June 19th, 2024 - SUMMER CSA Season Week 2

What's Inside This Week?

👉Featured Vegetable: "Arugula: The Vibrant Green Spicy Gem!"

👉*NEW* - Monthly Giveaway - get $60.00!

👉This Week's Article "An Important Article for all New Members! "Storing Fresh produce is Simple and and an Important Aspect to Eating Fresh and Local!"

👉Video Update with Farmer Yosef

👉Featured Gardening Tip of the Week: NEW VIDEO SERIES: "Tools For Your Garden"

👉*NEW FEATURE* - CSA Tip of the Week

👉*NEW* - Upcoming schedule of events for June & July

👉Must-Read Announcements

👉Featured Vendor of the Week: "The Chicken Math Professor"

👉*NEW*-Farmer's Market Update

👉*NEW* Also: Don't miss our "Around the Farm" this week, our announcements, our "Weekly Harvest List" and more!

Dear FARMILY! 

Well, the first week of summer CSA was one of the roughest one's we've ever had! To juggle the CSA drop after two days off from the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, and then to do so short-staffed, on the first day of the summer season was INCREDIBLE! PHEW🥵, we got it done - but it wasn't pretty! We are thankful for everyone for adjusting their schedules and for their patience as we struggled to get everyone their food. We hope you enjoyed the first week regardless of the schedule changes and all the chaos. The first week's share was a beauty, especially for the first week of the season and also considering that we haven't even hit summer yet (though it feels like it with all this heat🔥!!). We are sure that the rest of the weeks will go a lot smoother and hopefully everyone's CSA experience for the next 15 weeks will be wonderful and seamless!

⭐Don't FORGET! All CSA deliveries and pickups are returning to the regular schedule this week. For details on times and locations, please see your PRESEASON DETAILS (or scroll to the bottom of this newsletter).

THIS WEEK'S CSA

Speaking of the coming week's...this week's CSA should be a beauty! The arugula this week is absolutely incredible and the abundance of the harvest is huge (don't miss our article on arugula down below, as it's the veggie of the week)! Not only will the arugula be beautiful, as the main highlight for the week, but we will have carrots, turnips, beets, kale and so much more as well! These items along with the rest of the varieties (all listed below in the "This Week's Harvest" section below) will make up your shares. As always, don't forget to see the "What's in your Bag" sections this week to get all the details.

FARMER'S MARKET

Ever since the weather started warming up, the farmer's market has been a ton of fun and loaded with vendors and local foot traffic. Of course we have had the awesome story-time's w/ Ms. Tracy for all the local kiddos which has been a great opportunity as well.

This week we have another great lineup of vendors for you and we have "Storytime and Activities w/ Ms Tracy" yet again. The weather is going to be beautiful - warm with some cloud-cover, but it might be fairly breezy - so vendors, be sure to prepare just in case. As for the veggies this week - we have an ABUNDANCE! With 22 varieties of veggies available at the market this week, you can be sure to get what you need for your weekend barbeques and family dinners! 🥕🥬

You can learn more about all of this below, so don't forget to check out our "Upcoming Events" listings below, our "Events - A Look Ahead" section and also for more information on this week's Farmer's Market, the vegetables available at our stand and all the vendors that will be coming this week, please see our "Farmer's Market Update" section below as well!

THIS WEEK'S NEWSLETTER

There's also plenty of more updates to look at in this week's newsletter, like a new video on the "Tools of the Garden" series in our "Gardening Tip of the Week" section, a video update from yours-truly in the "Video Update from Yosef" section, a new "Veggie of the Week" with recipe as well as many more new items throughout - and be sure to see the "CSA Tip of the Week" this week as it is a great one! Be sure to check it all out down below, enjoy the newsletter and spread the word!

We love you all, our beautiful FaRmily!!!

Farmer Yosef and Family!

WE L❤️VE OUR COMMUNITY!

🌟Video Update from Yosef

0:01 - Intro and first week of csa 1:48 - Newsletter and how to store your vegetables 2:40 - Week 2 3:20 - Schedule reminder 3:50 - Heads up! 6:20 - Sun-shoot update 8:00 - Farmers market update 9:35 - Don't miss it! Summer Fest! 12:45 - Volunteers needed 13:40 - Outro

🚨🚨ATTENTION COMMUNITY! PLEASE READ!🚨🚨

The Ahavah Community Initiative (501c3) board has met this week and we have approved the Summer CSA FREE membership applications and there were a total of 43 memberships that were approved!!

We are so honored to be able to help out our community in this way, and we simply could not turn down these members!  HOWEVER, the budget for these 43 memberships will be a total of almost $24,000 to go towards fulfilling these struggling families. We approved the memberships on faith that our community will not only come together and support these hurting families, but will also spread the word and work hard to get this food paid for so we can continue to provide for our community in this way!

PLEASE, with all of our hearts we plead with you to help these struggling families! DONATE TODAY AND SPREAD THE WORD! We can't thank you enough and we KNOW you will come through and help!

100% of every penny donated to this campaign will go STRAIGHT and only to these local community families.  Please consider a donation today!

👩‍🌾Around the Farm This Week👩‍🌾

👉Look what came in the mail this week!? Agri-Business Review put us on the cover of their magazine as the Top Sustainable Farming Business in America! Of course, Beth had to take a picture of me with the magazine and insisted that I put it in this week's newsletter.

👈Our amazing volunteer Charles works hard year-after-year to trellis our tomatoes. He's a little behind where he wants to be this year, but boy does he do a great job! The tastiest tomatoes you've ever had are attributed to this amazing guy!

