Our first newsletter of the season includes notes on Mizuna (pictured), Vitamin Greens, Garlic Scapes and more!  Click here to read.

For members that have participated in the CSA before, the set-up for pick-ups will remain laregly the same.  For those who are new, here is some information on the farm and what to expect when you come to pick up your share for the first time:

Where to find us: 1073 River Road, where River Road and the Frenchtown-Uhlerstown Bridge meet. If you're driving, you can park in the lot next to the red brick building (where the Schneiderwind Farm & Nursery is), then look for the orange and white Open Acres CSA sign by the farm stand.

Checking in: As you enter the farm stand, two clipboards will be hanging up on your left. The top one will have a sign-in sheet.  Please stop and check in!  The bottom one will hold paper versions of our newsletter.  Note:  Newsletters are always posted online, too.

Your Share: At every pick-up, a list of the day's share items will be written on a large, dry-erase board.  Bins with each item will be set out along two counters (in the same order as the list on the board). Rather than us boxing your share ahead of time, you will have the opportunity to select your own greens, vegetables, herbs and fruits according to the list posted. 

Bags: While plastic bags are always available, we encourage you to bring shopping bags with you. The less plastic we distribute, the better!

The Sharing Table: From time to time, we realize there may be items included in the Share that you will prefer not to take. With this in mind, the sharing table will always be out at pick-ups. This is the place where you can leave those items to share with other members who might enjoy them.  Items that remain on the table when pick-ups are over will be included in regular donations to area food pantries.

As always, if you have questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to be in touch by email or phone at 646.408.1844.  Also, if you know of anyone who may be interested in a full or half share this season, we still have a few spaces left.  Please feel free to send them our way!

Until next time, all our best.

Depending on the crop, we work with the grid in different ways.  Tomatoes run down the center line, peas are seeded on the outside two, and onions are plugged along all three:

Last week all of our onions left the greenhouse and were planted into the back fields.  Along with them were the first successions of leeks and scalllions.  In all, 14,000 seedlings made the move over the course of two short days thanks in large part to... drum roll, please!... our two new interns, Kate and GD!

That's right, we're growing in more ways than one!  GD and Kate each work two days per week and will be actively involved in all aspects of the farm's operations this year.  In the weeks ahead, you'll get a chance to learn more about them both.  For now, know that we are thrilled that Kate and GD are a part of Open Acres this season!

What else?  In addition to the onions, leeks and scallions, bok choi, cabbage, spinach, parsnips, turnips, carrots, and potatoes (fourteen rows this year) have also recently gone into the ground. 

This week and next, in addition to more seeding and transplanting, weeding will be a focus.  If you have some free time during the week and would like to get your hands dirty, please email or give us a call at 646.408.1844 and let us know!  Extra hands make all the difference when it comes to those first, tiny spring weeds.

Until next time, all our best!

Until next time, all our best.

Below, pepper seedlings are moved from small starting flats to flats with larger cells, where they will continue to grow until they are ready for the field.

On Wednesday the 18th, two truckloads of seedlings left the greenhouse and were transplanted into the fields.  Included were our first rounds of Swiss Chard, Kale, Broccoli, Radicchio, Cabbage, Bok Choi, Tomatoes, and Tomatillos! 

In addition, rounds of Beets, Broccoli Rabe, Arugula, Mizuna, Salad Mix, Tatsoi, Vitamin Greens, Black and Red Radishes, Carrots, Turnips, Peas, and Red Mustard have also been seeded directly in the fields.  Here, Nate troubleshoots the irrigation line while crops get watered in.

A few close-ups:  The first red radishes appear; buckwheat seed (one of this year's cover crops); and an exceptionally lovely tomatillo plant.

And finally, a shot of the back fields taken yesterday.  Newly planted crops rest under protective, floating row covers on a sunny, blustery morning. 

Today, we quietly celebrate the arrival of much needed rain.

Until next time, all our best.

In the greenhouse, onions, swiss chard and leeks have been started.  The process is especially exciting this year, because for the first time, we are working with Organic Mechanics potting soil.  Organic Mechanics is a local company out of Modena, Pennsylvania, that makes entirely organic, peat-free soil mixes.  Committed to practices that are kind to the environment, they also run their delivery trucks and equipment on bio-diesel and use recycled products and local ingredients as much as possible.

The blend we have includes coconut fiber, pine bark, worm castings, rice hulls, and turkey manure for added fertility:

Below, Nate covers and arranges the first flats of 2012.

Next up on the indoor seeding list:  Celeriac, Parsley, Kale, Scallions, Broccoli, Lettuces, Peppers (hot and sweet), and Radicchio!

Outdoors, work is also beginning.  We'll be weeding garlic today, compost is going onto both last year's and this year's fields, and plowing is just around the corner.  So, definitely keep an eye out for more frequent updates here and on our facebook page in the weeks ahead. 

Also, if you are planning to participate in the CSA this year but have yet to sign up for your share, click here for the Membership Form and join today!

Until next time, all our best.

In the non-horticultural world, there tends to be shared understanding of what the word heirloom means: valued possessions passed on from one generation to the next and usually kept within families.  When we are talking about vegetables, fruits, plants and flowers, the topic of heirlooms can be a little more confusing mostly because there is not a completely universal set of criteria for what constitutes heirloom varieties.

