Summer 2024 Volunteer Opportunities
For the fifth year, Board members Bonnie Acker and Mark Twery will be coordinating weekend work-mornings for ICF and City Market members and volunteers.
Tasks will be varied, quite useful and hopefully very enjoyable for everyone! No gardening or farming experience is necessary, only a love for being out-of-doors! Most weeks will entail weeding to help with veggies bound for ICF members as well as for veggies to be donated to the Vermont Foodbank, the Abenaki Land Link Project, and Feeding Chittenden, amongst other destinations.
City Market members may earn working-member hours (which will be recorded by Bonnie and Mark.)
THE PARTICULARS
WHERE: We'll meet in the ICF parking lot by the pole barn or be in-view nearby!
TIME: 7:00-11:00am
Please feel free to come for the entire time or any part. Every moment of your time will be treasured!
DATES: The first and third weekends of the month
Saturday May 4 / Sunday May 5
Saturday May 18 / Sunday May 19
Saturday June 1 / Sunday June 2
Saturday June 15 / Sunday June 16
Saturday July 6 / Sunday July 7
Saturday July 20 / Sunday July 21
Saturday August 3 / Sunday August 4
Saturday August 17 / Sunday August 18
Saturday August 31 / September 1
In addition, we may hold some last-minute "pop-up" mornings if the Farm needs additional help!
WEAR: Durable work clothes and footwear, sun-protective hats and sunglasses, and bug-spray are very helpful for farm-projects.
BRING: A water-bottle and work-gloves and a favorite shovel or pitchfork if you have one. We'll have, however, extra gloves and helpful tools to share.
CHILDREN: All will be very welcome if there's an adult with them!
RSVP & QUESTIONS: To sign up or to obtain more information, please contact ICF Board member Bonnie Acker.
Signing up helps us organize tasks and tools, notify you if a morning is cancelled or re-scheduled due to inclement weather, and if there might be a limit on the number of participants.
We're really looking forward to seeing you this summer!
We’re Spinning Our Salad Now (and we have a new tractor!)
New salad spinners
If you have enjoyed a winter share with us, have you noticed the difference in the salad greens, spinach, and kale? Everything is less damp now!
Greens wash area
ICF bought 2 new Speed Queen commercial washing machines and have converted them to giant salad spinners. We will continue to triple rinse all of the salad greens, but now we will be spinning them at the end resulting in a drier, higher quality, longer lasting, final product. Food safety is key in all facets at ICF, especially in the wash station. We consulted University of Vermont Extension services and used guidelines they created for the conversions. We also talked to other Intervale Farmers who are using washing machines as spinners. They have had great results.
We can see the improvement already and hope you can, too.
Kubota M96SHDM
On the equipment front: Near the end of 2023 we bought a new(er) tractor to pick up some of the load from our older and worn machines. Our lightly-used 2012 Kubota M96 is only our second tractor of the 13 we’ve owned that was designed for vegetable farms (along with our 1949 Allis Chalmers G), though it came from a ginseng farm near Utica, NY.
The chief features distinguishing our new Kubota are, a) narrow tires (about 12”) that allow us to drive through a crop without driving on it; b) high clearance (25”) under the center of the tractor so we can weed and work over taller crops like Zucchini, Onions, and Brussels sprouts without breaking leaves, and; c) a super slow transmission which we need for pulling our transplanter. We think that this combination will make our work easier and faster. It will certainly burn less diesel, operate more safely & quietly, and need less maintenance and repair attention.
ICF Share Slide-up Scale
The wet & wild farmers of Intervale Community Farm.
Why Slide Up?
As most people are aware, the general cost of living has increased in recent years, and rents in the Burlington area have grown even faster. Living on a farmer wage has always been a squeeze, but ICF is at risk of losing experienced and talented employees if we can’t pay them appropriately. Sliding up provides additional revenue for ICF to devote to wages for our farmers beyond current levels, while still allowing ICF to offer more affordable share prices for those who need them.
