Newsletter for Week 6 of Winter CSA 2022
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Hello FaRmily!
Well, you know you are in Colorado if the weather is 80 degrees one week and negative 10 degrees the next, only to do the same thing again😄! Farming in Colorado is SUCH a love/hate relationship😂! Anyway, I hope you are all enjoying your Winter CSA shares - only 3 weeks left to go before Spring starts!! this week will be another consistent Winter CSA share - though a little on the smaller side as we deal with this CRAZY weather. Also - SPRING CSA IS ALMOST SOLD OUT and summer season is filling fast. Sign up today so you don't miss out! Once the memberships are gone, they are gone. SIGN UP FOR SPRING AND SUMMER REGISTRATION HERE.
REMINDER:👉 Every week we will be sending out this newsletter on Monday/Tuesday and every Thursday we post to the blog and to the Ahavah Community Facebook Group all the details of your bag contents, the extras available for purchase and what to expect to be available for Market-Style members.
👉Please see the weekly updates below including a word from Farmer Yosef, some educational articles, announcements, changes, interviews, highlights and more.
💲💲CURRENT MEMBERS: USE CODE "RETURNINGMEMBER" FOR 5% OFF!💲💲
📢See below for event updates, new articles and announcements!📢
⭐Enjoy your shares this month and don't forget to join the fun and share your recipes and pictures in the Facebook Community Group!⭐
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🌷SPRING SEASON STARTS MARCH 31st and April 1st.🌷
Don't miss our pre-season meeting on March 21st at 6pm in the Ahavah Community Facebook Group.
This meeting is required for all new members and all members are suggested join as well.
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ARE YOU PLANNING A GARDEN IN 2022!? Pre-order your seedlings and have them when YOU are ready (you can even have them delivered!)!!
Place your Ahavah Farm Nursery orders (up to April 15th of 2022) and CURRENT MEMBERS get 10% OFF when you order before January 1st using code: NURSERY10 (All caps no spaces)
Browse our incredible selection of Organic, Heirloom varieties now at ahavahfarm.com/nursery
Questions? Email us directly at Nursery@ahavahfarm.com We can't wait to help you plan your 2022 Garden!!!!
#AhavahFarmNursery #nurserylife #garden2022 #seedlings #gardening #organic #heirloom #AhavahMeansLove
We've added 13 brand new items to our catalog this year! We now have two types of beans, sugar peas, different types of mint, calendula, echinacea, and we will even have some specific things available at the drops and at our Nursery store (when it opens) that aren't available on the website like Aloe, Golden toothed Aloe, Jade, Mother of Thousands, and Spider plants!
Yes, you read that correctly... we're working on opening a Nursery Garden Center store - OPEN IN APRIL! More announcements to come!
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WORD FROM YOUR FARMER:
Hello my dear friends and FaRmily ❤! I'm looking forward to seeing you all again this week as Asher and I will be doing all the drops!
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VOLUNTEERING
Our volunteers are the backbone of our organization and we couldn't do it without them... but we need more help! We need help with so many things, things like:
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, 8:30 AM 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!
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CLASSES & EVENTS by ACI (Ahavah Community Initiative)
OUR FIRST CLASS OF THE YEAR WAS AWESOME!!
One of the things we LOOOOVE ❤ to do is teach! We love teaching and building community through classes, events and tours. This year our schedule is absolutely PACKED and very ambitious!
Last week was the first class of the year and it was an awesome success! We are so excited to be kicking off these classes and meeting all of you! Our next event will be the FIRST TOUR of the year - March 18th @ 10am. We already have about 20 people signed up - so if you want to come, register at www.ahavahfarm.com/classes and be sure to checkout the rest of the classes - there's a ton going on!
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Ahavah Farm & Ahavah Community Initiative UPCOMING Schedule
👉March 18th @ 10am: Tour
👉March 21st @ 6pm: Preseason meeting.
👉March 27th @ 10am: KIDS CLASS! STORYTIME & Activity
👉April 1st @ 10am: Class #2 of 4 - Full Season Garden Class.
👉April 15th @ 10am: Ahavah Farm Nursery & Garden Center Grand Opening!
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🥕🍅🥒🧅🌳🌵EXTRA VEGGIES and PLANTS FOR SALE - Every Week!
Please be sure to check out the extras table, 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!
⭐Winter and Early Spring selection is limited.
And as always, remember: SNAP PARTICIPANTS ALWAYS RECEIVE 50% OFF!! & all prices are
"Pay-What-You-Can-Afford."
