Raspberries!

The official taste-testers at Whetstone Ledges are reporting that those red berries taste mighty fine. We'll have the first few pints for sale in the stand this weekend.

Coffee and Scones

Yes, it's true: there are ripe raspberries on the bushes which means COFFEE AND SCONES will begin this Sunday at 9 AM! Hope to see some of you fine neighbors and friends there.

And we're open!

Opening at 9 am today. Greens, garlic scapes, jams, syrup, granola, organic chicken...

And a garlic scape pesto recipe for you...perfect on that chicken!

GARLIC SCAPE PESTO

Ingredients:

• 1 cup garlic scapes, buds removed and chopped
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup walnuts (or another nut)
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.
2. Refrigerate covered for up to two weeks. The flavor will mellow some as it sits.

Opening June 21st!

Welcome to summer! The farm stand is opening June 21st. We'll have lots of lettuce and greens, garlic scapes, syrup, jams, granola and Brian McNeice's chicken. Peas are almost ready to pick and tomatoes are not far behind! The first raspberries should be coming along by the beginning of July and it looks like a bumper crop of blueberries. We're expecting all the berries to be a week or so early this year. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Whetstone CiderWorks

Jason and Lauren MacArthur are the owners and brewers of the artisanal hard cider Whetstone CiderWorks. They posted this update recently on their facebook page:

We've mixed and matched and poured and pondered through so many batches of cider, but we think we've whittled things down to some seriously delicious Orchard King and Queen blends. Dabinet, Yarlington Mill, Kingston Black, and Wickson are just a few of the choice apples that are giving these ciders some fabulous flavor and complexity. We can't wait for you to try them!


Nor can we wait to taste what they've got brewing.

PS: Their ciders will be available at limited tastings at the stand throughout the summer. Stay tuned to find out when!

Welcome to the 2012 growing season! We are excited for the coming year - hoping to not have another Irene! Although the road was washed out in spots, our fields stayed high and dry. One advantage to being on a hill.

We have a new hoophouse which was just planted with tomatoes on April 19th. We've also started to pick spinach from the hoophouse and lettuce and arugula are coming along. Check at Sweetie's Market & Deli for our early crops.

The farmstand CSA is once again available for a $150.00 initial deposit. This allows you a credit at the stand which you use to shop until it's used up; you get your choice of produce and don't need to carry cash with you; you get a 10% discount on Wednesdays; and it allows you to pick berries either early or late in the day when the stand is closed (often the most peaceful picking!).

 Another possibility is that CSA members may get delivery of extra produce early and late in the season if sales at Sweeties can't keep up. We're still trying to figure out just  how this would work. Let me know if you are interested. And happy spring!

~Gail

Last Weekend & Thanks

Thanks so much for a great season - this is the last weekend the farm stand will be open. We have lots of pie pumpkins, potatoes, leeks, kale, swiss chard, broccoli, pickles, relish and jam, maple syrup and granola. There are still some fall raspberries out there to pick and until a heavy frost comes they'll keep coming. Feel free to glean after this weekend.

You can find some of our produce at Sweetie's throughout the fall.

I'd love to get feedback about the season and the CSA program. You can e-mail me at dmacarthur@igc.org.

Happy winter and I look forward to seeing you all again in 2012!

Gail