ICF began in 1990 to better value the people, the land, and the community. For 35 years, fair and meaningful employment and ecological farming practices have underpinned ICF’s work to feed our thousands of CSA members. We hope our new sliding scale pricing will allow us to continue our vital work of growing healthy food for our members while fairly compensating the work of our dedicated farmers.
How Does It Work?
On our sign-up form, a drop down menu for each share size shows:
standard share price (our “base rate”), shown as share cost and cost per week;
the base rate with 10% added to the share price;
and the base rate with 20% added to the share price.
All of these share options allow ICF to continue what we have been doing, and hopefully, pay meaningfully higher wages for our staff. Everything helps!
If I Slide Up, Will It Matter?
Yes! Intervale Community Farm’s achievements have always hinged on the modest efforts of the many. We are here today because many, many CSA members have agreed to share the risk and embrace the goals of ICF. While it is hard to predict specific outcomes or revenue, here are a few things to note:
It takes about $15,000 to increase wages for most of the staff by $1.00/hour;
Around 100 members sliding up their share price 20% would raise around $15,000;
Sliding up +10% on a 2024 Small Share costs you an additional $3.50/week; adding +20% is $7.00/week;
Even with a price increase of 20%, the average ICF CSA member is still receiving many more vegetables than at comparable retail prices. View our Share Value information.
Why Can’t I Slide Down?
Our base rate share price is set to provide ICF with sufficient revenue to operate, but just barely, so we can’t discount below that without jeopardizing our ability to provide CSA members a diverse basket of quality produce. ICF continues to offer our Supported Share Program to households with lower income who qualify for the program. We are also happy to set up a payment plan for anyone.
Why Doesn’t the Base Rate Cover What ICF needs to operate?
ICF’s share prices have always aimed to balance our desire to keep vegetables as affordable as we can with our desire to pay our farmers a fair wage that provides a reasonable standard of living. Complicating our discussion is the national food pricing environment, which strongly undervalues labor and ecological concerns, but sets the reference pricing against which all producers are compared. Our definition of ‘affordability’ and ‘fair wages’ have been topics of concern for the Intervale Community Farm Co-op Board and staff for many years, and will continue to be so.
2024 Summer Share Sign-Up Join Us for Our 35th Year!
Dear ICF CSA member,
Like farmers all over Vermont, the ICF team is busily preparing for a productive and delicious 2024 season. Share in summer’s bounty and sign up now for your 2024 summer share. Learn more about our 2024 offerings on our Summer Share page.
We at Intervale Community Farm are happy to turn the page on a difficult 2023. Your collective willingness to share some risk through our community-supported agriculture (CSA) shares carried us through, and our losses were made whole by your financial, physical, and moral support. Thirty-five years of success are backstopped in poor seasons by your enduring commitment to our co-op farm. Together we have come a long way since 1990!
Rent and general prices have increased greatly in the past couple of years, and ICF wages have not kept up with the cost of living in Burlington. Our success depends on training and retaining smart and talented farmers. We’re asking you to consider the value of ICF in your life and your community.
Our new Share Slide-up scale on our sign-up form provides a tool for those who wish to help us toward a livable income for more of our farmers. Sliding up your share price 20% still saves you a considerable amount over comparable retail vegetables. As with everything at Intervale Community Farm, all members paying at any level are an important part of ICF achieving our goals: 35 years of CSA shares have brought us to where we are now! We appreciate payment in full for those who can, as it allows ICF to offer flexible payment plans to those who need them. Read more about our Slide-up scale.
Please note that our Supported Share program for qualifying lower-income households is unaffected and still operates as it has in the past.
Avoid missing out on a summer or winter share and enjoy other benefits by joining Intervale Community Farm Cooperative as a co-op member-owner. See sidebar graphic for details.
If you have friends, family, or colleagues who are interested in a summer share at ICF, please send them our way. Find out more at our website, email us, or leave a voicemail at 802 658-2919.
