SUMMARY: EIGHTH AND FINAL Week of Winter 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 8 - The EIGHTH AND FINAL Week of WINTER CSA 2021!
HELLO DEAR CSA MEMBERS!
OH MY GOODNESS! Can you believe we actually made it to the end of this incredibly insane winter!? Yikes, we've never seen so much snow since we lived in New Hampshire! Well, it is what it is and we are doin' what we are doin'. So there. :)
Well, the season had a few amazing wins and some losses. The vlue was there, but the bulk never seemed to show up. Did you know that we planted our tomato plants March 15th last year!? We couldn't do that this year by a HUGE margin! In fact, we probably won't get them in until mid-April! Crazy, simply shake-your-head crazy weather! Well, it's passed us now and almost all of you are following us into the Spring...so "LET'S GO!" Once that weather starts to turn and we can catch up, it's going to be an amazing year - we can feel it!
All this being said, we have a great CSA week for you - see below for more!
SOMETHING NEW: In the past we have had the "Volunteer Spotlight" this week we are starting something new: "The Farm Crew Spotlight"
Enjoy your share this week and don't forget to join the fun and share your recipes and pictures in the Facebook Community Group!
EXTRA VEGGIES 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.
For Payment: Cash or Check at the drops or the balance can be sent via PayPal to contact@ahavahfarm.com or via Venmo to 719-233-7828 or by paying with credit card over the phone.
ATTENTION SPRING MEMBERS:
Please check your e-mails for the Spring 2021 CSA Details and for a link to the recorded video of the CSA Pre-season meeting.
DID YOU KNOW?
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 🔦
Help create access to the purest food on the planet and DONATE TODAY!
In case you missed it: We had our board meeting and our board voted on all of the Spring time CSA donations. Including some subsidized shares and some personal donations as well as donations of garden seedlings...
We are proud to announce that we (Ahavah Community Initiative and Ahavah Farm and Ahavah Nursery) will be donating a total of 21 CSA memberships to 21 families who need it the most and we are also awarding 20 sponsored gardens to 20 families who applied! All seedlings will be coming from Ahavah Farm Nursery.
We are so blessed and honored that we can do this, but we CAN NOT DO IT WITHOUT YOU! We need your help, your donations and your support in spreading the word! Please consider donating NOW, below...
Please consider a tax deductible donation to ACI by clicking here and please consider making it a monthly donation by clicking the box:
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!!!🚨
One of the BEST part's of Ahavah Farm and Ahavah Community Initiative is the COMMUNITY! Well, 2020 was a community DUD - but no more! Not only is market-style CSA coming back in two weeks!!!!!!! But we are also bring back all of our classes and events! WOW! Events like our annual July 4th Festival and our Harvest Festival, held in October. All our classes, tours, kids classes and more are all returning in 2021 and we are sooooo excited! We hope you are too. To register for any of our classes simply go to www.ahavahfarm.com/classes and click on the calendar event to register.
Here is the schedule:
Seed starting and Nursery Management 101 – By Lorin Mattemore
- April 16th @ 10am
- Cost: CSA Members: $FREE. Non-Members: $10
- Class Length: 1 Hour
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Biological Agriculture 101 and beyond – 5 Series of classes.– By Yosef Camire
- May 7th @ 10am
- June 4th @ 10am
- July 2nd @ 10am
- August 6th @ 10am
- September 3rd @ 10am
- Cost: CSA Members: $12.50 (50% off) / $62.50 (50% off) for full series. Non-Members: $25 / $112.50 (10% off) for full series (Including materials)
- Description: An in-depth look at biological agriculture and how it impact our planet, our health and our communities. This class is an interactive and hands-on class with some powerpoint class time and field time. Classes are approximately 2 hours in length and cover all the fundamentals and basics related to biological farming and gardening. A very valuable class for beginners and a great review for experts.
- Class Length: 2 Hours
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Microgreen Class 101 – By Lorin Mattemore
- June 11th @ 10am
- September 17th @ 10am
- Cost: CSA Members: $10. Non-Members: $20 (Including materials)
- Description: What are microgreens and why do you want to make them a steady part of your diet? Learn about this and so much more. Learn all the fundamentals of not only HOW to grow microgreens, but you will learn about maintaining them, harvesting them and how to enjoy them! Learn about multiple kinds and become a microgreen master! Every member goes home with a WHOLE tray of microgreens!!
- Class Length: 1 Hour
Vegetable Fermentation Basics – By Shane Nelson
- July 16th @ 10am
- September 10th @ 10am
- Cost: CSA Members: FREE. Non-Members: $10 (Includes materials)
- Description: In this class we will learn the basics of lactic-acid vegetable fermentation. We will learn how to make sauerkraut, pickles, and more! Each class member will go home with a small jar of sauerkraut and pickles. Vegetables and supplies will be provided. Cost of supplies is included in the registration fee.
