Re: CSA!!!

Dear csa folks

Just an update from the farm. Busy as ever. New season, new projects. The markets are over, the greenhouse crunch time begins. Planted 160,000 onions last week. Still picking away at the last of the cold hardy winter greens. This year we are going to try planting a bed of super early peas up the north side of our heated greenhouse.

The veggie burger business goes strong, now in the co-ops of Burlington, Montpelier, Middlebury, Brattleboro, Cambridge and Albany (and locally at New Morning and JK Adams). We sent in the deposit on our new brick oven, which is coming in May. Lots to do to get ready for that. The bread was a hit at the Dorset market this winter and will be available at all 3 local farmers markets this summer (Manchester, Dorset and now Londonderry) and we've got a real structure for CSA pickups this year- no more little tent moving around the yard. Yes, we are getting pretty serious. But we are still our nutty selves and we are continually grateful for the support you all have given us over the years.

We've gotten renewals from many of you but we want to remind folks to sign up before the end of march to receive your $20 credit. If you aren't planning to sign up this year, let us know why. We won't be mad, and it could help us improve. Anyway, we promise to do a better job with newsletters this year, and to eventually get a good recipe page up on our website. Other than that, we plan to just keep being our happily busy selves growing lots of healthy food and we hope to see you soon. Also if you'd like us to start any specific plants for your home gardens, we'd be happy to do so. And please stop by in May for the finest (and cheapest) certified organic veggie and flower plants around. If you can't wait til may to see us, stop by for eggs, fresh bread and greens on Fridays from 2-4. 

As I write this, my mind wanders to the natural disaster in Japan and the chaos in the middle east and the global scourge of climate change. I think we all long for safety and stability, for ecological sustainability and political sanity. I am grateful to live in Vermont- for this amazing snowy winter, for our relatively progressive government, and the clean air and water we enjoy. For the open (albeit overpriced) landscape, and the fertility of the soil. My family and I are living a dream and we thank you for helping us bring it to fruition. Let's be good to each other!

Peace,

the farm team

   Bonnie on skis outside our new farmstand

   Oliver and Bonnie testing out the Llopis oven at our friend Noah's bakery in New Hampshire. We just ordered our own!

Bonnie and Oliver Levis

EARTH SKY TIME COMMUNITY FARM 

1547 Main st. Manchester Ctr, VT 05255

802 384 1400

www.EarthSkyTime.com

CSA!!!

Hello CSA friends!

It's been quite a while since our last newsletter. Lots to report around here.  The kids have been growing faster than spring radishes. Guv's year in kindergarten has been chock full of academics; he's been finding his newfound writing skills very useful- especially for writing hardware store shopping lists for invention supplies.  He's just like Oliver (oy vey!).  Talula has miraculously turned into our easiest child and really likes pink frilly things and talks about her ballet class incessantly (we truly have no idea where she got this from).  Eden is talking up a storm and recently informed me that he was drawing an ipod.

We've been busy harvesting our cold hardy greens all winter, but we've also been taking our VT Goldburgers to the next level. They are now certified organic, we just ordered 5000 spiffy new labels, and we are busy getting them into stores all around VT.  We're on the cusp of the pieces all coming together.  While this type of marketing is not our forte, we're excited to be expanding this delicious aspect of our business.

And there is yet another culinary adventure on the horizon.  Many of you have been shopping at the winter farmers market at JK Adams and have tasted Oliver's fabulous sourdough breads.  He's ready to kick it up a few hundred notches and has his eye on a magnificent super fancy Spanish wood burning oven.  Taking on this project (which would involve flying actual Spaniards over to install it into the addition we would have to build) is a huge financial leap, but it will allow us to exponentially expand the bread baking and support ramped up production of the Goldburgers.  We can also bake our granola and open sesame crackers as well as multitudes of other creations that will be sure to follow.  We're in the figuring it out financially stage and will keep you posted.

2011 is shaping up to be a great season.  We've been working in the greenhouse this week, and are preparing to plant onions, parsley and the earliest tomatoes next week. It is great to start with momentum from the fantastic response of customers at the winter market, excitement for new projects in the works, and for the great wwoofer team that is forming.  We're going to have some wonderful returning wwoofers, so look out for familiar faces.  We hope to see familiar CSA faces too.  We're proud not to be raising our prices for the 4th year in a row.  And we are offering an early bird special for renewing members- $20 in credit towards purchases made at our new farm stand (oh yeah-another project!).

the sign up form and bread share info is all on our website www.earthskytime.com while there, check out our latest slide show.

think spring!

Bonnie and Oliver Levis

EARTH SKY TIME COMMUNITY FARM 

1547 Main st. Manchester Ctr, VT 05255

802 384 1400

www.EarthSkyTime.com

Re: CSA Week 13

Hi CSA folks,

Progress has been made in many aspects of life here over the last month. One of the most exciting developments is the completion of our pond and the addition of a fantastic rope swing.  We are happily splashing away this week's heatwave, and we thank our brave woofer Zach for risking his life to set it up for our collective fun.