Please watch for emails and information from Intervale Community Farm and please add kathie@intervalecommunityfarm.com to your allowed email. We will let you know what is happening on the farm and keep you informed about our upcoming summer season.
On behalf of the Intervale Community Farm staff and Board,
Andy Jones, Farm Manager
Important: Winter Share Location Change for December 21
Group 2 Winter Share Pick-up for 12/21 will be
MOVED to the Intervale Food Hub, 180 Intervale Road, Burlington.
Due to flooding on Tuesday 12/19, Intervale Road is not easily passable.
Fortunately ICF was spared meaningful crop loss.
Intervale Food Hub is at the back of the lot behind the Intervale Center’s brick farmhouse. It is the first driveway on the right after you pass Gardener’s Supply Co., and approximately across the road from the McNeil power plant. You may park at the Food Hub building while you pick up your share. There is parking available on the other side of Intervale Road or in the lot behind the farmhouse if the Food Hub lot is full. See map for details.
Maple Wind Farm will be on site again with various meats for sale or for you to pick up your pre-orders.
We apologize for any inconvenience, and are very grateful to our neighbors at Intervale Center and Intervale Food Hub for hosting Winter Share on short notice.
ICF Distributes Our First Co-op Member Patronage Rebate for 2022
In October, the Intervale Community Farm Cooperative distributed our first ever patronage rebate for the year 2022.
When consumer cooperatives such as Intervale Community Farm earn a profit, many co-ops return a proportional share of those profits to their co-op member owners as a patronage rebate.
A patronage rebate is a reminder that Intervale Community Farm is a different kind of business, owned and governed by our 300+/- co-op member-owners, for your mutual benefit, as it is defined by the Intervale Community Farm Cooperative Board of Directors.
The July 2023 flooding presented ICF with one of the largest financial challenges in recent history, making it odd to return money right now, with many of you donating generously toward flood recovery. That said, the $3000 distributed is a modest sum, and the milestone of Intervale Community Farm Cooperative’s profitable 2022 and first ever patronage rebate is worth celebrating. We’ve had questions, but please know that community donations were not used to fund these rebates, which stem from a profitable calendar year 2022. We’d also like to thank the ICF co-op members who elected to donate their patronage rebates back to ICF.
You too can become a member-owner of the Intervale Community Farm Cooperative, or email Andy Jones or Kathie Sullivan with questions or for more information.
2024 Board of Directors Election Results
We are happy to announce the results of the recently held election for the 2024 Board of Directors. Welcome back Bonnie Acker, Emily Portman, and welcome aboard to Abha Gupta!
Updated 2/7/2024: Since the election, Emily Portman has resigned from the board due to work obligations. We thank her for her service.
Caroline Hauser was appointed to the vacant seat. Learn more about Caroline below.
Abha Gupta brings a deep background in horticulture, farming, and agricultural research to our team. Her full candidate statement is here.
Bonnie Acker has been a member of the farm for over 30 years and a board member since the beginning of our co-op. She is responsible for most, if not all, of the public art around the farm and the field signs. As well, Bonnie spearheads farm member volunteer efforts for seasonal projects.
Caroline Hauser
Continuing on the board for 2024 will be Mark Twery, Maja Smith, Mieko Ozeki, Lis Mickenberg, Mandy St. Hilaire, and Pamela Kraynak.
2023 ICF Annual Meeting Recap
On October 21, 2023, we returned to the Integrated Arts Academy for our annual meeting and recap of the year.
We had a plentiful pot luck dinner while members in attendance were able to chat with each other and catch up a bit.
After dinner, Farmer Andy Jones discussed the difficult year we’ve had due to the July floods, but also emphasized we are on good footing due to the hard work of both staff and volunteers and the generosity of members and area businesses through many donations. Some of the pictures were astonishing to see in terms of the water, the tables that had floated down the road, and the shear devastation of crops. But there were also many pictures of our fall plantings and recovery.
Andy explained our final 2023 summer share value was nearly on par with normal retail pricing, noted ICF’s first ever co-op patronage rebate, and paid tribute to departing, long time board member Christopher McCandless and 14 year Farmer Silas Branson.
