, and the plants are enjoying it too! We immediately got to work cultivating and hoeing the garlic and brussels spouts.  We've been cutting our rye cover crop to mulch the pathways of long season crops like sweet potatoes, onions, and kale. This helps retain moisture, reduces weeding, and adds lots of good organic matter back to the soil.  Our early tomatoes are looking great! We've been keeping up with weekly pruning and trellising so far, and the plants really thrive with the attention. It's so nice to work on the tomatoes now that they're right at chin level.   We're on week four of CSA shares, and we're going strong despite the cold weather. We've had beautiful salad greens, lots of fresh herbs, and tasty asparagus every week. Have you tried making your own salad dressing yet? Here's a tasty salad dressing recipe to get you started.  Enjoy!
Stop by the first outdoor farmers' market of the season on Saturday in Norwich on Route 5 from 9am-1pm! We'll be there rain or shine with fresh spring greens and herbs to kick off the season! We'll also have our delicious radishes, carrots, sauerkraut, and some hardy plants to get your garden started. All our products are certified organic. Sign up for a CSA Share now, if you haven't already done so. Pick up begins in just two weeks! April was a super busy month at the farm. Here's a look at what we've been up to...  We've been preparing our fields for planting and seeding. We've started planting successions of salad greens, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, beets, and more!  We're making great progress with our big wash station renovation project. We've insulated the walls and ceiling and rebuilt the doors. Next we install the plumbing and electric fixtures. We're excited to be setting up this 4-season insulated space so we can bring you fresh food later into the season!  Our hoop houses are full of fresh greens and herbs, ready for the first weeks of farmers' market and CSA Shares! Learn more about our 2017 CSA Share options and sign up for your share today!
Get a taste of local foods this weekend! On Sunday from 11am-3pm, bring your plate and fork to Flavors of the Valley at Hartford High School in White River Jct. This is the 16th annual celebration of local foods organized by Vital Communities, with over 50 farm and food related vendors offering samples of the foods they've crafted. We're excited to be part of this tasting event that brings together Upper Valley chefs, farmers, and specialty food producers.  At Flavors on Sunday, we'll be offering a taste of our sauerkraut, kimchi, carrots, and spring micro greens. We'll also have sauerkraut, kimchi, carrots, beets, sun-dried tomatoes, and our own Root 5 Farm honey for sale! Stop by for a taste of early spring!
Jump into spring and get a taste of local foods this weekend! On Sunday from 11-3pm, bring your plate and fork to Flavors of the Valley at Hartford High School in White River Jct. This is the 16th annual celebration of local foods organized by Vital Communities with over 50 farm and food related vendors. We're excited to be part of this tasting event that brings together Upper Valley chefs, farmers, and specialty food producers.
At Flavors on Sunday, we'll be offering a taste of our sauerkraut and kimchi, carrots, and spring micro greens. We'll also have sauerkraut, kimchi, carrots, beets, sun-dried tomatoes, and our own Root 5 Farm honey for sale!
It's been a wild ride this spring, from huge snow banks to huge puddles and back to snow and ice again in just a few weeks! But despite the crazy weather outside it's been warm and cozy in our greenhouse. We've been busy seeding lettuce, broccoli, herbs, and potting up eggplants, peppers, and tomatoes.
We prepped the beds in our high tunnels and planted arugula, lettuce mix, radishes, and turnips so they'll be ready for the first CSA Shares in May. Our field tunnels are covered so we hope to get an early planting of swiss chard and broccolini in the ground as soon as the soil dries out.
If you've been meaning to sign up for a CSA share, don't delay! The growing season has begun and shares are going fast! Sign up today and receive your first CSA delivery in mid-May.  Tomorrow is the last day to take advantage of our early-bird CSA share pricing and also receive a $30 Market Card when you sign up for a Full Season Share. Sign up for your Full Season Share by midnight on Friday! Get the best price and reserve your share for the season. Monthly payment plans available. We're counting down the days till spring!
Learn more about our 2017 CSA pick up sites and add-on options.
Signing up for a CSA membership is one of the best ways to get to know your farmers and gain a deeper understanding for what it takes to grow the food you eat every day. We work hard so that you feel appreciated, included and connected to your food. We hope that with each CSA delivery, and most every meal, you feel more than the weight of your CSA box and taste more than food. We grow and harvest our very best for you, and we hope you can sense our intention and care, and that you're healthier and happier for it!
Now is the best time to sign up for your 2017 CSA Share! Take advantage of our early-bird pricing and also receive a $30 Market Card! Sign up for your Full Season Share before this Friday March 3rd! Learn more about our 2017 CSA pick up sites and add-on options.