👇Every week for the month of June Ms. Tracy has been doing Storytime and Activities. Each week builds on the next week and it's been quite an adventure! This week's topic is on the "Seasons of the Sun" and since the Summer Solstice is upon us, it's only fitting! Don't miss it - bring your kiddos out on Friday at 10:30!

👇Bumper Stickers! I can't believe it's been ten years of owning Ahavah Farm and we have never put out bumper stickers! Well, they are here now and available for purchase for just $5.00. Buy a bumper sticker at the market or CSA location!

👉Look what's coming soon! Don't get too excited though, in truth, it may be another month before we have enough for sale or CSA - but it's still exciting to see them coming along!

👈Tis the season for beets, beets, beautiful beets!

Get in Early - Fall season registration is NOW OPEN!

ONLY 100 SPOTS ARE AVAILABLE!*

(*Auto-renewal members are already registered and your spots are secured)

🍂Fall is the BEST season of them all! Just when all the Summer Farmer's Market's close down for the year is when the best season really gets started! Fall is the only time of the year that we have pretty much every variety available - from summer tomatoes and cucumbers and peppers to cooler crop lettuce, kale and greens to the fall squashes and pumpkins!

If you are looking for the freshest, purest and most nutrient-dense vegetables you can when the local farmer's market's call it quits, then you don't want to miss the Ahavah Farm FALL CSA Veggie-Share! 12 weeks of the best veggies you can find. It's the best season of them all!

Go to www.ahavahfarm.com/csa to register for our Fall season Community Supported Agriculture Veggie-Shares and get weekly bags of the freshest, most nutrient-dense vegetables available!!

🥕The highest quality, 100% local, produce you can find, harvested and delivered fresh every week!

😝Pure, chemical-free, regeneratively grown produce.

💳Flexible payment options.

💲Many discounts are available - see website!

📌4 Locations for CSA pickup (Peyton, Co. Springs, Denver and Monument).

🚚Door to Door delivery options available!

🫰Got SNAP!? Get 50% off your CSA share automatically!

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Every share supports families in need through donations.

💪Flexible CSA options, holds, credits and more.

🧑‍🏫Classes, events, tours and community opportunities.

⭐100% of everything we sell is grown and harvested and delivered by Ahavah Farm and Ahavah Farm ONLY - All produce is grown 100% on our farm in Peyton Colorado, near Colorado Springs without a single chemical, in rich, composted soil. We use biodynamic principles to grow the purest, most nutrient-dense vegetables available and deliver them to you fresh, every week!

EATING HEALTHY SHOULD NOT BE A STRUGGLE!

Our mission at Ahavah Farm is to "provide health to our region, healing to our earth and love to our community by growing the purest and most environmentally responsible food available" and we are proud to say that we have never given up on our mission or compromised our values throughout all of these years.

Our mission has never been about making profit, getting wealthy or about anything other than service to you and to our planet. We strive to grow the freshest, purest, most sustainably grown produce that we are able to, without compromises and we want those that need the food the most to be the ones to get it! That's why we have so many options to make your support of our farm to be more convenient and more affordable!

Whether you pay with SNAP benefits, make monthly or weekly payments, whether you simply

share the support with your neighbors or you simply are having a difficult time making ends meet, we want to serve you and we want you and our whole community to flourish!

We hope you will sign up for our four-season CSA, whether for one season or for them all, and we want to make it easy for you to do so with the following opportunities:

Pay What You Can Afford

Times are tough, and getting PURE food is difficult for so many. Support your local farm, eat fresh, pure, chemical-free food with our Pay-What-You-Can-Afford program! All of our prices are suggested prices and if you can’t afford the suggested price, please be blessed by paying what you can! Select “CASH PAYMENT” at checkout and send us an e-mail telling us how much you can afford! No questions asked! It’s that simple!

Refer-A-Friend and Get $25.00

When you tell a friend or neighbor about our CSA program, not only do you get $25.00, but your friend ALSO get’s $25.00 too! After your friend signs up, simply have them send us an e-mail telling us who referred them and you BOTH get $25.00 for free food!

Flexible, No-Fee, No-Interest Payment Plans

The lump-sum of paying for your CSA share can be inconvenient! That’s why we allow all of our members to pay us, not only WHAT they can, but WHEN they can! These payment plans are INTEREST-FREE and flexible to YOUR needs! Simply select “CASH PAYMENT” at checkout and send us an e-mail to work out a plan that works for YOU!

Got SNAP? Get 50% Off Automatically!

Saving 50% off is a “SNAP” when you pay with your EBT / SNAP benefits! That’s right, when you pay your CSA share with your SNAP benefits you AUTOMATICALLY get 50% off of your CSA membership and all of our veggies at all of our stands! Eating pure has never been more affordable! Simply select “CASH PAYMENT” at checkout and send us an e-mail to let us know you will be paying with your SNAP / EBT benefits!

BECOMING A MEMBER OF ANY OF THESE PROGRAMS IS SUPER-SIMPLE:

1. Go to ahavahfarm.com/csa and scroll down to select the size share you want (all the details are found there).

2. When checking out select "CASH PAYMENT"

3. Send us a quick e-mail and let us know you will be paying with SNAP or making a payment plan, or let us know how much you are able to afford so we can work with you to make a plan that fits YOUR budget!

Please spread the word and let us know if you have any questions!

PS. We do not get subsidized for any of our vegetables. Not from any one person or from any organization. Ahavah Farm is a for-profit, family farm, but we simply can't stand to see people struggling to feed their families our nutrient-dense produce, when it's needed. The only two things we ask in return is that you tell others about our family's generosity and that you don't take advantage of our generosity. THANK YOU!!!

REFERAL PROGRAM!

🌞TELL YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY AND YOU BOTH GET $25🌞

Refer a friend to Ahavah Farm's CSA and you BOTH will receive $25 in credit to use ANYTIME you want! Use to buy extra vegetables, or take $25 off your next CSA purchase - your credit will never expire!