To see the slideshow as a Powerpoint or Google Slides, go here. (File will download for opening.)
If you have any questions or would like more information, contact Andy Jones or see any member of the staff at a winter pick-up. (NOTE: We have some room in our winter shares still, sign up here.)
Watch this space for more details on the summer share value, summer survey, patronage rebates, Christopher, Silas, and the results of the board election.
2023 ICF Board of Directors Elections
Electronic ballots will be emailed to all co-op members in good standing on October 23. To be in good standing, your equity contributions must be paid in full ($200) or current to 2023 (at the rate of $25 per year since your date of joining the cooperative.)
Candidate Statements may be found here.
The link to the ballot is included in the email you received. Voting closes on November 5.
If you think you should have received a ballot and did not, please do the following:
check Spam folder
check Promotions folder if you have a Gmail address
contact Kathie to check your co-op status.
You can join the ICF Co-op at any time! If you join before the expiration of the 2023 voting period on November 5th, you may still vote in this election. Go here to find out more about becoming a member of the ICF Cooperative.
2023 Annual Meeting and Serve on the Board of Directors
Notice of 30th Annual Meeting
and Year-end Potluck
Intervale Community Farm Cooperative
Saturday, October 21, 2023
5:00-7:30 p.m.
Integrated Arts Academy/H.O. Wheeler Elementary School
6 Archibald St., Burlington
Please join The Intervale Community Farm board and staff members for our
Annual Meeting and Year-end Potluck, a tradition of the farm for 30 years.
5:15-6:00. Potluck dinner. Meal details below.
Agenda:
6:10 Call to order & welcome
6:15 Introductions
6:30 Board candidate introductions & elections process
6:40 Slideshow & review of 2023: what happened, where are we now, and what lies ahead for ICF
7:00 Member forum Q&A discussion
7:15 Adjourn
Children’s activities and childcare for younger kids will be available during the Annual Meeting portion of the evening.
EAT!Enjoy an ICF tradition and a truly great potluck – we know you can cook!
Last names beginning with:
A-E Please bring a dessert
F-S Please bring a main dish
T-Z Please bring a salad-like dish
ICF will provide some additional supper for those unable or preferring not to
bring a potluck dish to the meeting, as well as drinks and dishes/cups/flatware.
All ICF CSA members are welcome and encouraged to attend this Annual Meeting and year-end potluck.
Intervale Community Farm Board Elections
ICF is governed by a nine-member board of directors, elected to staggered three-year terms by the members of Intervale Community Farm Cooperative. Board members receive a free small share (or equal credit) annually.
Intrigued? Please contact Farm Manager Andy Jones, or 802-658-2919 x4.
Candidate nominations are due Wednesday, October 18. Go here for ICF Co-op membership info.
2023-24 Winter Share Sign-up is Open
Our 2023 growing season hasn’t gone quite according to plan, but the staff and Board of ICF are still at it. With your support, we have been working daily to keep ICF moving forward to bounty and recovery. We are happy to offer a robust and delicious Winter Share featuring an assortment of fresh greens, root vegetables, and other delights.
Click here to sign up for a 2023-2024 Winter Share and join us for our 18th year eating on the dark side of the Farm. We have reduced the Winter Share price to $450 to account for our unplanned changes. Reduced price Supported shares of $300 are available to qualifying households.
While we lost important crops like onions, winter squash, and potatoes, we replanted carrots, beets, turnips, rutabaga, and radishes, and we predict solid crops of all. Our winter greens were minimally affected, and we forecast fairly normal harvests of spinach, kale, baby lettuce, arugula, parsley, cilantro, bok choi, Swiss chard, napa cabbage, green cabbage, and red cabbage. We plan to purchase organic potatoes from another vegetable farm, and our sweet potatoes look promising.