When you become a CSA member of Root 5 Farm, you'll receive a regular supply of fresh organic vegetables each week at a significant savings over retail. Your membership gives you a direct connection to the people growing your food, and helps support our regional food system in the Upper Valley. Having a regular supply of farm fresh organic food is great way to eat healthier meals and help you to become a more creative cook. Don’t worry, we have lots of recipes and culinary tips to share! Sign up today! The day length has just tipped back over 10 hours, which is when plants slowly begin to break their dormancy and we start to see growth again. This is particularly evident inside our high tunnels, where the over-wintered spinach suddenly wakes up and starts to put on new leaves. It's one of the very earliest signs that the new season is on it's way!  It may still feel like the depths of winter, but we assure you, spring is coming! We invite you to Sign up for a Full Season CSA Share before March 3rd to take advantage of our Early Bird pricing and also receive a $30 Root 5 Farm Market Card!
Believe it or not, we're only a few weeks away from starting up our greenhouses and sowing our first seedlings. We're busy in the office now planning for the upcoming season. Sign up for your CSA Share today so we can plan to grow for YOU!
Come to the Norwich Farmers' Market at Tracy Hall this Saturday 1/28 from 10am-1pm! This is our final market for the winter season! This weekend you can stock up on beautiful sweet potatoes, winter squash, cabbage, kohlrabi, onions, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes.  You'll want to grab a bag of our sweet carrots and colorful beets, plus our freshly picked winter spinach! Pick up a quart of our kimchi, sauerkraut and honey too! See you at the market!
 With sub-zero temperatures in the forecast we harvested the last of our greens for the season this week from under the protection of our cold frame and high tunnels. We'll have some beautiful kale and spinach for our final CSA shares next week. We've also been busy buttoning up and protecting all our crop storage spaces to keep thousands of pounds of carrots, beets, and cabbage, and over 40 barrels of kraut and kimchi safely in storage through the winter.
We'll have a full table at the Farmers' Market on Saturday at Tracy Hall in Norwich from 10-1pm. Come stock up on delicious local foods for your holiday meals. Try our crispy kohlrabi, snappy carrots, amazing kale, the darkest green spinach, and the sweetest sweet potatoes! We have a plethora of seasonal recipes on our website to help inspire your next meal!  Thinking back to sunnier times... we're sending you warm wishes from our crew to yours for a happy holiday season! Thank you for your continued support and an incredible season in 2016!
Winter arrived suddenly and looks like it's here to stay! Our fields are covered in snow, and the temperatures are forecasted to drop to the single digets over the next week. The good news is that we still have plenty of delicious food to fill our CSA boxes and market table. Join us at the Farmers' Market this Saturday at Tracy Hall in Norwich from 10am-2pm. (Note extended hours for the holiday market).  Have you ever wondered why vegetables are so sweet this time of year? When temperatures drop and frost hits, only the heartiest of plants are equipped to survive. The adaptation that keeps them from dying in the cold also makes them sweet and delicious. Some hardy vegetables have the abiltiy to convert some of their starch stores into sugar, and this keeps the water in their cells from freezing. So, relish their survival skills and enjoy the sweet taste of our winter carrots, cabbage, kale, spinach, swiss chard, kohlrabi, broccolini, and even parsley! You can pick up these vegetables at our market table on Saturday!  Check out this remarkable radicchio! We harvested them this morning from underneath the snow! Radicchio can survive uncovered in the field even when it's 20 degrees outside. This member of the chicory genus is loved for it's bitterness and incredibly fresh, bright flavor during this cold, dark, and snowy time of year. One of the best and easiest ways to explore the taste of bitter is through chicories. Pick up some raddichio at the market and try one of these recipes from NYTimes Cooking this week.  Our CSA Shares are still going strong with two more weeks left to go! This week you may have been uncertain about the mysterious, big, round green vegetable in your box. If you're not familiar with kohlrabi, don't be afraid! Simply peel the skin off and slice a piece to try a taste. It's incredibly sweet and crispy, and it's very versitile in the kitchen. You can eat it raw, saute, or roast. Learn more about kohlrabi on our website.  We're excited to have a new batch of kimchi ready for market this weekend! Our kimchi is a truly a labor of love, we grow each of the ingredients- cabbage, carrots, scallions, onions, garlic, ginger, and hot peppers- and we hand chop, mix, and ferment the vegetables in small batches. Our favorite way to eat kimchi is right out of the container! Pick some up at the market this weekend!
|
Root 5 Farm
Danielle Allen & Ben Dana 2340 US Route 5 North Fairlee, Vermont 05045 (802) 923-6339 danielle@root5farm.com ben@root5farm.com |
