Health Hero Farm

Here we go! Welcome to all of you who are going on this journey with us with local, organic food ALL YEAR LONG! Congratulations to you for making such a commitment. It means an awful lot to us! We finally had our first frost. We cleared the rest of the tomatoes out of the little greenhouse before we had a period of sustained cold. We have several flats of tomatoes in various shades of green, pink, orange, yellow, and red. The crops still standing in the field have sweetened up with the frosts we’ve had. Kale and pea tendrils make a tasty, sweet snack this time of year as I’m working in the garden. You’ll notice a change in taste in your kale, Swiss chard and pea tendrils this week. I just love fall brassicas! My kids can’t get enough kale this time of year.

We’re still picking lots of fresh produce and will have some extras for sale (for 25% off for you!) at your pick-ups at the farm. Go to our website and click on the “Organic Produce List” tab for availability updated twice a week. Next season, we plan to have daily farm stand hours to better serve the needs of our community. We’ll be the only farm stand in South Hero!

And if you plan to join us again for the 2014 Season, starting the week of May 28th, Early Sign-Up starts now. We will once again have very limited shares available – and several are already taken – so I encourage you to reserve your place with a $100 deposit now.

Please read our first Winter CSA newsletter for news about the farm. Our very own cattle have arrived to begin our beef herd. If you want a local turkey for Thanksgiving, our newsletter provides details for obtaining one at Back Bay Farm on November 27th. Or for an organic turkey from Back Beyond Farm, you can order through us for pickup on our farm.

It’s not too late to extend your local-eating season. If you’re interested in staying with the CSA beyond October, we have several options available including vegetables and fruits only. Click HERE for more information.

Week 13, August 22, newsletter — invitation to our upcoming event, Lake Champlain Islands Farm and Food Festival. The Noels did some family camping in Burke, NY, and are preparing to greet extended family at the intern reunion. Our beets and kale are coming in, and we are planning our winter garden. More on the grazing scoop — as the tumble wheel turns.

Week 14, August 29, newsletter — Our festival was a HUGE success! We are so thrilled with how it turned out, the number of people who came, the high energy, the great food and music and demonstrations! Some new items coming up in your shares from our gardens are: delicata squash, pie pumpkins, green kohlrabi, oregano, eggplant. In the grazing scoop, get the details about starting our own herd.

Week 15 September 5, newsletter — To learn more about food preservation, come to Hannah’s fall workshop series starting Saturday, September 21st with “Vegetable Fermentation”, with subsequent workshops in dehydrating, canning, and freezing. In the grazing scoop, Eric announces his own youtube channel.

Week 16, September 12, newsletter — We’ve launched our Farm Stand on the farm with a Picked-Fresh-To-Order set-up. You can view our produce availability list here. Special discounts for CSA members! This weekend we’re hosting the Vermont Beef Producers Summer Social, featuring a talk by Eric, a farm tour and a complimentary lunch.

Week 17, September 19, newsletter — Saturday’s Vermont Beef Producers Association social was a success! We had over 20 people attend, intent on learning about Eric’s grazing and cattle handling systems. Get the dirt on sugar snap peas, pole beans and Joan’s cycling adventure in Canada. The winter garden has been planted and now awaits the sheltering high tunnel to be built above it. And be sure to catch Hannah in the news: Hannah was selected to be featured in the Smith College Alumnae Quarterly this fall. She feels honored to have been included among the other outstanding Soil Stewards featured here: SAQ Online Version. If you type in 32 in the lower right-hand page box, you’ll jump to the beginning of the article. Type 42 to see Hannah.

Come on by for a Farm Tour Mondays at 9:00AM.

Week 9, July 25, newsletter — Blue Thumb Farm joins us as a supplier of blueberries! Read the newsletter for the grazing scoop and garden updates.

Week 10, August 1, newsletter — Blue Thumb farm is now supplying flower bouquets as well. Our pole beans and carrots are coming in. Eric and Jesse have finished pounding the cedar posts for our perimeter fence.

Week 11, August 8, newsletter — This week has been exceptionally busy. The South Hero Land Trust’s annual meeting Saturday was a great success — well attended, with exceptional food, both catered and pot luck! Out of town visitors came to attend and spend the week on the farm. Cole and Scout, Joan’s grandchildren, helped harvest tomatoes and sweet peppers as well as plant a few kale seedlings, under Emily’s supervision. Kathie, our raffle winner of “a dinner with the farmers” from the April open house, joined us under the tent on Sunday to feast on barbequed organic chicken and an array of farm vegetables. Joan’s family from Vienna, VA, built dozens of cedar bird houses to recruit organic pest control volunteers.

Week 12, August 15, newsletter — News about the NOFA conference in Amherst, MA, (where we arrived in a torrential downpour with flash flood warnings). We had signed up for camping ;-( But the sun came out, and the conference was fun, as well as educational. Eric stayed home to care for the animals.

Week 6, July 3, newsletter adds excitement with cilantro, lamb, yellow squash, and apple cider.

Week 7, July 11, newsletter includes raspberries, value-added apple products, and zucchini. We have news about the Children’s garden, using straw bale raised beds and seeds donated by High Mowing Organic Seeds.

Week 8, July 18, newsletter welcomes a new supplier, Allenholm Farm, providing delicious blueberries. We have news about the Open Farm and Studio Tour, building the cedar post electric fence, and battling the Colorado Potato Beetles.

The fifth week’s CSA products are lettuce mix, baby bok choy, swiss chard, cucumbers, garlic scapes, sugar snap peas (yay!), basil, mixed vegetable, small lettuce heads, herbs, small fruit. Add ons are grass-fed beef, ground sausage, chicken and eggs, cheese and bread. Our newsletter has recipes for baby bok choy, garlic scapes and swiss chard. Hints: add pea tendrils to your salad, stir fry and soups; use garlic scapes as you would use garlic — wonderful mild taste and even delicious raw.

Click here to see our fifth-week CSA Newsletter.

Coming soon: Interviews with each of the Islands Farms farmers! What do you want to know? Email us or post a question on our Facebook page and we’ll include your question!