The Winter Share will begin November 2nd (Group 1) or November 9th (Group 2) and continue alternating Thursdays through April 25th or May 2nd, 2024. All pickups are Thursdays, 2:00-6:00pm (please note earlier end time than Summer Shares.) For full details on picking up a Winter Share and what to expect, go here.
Trent's Bread, Pigasus Farm Eggs, and Does' Leap Farm Organic Goat Cheese (chevre, feta, caprella, tomme) are available by pre-order; a limited number of each product will be available for purchase on the spot. Sign up with your Winter Share enrollment or at a later date.
We appreciate your enthusiasm and commitment to Intervale Community Farm and value your ideas and thoughts. If you have any questions about the Winter Share or other things at ICF, please feel free to email us or talk to a staff member at pickup
Sign up for your Winter Share here.
Summer Shares Continue
As summer slips into September and we welcome this spell of warmth and sunshine, we want to update you on our CSA shares.
Summer CSA shares continue as planned, 2:00-6:30 pm on Mondays and Thursdays (except for our change from Monday to Tuesday 9/5 for the Labor Day holiday.) We now have tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbages, and salad greens, and within the next 2-3 weeks we expect to add some broccoli, kale, chard, cilantro, and possibly sweet peppers. If you haven’t been coming to pick-ups, we miss you and look forward to your return!
2023-2024 Winter CSA share sign up will open shortly. While we lost some winter share crops, we will still have most of the greens and herbs we usually grow in our greenhouses, as well as many root vegetables. Winter Share prices will drop accordingly. More details coming soon!
We remain humbled and appreciative of the volunteer hours, financial contributions, food gifts, and kind words as we navigate this unusual season. Your efforts keep us growing today and toward the future. We know you joined ICF for a sense of community, and in times like these, community-supported agriculture is good for all of us.
As always, your enjoyment, sustenance, and safety are top priorities, and we appreciate the opportunity to discuss them if you have any questions or concerns.
August Farm Update: Post Flood Recovery Process
We want to update you and reassure you that your Intervale Community Farm is on the road to a resilient recovery. Since the flooding three weeks ago, we've been turning heartbreak into hope. Your belief in ICF continues to be so inspiring.
We are so grateful to all of you for staying with ICF this season. Your summer share payments are keeping Intervale Community Farm growing and rebuilding. We also thank you so much for your donations to our GoFundMe fundraiser and to those donations sent directly to the Farm, totaling over $60,000. We are keeping abreast of other local, state, and federal support programs as they develop and we pinpoint our future needs.
Your financial support will allow us to retain our farmers for the season, an impossibility for many flooded farms in Vermont. As Farmer Aly said at pickup last week, "No farmers, no farm." Keeping our staff whole means the world for this season and for ICF’s future.
ICF staff have heard a few questions about food safety at Farm pick-ups. Since the flood, our farmers have spent many hours consulting with experts at UVM Extension and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture to learn how to follow US Food and Drug Administration rules about crop safety. Intervale Community Farm was founded in 1990 to provide delicious, nutritious and safe food for our community, which we have done through threats and floods, large and small. Food safety and food integrity are very important to us.
If you have any questions or comments about produce safety, the outlook for this summer, our plans for the winter, or the ways that the ICF is planning for resilience over the long haul, please don't hesitate to speak with a staff member at pickup or contact our Farm Manager Andy Jones. All would really enjoy speaking with you!
We thank you all so much!
Your ICF Board of Directors
Bonnie, Christopher, Emily, Lis, Maja, Mandy, Mark, Mieko and Pamela
Wednesday, July 19 Flooding Update and Pick-ups Will Resume
Little Free Library near the grape arbor.
We wanted to share some highlights of how our farm is recovering and going forward. As your Intervale Community Farm Board of Directors, we are so grateful and humbled by the generosity and support from you and the wider community.
PICK-UPS ARE RESUMING
We look forward to seeing our Thursday Shares tomorrow, July 20, and our Monday Shares on Monday, July 24. Our parking lot is patched up (thank you Intervale Center!), our pick-up barn & coolers are clean, and ICF staff are busy prepping veggies for your shares, tending our surviving tomatoes and cucumbers, and replanting crops as our fields dry out.