New members simply send an e-mail to contact@ahavahfarm.com to let us know who referred you and you BOTH receive your $25 certificate!  It's that easy!😁

Weekly Farmer's Market Update

Ahavah Community Indoor / Outdoor Farmer's Market

Every Friday from 10am to 1pm!

We aren't even technically to Summer yet and the market has been booming! loads of people, loads of activities and loads of vendors - and we are just getting started! If the market has been this good so far, we are hopeful it is going to be a stellar season all together!

As we mentioned earlier in the newsletter, the weather has been amazing lately with no wind and this Friday should be the same. The vendors have also been filling all of our spaces (though there's always room for more!) which has been a huge boon for our local community and for the vendors themselves! This week we have another awesome line-up for you and a really exciting activity for the littles - Storytime & Activities w/ Ms Tracy is back after a few years of hiatus and we couldn't be happier!

Here are the list of Vendors you can expect to see this week:

✅Ahavah Farm-Beyond Organic Veggies 🥕

✅The Sourdough Boulangerie 🥖

✅Unique Play Place 👩‍🍼👶

✅Good Shephard Coffee Roasters ☕

✅Come to the Table - Flowers 💐

✅Rohi Ranch - Goat Milk Soap & More 🧼

✅Simply Blessed Boutique-Crafts & More 🏺

✅Robynne's One Stitch at a Time🧸

✅CC's Tamales🫔

✅Scent Together - Candles 🕯️

✅Minions Ranch - Grassfed and Pastured Meats and Eggs 🥩

✅What's Your Bag? 🛍️

✅The Stir Crazy Baker 🍪🧁

✅Garza Farm - Pickles and More 🥒

✅Ahavah Farm Nursery 🪴

✅The Chicken Math Professor - Hatching eggs and chicks 🐣

✅Meadow Gate Studio - Handcrafted Items 👒

(ATTENTION LOCAL VENDORS: DID YOU KNOW OUR MARKET IS FREE!? WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR MORE VENDORS FOR OUR WEEKLY FARMER'S MARKET. CONTACT BETH AT MANAGER@AHAVAHFARM.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION!)

🥕🥬🌱Vegetables at the Farmer's Market this week

(June 21st)

✅Beets ✅Radishes ✅Mint ✅Scallions ✅Cilantro ✅Carrots ✅Lettuce ✅Red and Green Kale ✅Dill ✅Mustard Greens ✅Arugula ✅Chives ✅Scallions ✅Rhubarb ✅Honey ✅Fennel ✅Swiss Chard ✅Dried Herbs ✅Rhubarb ✅Cabbage Rolls ✅Duck Eggs

✅Living Plants (basil, cilantro, mint, succulents and MANY more) ✅Pea Shoots ✅Sunflower Shoots ✅Radish Microgreens ✅Broccoli Microgreens ✅Wheat Grass

(For CSA location "extras", please see below in the "Extra Vegetables" section below)

PLANTS!!! We got 'em!

👆DON'T MISS OUR AMAZING SELECTION OF GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD PLANTS!!!!🌻🌸🪴

TOMATOES, PEPPERS, GREENS, CUCUMBERS, SQUASH, HERBS AND A BUNCH MORE!

📢FEATURED VENDOR OF THE WEEK!📢

The Chicken Math Professor

The Chicken Math Professor is a new local chicken hatchling business that hatches and sell baby chicks for those backyard enthusiasts who desire to raise their own chickens!

From the popular breeds like ameraucana to rare gems like queen puffs, their varieties of baby chicks is wonderful, but they also provide a plethora of other services as well. The Chicken Math Professor also offers farm fresh eggs for sale, as well as customizable services such as hatching specific breeds for you when YOU are ready! Getting set up and ready for chickens can be a chore and require feeders, shelter and waterer's and that can take time. The Chicken Math Professor offers all of these services, and can hatch your desired breeds for you on specified dates so that you can have the chicks when you are all set up and prepared.

Finally, The Chicken Math Professor also offers a one-of-a-kind service of processing your meat birds for you, so you don't have to deal with the mess and fuss of doing it yourselves. They call this the Chicken Math Subtraction Service (see website for details).

Based out of Colorado Springs, they can be found at our farmer's market and you can find more information on their website at https://chicken-math-professor.square.site/ and you can also follow them on Facebook HERE.

ATTENTION LOCAL BUSINESSES!

We are so excited about our current line-up of vendors, but we are still seeking more!  

✅FREE MARKET for all vendors!

✅100% of raised funds goes to feeding LOCAL FAMILIES IN NEED!

✅PERMANENT tents! No need to bring a tent - just come and set up under ours!

✅Indoors and heated on COLD days!

✅GUARANTEED traffic of 200-350 people+ per market!

✅FRIDAY's from 10am to 1pm  

👉If you are a local vendor and are interested in attending our farmer's market, please reach out directly at manager@ahavahfarm.com and we will send you information and the vendor agreement.

June Monthly Give-Away!

Every month we will be having a monthly give-away for our members and non-members. Here is this week's MONTHLY GIVE-AWAY!

WANT TO GET $60.00 (and more!) & HAVE FUN & DO SOMETHING GREAT FOR THE COMMUNITY!?

We are looking for volunteers for our Summer Festival - to raise money for families in need! If you are interested in volunteering for the festival and helping out your community, we want to offer you $25.00 to use when you want and more (see below)!

Festival Volunteers needed July 7th from 3:30p-8p (with an hour break to enjoy the festivities).

Volunteers receive:

✅$25.00 in free vegetables (to use when you want).

✅Free Admission to festival for you and your family (5 members) - $10.00 value.

