Week 9 - The NINTH Week of SUMMER CSA 2021!
(Want to skim this e-mail, but get the most benefit? All NEW and UPDATED sections will be titled in "RED")
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Opening Remarks
Hello Dear Supporters, Members and FaRmily!!
What a summer it has been so far! Our CSA has been absolutely awesome thus far, and this may be the best Summer crop we have had since we started 7 seasons ago!! Although, things can change quickly in farming, we know😜, so celebrating our victories is important - and this year has been fantastic! Yes, it started out very, very cold and slow, but the rain and cooler weather really helped many of our crops thrive (though Spring was rough!). One real negative that came out of that cool weather was our pumpkin harvest...the 2,500 plants we put in have looked very stymied and it doesn't look like it's going to be a good fall crop which breaks our hearts (more on that below)!
As far as happenings go, we have been hustling our tails off to get the Fall planting in - which is almost complete! We are almost 100% planted, again, which makes us so very happy and excited for a good fall season! We also have all the garlic dried and cured, the onions are about to come out of the ground (starting today!) and the potatoes are almost ready to harvest too! The weeds have been looking slightly better - a special thank you to our volunteers (though there is still so much weeding to do!😝). All in all, our Fall planting is going well, the CSA is kicking tail and the crops are looking very nice. We can expect to have a very nice CSA for Fall and Winter (let's hope the Fall is mild!).
We've also had a couple amazing classes and events on the farm recently including a GIANT tour, Storytime with Ms. Tracy and a Composting 101 class. All have been successful and wonderful programs that have added to our community - thank you to all the members and volunteers who make these wonderful programs happen!
See below for event updates, new articles and announcements!
Enjoy your share this week and don't forget to join the fun and share your recipes and pictures in the Facebook Community Group!
🥕👩🌾CSA Veggie-Share Program Update and Comments
As mentioned above, the CSA has been looking so great lately! We are so excited, week after week to be able to accomplish such abundance of nutrition and then to divide it amongst such amazing people! It fills our hearts with such joy to know that so many families are enjoying the food we work so hard at producing, and with such love and care. Your feedback, as we have been mentioning, has been a huge motivator and we are so grateful for all your support!
Over the next few weeks you will notice that some of the varieties may be changing as we will start to transition to Fall crops. This will be a subtle transition away from Summer crops (like beans, tomateos, squash etc) to more cooler weather crops like turnips, radishes, carrots and lettuce and more alliums like onions, scallions, garlic and leeks etc. Expect the transition to take place for the next 6 to 8 weeks and anticipate that the sizes of your shares may fluctuate as well (perhaps not very noticeably).
This week's CSA share is another abundant one and you can expect the following items: Scallions, Turnips, Kale, Radishes, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Squash, Chives, Peppers, Basil, Fennel, microgreens and more
Volunteering - Sunday, September 12th!
Weeds, Weeds Everywhere!!! We need your help to pull them! Can you help us do a final push for the Fall seasons?
It's our LAST Wonderful-Weekend-Warrior-Weeding-Workout, and we want you there too!
Come, Sunday, September 12th from 12pm to 3pm to help us yank 'em!
Can't make it out on Sunday the 12th? That's ok because we need volunteers every day between 8am and 5pm! Just let Beka know you are interested in coming out and we will welcome you with plenty of open buckets (to put your weeds in!!!) 😆! We need volunteers all the time! Weeding, planting, cleaning, harvesting, bagging and so much more, so don't be shy and come on out!
Want to volunteer? Simply e-mail our amazing Administrator, Beka at aci@ahavahcommunity.org to get more information and to sign up!
👩🌾Farm Happenins'👩🌾
A little tid-bit about what's happenin' around the farm this week!
Well, to be honest, it's been a little slow on the farm this week as we push, push, push to get our Fall planting in, weeds managed and crops harvested (slow is relative 😝!!). In addition to that, we have a host of injuries on the farm: Evan with a casted-up foot, Asher with a casted-up hand and a couple others with some injury or another (unmentionable here) - so it's been kind of a scramble (including the unfortunate cancellation of Asher's Blacksmithing 101 class due to his thumb).
