SUMMARY: SECOND WEEK of SPRING 2021! - EXTRA VEGGIES! - FARM CREW SPOTILIGHT - NEW* - NURSERY SPOTLIGHT- ACI DONATION UPDATE AND DONATE TODAY! - DID YOU KNOW? - LOCATIONS AND TIMES - WHAT TO EXPECT THIS WEEK - WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT WEEK
Week 2 - The SECOND Week of SPRING CSA 2021!
HELLO DEAR CSA MEMBERS!
Week 2 is here and we are are on-a-roll! We are also back to our regular Weekly Newsletter with all articles and updates included (The following newsletter sections are updated weekly: "Did you Know," "Meet the Crew," "This Week's Harvest" and please always skim for any HIGHLIGHTS).
The market style is back and the sun is out and shining! The weather miraculously turned around from the coldest winter on record to a VERY hot Spring! All of a sudden everything is blowing up!
Now, what that means for you: More food! At least this week (and in future weeks). This week and next week will be fairly large, then we may go through a little dip as the spring crops start to catch up to the Winter ones that are blowing up now. We still are VERY far behind and we have ben struggling with our volunteer involvement - remember, we can't do this without you 😃 (so see below for volunteering info and come get your hands dirty😁!)
Thank you everyone for your patience as we had a billion hiccups this first week 😢. Due to the rollout of the market style, our short-staffed team is struggling to keep up. We just released Caleb to his own farm, and Shane is cutting his hours for his own farm. However we DID hire an amazing employee named Evan who will be highlighted fairly soon. We also have another full-time employee we are about to hire, but this is a process too! :) We are also trying to work through any kinks to our programs and things will smooth out here shortly (it's been over a year since we did market style, so things were a little chaotic - we'll get it!). For now though, please do consider volunteering (see below!).
We have an amazing share for you this week! Check it out below!
Enjoy your share this week and don't forget to join the fun and share your recipes and pictures in the Facebook Community Group!
Volunteering
Want to volunteer? We need weeders, harvesters, nursery workers, bag-packers, washers, construction/project helpers and we need help at the pickup locations and more! There is so much to do, there is something for everyone! Kids can help too (over 10y/o with supervision).
We still have some openings for some work-exchange shares as well.
Want to volunteer? Simply e-mail our amazing Administrator, Bekka at aci@ahavahcommunity.org to get more information and to sign up!
EXTRA VEGGIES and PLANTS FOR SALE
DON'T FORGET: SNAP MEMBERS ALWAYS RECEIVE 50% OFF!!
&
As always, all prices are
"Pay-What-You-Can-Afford."
See the weekly "What's in your Bag" e-mails that get sent on Wednesdays for your "extras" list.
👀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.
SUMMER SHARES STILL AVAILABLE
We still have plenty of summer shares available for purchase.
Go to www.ahavahfarm.com/csa to sign up.
If you are not an auto-renewal member and have not signed up for Summer, but want to save 5%, please e-mail Havah at contact@ahavahfarm.com to be placed on auto-enrollment and automatically save 5% every season.
DID YOU KNOW?
(Continued from Week 8 of Winter - for this first week of Spring) Regenerative agriculture is a complete 180 degree mind-shift away from our current profit-driven conventional agriculture system. Everything in our current conventional agriculture system is based on financial profits and everything regenerative is based on nutritional/environmental/community profits. Yes!
Agriculture is the certainly the center of most of civilization, and because we all eat, it's communal! When we partner with nature to grow pure food it creates an enormous benefit to the planet and our community. In fact, farming regeneratively is one of the best things we can do for our planet and for our health, while conventional agriculture, we believe, is one of the absolute worst things we can do for our planet.
Regenerative agriculture, on the one hand is such a huge paradigm shift compared to where we currently are, but on the other hand it's not really that alternative or "out there." Regenerative agriculture is simply about "restoring" our planet and our ecosystem. It's also about creating more nutritionally-dense food and it's about a more PURE food system. All common-sense stuff. I mean, who doesn't want clean air, water, soil, healthier communities and pure food?
Regenerative agriculture is one of the few "revolutions" that can be totally and completely accepted based on pure common-sense. In other words, it's not a matter of convincing people as much as it is about spreading the word - and with the exception of changing our thinking, adding a lot more labor and some modern-day advances it's really not much more difficult to grow regeneratively, than otherwise - though it does cost, on average, almost 275% more expensive to produce (that's a big number and it needs to change with this revolution and is due almost entirely due to labor - a good thing considering we need more economic activity from producing careers).
At it's core, regenerative agriculture is about going back to the way our grandparents gardened, and then doing it on a larger scale. It's not that far off or experimental - it's just plain makes good sense! We have done it for thousands of years and the problem is not that we can't produce enough (Ahavah Farm produces 4x to 8x what conventional farms our size produce on the same acreage), as much as it is about growing more farmers and more farms - not more chemicals, fossil-fuels, bare ground, tillage and irresponsible irrigation practices that have lead us to where we are now - a dirty and polluted world.
