Newsletter for Week 5 of Winter CSA 2022
-----
Hello FaRmily!
WOW, last week was ridiculously coooold! We are so excited to have a beautiful week of warm sunshine! Those crops sure need it, as we have fallen slightly behind. 'Tis ok though, we are planning a beautiful share this week with lots of lettuce, radishes, turnips, tatsoi, swiss chard and more! See below for all the updates this week and DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP FOR SPRING AND SUMMER! REGISTRATION IS STILL OPEN!
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!⭐
🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕
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!
🌻🌼🌷🌳🌻🌼🌷🌳🌻🌻🌼🌷🌳🌻🌼🌷🌳🌻🌼🌷🌳🌻🌼🌷🌳🌻🌼🌷🌳🌻🌼🌷🌳
WORD FROM YOUR FARMER:
Hello my dear friends and FaRmily ❤! I was so blessed to see everyone last week and I am absolutely loving the hugs🥰! It's so nice to have my health back and be cleared to do so much more - especially to be at the CSA drops. I have two videos for you this week, enjoy 😄:
🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅
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!
🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱
CLASSES & EVENTS by ACI (Ahavah Community Initiative)
Have you seen 👀 our class schedule for 2022!? It's INCREDIBLE!
We have monthly classes, events, classes for children, activities, projects and more! Please support Ahavah Community Initiative by signing up and spreading the word! Go to www.ahavahfarm.com/classes to learn more!
👉NEXT CLASS: March 4th (A full-season gardening class with 4 parts!)
🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒
🥕🍅🥒🧅🌳🌵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!
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!!!
🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅
SPRING & SUMMER REGISTRATION IS STILL OPEN - Don't miss out!!
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!).
🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅
SNAP / EBT
🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬
⚠ ⚠ ⚠ 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!
🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕
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!😁
🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔
DID YOU KNOW?
As most of you know, the name of our farm, "Ahavah," means "Love," but that's the English
translation. So what does "Ahavah" actually mean and why did we name our farm this?
One of the coolest things about the Hebrew language is that every letter has meaning. The words themselves are the descriptors. Look up the word "Love" in the English dictionary and you will find something similar to this:
"a (1) : strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties
maternal love for a child (2) : attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers
After all these years, they are still very much in love. (3) : affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests:
love for his old schoolmates
b : an assurance of affection :
give her my love" (Miriam Webster)
So for many of you, when we say, "Ahavah means love" (which we say a lot), the idea that many receive is an emotionally-connected, lovey-dovey, warm and fuzzy feeling of affection - and we get this reaction all the time: "Oh, that's so nice," one would say, and I can immediately see in their heads that they are "feeling" the word, as opposed to "visualizing" the word and it's intended meaning which is closer to "service of others" or "to be kind" or most importantly "to give." "To give" is the literal meaning of the word in Hebrew. The word "ahav" literally means "to give." The word "ahavah" literally means "I give."
Imagine for a moment that when you kissed your children goodnight, or share a moment with your spouse, or tell a friend "I love you" that what you really meant was "I give of myself to you and will sacrifice my life for yours." This is the true meaning behind what the word Ahavah means and what Ahavah Farm stands for. When we say, "Ahavah Farm." what we really mean is "Giving of Ourselves Farm" but that just doesn't have the same ring to it 😄.
As Jews, our family is called first and foremost to "be love," to "be ahavah": givers of ourselves. To be kind, to be generous, to be uplifting and encouraging, to serve others, to make a difference in people's lives, to be stewards of our earth and to our environment. We are called to give of ourselves to make the world and community around us a better, more caring place (full disclaimer: We fail at this all the time, hurt people, make mistakes and misjudgments and disappoint our children and others - so don't get the wrong idea here😇).
As Jews we believe that nothing is ours, not even our own bodies, our time or our money. We believe that the earth was lent to us by an awesome Creator and it doesn't belong to us as individuals to do with it as we please (and whether you believe in a Creator or not, most believe that the world is not ours, regardless of who or what created it). It is not my right to mine our land destructively for resources, litter our land, waste our resources or squander our health. It is not my right to kill as many animals as we can and eat as much meat as we can because we are gluttonous. In fact, did you know that we (Jews) are required, in the Torah (the Bible) to feed our animals before we feed ourselves? This is the level of service and responsibility we are called to (how much more so to our fellow humans?) and it is a message that we try to drive home to our children on a daily basis (though it doesn't always sink in!): Kindness is the most important thing in life! There is a concept in Judaism called "Tikkun Olam": Repairing the world. It's a concept that isn't just for the Jews, but for all of humanity - whether you believe in a higher power or not. It's not just about the earth itself, though this is a huge part of it. It's about repairing our communities, our environment and our souls and relationships. To not just have a "feeling" towards these things, but to live them out in action. So if you say that you "love" something, then you have just called yourself to action: to DO something for and about it. Do you LOVE supporting local food? Then it may take sacrifice and inconvenience to do so. Do you LOVE our earth? Then using mined chemicals and resources, wasting food, using plastic is something we all must wrestle with. Do you LOVE people and your community? Then show it through acts of service and volunteering, not just through ideological bloviating. To do Tikkun Olam, we must be active in giving of ourselves, to be "Ahavah" to the world and sacrifice our own selfish wants and desires. THIS is what our farm is called to. THIS is what our family is called to. WE are called to bring kindness, sacrifice, service and giving to our world, to our communities, to our earth and to our own bodies and health - it's the meaning and purpose of life: to serve. Finally, I will leave you with this, one of the most important sayings, concepts and proverbs in our faith: "The world stands on three things - on the Torah (teachings and instructions for life, i.e. the Bible), service to others and deeds of kindness." There is no greater message or mission in life than to be kind - to others, ourselves, our earth and our animals. This is the meaning of Ahavah, and it is the meaning and mission of our family and our farm.
🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕
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.
🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗
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!
🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅
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.
🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬🥬
NEW!! - Meet YOUR Community!
We have been having so much fun with these interviews, and our community feedback has been amazing. Last week we met Brian, a long-time, beloved member of our community and the week before that we met Lorin, our rockstar nursery manager. This week we meet our Administrator, Jessie. She is newer to our community, but doing an amazing job - she also answers all your e-mails, so she's someone you should definitely meet 😉! Enjoy the interview!❤
🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱
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
🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕
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!
🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦
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.
🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕
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
Rouge D'Hive Lettuce - not just any lettuce, an amazing RED baby romaine lettuce that is as delicious as it sounds!
Celeriac Root- Celeriac is one of our FAVORITE roots to eat! We love to grill it or roast it, and we also enjoy it in stews. A very versatile, seasonal and tasty vegetable. Read more and learn how to serve and prepare it HERE.
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.
Tatsoi - Yumm! This baby tatsoi is ready to sauté, add to a salad, stew or a sandwhich. Delicious and stunningly beautiful!
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!
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!😇).
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
