This week's produce (week of 8/18/14)

Hello Stone Farm CSA members!  This week's drop day will be this coming Friday [8/22]. 

A yellow jacket nest [...I think] recently discovered at the farm!  They hurt.  A lot.  

The produce that is available for order this week is:

• Salad Greens
• Yellow summer squash
• Zucchini
• Petite Swiss Chard
• 'Garden of Eden' Beans
• Baby carrots
• Potatoes!  - a thin skinned white variety that is great for potato salad or mashed.  
• Parsley
• Garlic Chives
• Regular Chives
• 'Sister Sarah's Pesto'- only 5 left!  

Hope everyone is enjoying the gorgeous weather!  Get ready for a nice rainy day Wednesday! Planting fall spinach, radish, kale, and arugula this week.  Tomatoes will be ripe very very soon!  

- Mike, Stone farm

Rain gauge on the farm the morning after the epic rain storm we got this past week.  It was nearly empty the morning before.  5.5" of rain with one storm is A LOT of water.  

This week's produce [week of 8/11/14]

Hello Stone Farm CSA members!

A Praying Mantis in the field around the garden!  

This week's drop day will be this coming Friday [8/15]. 

The produce that is available for order this week is:

• Salad Greens
• Salad Turnips
• Yellow summer squash
• Zucchini
• Petite Swiss Chard 
• Beans - a new variety this week called 'Garden of Eden'.  A little broader than normal green beans and delicious.  
• Baby carrots
• Parsley
• Garlic Chives
• Regular Chives

Hope everyone is enjoying the gorgeous weather!  Get ready for a nice rainy day Wednesday! Going to harvest potatoes next week as well as do some fall planting.     

- Mike, Stone farm

This week's produce (week of 8/4/14)

Greetings Stone Farm CSA members!

A new product I am trying!  Get ready for baby 'Toscano'  kale in 3-4 weeks!  

This week's drop day will be this coming Friday [8/8]. 

The produce that is available for order this week is:

• Salad Greens
• Salad turnips
• Yellow summer squash
• Zucchini
• Petite Swiss Chard (I like to pick it small so the whole leaf is nice and tender- limited supply)
• Beans
• Baby carrots
• Parsley
• Garlic Chives
• Regular Chives

Hope everyone is enjoying the gorgeous weather!

- Mike, Stone farm

This weeks produce! [week of 7/28/14]

Greetings Stone Farm CSA members!

This week's drop day will be this coming Friday [8/1]. Sorry no photos this week, I have been busy planting and keeping the garden neat and organized.   

The produce that is available for order this week is:

• Salad Greens
• Salad turnips
• Yellow summer squash
• Beans
• Baby carrots
• Parsley
• Garlic Chives
• Regular Chives

Be sure to email me if you have any concerns or questions.  Coming soon is Swiss chard, Zucchini, and beets!!  

Happy eating,

- Mike, Stone farm

~

P.S.  If anyone orders produce after the delivery day deadline I am just delivering that produce the next delivery day (the following week). Please email if you do NOT want to receive the produce you ordered.  Sorry for any confusion! 

This week's produce! (7/21) Order asap- pick-up Wednesday.

Greetings Stone Farm CSA members!

This week's drop day will be this coming Wednesday [7/23].  Going up to Belgrade lakes with the family Wednesday afternoon so this week's delivery needs to be a little early.

The produce that is available for order this week is:

-Salad greens

Salad greens

-Salad Turnips

-Yellow summer squash 

-Beans

Fresh green beans!  

-Baby 'Mokum' Carrots!  Better than steak.  New for this week.  

-Parsley

-Garlic Chives

-Regular Chives

Be sure to email me if you have any concerns or questions.  Beans, squash, and carrots are in limited supply so order ASAP.   

Happy eating,

- Mike, Stone farm

Onions growing strong!  

Produce for the week of 7/14/14

Greetings Stone Farm CSA members!

This week's drop day will be this coming Friday [7/18].  The produce that is available for order this week is:

-Salad greens

-Radish

-Garlic Chives

-Regular Chives

-Salad Turnips

-Yellow summer squash - I pick these very small so prep time/seeds are minimal.  Delicious steamed and dressed with butter.  Can also be grilled or roasted.  Sold as a mix of two yellow varieties.  