However, there was one event that happened this week (non-farm related) which was super-exciting! As some of you know, Havah and I (Yosef), and the kids have been trying to fit in a lot of recreation lately (as my fight and recovery from cancer continues to get better and better - this has been absolutely necessary). In fact, we haven't been able to do anything recreationally for a few years due to Cancer, Covid, Bomb Cyclone Ulmer and the regular hustle and bustle of operating the farm and it's associated businesses. It's been very difficult for our family, especially since
we are such a recreational and outdoor adventure type of a family, so we have decided to make it a high priority to slow down the growth of the farm and focus on reconnecting as a family through recreation. One of the recreational activities we have been thoroughly enjoying lately has been fishing! It's been a huge bonding experience for our family and has been helping with my recovery from cancer tremendously due to the stress relief it has been bringing to me as well as the light physical exercise which has been therapeutic as well.
Well, this week we went fishing and Asher caught a GIANT (even with his bandaged hand hiding behind the fish in the picture above)! He caught a Master-Angler Award sized grass carp of 33.5 inches and nearly 14lbs (and his brother Aiden helped net him as the string snapped)!
For some of you, this might not be super-exciting, and that's ok, but for our family, though, it was a lot of fun and very exciting - and since you are part of our FaRmily, we want you to share in some of our exciting moments too! I mean, hey, it's not every day you catch a Master-Angler sized fish! Congratulations Asher!
YOM KIPPUR SCHEDULE - WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 16th
As you know, Yom Kippur is on Thursday, September 16th. Therefore, all THURSDAY CSA pickups and deliveries will be postponed until Friday, September 17th (no changes for current Friday CSA members). The times will also be changing as noted below. Below is the CSA schedule for the 13th week of Summer, the week of September 16th:
Monument / North Colorado Springs: Friday 9/17/2021 @ 10:30am to 11:30am
Denver / JCC: Friday Friday 9/17/2021 @ 2pm to 3pm
Peyton / Farm: No Changes.
Colorado Springs/ Ranch Foods Direct: No changes.
THURSDAY DELIVERIES: Postponed to Friday.
FRIDAY DELIVERIES: No Changes.
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND MAKE APPROPRIATE ARRANGEMENTS - THANK YOU!!😁
🥕🍅🥒🧅🌳🌵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:
DON'T FORGET: SNAP PARTICIPANTS ALWAYS RECEIVE 50% OFF!!
&
As always, all prices are
"Pay-What-You-Can-Afford."
👀GARDEN PLANTS ALSO QUALIFY FOR SNAP AND 2x DOUBLE-UP BENEFITS!!!👀
For Payment: Cash or Check at the drops or the balance can be sent via PayPal to contact@ahavahfarm.com or via Venmo to Ahavah Farm, LLC or by paying with credit card over the phone.
⚠ BAGS! We need your bags (PLEASE🙏) !!
Thank you everyone for recycling your LARGE bags with us (thank you, but we do not need the small ones, only the large ones)! 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!
FALL REGISTRATION - 📢📢(Registration closes August 31st)📢📢
Go to www.ahavahfarm.com/csa to sign up today (and remember, SNAP members get 50% off, auto-renewals get 5% off and we offer flexible payment options too!)
CSA/Veggie Share OR Microgreen Share 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?
Has this extremely common situation happened to you or someone you know?
So, you want to support local, sustainable and pure produce. You want to cut out food miles, support local systems and you believe that local agriculture is vital for a healthy community and society - so, supporting local is your goal! You also want to be sure that the food you are feeding your family is not only the best for you nutritionally, but safe for you and your family without heavy metals, chemicals or biological contaminants. So, you attempt to source your food from the freshest places you know: the local farmers market. Surely, you believe, their produce is local, fresh and grown organically and safely, right!? Then, by one way or another you discover that the farm you have been purchasing your produce from isn't a farm at all, they are retailers and the food you are buying isn't local, and in fact, it isn't even organic! What a disappointment!