Colin and Will planting baby lettuce.
We expect to continue summer CSA shares through October, though with far fewer vegetables. For the next 3 weeks or so, we expect to have 6-7 crops available; then for another 1-2 weeks, we may have only tomatoes and cucumbers. By late August, we expect to add back salad greens & herbs, and then more crops through September and October. Bread, eggs, and goat cheese will be available throughout. We’ll update you on specific crops as the season progresses.
FUNDRAISING & VOLUNTEERING
The donations coming in are highlighting the deep belief that supporters have in ICF. Thank you! We are also so grateful for our volunteers, and those who hope to help in the future. Continue to support us by registering to volunteer, mailing a check or contributing to our ICF GoFundMe, and/or supporting recovery of the entire Intervale.
COMMUNITY-SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE
The CSA model of farming enables farmers and eaters to share the bounty and the risks of each season. Most years, ICF members have received far more food than the price paid for their CSA Share. In a few unusual years, the value of the vegetables has been less than the price of the Share; this is sadly the situation this summer.
The ICF Board and staff know that for some members, an unexpected reduction in the amount of vegetables presents a significant financial hardship.
To assist our Supported Share households, Intervale Community Farm will automatically refund an amount reflecting the reduction in the produce received. For other members who will be harmed by losing food dollars, we encourage you to request a pro-rated refund by emailing info@intervalecommunityfarm.com, leaving a voicemail at 802 658-2919x1 or by speaking to a staff member at pickup. We want you to make this request if need be. We hope that everyone requesting a refund will do so thoughtfully and carefully, with ICF’s well-being and future in mind.
Longtime ICF member Tom Berry puts it this way:
Bella pruning and trellising tomatoes.
“It grieves me to see our lovely Intervale Community Farm take this most devastating blow. But our strength is that ICF members have joined together to share the risk. While it will be a hardship for each of us to have less food from the ICF for the next several months, it is a loss that most of us can manage. I am proud to share the risk and the loss so that our farmers and members can dig into the work of recovery and restoration at our Farm.”
ICF’s wonderful staff will be happy to answer any questions you might have about the length of this season, refunds, and anything else on your mind. Feel free to email, call, or chat at pick-up. We on the Board will also be very glad to answer any questions you might have.
Thank you so much for your continued support and being confident in the Intervale Community Farm’s resilient future!
In cooperation,
Bonnie, Christopher, Emily, Lis, Maja, Mandy, Mark, Mieko and Pamela
Saturday, July 15 Flooding Update: How You Can Help ICF
Wednesday morning
Late Monday evening, July 10, the Winooski River began to flood Intervale Community Farm and adjacent farms. Floodwaters began to recede around 10:30am Wednesday morning. Virtually the entire farm was flooded.
The ICF Board has reached out to all members with some suggestions for helping the ICF staff in the short term, with the goal of cleaning up the farm and moving forward.
Dear ICF members,
It’s been quite a week at Intervale Community Farm. We value our members and appreciate your patience and support.
What We Know
Intervale Community Farm sustained catastrophic flooding Tuesday and Wednesday this week, engulfing 99% of Intervale Community Farm, the worst disaster of our 34 years. We’ve lost many crops. A few crops may recover, but it is too soon to tell. Our farmer neighbors suffered similar fates.
Through the combined efforts of ICF staff and volunteers, we were able to rescue many crops before the flooding. These crops, alongside our greenhouse cucumbers and tomatoes, will sustain our summer shares for some weeks.
Expect an update next Wednesday with more information about our summer CSA shares, which will resume at their regular time and place on Thursday, July 20.
What We Are Doing
As your Board, we represent you, the ICF members, in making decisions to sustain the health of our cooperative farm. We value how Intervale Community Farm feeds our community delicious organic vegetables, sustaining all of us while donating many tons of fresh produce.