-Parsley- parsley in the local grocery store sells for ~$80/lb in those tiny plastic clamshell packages (yes, I have done the math out because I am a nerd).  A great product to buy locally and organic.  

- Maybe beans- they are still very small [see photo below] but hopefully will size up in time for a Thursday/Friday harvest.  I'll send out an email if they aren't going to be included in this week's share due to immaturity (and credit accounts as needed).  As you can see they are very tiny but hopefully will rapidly size up for a late week harvest.  In the mean time, lets cross our fingers and order away!   

Size as of Monday, 7/14

Be sure to email me if you have any concerns or questions.  Letting carrots get a little bigger before I harvest them.    

Happy eating,

- Mike, Stone farm

This week's produce (7/7/14)

Greetings Stone Farm CSA members!

This week's drop day will be this coming Friday [7/11].  The produce that is available for order this week is:

-Salad greens

-Radish

-Garlic Chives

-Regular Chives

-Salad Turnips- definitely worth a try.  

-SUGAR SNAP PEAS- a variety that you can eat the shell and all!  

-Parsley- parsley in the local grocery store sells for ~$80/lb in those tiny plastic clamshell packages (yes, I have done the math out because I am a nerd).  A great product to buy locally and organic.  
Be sure to email me if you have any concerns or questions.  

Hopefully very soon we will have carrots, summer squash and more!  Check out some photos below!

Happy eating,

- Mike, Stone farm

Summer squash very soon!  

GORGEOUS POTATOES

Beans are flowering- fresh beans very very soon!  

Tons more to come!  

This weeks produce [6/30/14]

Greetings Stone Farm CSA members!

This week's drop day will be this coming Thursday [7/3].  The produce that is available for order this week is:

-Salad greens (if the heat doesn't get too too hot, I will keep you guys updated)

-Radish

- Garlic Chives

- Salad Turnips- definitely worth a try.  

- SUGAR SNAP PEAS- a variety that you can eat the shell and all!  

Be sure to email me if you have any concerns or questions.  Hopefully very soon we will have carrots, summer squash and more!

Happy eating,

- Mike, Stone farm

This week's produce!

Hello everyone!

This week's drop day will be this coming Friday [6/27].  The produce that is available for order this week is:

- Rhubarb [limited quantities]

-Salad greens!  [still growing strong!]

-Radish

- Garlic Chives

- Salad Turnips (a new item this week! ). If you are unfamiliar with salad turnips they are a delicious and a very popular wholesale item that I am excited to offer to CSA members. They are great thinly sliced raw but you can also cook them and dress them with butter and herbs. As you can see in the photo below they are a gorgeous scarlet white!

Remember, the deadline for ordering produce is midnight the day before the drop off day.  

Happy eating!  

- Mike 

This week's produce!

Hello everyone!

This week's drop days will be this coming Thursday [6/19].  The produce that is available for order this week is:

- Rhubarb [limited quantities]

-Arugula

-Salad greens!  [they are sooooo good right now]

-Radish- here is a great butter-braised radish recipe. 

- Regular Chives

- Garlic Chives

I am currently working out kinks in both delivery [adding on a 2nd delivery day soon, as well a couple more delivery locations for added convenience] as well as packaging.  Look for details in the next week or two!  Many more crops are on the way.  As you can see above the peas are starting to flower!  

All the best, 

- Mike

P.S. Another photo.  The garden is in full production!  

This week's produce! [week of 6/9/14]

Hello everyone!

This week I am adding a few items to the CSA offerings.  This week's drop day will be this coming Friday [6/13].  The produce that is available for order this week is:

- Rhubarb [limited quantities]

-Arugula [limited quantities]

-Salad greens!  

-Radish- here is a great butter-braised radish recipe.  Did you know you can cook them and they are delicious?  

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- Chives 

-Garlic Chives

Hope everyone is enjoying the gorgeous weather!  I am going to continue to plant, plant, plant this week!    

