HERE'S WHAT'S IN THE BOX

Reveal the photo to get an idea of a typical summer Family Share. What might your share look like over the course of a season? Well the number of items you receive depends on what size share you choose, but our Harvest Schedule, below, shows you all the different possibilities of what those items could be! Members adjust what they get by choosing their share size (we have three sizes) and adding options such as extra fruit, bread, or pastured eggs, or ordering additional items through our Web Store. (How's it work?)  (Join)

GROWING THE CROPS

"The Earth does not belong to man. Man belongs to the Earth. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of the Earth. Man did not weave the web of life. He is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself."
     - Chief Seattle

We farm organically, which for us means to work in harmony with nature. Organically grown is not just a label; we believe it is farming that one honors the connection of all living beings and their dependence upon each other.

The key to growing nutritious (and tasty!) fruits and vegetables is to nurture and grow a healthy soil. We build organic matter in the soil several ways, starting with growing lush winter or summer cover crops. We rest and rejuvenate every piece of land we use with a rotation of cover crops at least every two years (sometimes more depending on the soil type). Our winter cover crops are a mix of bell beans, vetch, peas and barley; in summer we like to use buckwheat and/or sudan grass. Cover crops also reduce potential soil erosion and in some cases, such as with sudan grass, we benefit from alleopathic properties which reduce or eliminate soil-born diseases.

We also apply certified organic compost at a rate of 3-5 tons per acre on an annual basis to maintain soil fertility, improve the soil's water retention capacity, and increase soil microbial activity. We regularly add rock dust and other natural amendments such as gypsum and azomite, to improve the tilth and micronutrient levels in the soil. Depending on specific crop fertility requirements, we might add still additional certified organic fertilizers such as fish and kelp concentrates and/or pelletized bird guano.

To control weeds we use mechanical and hand cultivation, flamers, and properly managed irrigation and planting techniques. We try to preventively control pests and diseases by selecting appropriate varieties for our growing conditions, following a detailed crop rotation scheme, using physical barriers such as row covers, and releasing beneficial insects. To minimize crop losses from insect pests we grow a large diversity of crops and create natural habitats around our fields to maintain a native beneficial insect population.

HARVEST SCHEDULE

Here are the crops we typically grow and the approximate months we harvest them. Keep in mind that planting and harvesting is not an exact science! We're beholden to Mother Nature and sometimes she throws us for a loop, causing a delay or the loss of a crop. Typically, however, we are blessed to enjoy her abundant generosity of tasty and beautiful fruit and vegetables:

Regular Season

Winter Season

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Fruit

Apples

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Apricots

x

x

Blackberries and raspberries

x

x

x

x

Concord grapes

x

Pears

x

x

x

x

Pineapple guavas

x

x

x

Strawberries

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Plums

x

x

Citrus

x

x

x

x

Regular Season

Winter season

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Vegetables and herbs

Arugula

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Basil

x

x

x

x

x

x

Beets

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Bok choi

x

x

x

x

x

Broccoli/Broccolini/Broccoli Raab

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Brussels sprouts

x

x

x

x

Cabbage (green, red, Chinese)

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Carrots

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Cauliflower

x

x

x

x

x

Cooking greens (chard, collards, kale, mustard, etc.)

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Cucumbers (regular, lemon, Armenian)

x

x

x

x

Eggplant (globe and oriental)

x

x

x

Fava beans

x

x

x

Fennel

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Garlic and green garlic

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Green beans

x

x

x

x

x

Herbs (chives, cilantro, parsley, sometimes others!)

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Leeks

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Lettuces (many varieties)

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Onions (spring, green, dry bulb)

x

x

x

x

Peas (English and sugar-snap)

x

x

x

Peppers (various)

x

x

x

Potatoes

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Pumpkins

x

Radicchio (various)

x

x

Radishes (various)

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Rutabaga

x

x

x

x

Spinach

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Summer squash (various)

x

x

x

x

x

x

Tomatoes (cherry, dry-farmed, heirloom)

x

x

x

Turnips and kohlrabi

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Winter squash (various)

x

x

x

x

x

x

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

See images of a lot of our produce on our Recipes by Key Ingredient page! Click on the little camera icons, to the left of the vegetable name.