SUMMARY: SIXTH Week of FALL 2020! - EXTRA VEGGIES! - ANNOUNCEMENTS - VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT- ACI DONATION UPDATE AND DONATE TODAY! - DID YOU KNOW? - LOCATIONS AND TIMES - WHAT TO EXPECT THIS WEEK - WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT WEEK
Week 6 - The SIXTH Week of FALL CSA 2020!
HELLO DEAR CSA MEMBERS! We hope that all of our members are having a fabulous week, are not too stressed about the election and are hopeful and positive about life! We know we are! Life is good and no amount of election noise is going to get us down! Stephen Covey suggests that we should focus most of our time on "Our Circle of Influence," and this is where I think this farm plays it's biggest role. We make an active difference in our community and for our planet and YOU are a big part of that! That ain't changin' no matter who wins this stinky "hold-your-nose" election! Together, we will continue to serve the struggling members of our community, to teach and do environmental outreach, we will continue to regenerate our land and reduce greenhouse gases, donate to families in need and to be a positive influence and light to our world. So we are hopeful and we hope you are too!
So this week has brought me a lot of hope! It's been a catch-up week, for sure, however it's also been a great week that has brought us a ton of hope (and even some lessons) for the winter! The extreme temperatures last week (-5.4) was colder than anything we received last year. With temps like that, growing in the fall is not just tough, but very, very, very tough! :) It takes serious ingenuity and creativity and determination to grow this way under such temperatures, but we did it! Our selection for Fall usually includes more fragile items than what we grow for Winter, but seeing the crops survive as well as they did regardless of those temps is really exciting! Now, to be completely honest, the extreme temps did leave behind some considerable damage (where we didn't do a solid job protecting the plants), but nearly 90% survived perfectly - or merely slightly burned. There were a host of lessons that we learned from this event in relation to the crops that we grow which makes me very confident about the rest of this season, and the winter season coming up!
The rest of the season should continue to be abundant and beautiful. However, keep in mind that there was some burning from the cold which you may see on some of your veggies this week. That's just part of the program and a normal part of winter growing. We try to prevent this, and to cut it off the plant during the cleaning, but it does happen and is perfectly normal.
See below for what's coming in your bags this week, and more updates!
Enjoy your share this week and don't forget to join the fun and share your recipes and pictures in the Facebook Community Group!
WINTER SHARES STILL AVAILABLE...SORTA
We are almost sold out of Winter CSA Veggie-Share memberships. This means that we are allowing a few of our current members to purchase, but we are no longer advertising for Winter sales. If you would like to continue your membership for Winter and you are currently NOT an auto-renewal member, please e-mail us to secure your spot.
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.
Ahavah Community Initiative Volunteer SPOTLIGHT
This woman right here is going to be so embarrassed when she sees this (and no, I'm not warning her)!😄 This is Havah, the absolute love of my life, the most incredible mom and wife on the planet...oh and she does some other things pretty great too!
Havah, as you ALL know, is our administrator. She does all the admin for the farm and she finds time to help out with the plants sometimes too! In addition to that, Havah is the Treasury Secretary for ACI. She handles the bank accounts, the expenses and the budget. She does the donation receipts, handles the e-mails and all the SNAP. Havah is also my caretaker for my cancer and she administers most of my treatment while homeschooling 4 children and chasing around 2 more! Really, there are no words to fully express to you how busy she is, how diligent she is, how hard of a worker she is or how much of my hero she is!
Havah is amazing, she is my angel and she is truly the foundation of my life and the farm. Unfortunately, the foundation in any structure is usually hidden underneath and doesn't get a lot of attention by admirers, yet it is the most important part. Havah, preferring to stay out of the limelight, is the foundation of Ahavah Farm and the Camire family. She is supremely moral and upright and she holds us all to a higher standard and does so much work, it's almost hard to fathom.
I am blessed to be her husband and we should all be blessed to have her as our Adminstrator and Treasurer. Please be kind to her when you e-mail, she is the sweetest soul you will ever meet and she handles hundreds and thousands of e-mails while holding down an extraordinarily chaotic world around her. I love you Havah, I am humbled daily by your character and am forever grateful and honored to be your husband.
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 - APPLICATION AVAILABLE NOW!
