Pizza Night at ICF
Be sure to join us for our annual wood-fired pizza night on Friday, August 26. The NOFA pizza oven will be on site and we'll be making pies using ICF vegetables. The combination possibilities are endless! In addition, we'll have salad and fixings and melons.
We'll have dinnerware but feel free to bring your own picnic gear, including blankets and chairs!
We'll be cooking from 5:00-7:30 or until the dough runs out.
Suggested donation is $5 per person or $20 per family, but no one will be turned away.
See you soon!
August Issue of Bottom Land News
The August issue of Bottom Land News was emailed this week. If you missed your copy, you can find it on our web site. Mark your calendars for our annual Pizza Night (August 26 at the pick-up area, 5:00-7:30), change of pick-up due to Labor Day, and watch for early sign-up for winter share coming very soon! There is also a request for feedback from members regarding their pick-up experience. We hope you'll all send us some thoughts!
Bottom Land News is Available
The July issue of Bottom Land News is now available in our newsletter archive. Read about harvest days, gleaning, raspberries, and more. Enjoy!
Changes in Pick-up Days
As is our usual practice, when federal holidays fall on our normal pick-up days, we change the pick-up. Monday, July 4th is a holiday so our normal pick-up day will be Tuesday, July 5th, 3:00-6:30.
There is no change in the Thursday schedule.
Summer Shares Start June 6 & 9
Usually when we announce the start of our summer shares we have had a long, cold winter and we are anxious for green things. Not so this year...The Winter that Wasn't. And due to the year round use of the Harnois hoop houses, we had baby lettuce, arugula, spinach and baby kale throughout the winter (at least one of these crops every week.) It was a very special winter share this year. We are both pleased and sad to tell you we are sold out for this summer! Pleased because it means our farm is robust and thriving, sad because we can't accept new members who are hearing good things about us. We know many of the new members this year heard about us via word-of-mouth, so thank you for sharing with your circles.
This year we are serving over 600 families!
Please be sure to sign up for alerts to our blog and watch our page weekly to find out which crops are ready each week.
We are excited to get going and see you all!
So Much Going On in May
May is a very busy time of the farming cycle at ICF. If you monitor our Facebook page, you’ll have seen onions being planted in the light snow cover, lettuce being planted in the light mud, and most recently the tomatoes have gone in the ground in the hoop houses. Other cold hardy crops have been planted (peas, collards, kale) as well. In addition, equipment is being repaired and tuned up, the last summer shares are being sold, bread orders are being taken, and lists are being made. To top off everything, our annual plant sale starts on May 7 and continues on May 14 and 21 (Saturdays.) We’ll have plants available for sale at the winter pick-ups May 12 and May 19. Just as many things are starting, our extended winter/spring shares are ending. It’s been a joy to see members throughout the entire year rather than just during summer months. The smiles on faces when the winter greens offerings were spotted were great! The very last pick-ups for the season are May 5 (group 2), May 12 (group 1), and May 19 (group 2.) If you’ve missed any pick-ups please plan to catch up on these dates! Then we’ll be tooling up for the summer pick-ups, hopefully starting in early June.
If you haven’t signed up for your share yet, it’s not too late. Go here. And if you forgot to order bread, eggs, or cheese shares, go here.
Watch this blog, our Facebook page, and your email for the announcement of exact summer share starting dates.
13th Annual Plant Sale
Our 13th Annual Plant Sale will be on May 7, 14, and 21 this year. From 9 a.m. to noon on each Saturday, you will have the opportunity to buy annual starts for your personal gardening pleasure. In addition, we will have a variety of vegetable plants (the same ones we grow for the CSA) for your home experiments! Try growing a kale or a chard plant for fun. Have your own sungold cherry tomato plant on your porch! Despite enjoying the bounty of produce from the farm, I always have a few plants at home to enjoy for the greenery as well as the enjoyment of picking sungold "candy" whenever I want. I grew chard and kale last year for the first time. This year I'll be trying cold hardy options such as cabbage, brussels sprouts, and broccoli. We will also have plants available for sale at our final two winter pick-ups on May 12 and 19.