For Payment: Cash or Check at the drops or the balance can be sent via PayPal to contact@ahavahfarm.com or Venmo to 719-233-7828
FOOD PRODUCING GARDEN PLANTS ALSO QUALIFY FOR SNAP AND DOUBLE-UP BENEFITS!!!
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SUMMER REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!
Go to www.ahavahfarm.com/csa to learn more (Auto-renewal members receive 5% Off Plus if you pay by check you get an additional 3% Off!).
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SNAP / EBT
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⚠ ⚠ ⚠ 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!
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REFERAL PROGRAM!
Refer a friend to Ahavah Farm's CSA OR to Ahavah Farm Nursery's microgreen CSA and you BOTH will receive $35 in credit to use ANYTIME you want! Use to buy extra vegetables, or take $35 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 $35 certificate! It's that easy!😁
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DID YOU KNOW?
"Why Local Food Matters" - By James Colquhoun
Eating locally grown foods has many benefits for us as the consumer, the grower and also the community! Here are some reasons why we love putting our dollars into the local community:
Locally grown food is full of flavor. When growing locally, crops are picked at their peak times versus being harvested early in order to be shipped off.
Eating local food is also eating seasonally. This means the fruit and vegetables will be full of flavor and taste better!
Local food has more nutrients. Local produce has a shorter time between harvest and your table, therefore, less likely that the nutrient value has decreased.
Local food supports the local economy. Money spent locally will stay close to the farmers and be reinvested into more local produce.
Local food helps the environment. Purchasing local helps to maintain the farms and green space within your local community.
You will know more about the food you are consuming. You get the chance to chat with your local farmers and learn how they are growing the foods you are eating.
We love hearing when those in our community are on the same page as us, just like Tiffany Davey. Tiffany shared her story with us, and now we are sharing it with you:
Being a foodie, I firmly believe that the best ingredients come from local sources. The veg stays fresh longer, the fruits are as sweet as summer, the herbs smells are intoxicating, the eggs are golden yellow, the meats taste earthy and we can’t forget about the relationships we forge. When you have the opportunity to obtain fresh food you have the opportunity to know your farmer. You can ask them loads of questions and really get the dirt on the food you’re eating. Our farmers hold the keys to so much valuable information. I often ask questions on how to cook an ingredient or sometimes when my own kitchen garden is having a rough go of things, I ask them what I can do to fix it. I’m always answered with honesty and heart. Living in Canada it isn’t always easy to keep it local. We have a very short growing season and lovely fruit and veg quickly turns into apples and squash. Don’t get me wrong I love root veg, however, there is only so much squash and apples one person can eat! When the farmers markets open up here in my city I jump at every opportunity to go. Planning each meal around ingredients, I know I can get there. When I’m in a new city or on a holiday you can bet that I will find a market (or three, on every day!). Each farmer has something different with a different story to tell. These are moments you don’t want to miss. Honey taste different based on local flowers, dairy products have a different flavor from what grasses each cow is eating. The chickens are eating different bugs, and the weather is different which effects growing rates and production times. It truly is amazing to taste the difference from province to province, from city to city, and from country to country. Our farmers need our support and by buying local you are doing just that. So many big companies are chewing up our local farmers and spitting them out. I think we are hitting a point in time where people are starting to see the benefit of buying local and more and more farmers are gaining the backing and support they need. Without us buying at farmer’s markets or direct from the farm we will for certain loose them. We have such an amazing world with people who truly put blood sweat and tears into the food we eat. I can’t imagine living in a province or city and not digging into where the local food is. I often wished I lived in a larger place so my window for local fare was bigger, but I do what I can and support where I can. As our summer comes to a close and my kitchen garden dies off, as I watch the bumbles making a last ditch effort for nectar and as I watch my local farmers market putting up the last of season signs, I’m reminded why I buy and support local. Because nothing is as good, as local food tastes.
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Taking Applications: ACI BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEMBER OPENING
ACI currently has a few board openings and we are taking applications until vacant positions are filled. If you are interested in being considered as a member of our board we would love to hear from you!
All board appointments are two year commitments with monthly board meetings, events and official activities requiring board presence. We anticipate that all board members provide a personal, anonymous, donation to ACI as well as be an active participant in serving our community.
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AHAVAH COMMUNITY INITIATIVE BRING-A-BUCK!
"Hi, nice to see you! Did you bring your buck today!?"
These are the words you should hear every week when you show up at the CSA locations to get your veggies.
That's because, supporting families in need through ACI, is the MOST IMPORTANT and BEST part of being a CSA member with Ahavah Farm! Don't say your $1 isn't important! IT IS!! The Bring-A-Buck program is how ACI has sustained its food donations, so we thank you members! - EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS!