- Mike

Rhubarb, Arugula, and Chives!

Hello everyone!

I apologize for the delay on the blog posts - I have been busy planting and getting my seedling greenhouse up and running.  Attempting to water jet a 20 foot point well through solid marine clay has proven to be a challenge so for now I am pumping out of the pond for my greenhouse water.  The good news is that the greenhouse is OPERATIONAL and has been loaded up with seedlings that will thoroughly enjoy the greenhouse environment.  Being able to grow really high quality seedings will be HUGE for me.  Even more importantly- I can now focus on growing food!    

Update for my CSA members.  THERE WILL BE A FRIDAY DELIVERY THIS WEEK!  Just a few items but they are tasty ones:

1. Rhubarb

2.  ARUGULA [one of my favorites with red onion and a vinaigrette with lemon] - the first spring cuttings are amazing.  

3.  Garlic and regular chives [sold by the bunch].    

If you are wondering what to do with rhubarb here is a good strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe.

Online store is officially updated with the above items for ordering!

Happy eating, 

- Mike 

A spring update!

Hello everyone!

I just thought I would write a quick post to tell you about some Stone Farm updates.

I have been doing some major work on important farm infrastructure over the past month.  The biggest of these farm additions is a NEW GREENHOUSE!  This will allow me to efficiently and effectively grow high quality transplants to go out into the garden as well as grow some speciality items for sale straight from the greenhouse year-round.    

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* Putting the plastic on the greenhouse with the help from my girlfriend Liz and some other great college friends! 

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* Now with a door, electricity, and plastic neatly trimmed!  

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* Point well for year-round greenhouse water, used shallow well pump (dressed in the blue), and interior electricity!  

While I am slightly behind on some plantings due to delays in greenhouse construction (...I am looking at you, Central Maine Power!) I have been planting, planting, planting out in the field to get some spring crops started!  

Planting beds prepped and seeded.  Skinny rows are the 12" walking paths in between the wider 30" planting beds where the plants live.  Salad greens, arugula, radish, carrots and more are all planted.      

Thank you for all your support over these past couple months.  By September/October I hope to begin construction of some high tunnels for year-round production right out in the field!  FINGERS CROSSED.  A few CSA shares are still available- be sure to check out my website for more details!  

- Mike

"The Elders of Organic Farming"- NY Times

Hey everyone!  I saw this article in the NY Times on the future of organic farming and I thought I would share.  

There are some really interesting facts in the article (...did you know "...The average age of the American farmer is 57, and the fastest-growing age group for farmers is 65 and over, according to the Census Bureau." ?) as well some really touching anecdotes about managing to pay for (what should be basic) things like health insurance, the struggles passing farms on to the next generation, and the realities of farming;

“We went out of our way to give everything to the earth, and the earth gives back to us,” said Jack Lazor, who started his organic dairy farm in the 1970s. The earth doesn’t always give cash, though. He dropped his health insurance in 2008, because, he said, “We couldn’t afford it.”

“Mr. Willey, 65, said he called a family meeting with his three children. “We made clear to them we have a very profitable business,” he said, but none were interested in carrying it on...“Farmers often work seven days a week and as many hours a day as the sun is up,” he said. “Young people looking into agriculture are not willing to make that drastic a sacrifice.”

— The Elders of Organic Farming- NY Times

The future of farming should be fascinating.  Really shows how important it is to support local small farms.  A few Stone Farm CSA shares are still available!  

Happy eating,

-Mike

Thank you to all the new Stone Farm CSA members!

Stone Farm's 2014 CSA shares are filling up fast but there is still some space available!  A big thanks to all who have signed up so far!  Stone Farm is very excited about the 2014 season.  For more info on Stone Farm's 2014 CSA see:   http://www.stone-farm.net/csa/

The 1st crop available to CSA members should be spring dug parsnips which are incredibly sweet after freezing in the ground all winter and dug in the very early spring as soon as the ground thaws (end of march/early April).  Check out the photo of the 2013 harvest below!  

Fresh from the ground!  They taste MUCH better than they look.  Insanely good roasted or pureed.