SUMMARY: SECOND WEEK of SUMMER 2021! - EXTRA VEGGIES! - FARM CREW SPOTILIGHT - NEW* - NURSERY SPOTLIGHT- ACI DONATION UPDATE AND DONATE TODAY! - DID YOU KNOW?-NEW*- LOCATIONS AND TIMES - WHAT TO EXPECT THIS WEEK - WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT WEEK
Week 2 - The SECOND Week of SUMMER CSA 2021!
Hello Dear CSA Members!
I hope this finds you well and that you enjoyed your first week of Summer CSA vegetables. Last week was a tough first week, but all things seem to be going smoother now. It's always a big scramble every season for a few weeks and then it smooths out.
The weather is looking great this week and we have a great looking share for you. We have loads of food coming your way and the Summer crops are really starting to look like it's Summer! :) Soon enough you will be throwing the squash and tomatoes back at us, but for now, enjoy a few more weeks of Spring-ish veggies.
This week we have a few exciting items like Beets and garlic scapes! Oh-my-goodness - the scapes are here...and we have a T-O-N of them!! Every member this week will be loaded up with these gorgeous beauties along with lettuce, beets, turnips, carrots, leek greens and more!
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!
Volunteering
Our next Open-House volunteer day is not until June 18th, but that doesn't mean you can't come before then!
We need volunteers all the time! Weeding, planting, cleaning, harvesting, bagging and so much more.
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
More and more items will be for sale as we progress through the season. Remember:
DON'T FORGET: SNAP MEMBERS 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.
SUMMER REGISTRATION CLOSED...HOWEVER...
DID YOU KNOW?
WHERE IS YOSEF? Well, some of you have been asking where I am, and I thought this would be a good place and opportunity to share with you my status.
Don't worry, I'm still right here, behind the curtain trying to make this operation as successful as possible! 😁 I write all of these newsletters and I do my best to operate the business to the best of my ability, but the truth is that I just don't have the time (or the energy) to extend myself as extensively as I would like to (or used to) - which means I have been trying to cut out the non-essentials and make some major changes in my personal life. Things like videos, CSA pickups (though it's my favorite😍!) and general admin duties like marketing and Social Media just take up too much of my time (I hope that's ok!) and they need to take a back seat temporarily so I can focus on what's needed the most. In truth, I do miss all of those things - especially the markets and the CSA pickups, as seeing you all is the highlight of why I started this farm in the first place. Unfortunately, however, it just is the season of my life and the truth be told, as much as I miss those aspects, I need a break.
There's a major additional reason, that I want you to know about (since you are not just our customers, you are literally "my community" and many of you have wanted to know what to pray for and how to support): Burnout, physical and spiritual health are the biggest struggle for me at this time, let me explain.
Burnout is a very real thing, and it's vulnerable for me to say this, but it's something I am experiencing very intensely right now. For the last 7 years we have operated this farm from sunup to sundown through storms, hail, new babies, through Covid and through Cancer. The last 3 years or so have been the most difficult years of my life, and the life of our family. We have gone with little sleep and very little pay and have endured enormous hardships along the way. We poured everything we have into Teva Organics (our Hemp company) and lost over $400k, then there was the bomb-cyclone which was another $400k loss including 6 greenhouses, then finally, there was Cancer and Covid and both of them took HUGE tolls, not only on the farm, but on my life and my family's cohesiveness as well. In addition to all of this are the problems with my physical body, apart from the cancer: Those that know, know that I am very limited in my physical abilities due to my health (it's hard to admit that fact!!). I often walk with a cane when not around others and operate in a high level of pain 24/7 for the last 23 years - something that has been coming to a culmination point over the last few years specifically, as it has progressively gotten worse (I failingly attempt to hide this from public view).
Now, I don't tell you all of this for sympathy - far from it! However, since you are all "invested" in this organization and in our family and community, you should know! I tell you this because I know that I am the face of the farm, ACI and the Nursery and there have been numerous requests for my presence and questions about my status (🙏 I miss and love you too!).
You know, when you add these things up (and you add in a host of things I am not willing to share here), you can start to understand that burnout was just waiting and crouching at the door ready to pounce when things seemed calmer...well, it hit and it hit hard! You know, sometimes you don't even see it coming, and that's how it was here. But now that it's here, the emotional drain that burnout has had on me has been nothing short of a crushing weight that seems to take all the air out of my lungs...
👉…but I love this farm, and I love this community enormously and we love what this farm means to our family...so it's not going anywhere, and neither am I. However, I will be stepping down from a few roles and trying to stay behind-the-scenes as often as possible. I need a rest, I need to heal and to try and get my head screwed back on straight for a period of time. I need to fix the finances, increase production, focus on innovation and focus on my health and my family. I should have done this while I had first gotten diagnosed with cancer, but Covid wasn't having it and I pushed the entire time (bad idea 🤦♂️) - now I am suffering the consequences of not resting!
Anyway, look, I love this community and I hope this wasn't too vulnerable for this newsletter, but I know that many of you love me too and you miss me just as much as I miss you 🥰! We are a community, and you are mine - truly, we have to support each other as one too! So I'm sharing and I hope it get's received with love and with the right intention ❤.
Please know that I am here, just know that I am trying to take a break from the public view for a while so that I can continue to operate Ahavah Farm, Ahavah Community Initiative, Ahavah Farm Nursery on a high level for years to come. Things are good and the future is bright. The farm is solid and we are excited for the next season!