- Class Length: 1 Hour
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Composting 101 – By Mark Robinson
- May 21st @ 10am
- July 23rd @10am
- Cost: CSA Members: FREE. Non-Members: $10 (Includes materials)
- Description: Come learn all about the amazing art of composting. You will learn all the fundamentals to get started including perfecting your mixture, timelines and what to look for in addition to multiple different composting methods. Learn how to use it and apply it to your garden, how to test it and so much more.
- Class Length: 1.5 Hours
Blacksmithing 101 – By our Resident Blacksmith, Asher Camire
- June 18th @ 10am
- August 20th @ 10am
- Cost: CSA Members: $20. Non-Members: $30 (Includes materials)
- Description: Learn the basics of blacksmithing and take home your project! We will learn the fundamentals of how to get you started in blacksmithing – terminology, basic skills, safety and a bit of history. We will make some nails and a scroll!
- Class Length: 3 Hours.
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)
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- 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.
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KIDS CLASS!! Farm Story Time and Activity – By Tracy Volpe
- April 9th @ 10am
- May 7th @ 10am
- June 25th @ 10am
- July 9th @ 10am
- August 13th @ 10am
- 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.
TOURS
Tours are educational in nature and last for about 1 hour. We see all the facilities, walk through and see most of the gardens, test some veggies, meet the crew and learn all about regenerative agriculture and our growing methods. Tours have a suggested donation of $10 and is free for all CURRENT CSA members.
- May 11th @ 10am
- June 8th @ 10am
- July 13th @ 10am
- August 10th @ 10am
- September 14th @ 10am
EVENTS
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🔦
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 - IMPORTANT!!!
Attention Home Gardeners! If you are planning a garden this year, you MUST get your orders in soon! We will be cutting off all guaranteed pre-orders no later than April 1st!
Also, if you are planning on purchasing seeds from an online retailer or other retailer, be prepared that your desired seeds will be sold out. We have seen an over 500% increase in seed, seedling and gardening supplies and many retailers are ALREADY sold out! Place your orders today, as supplies across the globe, particularly here in the United States are running very tight and prices for seeds and seedlings are going through the roof! Don't worry though, our seedling prices are set in stone for 2021 and WILL NOT be increasing! In addition, you save 15% off all orders! See below...
PRE-ORDER TODAY AND SAVE 15%
Don't forget you can still save on all your pre-season seedling orders!
If you are planning a garden for 2021, why not save 15% on your garden seedlings and have them guaranteed to be available where and when you are?!
Pre-order all your garden seedlings today and save 15%
Pre-Order all your garden seedlings for 2021 (over 70 heirloom varieties!) and have them
guaranteed to be available on your selected date in your selected location: Colorado Springs, Denver, Monument and Peyton.
DEADLINE TO PRE-ORDER IS APRIL 1ST!
Use Code NURSERY15 at checkout.
It’s never to early to plan a 2021 victory garden! Go to www.ahavahfarm.com/nursery for more information and USE CODE NURSERY15 at checkout!
INTRODUCING: A 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!
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. - PLEASE SEE ABOVE FOR CHANGES FOR SNOW STORM!
THURSDAYS:
COS North / Monument @ Beasts and Brews (7 Spectrum Loop, Ste. 140)
12pm to 1pm (Drive Thru)
Denver @ JCC (350 S. Dahlia St.):
2:30pm to 4pm (Drive thru)
FRIDAYS:
Colorado Springs @ Ranch Foods Direct (4635 Town Center Dr.):
1pm to 2:30pm (Drive Thru)
2:30pm to 6pm (Inside store)
Peyton @ Ahavah Farm (7545 Log Rd.):
10am to 11am (Drive Thru)
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 😋!
Tatsoi - So good! Like the flowers, these greens are amazing for stews, sandwhiches and more. Fantastic to add to a salad too!
Rouge D'Hiver Romaine Lettuce - Simply a beautiful and very tasty romaine lettuce.
Mustard - Red mustard. 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.
Fennel - The fennel is here again this week and will be for a few more. The fronds on these are huge! If you haven't dried them, make sure you do! Sprinkle dried fennel on pizza or pasta and I bet you will love it!
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!)
Cilantro - What a way to bring summer to your winter dish! Fresh aromatic cilantro is such a delight in the middle of winter!
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
Living Plant - Probably the last one of the season you will have the choice of Cilantro, Oregano, Chives, Mint, Kale, Mustard or Marigolds.
Claytonia - Claytonia is another one of those amazing specialty greens that are ONLY available in the winter and it is super-delicious! Here is an article on this fabulous green.
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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