Join us for a pre-season event and adopt a plant or six.
New Issue of Bottom Land News
New Issue of Bottom Land News
The latest issue of Bottom Land News landed in your email in-box this week. If you didn't see it, check spam folders! We report on greenhouse progress, new board member, our work with the Food Bank, and more! The issue is now posted on our web site also. See intervalecommunityfarm.com/newsletter.
The Greenhouse is Open
The Greenhouse is Open!
It's March and that means the greenhouse is open and we have started planting onions! Seed orders are arriving nearly daily, potting soil is here, planting trays have arrived. The bio-fuel furnace is fired up and shoots will appear soon. We are still enjoying the winter share even as we look ahead to summer. The fresh spinach and baby lettuces and arugula have been such a welcome sight each week!
If you haven't signed up for your summer share yet, don't delay. We are over 65% subscribed right now and you don't want to miss out on the best CSA experience in town!
Winter Share Schedule Changes for the Holidays
This time of year is very hectic for everyone. Holiday preparations for Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year's keep everyone on their toes. While winter shares pick-ups are highly anticipated, we don't want you to miss out on schedule changes as a result of the holidays.
Please note:
Group 1: last pick-up for 2015 is 12/17 (a regular Thursday.)
Group 2: last pick-up for 2015 is 12/21 (a Monday.)
2016 Pick-ups will resume on January 7 (Group 1) and January 14 (Group 2.)
Season's Greetings from your ICF Farmers and staff!!
Winter Shares Begin in Time for Thanksgiving
Even though our summer shares just finished on November 5, two weeks without member activity at the farm seems like a long time. We'll be glad to have you back for the start of the winter/spring share season! In a nutshell, winter shares are picked up every other week, on Thursdays, from 3:00-6:00 pm. We have shorter hours and one less day because there are no pick-your-own crops, the selections are slightly fewer, and the gathering goes faster.
Remember the pick-up area is across the road from the pole barns and where we focus summer activities. Follow the signs to the back building and look for parking cones.
For all things related to winter shares, including a list of dates for each group, go here. Post cards will be available at pick-ups with all the dates also, suitable for hanging on refrigerators!
Start planning your holiday menus!
2015 Annual Meeting and Potluck Dinner
One of the most treasured traditions of the Intervale Community Farm is the annual potluck dinner held in conjunction with the Cooperative's Annual Meeting. This year the event will be held on November 7, 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm at the Integrated Arts Academy/H.O. Wheeler School, on 6 Archibald St.
While we love to have you bring a dish using ICF produce to share with your fellow farm members, we realize your schedules are busy and maybe you aren't able to cook on that day. Please come and enjoy the evening anyway! We will have bread and beverages, dinnerware and paper goods. We just need people to attend to complete the evening!
If you are able to bring a dish to share: Last names beginning with:
A-C: Please bring a dessert
D-R: Please bring a main dish
S-Z: Please bring a salad-like dish
We will also have our annual wrap-up of news of the farm, crop information, and a look at the upcoming winter share season.
This meeting is always a good time to catch up with friends and farmers and share your experiences of the just completed season.
See you on November 7!
Singing Cedars Farm Grass-Fed Beef
For the 4th year, Singing Cedars Farm will be have their grass-fed, organic beef available at pick-ups on October 19 and 22. Devon cattle are raised in Orwell by Scott Greene and former ICF Farmer Becky Maden. Scott and Becky will have a selection of cuts and burger as well as 30 lb. boxes of mixed beef cuts for your freezer.
Singing Cedars Farmstead is a small, fully organic, diversified farm raising a mixture of vegetables and animals. SCF sells to markets in the Middlebury and Vergennes area and sometimes further abroad.
Questions or pre-orders? Email Scott or see the pre-order form here.