✅1 Free horse & carriage ride - $5.00 value.

✅1 Free Hamburger (Beyond-Meat / Kosher) - $10.00 value.

✅1 Free S'more kit - $5.00 value.

✅1 free zipline ride for child - $10.00 value.

Festival Volunteers needed July 7th from 3:30p-8p

Please e-mail Beth at contact@ahavahfarm.com to sign up.

(Limited numbers of volunteers slots available - sign up now)

An Important Article for all New Members!

"Storing Fresh produce is Simple and and an Important Aspect to Eating Fresh and Local!"

- By Yosef Camire

In the past I wrote an article titled, "Here's One Vital, and Unrecognized Reason Why Local is Always Better," (click here to read that article) I spoke about the degradation of the nutrients of harvested and stored produce over the course of just a few days and weeks. For instance, I referenced that green beans and other vegetables can lose up to 70% of their nutrients over the course of 1 week in a refrigerator! These statistics are not only shocking, but they speak to the level of malnutrition in our world and how spread out and inefficient our food system really is.

It's unfortunate that most people do not realize that by having a garden and eating un-washed, un-sanitized vegetables, one can get almost their entire DV of vitamin B12 - not to mention the grounding benefits, the mental wellness benefits and of course the beneficial-bacteria! This, on top of eating fresh, nutrient-rich food that hasn't been stored is one of the the best things you can do for your diet and perhaps one of the greatest things you can do for your health overall. Supporting a local farmer whom you trust is second-best (but particularly beneficial if you get your hands dirty on the farm - wink, wink, nudge, nudge 😄). For those of you planning a garden this year, we'll have the plants and the help and instruction you need, for the rest of you, read on to learn how to best store your crops in order to keep the plants alive and nutrient-dense for as long as possible.

Our CSA and market produce is always harvested ripe and delivered the same week. It is as

 fresh as you can get, but it is much more fragile than store bought produce (even Organic) for multiple reasons:

1. The produce is harvested and delivered fresh. Within 3 to 4 days of your receiving it and eating it, it was harvested from the ground. Compare this to tomatoes harvested green and gassed on trucks to ripen them. This causes tomatoes and other vegetables to last for many days longer than produce harvested fresh and ripe.

2. We do not use chemicals, coatings, unnatural preservation methods or harmful packaging to prevent rot and increase storage and transport.

3. We do not use irradiation - a means of killing "bad" bacteria to increase storage life.

4. The majority of our produce is heirloom, meaning it has more nutrition and flavor, but the storage is much shorter since the over-whelming majority of crops grown in the US are bred for storage and transport - not flavor or health.

Now, with all of that said, since the produce is harvested so close to delivery, if the right steps to preserving and storing your produce are taken, your produce can last for a (kind of freakishly) long time! The key is what you do with it when you get home. For our family and many of our members, we will have lettuce and microgreens that lasts for many weeks and the root crops should last for months. In short, there is no reason for your produce to go bad before it's eaten. So copy us and your produce will last just as long and hopefully you will be able to capture and keep as many of those vital nutrients as possible!

First, the following are the main culprits of rotten produce (so our goal will be to combat these):

1. Rot due to too much moisture.

2. Rot due to too little moisture.

3. Temperature.

4. Age (we already captured this one with our fresh produce!).

Follow these "stupid-easy" instructions to store your veggies:

1. Do not wash your produce when you get home. Wash the produce when you need it. Actually, the truth is that much of the produce doesn't need to be washed at all. First of all, we use absolutely no chemicals. Second of all, they are already pre-rinsed and dried to the right moisture percentage. Unless you are concerned about Kashrut (Kosher preparation), washing of most of the produce is not purposeful (in fact, the more you wash it the more of the good biology and bacteria will all be gone - think vitamin B12 and pro-biotics).

2. As soon as you receive your produce, remove your veggies from the paper bags (and green bags), if they are wet, dry them with a paper-towel (rarely), and place your veggies in an airtight container (like a plastic bag or Tupperware) and immediately place in the fridge (33 to 40 degrees is best). A little air is not bad, it helps the produce breathe. Therefore, a plastic bag with holes or a container with holes or a vented lid is best - or occasionally burping or changing out the container will work great for extended storage also.

3. A lot of people like to wash the veggies immediately and store them in the refrigerator wet or with a paper-towel. Where this came from, I have no idea - but stop it 😊! It's nearly impossible to have good success with this method because not only are you intentionally removing the bacteria (both good and bad) it's simply too difficult to get the moisture level correct and it rarely succeeds. Remember, too much or too little moisture and your veggies will rot, and too much moisture is always worse than too little moisture. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS METHOD.

So that's it! Storing fresh veggies is a breeze and it shouldn't be something we make too complicated. Store them dry, in a sealed container in a cold 33 to 40 degree refrigerator and you should be golden! Our lettuce will last us over a month at times and many of our members report the same success. However, occasionally we do get accused of delivering "old" produce because someone either leaves their roots on an open shelf and allows them to dehydrate or they store something away wet or otherwise improperly. How to tell them they are wrong and improperly stored their produce? It's not an easy task, but hopefully this article may help at least a few 😉.

Ahavah Community Upcoming Schedule

UPCOMING EVENTS

👉June 21st @ 10am - 1pm:  FAMILY FRIENDLY! Ahavah Community INDOOR / OUTDOOR Spring Market

👉June 21st @ 10am:  FARM TOUR! Come tour the farm with Farmer Yosef!

👉June 21st @ 10am - 11am:  FOR KIDS! Storytime & Activities w/ Ms. Tracy!

👉June 28th @ 10am - 1pm:  FAMILY FRIENDLY! Ahavah Community INDOOR / OUTDOOR Spring Market

👉June 28th @ 10am - 11am:  FOR KIDS! Storytime & Activities w/ Ms. Tracy!