Agricultural pollution comes from many different sources. For instance, high nitrogen fertilizer produces GHG's (greenhouse gases) and runoff that leaches into our watersheds while chemical pesticides and fungicides contaminate our air and water as well - never mind the poisonous affects of growing with these chemicals and then ingesting them! Of course, we won't even mention the hideous environmental and nutritional factors related to conventional animal agriculture - that's a whole separate problem!
With our methods: Zero chemicals, minimal tillage, no pesticides etc., while avoiding soil compaction and using only high-quality pure seeds while using solar energy and responsible irrigation techniques and animal husbandry, we are able to not only REDUCE our carbon emissions and our negative environmental impact, but we are able to actually reverse the negative affects that all of our "work" may cause in the process of growing this food!
If you think that is amazing and want to learn just how we do this, be sure to sign up for our classes, particularly the Bioagriculture 101 class so you can not only learn how we do this, but how you can apply this to your garden or farm as well!
Want more information? Check out the book "Kiss the Ground, how the food you eat can reverse climate change" by Josh Tickell for a great introduction to this concept. You can also go to regenerationinternational.org for a ton of excellent resources.
🔦 Ahavah Community Initiative SPOTLIGHT 🔦
Please consider making a year-end tax-deductible gift to Ahavah Community Initiative (registered 501c3) by CLICKING HERE.
Since 2018 We Have (not including Spring and Winter CSA's for 2021)...
Donated 154 CSA memberships to families in need! - Over A value of $53,900.00 of free food - OVER1,800 weekly BAGS of veggies😮!
Facilitated the donation of 42 Double Up Food Buck Grants valued at $15,750.00 of free food!
Taught 31 full-length classes on regenerative and biological agriculture.
Attended 48 outreach events to spread regenerative agriculture education to our community including school events, speaking engagements and markets.
Have provided 27 educational tours.
Hosted 4 large public events.
Educated 5 regenerative farming interns.
In addition, Ahavah Farm (aside from ACI) has donated an additional $56,750.00 worth of free food to numerous outlets and families in our local community
We have paid ZERO dollars to salaries or to "other" overhead.
Interested in making a tax-deductible donation? 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!
🚨CLASSES AND EVENTS!!!🚨
So many classes are happening this year and registration is filling up!! Go to www.ahavahfarm.com/classes and click on the calendar event to register. Don't miss them!
Here are the upcoming classes for April:
KIDS CLASS!! Farm Story Time and Activity – By Tracy Volpe
* April 9th @ 10am (next class May7th)
Cost: FREE – Donations accepted.
Description: Bring your child to Ahavah Farm for an engaging, interactive story experience. We will explore agricultural concepts in a child friendly environment inspiring a curiosity for where our food comes from as well as interrelated agricultural systems. Come GROW with us!
Class Length: <1 Hour.
Seed starting and Nursery Management 101 – by Lorin, manager of Ahavah Farm Nursery
* April 16th @ 10am
Cost: CSA Members: FREE. Non-Members: $10
Description: Starting a garden this year? Want to learn how to start, manage and maintain your seedlings from scratch? Join Ahavah Farm Nursery’s manager Lorin for a fundamentals nursery class: Learn nursery set up and organization, sourcing seeds, direct seeding vs. transplants, caring for seed while sprouting, learn about diseases and troubleshooting and more!
Class Length: 1 Hour
KIDS CLASS!! Natural and Organic Mother’s Day Windowsill Herb Garden. 2 Weeks. – By Asher Camire
* Class # 1: April 30th @ 10am
* PICKUP: May 7th @ 10am
Cost: CSA Members: $35. Non-Members: $45 (Includes materials)
Description: Bring children out to make a Windowsill garden for Mother’s day! A beautiful pine box stained with an organic wheat-based seal to make for a gorgeous addition to your Mom’s kitchen! We will build the box from scratch and fill it with four beautiful herbs to take home to your Mom for a wonderful gift! Herbs included: Chives, Oregano, Thyme and Parsley
Class Length: 2 Hours.
EVENTS - Put it on your calendar!
July 4th Festival, Sunday July 4th from 5pm to 9pm. More information and details to come.
Harvest Festival, Sunday October 17th from 5pm to 9pm. More information and details to come.
AHAVAH COMMUNITY INITIATIVE
BRING-A-BUCK!
Oh the amazing power of community and crowdfunding!
Every week, at all of the CSA locations, we have a bin or jar that looks like this. We ask all of our members to bring just $1 with them every week to help support their fellow-members and community.
Bring $1 every week and be a part of supporting, directly, families in need.
Don't say your $1 isn't important! 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!!
🔦 The Farm Crew Spotlight🔦
(Continued from Week 8 of Winter - for this first week of Spring) Meet "Ms. Lorin!" Can you believe she has been with us for a whole entire year!? Wow😮!