We are also proud employers of some of the smartest, friendliest, and hardest working people anywhere. Our team put their bodies and minds into growing our food day in and day out, year after year, laboring through heat, cold, rain, mosquitoes, floods, and even a pandemic. With the extensive flooding, we have a special concern for their wellbeing.
We want all of you to know today that our Farm will recover and thrive, and that all of our efforts are directed towards that end.
How You Can Help Now
While we chart the path forward, we would value your support to help retain our talented staff and proceed with cleanup and restoration efforts. You can help in several ways:
Financial
Donate to the ICF, GoFundMe, which is easy to share. (Or mail a check, of course!)
Support our neighbors and ICF together with a donation to the Intervale Recovery Fund. (Select Recovery Fund rather than General Support.)
Volunteer
We know that some of you would like to help us at ICF. Cleanup and restoration can be muddy, dirty, and disagreeable tasks and we would truly appreciate and value your help. Please register your interest here and we will keep you informed of volunteer opportunities as they arise.
Moral support
Your words and messages of support are important and encouraging to the staff and Board. We also know that the staff love food and cookies. While we are doing our best to retain our staff, some may need to seek other work and many need winter jobs. If you have a good opportunity, please send it our way.
We are honored to help steward this farm that is central to so many of us. Though the waters are muddy, with your support we will persevere.
In cooperation,
Bonnie, Christopher, Emily, Lis, Maja, Mandy, Mark, Mieko, and Pamela,
Intervale Community Farm Cooperative Board
Wednesday, July 12 Flooding Update and CSA Status
Wednesday morning
Late Monday evening, July 10, the Winooski River began to flood Intervale Community Farm and adjacent farms. Floodwaters began to recede around 10:30am Wednesday morning. Virtually the entire farm was flooded.
Intervale Community Farm will cancel tomorrow’s 7/13 Thursday pickup, and the Monday 7/17 pickup. We will resume CSA distribution at the farm for Thursday members at Thursday pickup, 7/20.
Due to the valiant effort of ICF staff and 30-40 community volunteers on Monday, we harvested and stored thousands of pounds of produce for CSA distribution over the next few weeks. Our first tomatoes, carrots, beets, and sweet onions are on the way, along with many greens, cucumbers, zucchini and summer squash.
With the farm still under water, we are unable to provide a good picture of the remainder of summer CSA shares. The Intervale Community Farm Board and Staff will continue to evaluate and communicate with you over the next week or so as the overall impact becomes more clear. That said, it is likely that our summer season will be abbreviated somehow.
All the staff and board truly appreciate the support and encouragement we have received from all of you and the wider community. Expect further communications from us about future CSA pickups and how you can help if you are so inclined.
Tuesday, July 11 Flooding Update
The amazing ICF staff after a long day of rain, mud, and vegetables.
ICF had an amazing day yesterday with more than 30 volunteers showing up alongside our hardworking staff to harvest thousands of pounds of carrots, beets, onions, greens, and squash in advance of rising floodwaters. It was a heroic effort of many hands, which was mirrored at neighboring farms throughout the Intervale. We are humbled and grateful for all of the community support and love. Thank you.
You can see some of yesterday's action in the Intervale from local media here:
https://www.sevendaysvt.com/.../volunteers.../Content...
https://www.vermontpublic.org/.../vermont-experiencing...
https://vtdigger.org/.../volunteers-turn-up-in-droves-at.../
At this time we do not need additional help, though we will let you know if and when we do. Please do not come for a visit right now, as water is streaming across Intervale Road and into our parking lot. All pick-your-own is closed.
As of 9:00am this morning, floodwaters are beginning to enter our fields, with forecasts suggesting an Intervale crest after sunset tonight. We will not know the full extent of things until Wednesday or possibly Thursday. We hope we will be able to continue with a semi-normal Thursday pickup and will let you know if we need to cancel or postpone.