👉July 5th @ 10am - 1pm:  FAMILY FRIENDLY! Ahavah Community INDOOR / OUTDOOR Spring Market

👉July 7th @ 4pm - 8pm:  FAMILY FRIENDLY! 10th Annual Summer Festival! Join over 1,500 people for an annual fundraising event, bonfire, shopping, activities and more!

👉July 12th @ 10am:  ADULT EDUCATION! Grow Your Own Microgreens with Lorin! - Register for this class by e-mailing manager@ahavahfarm.com

👉July 12th @ 10am - 1pm:  FAMILY FRIENDLY! Ahavah Community INDOOR / OUTDOOR Spring Market

👉July 19th @ 10am - 1pm:  FAMILY FRIENDLY! Ahavah Community INDOOR / OUTDOOR Spring Market

📢📢ATTENTION LOCAL BUSINESSES!📢📢

The 10th Annual Ahavah Farm Summer Fest is still looking for more vendors! This festival will be loaded with live music, food trucks, activities, bounce-houses, zip lines, petting zoos, demonstrations, water games, horse-drawn hay rides and so much more!

⭐With over 2,300 people‼️ interested in coming out🤩, you don't want to miss this opportunity on July 7th from 4p to 8p!  

This is a festival to raise money💲for families in need and we would absolutely LOVE ❤️ to have more local community businesses represented at this awesome festival!

Please e-mail us at manager@ahavahfarm.com for more information and to get signed up!

🥕EXTRA VEGGIES and PLANTS FOR SALE🌻

Can't make it to the Farm for the Friday Farmer's Market? THAT'S OK! Please be sure to check out the extras table at all of our CSA pickup locations: available for all members and even NON-MEMBERS!  

Simply come to any of the CSA locations on Thursday and Friday and pick up some of our beyond-organic veggies for sale!

(IMPORTANT: Keep in mind that selection is limited and the more requests and participation we receive, the more vegetables and varieties we will provide)

Food bearing plants also qualify for SNAP !!!

For Payment:  Cash or Check at the drops or the balance can be sent via PayPal to contact@ahavahfarm.com or via Venmo to 719-233-7828

Availability for "EXTRA's at the CSA pickup locations this week (Summer Week 2):

(see Farmer's Market Section, above, for market selection this week)

Please take the time to read the article here regarding our availability

✅Mint ✅Dill ✅Carrots ✅Turnips ✅Dried Herbs ✅Cilantro ✅Red and Green Kale ✅Scallions ✅Swiss Chard ✅Fennel ✅Chives ✅Living Plants (basil, cilantro, mint, succulents and more) ✅Pea Shoots ✅Sunflower Shoots ✅Radish Microgreens ✅Broccoli Microgreens ✅Wheat Grass

Microgreen CSA Shares Are Available! Sign Up Today and SAVE 💲💲💲!

Microgreen CSA Share: 3 Servings of Microgreens EVERY WEEK! Save 17%!!!

Love our microgreens but haven't signed up for a Microgreen CSA?  

All Packaging is Compostable and Green!👉

We pride ourselves on our microgreen quality as being not only absolutely pure - grown without chemicals, fertilizers or inefficient energy (we grow with 100% solar, renewable energy!), but they are absolutely beautiful, long-lasting and delicious!  We really can't rave enough!

WHAT'S IN A SHARE?  In your Microgreen CSA you will receive a combination of 3 microgreens every week with the option to purchase add-ons and extras when available.

​

Pickup locations and times are the same as Ahavah Farm Veggie Share CSA but you do not have to be a veggie-share member to be a microgreen CSA member - these are two independent programs combined into one.

Order yours today at https://www.ahavahfarm.com/microgreen-csa

🚨Updated Member Benefits🚨

🚨Easy & Flexible Payment Plans!🚨

🥕Paypal  "Pay Later" options on the website! These are no-credit check, interest-free online payment plans so you can make 4 smaller payments directly through Paypal. Ahavah Farm benefits as well by paid immediately, thereby providing the farm liquidity, while giving our members flexibility and ease of mind!

🥕We also still have FLEXIBLE and CUSTOMIZABLE offline pay plans in place if you would prefer to make payments via check. Please email us at contact@ahavahfarm.com if you would like more information on offline payment plan and to set up your payment schedule.

Founded in April of 2018, our mission is to connect people who are facing food insecurity due to financial struggles to locally-farmed, regeneratively-grown produce, and to provide education centered around healthy living and environmental consciousness. We do this by offering donated memberships to a local CSA program. Memberships include a weekly bag of produce along with discounted (often free) farm tours, classes, and events.

We want to help participate in the creation of a local food-system-economy, build on a diversity of local and regenerative food education and provide activities and children's events centered around environmentally responsible agriculture and pure, beyond-organic, local food.

"HI! Did you BRING-A-BUCK Today?!"

Oh the amazing power of community and crowdfunding!

Every week, at all of the CSA locations, we have a bin or jar that looks similar to this.  As being a part of Ahavah Farm is also about being a part of a community, we ask all of our members to bring one - five dollars with them every week to help us provide a CSA membership to a family in need next season.

Don't say your dollar isn't important! The only way crowdfunding works is if we all participate.  Your $1-$5 is vitally important and it is directly through this program that we raise the majority of ACI's food donation funds than any other fundraising program, and yet it is the absolute easiest for all of our members to participate!

During the Fall season, your Bring-A-Buck dollars will allow us to donate Fall CSA shares to families facing food insecurity and to offer subsidized shares to struggling families as well.

PLEASE REMEMBER YOUR BUCKS!🙏

Video Series:

"Tools For Your Garden."