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We Need Social Media and Marketing HELP!
Let's be frank, our marketing and social-media presence STINKS🦨! Our team is the BEST when it comes to growing amazing vegetables in the purest and most environmentally sound way...but when it comes to marketing and social media, we need all the help we can find! To be honest, we aren't really sure where to look, either. So, we are coming to you, our community for HELP! Can you help us build our marketing and social presence? If you have the skills, we NEED you! Please learn more and apply here.
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NEW!! - Meet YOUR Community!
Doing these interviews has been a blast, not just for our members, but also for me! I have really enjoyed sitting down with our employees, members and even our family members to have them share a little bit about themselves. I hope you've also been enjoying meeting your community and our family. If you are a member who is interested in being interviewed, let me know, I would LOVE to sit down with you and get a diverse look at our community members! This week, I hope you like this special interview with my precious 14yo son Aiden - enjoy!
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Microgreen CSA Shares Are Available! Sign Up Today and SAVE 💲💲💲!
Love our microgreens but haven't signed up for a Microgreen CSA?
✔ You can sign up anytime after January 26, 2022 to recieve your weekly Microgreen CSA starting the first week of February. You can cancle anytime in 2022 too!✔
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
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Be a part of our ZERO-WASTE mission here at Ahavah Farm and bring us your compost! PLEASE REMEMBER - NO PLASTIC BAGS or Animal products (except egg shells). Want more information? CLICK HERE to learn about the program. Thank you everyone who has been bringing their compost! We are so excited that we can help on your personal mission to become Waste Free!
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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 newsletter at www.ahavahfarm.com/blog for updated information and changes.
North Colorado Springs @ Colorado Mountain Brewery
- THURSDAYS
- 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
- 1110 Interquest Parkway,
Colorado Springs, CO 80921
Go to cmbrew.com to learn more about this location.
Denver @ Jewish Community Center
NOW INSIDE! Turn left, park then use main enterance. Bring ID. Thanks.
- THURSDAYS
- 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
- 350 S. Dahlia St, Denver CO 80246
Go to www.jccdenver.org to learn more about this location.
Peyton @ Ahavah farm
NEW CSA LOCATION AT AHAVAH FARM!!
- FRIDAYS
- 1o:00 AM to 11:00 AM
- 7545 N. Log Rd., Peyton, CO 80831
ATTENTION FARM PICKUP MEMBERS! There is a new location. Please see the map above and the video to the right👉! We are so excited because this will make things easier and more streamlined for
weather interruptions and a much shorter walk! We even have introduced Handicapped Parking!
Central Colorado Springs @ Ranch Foods Direct
NOW INSIDE! Enter the bay right of the main enterance.
- FRIDAYS
- 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM (All)
- 2:31 PM to 6:00 PM (Traditional ONLY)
- 4635 Town Center Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80916
- Go to www.ranchfoodsdirect.com to learn more about this location.
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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
Medium = 7-9 items per week
Large = 10-12 items per week
Radishes - Our radishes are crispy and crunchy! They are not bitter like store-bought radishes and due to their incredible taste and the huge demand we get for them, they are a staple crop for the fall, winter and spring seasons. The best way to enjoy them? ROASTED! Check out this recipe (and include the other roots too!): Garlic Roasted Radishes
Salad Mix lettuce- A beautiful and soft/fluffy salad mix (with some aruglua and flowers mixed in - YUM!). perfect for a salad base or even a bed of rice etc.
Garlic - amazing hardneck, stored and cured garlic from Fall. Only a limited supply, so get it while you can!
Onions - Oh yummy yummy onions! a few more weeks of these left so enjoy them while they last!
Living Herb - The majority of the plants this week will be parsley, but we have others to choose from as well including some amazing
Kale - We have redbor kale and darkibor kale Both delicious and both are so exciting to have this time of year! How do we prepare it? Let me count the ways! Raw, steamed, roasted, sautéed, in a soup, in a frittata, as a salad...here, just check this link out for some awesome ideas. 😀
Carrots - Of course! these are THE BEST tasting carrots on the planet...oh so sweet! What's a CSA share without carrots!?🥕🥕🥕
Dried Herbs - Basil, dill, mint and fennel (our herb room smells like heaven!😇).
Spinach - the sweetest spinach on the planet! What else can I say? Use it raw, saute'd, steamed or in a stew. 😋
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.
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-shoots
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
That's it for this week! We love you to pieces, are incredibly grateful for each and every one of you and we are blessed to the core to be YOUR farmers!!
Yosef, Havah, Kids and Team The Camire Family