This happens all too often and is, unfortunately, very common - particularly here in Colorado. So how can you be sure that the produce you are purchasing is actually "pure?" Some states, like California, have inspectors to ensure that farms stand by their word. In Colorado, however, you have to ask, ask, ask! So what to ask? Let's dig in.
These are the top 10 questions you must ask the farmers at your local farmer's market:
1. Do you grow all this produce yourself? Believe it or not, there are far too many re-sellers claiming to be local. Yes, this does happen. It happens a lot. Not all "farm-stands" are actually run by a farm and in Colorado, the majority are NOT local.
2. "Do you use chemicals on your crops" is a terrible question to ask because it allows for interpretation from the seller. Instead, a question that should be asked is this: "What exactly do you use on your crops for fertilizer, pest, fungus and weed control?" This question is sure to weed out those that are pure vs. those that are not - but only if you hold their feet to the fire in answering the questions. KEEP THIS IN MIND - JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING IS CERTIFIED ORGANIC, DOES NOT MEAN IT IS PURE FOR YOU OR GOOD FOR THE EARTH!
3. "Do you use diatomaceous earth (DE) on your crops or near your crops?” Not only can even "Certified Organic" DE be loaded with arsenic but it is designed to kill bacteria and the rest of the soil food web (yes, DE kills the life in the soil)! There is no pesticide on earth that targets only a single organism. All pesticides kill beneficials also - all and always! By putting DE on crops the soil food web gets destroyed and certain toxins can entire the food supply.
4. “Do you use Fish Emulsion, fish, blood meal (or similar) at all in any way on your crops as fertilizer?” One of the reasons that conventional fertilizers can be harmful is because of the heavy metals in them. Fish byproducts have some of the highest amounts of toxic heavy metals of all. Also, buying these products is supporting an industry that is often times done in a way that ends up being one of the most environmentally destructive. Similar arguments can be made regarding nearly all animal-based fertilizers and amendments (even something as benign as manure).
5. “Do you use tractors? If so, in what manner? Do you till your soil? Do you use the tractors on your crops, to cultivate your fields?” Tractors, in general, are terrible for our environment (though in many cases they are vital to our survival). They leak fluids, leave heavy metal residue from brakes, spew toxic emissions on your crops and compact the soil from their weight. Tractors, in agriculture and on our crops are a no-no and have been one of the biggest mistakes our modern agriculture has ever implemented. There is no way around it, heavy machinery mixed with organic/sustainable/regenerative agriculture doesn't make sense.
6. “What kind of irrigation methods do you use? Is it flood irrigation? If so, why?
Do you have any plans to switch over to a more sustainable / regenerative form of irrigation?” Water is a renewable resource, yes, but it moves. In Colorado, 90% of the water used in the state is for agriculture and we are sucking our aquifers dry – many have less than 20 years left! – While you are at it, ask for a water report to see if it is clean! I can't emphasize this enough - in Colorado, if you want to be responsible by your food choices, choose agriculture that is responsible with their water!
7. “Are your seeds certified Organic? Are they local? Where do you source your seeds from?” Did you know that unless a seed is certified Organic, it is required BY LAW that they be treated with a fungicide unless labeled? That’s a major problem! Look, seeds don't have to be certified, but the farmer should clearly know where they are from and how they are grown. Are they from the beyond-organic farm down the street? Great! Are they saved from the farm themselves and they aren't certified? Who cares? As long as they are sourced from a pure source, this is what we are after!
8. “Where is your farm located and can I visit your farm?” If a farmer EVER says “no” to that
question, then don’t buy from them. What are they hiding? This is a good rule of thumb.
9. “How exactly are your animals raised and cared for? Are they on pasture? Do you use hormones or antibiotics? What are they fed? Are they soy-free? How long do you keep your chickens? Do you heat your coops? What percentage of protein do you feed them? Do you de-beak them? Where do you source your animals from and why?” This is sort of a mixture of the same theme – do you treat your animals with love, care and give them a healthy long life? They should have answers to every single one of these questions.