- By Yosef Camire

Welcome to our Gardening Tip of the Week w/ Farmer Yosef of Ahavah Farm. In this series we discuss "Tools for Your Garden" with practical tools you can use in the garden and show you what they are, why they are important, and how we use them. Enjoy!

VOLUNTEERING

Our volunteers are the backbone of our organization and we couldn't do it without you...but we need more help!

We need help with so many things:

• Construction Projects

• Landscaping Projects

• Composting Projects

• Harvesting, washing and prep.

• Weeding

• Bag Packing

• Teaching Classes

• General farm cleanup

• and more...got a skill you want to share? Let us know!

Volunteering is Monday through Friday 9AM to 4PM.

Please let Jessie know you are interested, she will send more information and necessary paperwork, and we will welcome you with open arms!

What's in your bags this week?

SUMMER Week 2 - June 20th

Please take the time to read the article here regarding our availability.

CSA MEMBERSHIP SAVINGS (so-far) THIS SEASON*:

AUTO-RENEWAL MEMBERS:

👏SMALL +9.48% 👏MEDIUM +17.7%👏20.95%

NON-AUTO-RENEWAL MEMBERS:

👏SMALL +4.48% 👏MEDIUM +12.7%👏15.95%

*MARKET-STYLE MEMBER SAVINGS MAY BE GREATER OR LESSER DEPENDING ON SELECTION MADE BY INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS. THE ABOVE SAVINGS ARE CALCULATED VIA BAGGED TRADITIONAL-SHARE MEMBERSHIPS ONLY.

Market-Style Members Selection - Summer Week 2

Chives, Beets, Cilantro, Radishes, Dill, Arugula, Red Kale, Green Kale, Carrots, Scallions, Turnips, Dried herbs, Plants, Sunflower Shoots, Pea Shoots, Broccoli Microgreens, Radish Microgreens, Wheat Grass

CSA Tip of the Week!

How to Get the Best Bang for Your Buck as a CSA Member*

(*Recycled from last newsletter as an important tip for new members)

There are various ways to get the best bang for your buck out of being a CSA member. Whether we are considering the special discounts that are offered to our members (especially auto-renewal members), or we are talking simply about which items to select at the CSA pickups.

Take advantage of our classes.

The classes we offer at Ahavah Farm are not your run-of-the-mill type classes. They are down and dirty, deep-dives. We strive to make sure that our classes provide a real benefit and are worth it for our members. Members get amazing discounts on our education opportunities, and you know what they say about education? It's the greatest wealth one can accumulate.

Non-Auto Renewal Members get 10% off on our higher level classes while auto-renewal members get 25% off! All lower-level classes and tours are free for both membership levels!

Use your discounts to the max!

Do you know that all CSA members get amazing discounts at our Farmer's Market and at our CSA drops? Not only do Auto-Renewal (AR) members get an automatic 5% off every season on the cost of their membership, but both auto and non-auto renewal (NAR) members get additional discounts too. At all CSA locations AR members get 10% discounts on any extras that you buy and NAR members get 5%. But that's not all. AR members also get 15% off on microgreen shares while NAR members get 5% off and there are many more discounts as well. See our website or ask our staff for a list of all the discounts you are eligible for (or simply look above in this newsletter for the "Member Benefits" section for more.

Select the higher priced items with the highest nutrition.

When you select Market-Style you get to choose what goes into your bag, and although you will see above in the "What's in Your Bag" section a detailed overview of how much money the members have saved this season, that can be increased considerably if you choose market-style and make the selections that really add up. For instance, did you know that the highest nutrition items are usually the most expensive? Our microgreens pack a punch of 40x more nutrition that mature vegetables, and what do you know? They are the highest priced items we offer. By stocking up on these items your value will go through the roof.

2 Shares are better than 1!

Many families choose the Large style CSA share, but when you do that you are limited by the number of items you can take per variety (most items are single-limit, while some items are a limit of 2). But what if you purchased a small and a medium share? Did you know that you get 15% off the small? This makes the total price very comparable to a large and saves you more money while giving you more items than just a Large share. In addition, when it comes time to pick out your selection as a market-style member you can take any of those single-limit varieties for EACH of your shares and get two instead of one!

This Week's Harvest

As always, nothing is guaranteed. These are the items that are "in season" and are anticipated to be ready this week (which may or may not be available at the CSA).

• Small = 4-6 items per week ($23.50/wk)

• Medium = 7-9 items per week ($33.50/wk)

• Large = 10-12 items per week ($43.50/wk)
  

• Beets - Beets are to die for! They are, hands-down our favorite vegetable in our family (with Turnips being the closest second!). If you want to learn about our beets and get an awesome recipe check out the veggie of the week section from THIS NEWSLETTER HERE.

• Carrots - Only the sweetest, most delectable carrots you have ever tasted! Be careful not to eat these too fast!!! Next week will be a huge harvest of these, so don't miss it!

• Swiss Chard - Swiss chard is one of our absolute favorite items to saute. We love to put this into a cast-iron skillet with loads of garlic, salt and perhaps a little oil and cook it well. It's to die for! Want some more ideas? Check out this article HERE.

• Cilantro - Full of aroma and great for that summer fiesta dish! CLICK HERE FOR SOME CILANTRO USES AND RECIPES.

• Radishes - Radishes can be enjoyed in numerous ways (and we have done them all): Raw: Add them to salads for a crunchy texture and peppery flavor or simply eat them like the old-timers by dipping them in salt (my personal favorite way). Pickled: Pickling radishes can enhance their flavor and add a tangy twist to dishes. Roasted: Roasting radishes mellows their sharpness and brings out a slightly sweet taste. Cooked in Soups or Stews: Radishes can be added to soups and stews for a unique flavor and added nutrition.