Winter Share Bread, Egg, and Cheese Orders
It's not too early to place your orders for our supplemental products for the winter share. We are happy to continue offering Gerard's bread, Does' Leap Goat Cheese, and Jericho Settlers' Farm eggs to accompany your winter and spring vegetables. You can sign up online here or paper forms are available at pick-ups.
If you've forgotten to sign up for your winter share, go here. Remember, we have about 1/3 the number of winter shares as we do summer shares...don't miss out!
We are pleased to be offering the second year of our 12 month CSA...locally grown, organic vegetables year round, at a predictable cost.
Annual Pumpkin Harvest is October 3
Mark your calendars, the Annual Pumpkin Harvest is scheduled for Saturday, October 3, 10:00-2:00 pm. Bring the kids, meet at the pick-up area, and go on a wagon ride to the fields to select the perfect pumpkin for your family. If you can't make it to the harvest, pumpkins will be available later at regular pick-up times.
Rain date will be Sunday, October 4, 1:00-4:30 pm. Please note the time change is due to the Harvest Run/Walk for Sustainability which is happening in the Intervale from 9:00-12:00 on Sunday. Register here.
The Intervale will be THE place to be on October 3 and 4!
2015-16 Winter Share Sign-up is Open
It's hard to be thinking about winter when the temperatures are flirting with 90 degrees in September, but we are always planning ahead by several months! The sign-up page for winter shares is now active here. We are pleased to be offering our second year of an extended winter share....our winter-spring share makes our CSA a year round opportunity!
There will be paper forms available at the pick-up desk and you may request a mailed copy. Orders for add-ons (bread, eggs, cheese) will be taken in a few weeks.
Please remember we have fewer winter shares available than in summer, so don't hesitate to sign up!
Change in Pick-Up Day
Please note that the usual pick-up on Monday will be changed this week. We will not have a pick-up on Labor Day. We will have a regular pick-up day on Tuesday and Thursday this week.
September Issue of Bottom Land News
September is the beginning of Fall at the farm! Harvesting root vegetables, thinking about pumpkins, prepping fields for winter and preparing for winter CSA shares are just a few of the things going on at the farm. Read the September issue of Bottom Land News to stay on top of all our activities and look ahead in the season.
And don't forget to mark your calendars for the Crop Mob!
Is Mid-August the Start of the Fall Season?
I have always liked the arrival of cooler summer nights in mid-August because it means a longer fall. To many, August is the regretful end of summer and preparation for a new school year. To me, August is the beginning of many weeks of different colors and smells, nesting, preparing for colder days. Any day I need to think about a light sweatshirt is a good day! For farmers, the fall is time to enjoy late colorful summer vegetables, harvest the roots, plant cover crops, and turn under the remainders of crops.
For ICF, we have these normal chores but also many activities unique to a member-owned cooperative! On August 21, 5:00-7:30 we'll have another of our popular wood-fired pizza nights at the pole barns. The NOFA-VT folks will be making fresh pizzas using ICF vegetables and other local ingredients. We'll top off the meal with salad and melon.
On September 12, 1:00-4:00, there will be a City Market Crop-Mob at ICF. Many hands harvesting root crops for winter storage! City Market members can earn hours. Sign up is at http://www.citymarket.coop/calendar/2015-09-12/crop-mob-intervale-community-farm
Watch for more announcements in the next few weeks: 2015-15 winter-spring share sign-up, pumpkin harvest day, and the ICF Annual Meeting.
We hope to see you at one or more of these events!
Summer Food Events at ICF
Bring chairs, blankets, and your appetites!
We suggest a contribution of $5 per person or $20 per family. Plates, cups and utensils will be provided but please feel free to bring your own if you like.
The NOFA-VT pizza crew will be baking delicious wood-fired pizzas featuring a wide array of ICF -grown and other local ingredients. ICF will supplement with salads, melons, tomatoes, and other summer foods.
We suggest a contribution of $5 per person or $20 per family. Plates, cups and utensils will be provided but please feel free to bring your own if you like.