2023 Summer Share Pick-ups Are Starting
It’s Time! Summer Pick-ups Are Starting
Monday, June 5 and Thursday, June 8
2:00-6:30 PM
We can't wait to see you! Pick-ups are on the west side of Intervale Road, the first gate and parking lot on the left after the road turns to dirt. The address is 281 Intervale Road. Please observe the lined parking areas and handicapped spots (pull right up to the flags, ropes, cones, or trees.)
Please remember to bring your bags to collect your produce.
Did you walk, ride a bike, or car pool? Let us know when you check-in and get a Green Stamp!
Check "This Week's Pick-up" each week to see what we anticipate having available for you, including pick-your-own (PYO) items. Remember, PYO may be done at any time during the week if the regular Monday pick-up time doesn't work for you. If you do come at another time, please make sure to check the electric fence switch! Ask a staff member about the switch at pick-up.
It's not too late to order bread, eggs, and cheese add-ons for the season. We'll have a few items for sale on site each week.
Be sure to check our web site blog, Facebook page , or Instagram on a regular basis for farm updates! Burning questions? Email Kathie or Ask a Farmer at pick-up.
We are looking forward to seeing you and starting our 34th year of growing organic food for you.
Learn more about how pickup works on our website.
20th Annual Plant Sale
For 20 years, Intervale Community Farm grows a small selection of high-quality, certified-organic vegetable, herb, and flower transplants for you to enjoy in your home garden. This even has marked the official end of winter (for the farm) and adds to the excitement and anticipation of the new summer share season. If it’s nearly time to be planting your home gardens it means we’ve been in the fields for a few weeks already.
The plants we have for sale are the same stock used by ICF for our summer shares. We grow a few extra items because we know how much fun it is to walk into your backyard and pick something for dinner, whether herbs or flowers for your table.
Quantities are limited and the inventory changes on a regular basis so we’re unable to provide a list of what will be available ahead of time. That is, some plants may not size up for the first week or we might sell out of something. We’ll have two flatbed wagons full of beautiful plants and you’ll find something interesting, we have no doubt.
This year we're adding sage and oregano to the selection of herbs. And we’re adding sunflowers and calendula to the flower selection.
Prices
Flowers 4 pk $4.50 plus tax
Flowers 4" single $3.00 plus tax
Flowers 6pk $7.00 plus tax
Veggies or herbs 4 pk $4.50
Veggies or herbs 4" single $3.00
Veggies or herbs 6 pk $7.00
If you are current ICF member you may charge your account.
Otherwise, payment may be made on site, checks or cash.
Plants will be available during the normal time (2:00-6:00) for our winter share pick-ups on both days.
Fresh Greens All Winter?
The crew at ICF have been busy harvesting abundant winter greens out of the tunnels. People often ask how the farm is able to supply fresh kale, spinach, lettuce, and herbs consistently through a Vermont winter. It’s hard to believe that the lettuce we harvested this week that just went through an 87°F high in mid-April, is from the same plant that survived the -15°F low in early February.
Our winter greens are grown in the four large tunnels that can be seen across the parking lot from the winter pick-up area. We transplant and direct seed the plants in October and November. The crops grow during the late fall months with the waning heat and sun of the season. From December to mid-February, the plants grow very little because there are cool temperatures and short days. By March, once the days are longer and brighter, the greens start to grow quickly, and we can get a second (or third!) harvest off the plants.
The tunnels are not actively heated. Instead, the tunnels are insulated by air filled between two layers of plastic. The types of winter greens we grow are all extremely hardy and can survive freezing temperatures. When it is going to be very cold, we cover the plants with a blanket made of thin material, called Reemay or row cover. This cover offers a few degrees of insulation and protection from the wind.
Now, in April, the winter crops are at an all time growth spurt and the winter CSA tables are filled with a variety of greens. Winter growing in the Northeast is relatively new, and each season it is exciting to experiment with new crops and varieties to see what’s possible.
Shortly the tunnels will be turned over to tomato, cucumber, and pepper plants for the summer bounty, and summer greens will be grown in the open fields.
Contributed by Maya Bower, ICF staff since 2016.