• Sweet Turnips  - By far, these are the most beloved vegetable we grow - I know, I know, it's a turnip...but is it really🤔!? No way is this a normal turnip! I'm telling you, if you have eaten them than you know, but if you haven't you will find out! Taste this amazingness raw - then, if you don't eat them all by the time you get home, then roasting them is our favorite way to eat them. We love to roast these turnips with garlic, or honey, or salt and pepper..but the truth? Raw...I'm telling you, the sweetness of these turnips is to die for! Our kids call them "Ground Ice Cream!"

• Fennel - The fennel is one of our fan-favorites! Absolutely one of my most favorite raw veggies to chew on, I love just taking the greens and snacking on them for a fresh and clean feeling! DID YOU KNOW? Did you know that when you cook the fennel it changes flavor!? That's right, try it. Add some garlic and onions and whatever else and saute these beautiful bulbs for a delightful treat - or, better yet - DRY THEM! Hang those greens upside down and dry them and use them when you want to to add a wonderful flavor to pasta or salad! Need some help with creativity? TRY THESE RECIPES!

• Arugula - A spicy green packed with unique flavor. Our favorite way to use the arugula is in an egg frittata, but you can use it any way you'd like - especially enjoyed raw in a salad. ⭐Arugula is our featured vegetables of the week this week - see below for an article and recipe!

• Garlic Chives - These little chives are incredible! With a hint of garlic and a hint of onions, chop them up and add them to...EVERYTHING! Salads, sandwiches, to top soups, you name it - these add a flavor like nothing else!

• Living Herbs - We have tons of these beautiful herbs available - from mint, to basil, to chives, to marjoram...and more! - See our article on living herbs HERE.

• Scallions -The whole scallion, from the root to the tip of the greens are not only edible, but DELICIOUS! Did you know that if you save those roots (about an inch above the bulb or so) and stick them in a glass of water you can grow new greens? It's true. Try it!

• Dill - So much more than an herb to make pickles with! Dill can be used for many things. For one, Havah makes the most amazing dill dressing with fresh dill, flax seed oil, apple cider vinegar and garlic. Fresh dill is also amazing on potatoes and roasted veggies and there are many more ways to use fresh dill...and if you don't want it now, hang it upside down and dry it, then jar it and save it for the winter! Here is an article with 41 ways to use dill!

• Red and Green Kales - The best tasting kale in the world! Great for soups and saute's, sure, but as a raw kale salad, massaged with tihini, nutz, cranberries and shredded carrots? It doesn't get any better. Then again, get creative...to help, click here are 30 ideas.

• Lettuce - Not much to say about lettuce, except that it is wonderful and fresh and delightful and all that stuff! We love it. It's light and fluffy and delicious!

• Dried Herbs - We have a mixture of dried herbs for you this week. We have dill, basil, mint and fennel.

• Wheat Grass - Many of our members absolutely love our wheat grass and use it religiously. We hope you take the time to learn and enjoy this most amazingly nutritious green! Wheat grass is used mostly for juicing. However, I, Yosef (and many of our team members) love to use ian energy and nutrition

• Radish Microgreens - Next to the barley grass and the sunshoots, radish microgreens are some of the most nutritiously-dense items we grow on the farm and not only that, but during our annual survey last year, they ranked as the #1 most requested and love item we grow! They have a fantastic bite to them, last considerably long in the refrigerator and are beautiful in appearance.

• Kohlrabi Greens - To us, the best part of the kohlrabi plant is not the bulb, but the leaves themselves. That's why it is one of our favorite greens to grow. This week we only harvested a little, but next week will be an abundant harvest of these sweet and tender greens. The best way to eat them is either saute'd or as dehydrated chips with oil and salt. OH MY!

• Rhubarb - Did you know there is more to rhubarb than just strawberry-rhubarb pie? It's true. Check out this article for information on how to use Rhubarb 64 ways!

• Pea Shoots - One of the most desired and sought after items we provide are these pea shoots! Quite literally the best you added to any dish or salad. Our favorite way is to add them to stews and soups. A perfect topper too! Here are four fun ways to use Pea Shoots: http://blog.bostonorganics.com/4-fun-ways-to-use-pea-shootst

• Mustard greens- Add these leafy greens to your diet by mixing mustard greens into a chopped salad or cook it like most leafy greens. The greens are high in Vitamin A, Vitamin K, B1, B2, B6, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E! this is one of our absolute FAVORITE greens to saute' 😋 and when we do we simply add some salt and garlic and enjoy.

• Broccoli Microgreens - Last week we told you that Radish Microgreens were the #1 most loved item we grow, well, these microgreens weren't on the list then! I have a sneaking suspicion that these microgreens are the real winners!

• Sunshoots - Our sunshoots are certainly some of the nicest, most high-quality sunshoots you will ever find (that actually goes for all our microgreens). They are one of the most beloved items we grow as well and a regular staple to our CSA. Here are some ideas to use your sunnies this week: https://www.martinsgardenacf.com/sunflower-shoots-recipes
  

Veggie of the week!

ARUGULA

Arugula: The Vibrant Green Spicy Gem!

-By Yosef Camire

Greetings, dear farm friends! This week, we're thrilled to spotlight a fantastic and versatile leafy green that’s flourishing in our fields – arugula. We grow two types of arugula: Heirloom Rocket and also, Astro arugula. With an abundance of this peppery green this week at our disposal, and believe me, it was a large harvest (a lot more coming next week too), there’s no better time to celebrate its vibrant flavors, numerous health benefits, and versatile culinary uses.