10. Do you have any certifications? If not, why not?” Just because a farm is not certified is NOT a reason to not support them. However, their answer to this question can give you a lot of insight! Personally, I think that being certified Organic has it's place, particularly for a commercial grower selling to grocery stores etc., but the truth is that certifications don't go far enough, and they aren't the be-all-end-all. They are easy to manipulate and bend the rules or fudge the practices. Therefore, we believe that the ONLY fail-safe for feeding your family the purest food possible, is knowing your farmer and asking the hard questions. So come on, ask them already!
There are a lot more questions we can ask our local farmers, but these ten are a good starting point for sure. Our goal is not to be pessimistic and untrusting, rather we simply want to verify. It's unfortunate that we have to verify these questions, but due to many, many numerous incidents in Colorado (specifically), it's something we have to do to protect our own families - because if we don't ask the questions, are we really going to rely on someone else to do it for us?
Remember these rules: Just because something is certified Organic does not mean it is pure and does not mean it is even good for you and does not mean that the animals are truly cared for. Asking questions, knowing your farmer and learning about true, Regenerative Agriculture is vital for your health and the health of our planet and communities.
2021 FALL FESTIVAL!
If you enjoyed the Summer Fest, you'll love the Fall Fest! Cooler weather makes for more opportunities and now we will be working off of a great success with this next one! We hope you can make it out - so plan now and put it on the calendar! October 17th, from 3pm to 8pm.
👈👈 This is a video from our Summer Fest. We had such a great time and we hope you did too! Thank you so much for everyone who came out and celebrated with us!
There were so many new faces and so many reunions! Thank you, thank you!!! What a blessing to see and hug on so many wonderful members of our community! The music, all the vendors, the food, the games and of course the fire and s'mores were AWESOME!
🔦 Ahavah Community Initiative SPOTLIGHT 🔦
Whether it is tours, kids classes, major events, educational outreach, donations or adult classes, our mission is to SERVE.
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 and more. 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.
Ahavah Community Initiative is a one-of-a-kind, very special non-profit organization that serves our community in a unique and wholesome way. We believe in this mission so much that all board members (including the Camire family) donate personally to it. Do you believe in this organization too? Please, if you do, consider donating if you have the ability...
Interested in making a tax-deductible donation to ACI? Ahavah Community Initiative is registered as a 501c3 with the State of Colorado as a non-profit organization and all donations are tax-deductible.
Want to get involved with either ACI or as a volunteer on the farm? E-mail us to let us know. We are always looking for volunteers and we would love for you to join the party!
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 for the week. That's because, supporting ACI, and therefore families in need, is the MOST IMPORTANT and BEST part of being a CSA member with Ahavah Farm! ACI does some amazing things, and you can be a MAJOR part of that simply by bringing your buck every week. We thank you! 🙏
Bring $1 every week and be a part of supporting, directly, families in need.
Don't say your $1 isn't important! IT IS!! The only way crowdfunding works is if we all participate. Therefore, your $1 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!
Everyone can afford to Bring-A-Buck and if we ALL bring $1, the impact can be enormous - to the tune of feeding 1 family for an entire season for every single week we all participate!!!! WOW!!
Thank you members! The last few weeks of Bring-A-Buck have been great! Thank you so much for your donations! - EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS!
📰NURSERY NEWS📰
July and August are slow months for the Nursery crew - especially since the crops are so abundant during this time and we reduce our living herbs, household plants and our microgreens during this time.
So for now, the team has been cleaning, cleaning, cleaning! Just checkout how neat and EMPTY those houses are!
So, the team is cleaning and taking some vacations. But, we still have PLENTY of plants for sale - ON REQUEST. Check out the board of plants we have for sale and available (just email us and we will bring it to your location!):
No space for a garden? Don't worry! We have got you covered with our BRAND NEW all-in-one options!!!
