SUMMARY: FIFTH Week of Winter 2021! - EXTRA VEGGIES! - ANNOUNCEMENTS - NURSERY SPOTLIGHT- ACI DONATION UPDATE AND DONATE TODAY! - DID YOU KNOW? -Â LOCATIONS AND TIMES - WHAT TO EXPECT THIS WEEK - WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT WEEK
Week 5 - The FIFTH Week of WINTER CSA 2021!
Spring seedlings are getting ready to go in the soil!!!
HELLO DEAR CSA MEMBERS!
Argh!! This terrible weather is so frustrating! We got over a FOOT of snow last week (as you all know!) and it was not fun to deal with. More than any other frustration has been the lack of sunshine. The lack of sunshine is really hurting our production. Last week we mentioned that we were set back approximately 2 to 3+ weeks, that has not changed over this past week and due to the weather it has only solidified this estimate going forward - but this can all change with a long enough streak of good, warm sun-shining weather. Simply put: No sun = no growth! This has not looked like Colorado lately, and it is just another struggle we are dealing with. Oh well...moving on!
Ok, in the meantime, however, we are nearly 100% planted again for Spring - this is excellent news! All of our seedlings (as you can see above) are doing outstanding and the nursery and microgreens are also hitting it out of the park. The team, the planning and prepping and all other aspects to the farm are crushing it! The ONLY downside lately has been this stinking weather...but as farmers, it turns out that's a pretty big deal! đ
This week's CSA is looking similar to the last few weeks, a little on the small side - but absolutely beautiful! Keep in mind that if the weather DOES in fact trend to the warmer side and if we can pull out at least 2 solid weeks of good weather, than there is nothing saying that we can't bulk up these CSA shares in the coming weeks. For now, it just is what it is and it will be what it will be. No magic wands around these parts đ .
Alright everyone, that's it for now. Be sure to scroll through this e-mail and check for changes and announcements and enjoy the articles!
PS. Please note that some of the veggies have burned tips. These are perfectly safe to eat or can be picked off, and are simply due to freeze burn.
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!Â
EXTRA VEGGIES FOR SALE
DON'T FORGET: SNAP MEMBERS ALWAYS RECEIVE 50% OFF!!
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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 SPOTLIGHT
Help create access to the purest food on the planet and DONATE TODAY!
We truly believe that Ahavah Community Initiative (501C3) is one of the best ways to make a direct impact on YOUR community. Our mission is simple and the finances are completely transparent. 100% of your donations go straight to supporting our mission to "connect under-served people to locally-farmed, regeneratively-grown produce..." etc. Our board is 100% volunteer and there is no paid staff. Our meetings are public and our minutes are available at request.
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!
DID YOU KNOW?
Why support local agriculture? Let me count the ways...
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!!
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% (remember there is a lag time, so if you are wanting pre-orders for March, you must get on it right away. 6-8 weeks is the pre-order time for all seedlings)
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.
Itâs 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.
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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!
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): Â
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 đ!
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.
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!!!
Carrots - There really is nothing quite like our beautiful and incredibly tasty carrots!
Arugula - If you liked last week's arugula...oh my goodness, the quality this week should be amazing!!! What can we say about arugula, but nummo! Our favorite way to eat arugula is in a frittata! đ¤¤
Chard Root - For the second time ever, we will be offering chard root to the members. These are delicious. Very earthy and similar to beet root - without the sweetness. Loved by some more than beet root, this root gives great versatility when seasoned and prepared correctly. One way we found lovely is to cube them and boil until tender about 45 mins. Season with salt and pepper and mash with butter and any other seasonings!
Pea Shoots - One of the most desired and sought after items we provide are these pea shoots! Quite literally the best you will find and oh so fresh! If you love the taste of peas, you will love these. Great as a raw snack or 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
Onions - Red, white and yellow onions! The last of the year! đĽ
Living Plant - Probably the last one of the season you will have the choice of Cilantro, Oregano, Chives, Mint, Kale, Mustard or Marigolds.
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!
Is that it? I think so! We may have missed an item or two, and you never know what the harvest will actually look like in the end, but that should be the most of it! Have a great week!
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