When Lorin came here she didn't know how to grow a single microgreen - now she grows about 200 trays per week 😁! Not only that, but she manages Ahavah Farm Nursery which provides 1,000's of seedlings and hundreds of lbs of microgreens. To be 100% honest, Lorin has since become THE absolute best, most expert, microgreen grower in Southern Colorado and our local area - she even is going to start giving classes this year (see the schedule)! Surely other's in the country may be as good as her, but we haven't found them, and this is without exaggeration. Microgreens are hard to grow, and I just really want to sing Lorin's praises regarding this because she is really THAT good! I just don't think it's possible to get much better!
In addition to all of that, Lorin is one of the hardest workers I know. She hustles her tail off and has really made a special impact on the farm. With her military background, she has great leadership and administration skills as well - a true all-around package! I can't really express fully how important Lorin's role is. Her position truly is THE foundational position. She touches every seedling and every microgreen. Think about that for a second: EVERY SINGLE SEEDLING that goes into the soil here at Ahavah Farm, or any seedling that will go into YOUR garden at home was grown by Lorin 😮! That's 10's of thousands of plants, and to see her pull it off every week, with such high quality and with such a positive and encouraging attitude is truly an impressive feat!
Lorin, you came here as a favor during the darkest days of Covid and you fell in love with this place as much as we have fallen in love with you and we are so extremely grateful to have you here. You have not only added a great deal to the team, but as a manager, you have elevated everyone else around you! Thank you for all you do! Your hard-work, dedication and kind and caring attitude are such a pleasure to experience every single day!
In Their Own Words...
How long have you worked for Ahavah Farm?
I have worked here, in a week, it will be exactly 1 year!
What is your job title and what do you do on the farm?
I am the Nursery Manager. I manage all the baby seedlings and all the baby microgreens - they are all my babies! I also manage the seed inventory for the entire farm and the soil-recycling program!
What do you like most about your job?
The people. Hands down, it's the people.
Can you share one thing you have learned by working for Ahavah Farm?
It's ok to make mistakes. Really, there is so much, but I am still learning every-single-day! What I have learned here would probably fill a small book. Things about both life and about plants!
Do you have a favorite hobby?
Oh man, a favorite? Hmm, you know what? I'm a crafter. I love doing crafts. I also LOVE gardening and I keep bees too!
Do you have a favorite quote?
“The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.” (Rabindranath Tagore)
What is a fun-fact that only a few people know about you?
My hometown is where they play the Little League World Series every year.
What are three words that describe you?
Resourceful, compassionate, loyal.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
With a team and a store for the nursery!
Anything else you would like to share with us?
This is the only job I would rather do, obviously outside of staying home with my kids and husband - in the entire world! And I did it, because my friend Yosef asked me to!
NURSERY NEWS
Pre-orders are over, but did you know that you can still buy our beautiful seedlings every week at the CSA locations?
That's right - everything from tomato plants to lettuce and kale (and more) seedlings will be available - best part?
ALL CSA MEMBERS STILL 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!
✔START YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AT ANY TIME OF YEAR!✔
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!
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)
12pm to 1pm (Drive Thru / Market Style)
Denver @ JCC (350 S. Dahlia St.):
3pm to 4pm (Drive thru / Market Style)
FRIDAYS:
Colorado Springs @ Ranch Foods Direct (4635 Town Center Dr.):
1pm to 2:00pm (Drive Thru / Market Style)
2:00pm to 6pm (Inside store - 🚨TRADITIONAL SHARE MEMBERS ONLY!!)
Peyton @ Ahavah Farm (7545 Log Rd.):
10am to 11am (Drive Thru / Market Style)
BAGS! We need your bags!!
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!
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 - Only the best tasting and incredibly beautiful radishes ever! Roasting. Hands down is the best way to eat these! I literally cannot get enough of these roasted radishes 😋
Mustard - Green mustard has a bigger kick than the red mustard, but it's oh-so-good! A little milder than the green southern giant, and stunning in appearance! Have you ever made a frittata? Ever made one with mustard greens😋😋? Learn about 10 recipes and how to use them here.
Spinach - The best tasting thing in the universe during the winter just might be this spinach! It has some burned tips, like the rest, but it is DE-LICIOUS!!!
Lettuce - Gorgeous loose lettuce - both green and red. Big, beautiful leaves.
Head Lettuce - Red and green heads.
Scallions - Big and absolutely tender! AMAZING scallions this week!
Cilantro - What a way to bring summer to your winter dish! Fresh aromatic cilantro is such a delight in the middle of winter!
Beets - These beets are big and beautiful and absolutely tasty! Our absolute favorite vegetable, roasted with a touch of salt, lemon juice and parsley. WOWZER! Here is a great article with 36 beet recipes!
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!
Swiss Chard - Stunning swiss chard greens this week! WOW! Our favorite way to eat them is saute'ed with salt, pepper and garlic. We like to include onions and mushrooms and whatever else we can find. Others enjoy them as lettuce wraps. They are versatile, here take a look: CLICK HERE FOR RECIPES
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