🔦 Ahavah Community Initiative SPOTLIGHT 🔦
A lot has been happening lately, almost too much to share. Recently we have been putting on a bunch of classes and events and you have been hearing about all of them, and that's great! We love teaching and we love community. But what we love to do the most is to serve others in need. The core aspect of ACI, Ahavah Community Initiative, is to support struggling families by donating free food. Not just any food, however, PURE, regeneratively grown food, grown locally in a way that is beneficial to our environment, our health and our community at large.
We fulfill this mission through multiple avenues including offering state-grants like double-up food bucks through the SNAP/EBT programs, flexible payment options like pay-what-you-can-afford, by offering volunteer work-shares, by donating plants for gardens and by offering supplemented CSA memberships and fully donated memberships.
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!
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!!
Thank you members! The last few weeks of Bring-A-Buck have been great! Thank you so much for your donations! - EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS!
🔦 The Farm Crew Spotlight🔦
This is Evan, and boy oh boy do we love Evan! Evan joined us earlier this year and has been an amazing addition to our team, a consistent and excellent team-player who has been one of the most vital contributors to our success this season and last.
Evan focuses mostly on field work. He does a lot of weeding, spreading compost and getting our beds ready for seeding (bed turnover) - though he loves being a part of the team and being a part of the harvesting crew from time to time, as you know, he also loves going to the CSA pickup locations too!
Most importantly is Evan's character. What an upright human being he is, and the reason we hired him! He is a religious man and he leads his life with absolute moral integrity, treating everyone he comes in contact with, with love. Evan is also engaged (Congrats!!!) and will be getting married later this year. I (Yosef), our family and the entire Ahavah Farm crew are very grateful to have Evan on board. We love you brother!
In His Own Words...
How long have you worked for Ahavah Farm?
"I think I am getting close to 3 months...ya, 3 months. It feels like a long time, but also a very short time...depends on how we look at it!"
What is your job title and what do you do on the farm?
"I guess I would be a 'Farm Worker?'" As he looks at Yosef and says 'I don't know, what IS my job title?'"
What do you like most about your job?
"I really like the people that I work with and although I haven't been here super-long, I would definitely call them all my friends and I am blessed to have them all in my life."
Can you share one thing you have learned by working for Ahavah Farm?
"There is a lot I've learned so far, but one thing in particular I learned from Josh is to learn how to serve people better. Josh is always there for us and giving of himself. I learn a lot by example and it's very good what I have seen."
Do you have a favorite hobby?
"I LOVE hiking, for sure and particularly hiking mountains...I love mountains!"
Do you have a favorite quote?
"One would be: 'What you see depends a great deal on where you are standing and it also depends on what kind of person you are.'" - C.S. Lewis
What is a fun-fact that only a few people know about you?
"Fun fact, when I was 10 years old I summited a 19,500ft mountain in Ecuador."
What are three words or phrases that describe you?
"I feel things deeply and am quite sensitive, I would also consider myself to be enduring and I think that gentleness is also very important to me."
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
"Married and involved with something related to the outdoors, perhaps outdoor adventure or agriculture. Wherever God leads us."
Is there anything else you would like to share with the reader?
"I would love to share that I am engaged to my Katie and that I get to spend my life with her!"❤❤❤
NURSERY NEWS
HAS THE HAIL GOT YOUR PLANTS!?
Don't worry, we have BACKUPS! They are planted and ready and there are still lots and lots of plants being brought to the CSA locations every week!
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!
✔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
Kale- Absolutely amazing kale! The best we have ever had, you really can't beat this variety of Blue Curled kale. An heirloom variety that is super sweet and delicious! (don't forget to massage it - no really!).
Garlic Scapes! - THIS IS IT! Don't miss the garlic scapes, the only time we will have them - one time per year! Check out this article
Carrots - There really is nothing quite like our beautiful and incredibly tasty carrots!
Leek Greens - Leek greens (almost identical to garlic greens with a more oniony flavor - delicious!) are amazing! Use them the same way you would use scallions - but with leeks! Add to any dish needing garlic or leek - as a topper, in a salad, in a soup etc. Highly requested and unique.
Tomatoes - Well they are taking FOREVER but there are SOME coming in. I do not know if they will be going in the bags, as there may not be enough, but they may be for sale as extras (we'll see our yield!).
Basil- Delicious and amazing! This basil is the BEST for pesto - and let me tell ya, we eat lot's of pesto!!
Beets - Cylindra beets, long and cylindrical are some of the best beets ever! Tender, delicious, easy to manage. NUMO! Here is an article on how to prepare beets four different ways.
Dill - Did you know that the name "dill" comes from the old English word "dilla" meaning to "lull" because dill has been used as a medicine for toothaches, stomach pain and other ailments - particularly in infants to treat colic. Did you also know that dill is fantastic on roasted veggies or to make dressings or to pickle things - other than cucumbers? Dill is one of my favorite veggies and I use it nearly every day!
Red Fire and Green Muir Lettuce - A beautiful red and green lettuce with big, fluffy leaves.
Turnips- One of the most requested of all the things we grow are turnips. Now, for you newbies, I know you are thinking that sounds crazy...but until you try these amazing, mouth-watering turnips, you won't believe it!!!
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.
Garlic Greens - Garlic greens are amazing! Use them the same way you would use scallions - but with garlic! Add to any dish needing garlic - as a topper, in a salad, in a soup etc. Highly requested and unique.
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
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