Here is what is agreed upon by seed savers, purveyors, and growers alike when talking about heirlooms:

Heirloom varieties are older varieties. In some cases, you will hear that varieties introduced pre-1940 are heirlooms.  In others, there is the idea that heirlooms need only be at least 50 years old.  You will also find sources that simply apply the more general definition of heirloom: seeds sowed, saved and passed from one gardener or family member to another, from one generation to the next.

Heirloom seeds, when saved and grown again, will produce seedlings with traits similar to the parent plant.  This is not always the case with seeds that come from hybrid varieties (bred by crossing different plants in the interest of producing a new plant variety with a combination of attractive traits from each parent).  To ensure consistency with hybrids, pollination (the first step of plant reproduction) must be controlled, and new seed should be purchased year after year.  Heirloom varieties are pollinated in the open by creatures like bees, birds and butterflies and forces like the wind and rain. Some varieties are even self-pollinating!

By growing, saving and sharing heirloom seeds, we preserve the past and protect biodiversity.  Mass seed production often emphasizes crop characteristics such as consistency in terms of form, durability in terms of transportation, and specific disease or pest resistance.  Heirlooms are typically valued for their flavors, textures, colors, and unique histories and saved over time for their abilities to thrive in particular regions or growing conditions.  This has made them less desirable to large-scale commercial producers and meant losses of varieties long prized for their terrific taste, beauty, and resilience.

This year, we'll be growing twenty-nine heirloom vegetable and fruit varieties.  This is a huge jump from our previous two seasons, when that number was closer to five!  It's an expansion we are very excited about and something we will continue to build upon in the years ahead.

Here's the list: 

• Cabbage: Golden Acre, Premium Late Flat Dutch
  
• Eggplants: Black Beauty, Rosa Bianca
• Greens: Speckled Bibb and Oakleaf lettuces, Fordhook Giant swiss chard, Lacinato kale
  
• Kohlrabi: Early Purple, Gigant Winter
• Root vegetables: Purple Top Globe and Amber globe turnips, Chantenay Red Core carrots, Larges Smooth Prague celeriac, Hollow Crown parsnip
  
• Squash: Costata Romanesca zucchini, Green-Striped Cushaw and Delicata winter squash
  
• Tomatoes: Rose, Cherokee Green, Valencia, Striped German, Amish Paste, Amy's Apricot, Sophie's Choice
• and Kansas musk melon, Mrs. Burns Lemon basil, Burmese okra, and Czechoslovakian Black peppers!

What about you?  Are you a seed saver?  Do you have any favorite heirloom varieties?

As the season gets underway, we look forward to reporting on the progress of our heirloom crops.  If you would like to experience them in a more direct way, reserve a CSA share today!  Just fill out this form and send in your share payment or deposit as soon as possible.

Until next time, all our best.

It's a rainy Tuesday afternoon in the middle of January.  In a few short weeks, we will return to the greenhouse and start the first plants of the year.  In the meantime, the focus here is on our annual seed order.

Throughout the growing season, members often inquire about the seeds we use.  With seeds very much on our minds right now, we thought this would be a great time to answer some of the questions we get most frequently.

Where do the seeds you use come from?  In both 2010 and 2011, the bulk of our seed supply came from Johnny's Selected Seeds, out of Maine.  This year, we will be splitting our order among a handful of providers including Johnny's, High Mowing Organic Seeds, and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. 

In some cases, we are fortunate not to have to order seeds.  We've grown delicious tomatoes from saved seeds, and last year's Okra experiment would not have happened were it not for seeds saved and shared by a good friend.  Garlic seed comes entirely from our own stock, and in time, we hope to expand our own seed saving efforts.

How do you select the seeds that you plant?  Choosing which crops and varieties to plant each year is one of the joys of the winter season.  In our first year, the crop plans we created were largely shaped by the experiences and successes Nate had as an apprentice farmer in the Hudson Valley.  Last year, we modified those plans according to our shared experiences, other growers' insights, and members' suggestions.  We also took a few chances on varieties that we found striking simply based on their catalog images and descriptions, like last year's fantastic Sorbet Swirl watermelons.  This year, our overall list of crops will not change too much, but we will continue to experiment:  We'll be trying our hand at dry beans and adding some new greens to the plans.  We'll also be planting purple scallions, red bok choi, russet potatoes, kabocha squash, and several new varieties of tomatoes!

How many seeds do you order?  The number of seeds we order varies greatly depending on what we are planting.  In the case of a crop like kohlrabi, we'll only need about 1,250 seeds to get through the season.  On the other end of the spectrum, onions will require an order of about 16,000!  Almost across the board, we plan to plant more seeds this year than we did in 2011 in the interest of providing CSA members with more abundant shares.  At the same time, we are using feedback from members who were with us last year to determine which crops to plant less of.  One example: turnips. 

The process of putting together a seed order is an exciting one in our house.  We begin to see the season ahead of us and envision the harvests...  We smile imagining the first tastes of spring and summer...

Next month, the 16,000 onion seeds mentioned earlier will be planted in the greenhouse.  To give the onions the best possible start before transplanting later this spring, we're beginning things about three weeks earlier than usual.  Soon, we will be back in the swing of greenhouse routines, and Open Acres CSA's 2012 season will truly be off and running!  We look forward to sharing it with all of you.

Interested in joining us for 2012?  Please use this form to secure your membership as soon as possible. 

Until next time, all our best.

PS: In case you are wondering what type of seeds are in the photo, they're arugula!

Happy New Year!  2012 has arrived and along with it:  seed catalogs!  It's hard to believe, but a month from now we will be back in the greenhouse once again.  Looking forward...