"Rocket" Arugula

Arugula, often called "rocket" in various parts of the world, is a leafy green vegetable with a distinct, peppery flavor that adds a delightful spicy kick to almost any dish. This heirloom variety that our farm loves to grow is known for its robust taste and tender leaves, making it a favorite among salad enthusiasts and culinary chefs. Usually arugula is a cool-weather crop, but we go to great lengths to ensure that it does well in our hot summer months too and the flavor is out-of-this-world!!! The variety we use for the summer months is called Astro and it is a more heat-tolerant variety, allowing us more flexibility.

Abundance and Versatility

This week, our fields are brimming with arugula, and we’re excited to share this bounty with you. One of the joys of farming is seeing a crop flourish, and this week, arugula has truly outdone itself. Whether you’re a seasoned arugula lover or new to this leafy baby green, there are countless ways to incorporate it into your meals.

Our personal favorite way to enjoy arugula is in an egg frittata. The flavor is absolutely delicious and pairs perfectly with eggs and every time that we have the opportunity to add arugula to an egg frittata, we will! But don’t worry, for our vegan and vegetarian friends, there are plenty of delicious ways to savor arugula as well. From fresh salads to cooked dishes, arugula’s versatility shines through in every recipe.

The Transformation of Flavor

Did you know that cooking arugula can change its flavor profile? When raw, arugula has a sharp, peppery taste that can add an awesome kick to salads and sandwiches. However, once cooked, arugula mellows out, offering a more subdued, nutty flavor that complements a variety of dishes (there are many greens and veggies that do this too - fennel is one that comes to mind as well as roasted roots like radishes). This transformation makes arugula an exciting ingredient to experiment with in the kitchen, whether you’re sautéing it, adding it to soups, or incorporating it into pasta dishes.

Health Benefits of Arugula

Arugula isn’t just delicious; it’s also a powerhouse of nutrition. Here are some of the key health benefits of adding arugula to your diet:

1. Rich in Nutrients: Arugula is packed with essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, C, and K, as well as folate and calcium. These nutrients support overall health, from maintaining strong bones to boosting the immune system.

2. Antioxidant Properties: This leafy green is rich in antioxidants, which help protect the body from oxidative stress and reduce inflammation. This can lower the risk of chronic diseases and support long-term health.

3. Supports Heart Health: The high levels of nitrates in arugula can help improve blood flow and reduce blood pressure, supporting cardiovascular health.

4. Aids Digestion: Arugula is a good source of fiber, which promotes healthy digestion and can help prevent constipation.

Arugula and Chickpea Salad (VEGAN)

Here’s a simple and delicious vegan recipe that highlights the fresh, peppery flavor of arugula that can be enjoyed by all:

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of fresh arugula, washed and dried

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

• 1 avocado, diced

• 1/4 cup of toasted sunflower seeds

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a large salad bowl, combine the arugula, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, red onion, avocado, and sunflower seeds.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

3. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine.

4. Serve immediately and enjoy the fresh, vibrant flavors.

Creative Ways to Enjoy Arugula

If you’re looking to explore more ways to incorporate arugula into your meals, here are a few ideas:

• Pesto: Blend arugula with garlic, nuts, olive oil, and nutritional yeast for a vegan pesto that’s perfect for pasta, sandwiches, or as a dip.

• Pizza: Top your favorite pizza with fresh arugula after baking for a peppery twist.

• 👉Beth's Favorite!!!

• Smoothies: Add a handful of arugula to your morning smoothie for an extra nutrient boost.

• Stir-Fries: Toss arugula into your favorite stir-fry dishes just before serving for added texture and flavor.

• Soups: Stir arugula into hot soups just before serving to preserve its bright color and flavor.

Embracing this Spicy Green Gem

As your farmer, I take a lot of pride in growing high-quality, flavorful and nutrient-dense produce for our community. Our Rocket arugula is a testament to the hard work and dedication that goes into sustainable farming practices. We invite you to embrace the green goodness of arugula this week and explore the myriad of ways it can enhance your meals.

Arugula’s unique flavor and varied nutritional profile makes it a standout green that’s as versatile as it is delicious. Whether you’re enjoying it raw in salads, cooking it in various dishes, or experimenting with new recipes, arugula is sure to add something unique to your pallet and to your culinary creations.

So, don't mis the arugula this week in your CSA share and if you aren't a member, please remember to pick some up at our Farmer's Market, here, Friday from 10a to 1pm.

ENJOY!

⚠ ⚠ ⚠ BAGS! We need your bags (PLEASE🙏) !!⚠ ⚠ ⚠

Thank you everyone for recycling your LARGE bags with us!  When we receive your bags we immediately quarantine them for 2 weeks before reusing them to ensure they are safe of any yuckies. Thank you for bringing them and any others you may have (we need any large PAPER-ONLY grocery bags you may have) THANK YOU!

CSA PICKUP LOCATIONS AND TIMES**

Times are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances. 

**Please be aware that it is your responsibility to check the weekly packing list for updated information and changes at www.ahavahfarm.com/blog 

North Colorado Springs @ The Dabler Residence

THURSDAYS

11:30 AM to 12:30 PM

726 Airman LN,

Colorado Springs, 80921

Denver @ The Jewish Experience 

THURSDAYS

2:30 PM to 3:30 PM

399 S. Monaco St. Denver CO 80246

Go to www.theje.com to learn more about this location.

Peyton @ Ahavah farm

During the Ahavah Community Market

FRIDAYS

10am to 1:00pm

7545 N. Log Rd., Peyton, CO 80831 

Central Colorado Springs @ Ranch Foods Direct

FRIDAYS

 11:30am to 12:30pm (All)

12:30pm to 6:00pm (Traditional ONLY)

4635 Town Center Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80916

 - Go to www.ranchfoodsdirect.com to learn more about this location.