The application for a free Winter CSA share membership is now available at www.ahavahcommunity.org/apply
If you, or someone you know is struggling to afford pure, nutritionally-dense food, we want you to please apply to receive a donated share.
The application takes no more than 5 minutes and is completely anonymous. We do not save your information or share it with anyone.
Whether you have applied in the past, received a membership in the past or are a current recipient of a donated share, we still want you to apply for 8 weeks of FREE, regeneratively grown food harvested fresh, every week, from Ahavah Farm. Application deadline is January 11th, 2021. Season begins the first week in February. Click below to apply.
www.ahavahcommunity.org/apply
DID YOU KNOW?
COMING SOON!!!!!!
We have an exciting announcement! We are starting Ahavah Farm Nursery, LLC this winter - with Lorin at the head!!!
Now you will be able to grow all the same vegetables that Ahavah Farm grows in your own garden! We will be selling everything from tomatoes to onions starts to kale, lettuce, cucumbers and melons and everything else in between! Nearly every variety that Ahavah Farm grows will now be available to you for your very own garden. These are tried and true varieties, grown completely naturally and pure without a single chemical or commercial input. All seeds, soil and pots will be certified Organic and grown using nutrient-dense soil, water, sunshine and microbes.
Spring preseason orders will start soon - keep an eye our for announcements! We will be rolling out a website with living plants, heirloom seedlings, herbs, microgreens, flowers, medicinal plants, beneficial house plants, gift certificates, garden accessories and more!
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.
(photo credit: Megiddeh Goldston)
THURSDAYS:
COS North / Monument @ Beasts and Brews (7 Spectrum Loop, Ste. 140)
12pm to 1pm (Drive Thru)
NOTE: Beasts and Brews IS OPEN for business! They are doing take out orders and still offering a special discount for CSA members. Inquire inside or call ahead to pick up lunch to go! Go to www.beastsandbrews.com to learn more.
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)
NOTE: The Ranch Food Direct Store IS OPEN! Please go in and support your local food producers - bread and baked goods, meats and veggies and so many other local goods and necessities. They are stocked! Go to www.ranchfoodsdirect.com to learn more!
Peyton @ Ahavah Farm (7545 Log Rd.):
10am to 11am (Drive Thru)
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! __________________________________
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!
__________________________________ What to expect THIS week:
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
Potatoes- These rainbow potatoes are perfect!
Scallions- Don't forget to put these in a glass of water so they continue to regenerate!
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!)
Fennel - Fennel! One of the most complimented crops we grow, yet not EVERYONE loves it. Have you tried cooking it? Roasting it? Deep frying it? How about adding it to a stew? Here is an article with 23 fennel recipes to help you out: https://www.seriouseats.com/roundups/fennel-recipes
Salad Mix- I mean it tells you what to do with it in the name! :) It's a lovely mix for any salad base.
Beets - Beets! Yes, we love the beets! These ones lost their greens in the -5 degrees. The beets are amazing though - as always! :)
Cilantro- The cilantro this week is phenomenal! What a lovely green to have available during this cold season!
Celeriac Root and Greens - As we mentioned in week three, this is the first season we have grown this amazing root. We LOVE celeriac. However, our celeriac is a little on the smaller side (a learning curve issue). That doesn't mean they aren't delicious - they are! In fact, the roots are some of the best we have ever tasted and the greens are a huge bonus, as those don't exist in the stores! The roots are known best for soups, but they are extremely versatile. We love to roast them and I (Yosef) eat it at almost every meal this way, but they can be made into mashed celeriac and can be made into a ton of different amazing recipes. Here is an article with 15 uses for celeriac: https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/15-best-celeriac-recipes-article
Radish Microgreens - The spicy variety of microgreens that we will be offering this week and also one of the most beloved. It was one of the top five items we provided this year. All members should get some this week.
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
Pea Shoots - We love these raw as an anytime snack. We also add them to soups. Like peas? You will love these. Here are 4 unique ways to use your pea shoots (besides eating them raw out of the bag before you even make it home🤣!!!) http://blog.bostonorganics.com/wordpress/2013/03/14/4-fun-ways-to-use-pea-shoots
Is that it? It's a lot, but I think so! I may be missing something...who knows, you might be surprised with something else too!
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