Get your garden companions of choice potted up with companions and an already sustaining eco-system! Just give them water, light, and love! No need to ever transplant these babies, just let them grow right from your container!
We will continue to be bringing living herbs and we will be increasing our house plants too. keep an eye out for Fall planting seedlings - like Broccoli, cauliflower, kale, greens, cabbages etc. We will have them and more available every week as we get closer to fall.
👉ALL CSA MEMBERS STILL (ALWAYS!) RECEIVE 15% off!👈
Microgreen CSA Share!
Love our microgreens!? Than this selection is for you! Receive 3 types of microgreens every week of the year and save 17% every single week!
✔SIGN UP ANYTIME AND START YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AT ANY TIME OF YEAR! AND CANCEL AT ANYTIME TOO!✔
Our microgreens are fresh and will last - unlike anything you can find in the store. 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, they are THAT good! (Packaged in a 100% plant-based, commercially compostable container)
WHAT'S IN A SHARE? In your share you will receive a combination of 3 microgreens every week with the option to purchase add-ons and extras when available. Every week we will be growing a mixture of microgreens and you will receive 3 selections of the following: Sunflower Shoots, Pea Shoots, Radish, Kale, Kohlrabi, Basil, Cilantro, Lettuce, Brocolli and more.
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.
Go to https://www.ahavahfarm.com/microgreen-csa to learn more and to sign up!
COMPOST
Be a part of our ZERO-WASTE mission here at Ahavah Farm and bring us your compost! PLEASE REMEMBER - NO PLASTIC BAGS. 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 mission to become Waste Free!
CSA PICKUP LOCATIONS AND TIMES
NOTATE TIMES: Times are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances. Please be aware that it is your responsibility to check Facebook and this blog on ahavahfarm.com for updated information and changes.
THURSDAYS:
COS North / Monument @ Beasts and Brews (7 Spectrum Loop, Ste. 140) (THIS WILL BE CHANGING SOON!!!)
11:30pm to 12:30pm (Drive Thru / Market Style)
Denver @ JCC (350 S. Dahlia St.):
3pm to 4:30pm (Drive thru / Market Style)
FRIDAYS:
Colorado Springs @ Ranch Foods Direct (4635 Town Center Dr.):
1:30pm to 3:00pm (Drive Thru / Market Style)
3:00pm to 6pm (Inside store - 🚨TRADITIONAL SHARE MEMBERS ONLY!!)
Peyton @ Ahavah Farm (7545 Log Rd.):
10am to 11am (Drive Thru / Market Style)
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
Blue Curled Kale- Our kale is one of the most amazing things we grow. Highly sought after, it was our kale that gave us our reputation 7 years ago and it's the kale that continues to be a CSA winner week after week. (don't forget to massage it - no really!).
Scallions - Tall green onions. Use the whole thing.
Cucumbers- Our cucumbers are spectacular. We have both tendergreen burpless, a smooth and tasty slicer and we have the picklers which are great for both pickling and slicing.
Peppers - We have sweet bell peppers and marconi peppers and some spicy jalepenos too.
Squash - What can be said about squash that hasn't been said?. Well, how about this: Choose the pattypans, slice them, batter them and then bake them...it will become your favorite meal on the planet - just ask Havah! Wow! Check out this recipe and die a happy person.
Chives - Oh boy, we love our chives! Chives are a mixture of onion and garlic flavor and are a great addition to nearly any dish.
Fennel - Fennel has lovers and enemeis, but I will tell you that even the greatest fennel hater out there can still enjoy it! Check out this article to discover a new way to eat fennel and absolutely LOVE IT!
Swiss Chard - Gotta love the chard! Easiest way: Salt, pepper, garlic and oil saute'd to perfection! Add some mushrooms, onions and cheese...now we're talkin'!
Tomatoes - Oh yes! The tomatoes are fully in now and they are fruiting like crazy! We have enough for all members to receive tomatoes for the next 10+ weeks!
Basil- Delicious and amazing! This basil is the BEST for pesto - and let me tell ya, we eat lot's of pesto!!
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