In kitchen news, we have a brand new (well, new for us) dough sheeter.  We got it to make the cracker making process less of a hassle—instead of running each cracker individually through a roller, it will hopefully allow us to roll out entire sheets of dough which we can cut into sesame cumin crackerbread.  This machine, which had faithfully served a now closed doughnut shop in Barre, VT for the past sixteen years, is a sight to behold.  When in use, the conveyor belts on either side of the central roller span about twelve feet.  When "stored away", the belts fold up into an 8 foot tall X that somehow resembles a bird of prey about to attack its dinner.  Folks at the Friday pick up got to sample the first experiment- perfectly poofed fresh pita bread, and we are making them again for today's bread share and tonight's farmer's table dinner at the Wilburton Inn (this week's culinary theme is Middle Eastern).

Out in the field we've been busy seeding, planting and mulching. The kids are back in school, but our season continues… 2 more months of CSA to look forward to together. 

Peace,

Bonnie and Oliver Levis

CAROL'S CAPONATA EGGPLANT APPETIZER

1 eggplant
1/2 c. olive oil
1 c. diced celery
1 lg. onion, sliced
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce (or stewed fresh tomatoes)
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. drained capers
1/2 tsp. salt
2 dashes black pepper
1 c. pitted black olives, cut in slivers

Wash eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes. In hot oil in a large skillet, saute eggplant until tender and golden brown. Remove eggplant and set aside.

In hot oil, saute onions and celery until tender, 5 minutes. Return eggplant to skillet. Stir in tomato sauce, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Add sugar, vinegar, capers, salt, pepper and olives. Simmer covered 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate covered eggplant mixture overnight.

 our new pita factory, and our new pond.

EARTH SKY TIME COMMUNITY FARM 

1547 Main st. Manchester Ctr, VT 05255

802 384 1400

www.EarthSkyTime.com

CSA Week 9

Hello CSA friends

We looked at the calendar and found out some interesting news---  it's already august? Weeks go by in a blur.  Being completely exhausted and motivated at the same time is a feeling that tends to afflict farmers during the mid season.  We can't keep up with our punch lists but somehow we keep plowing through and getting stuff done. We've been sifting through garlic, weeds, dishes; dealing with incoming woofers, dealing with children's incoming molars, lost phones and tools, digging our pond, swimming in our half full pond, seeding and transplanting, making soooo many goldburgers, getting back to the construction of our greenhouse that never got finished this spring and inventing new food products (try our apfelmoose—authentic Austrian applesauce made by our new authentic Austrian wwoofer, Caroline). 

Another new project for this season is Farm Table at the Wilburton Inn.  We cook an enormous gourmet dinner from our produce and schlep it to the inn where guests eat on the beautiful terrace over the Battenkill valley.  It's every Tuesday from 7 pm and costs $18 per person.  Sangria too!! Call the inn at 802-362-2500 to make a reservation.  And bring the kids along- they can run around with Guv, Eden and Talula while you eat.  We'll also be at the Hildene craft fair this weekend slingin' goldburgers and other farm treats.

And here are two of our favorite new recipes for two of our favorite underappreciated vegetables: kale & kohlrabi.

Nachos Redeemed:

Layer chopped kale (large ribs removed) with tortilla chips, black olives and shredded cheese on a baking sheet. Make sure all layers are mixed up so that all ingredients get a little cheesy. Bake at 350 until cheese is melted and kale has crisped.  Top with salsa (make your own or buy it from us) and sour cream (make it fancier by mixing in finely chopped scallions). 

…Viva la Kale!

Kale and kohlrabi slaw: a hit from last Tuesday's farm table at the Wilburton

-1 bunch kale finely chopped

-1 bunch parsley finely chopped

-4 small kohlrabi peeled and slivered

-a couple of sweet, crisp apples diced smallish

-1/2 cup toasted walnuts

Combine all ingredients and add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. This dish can be easily converted into a pilaf by tossing in cooled wild rice.

 

Be Healthy and Happy!

Bonnie and Oliver Levis

EARTH SKY TIME COMMUNITY FARM 

1547 Main st. Manchester Ctr, VT 05255

802 384 1400

www.EarthSkyTime.com

CSA Week 6

> Hello CSA folks
>
> We hope everyone has recovered from last week's muggy heat wave.
> While it made working outside more difficult (and slowed the
> progress on our new greenhouse down to zero), it did give us a
> chance to reconnect with some favorite swimming holes and also
> motivated an unprecedented extra early morning schedule for our
> household.
>
> We are quite pleased with how bountiful the new herb garden has
> turned out. The basil and parsley are especially plentiful as are
> some of the lesser appreciated ones such as tarragon and greek
> oregano. Unfortunately, the weeds are also becoming especially
> plentiful. It would be great if folks who felt like getting involved
> could help out with weeding the herb garden. Just start in the patch
> of your favorite herb (or the weediest spot you notice) and go for
> as long as you feel like it. Nothing fancy.
>
> While you are there, nibble around. Taste sour sorrel, anise hyssop,
> Mexican mint marigold, spilanthes (the toothache herb), wormwood (it
> is only slightly hallucinogenic), Persian false lavender, lemon balm
> (which smells like pledge), or bring home a little catnip to drive
> your feline crazy.
>
> If you are on our facebook group, you will have already heard the
> good news that we got our organic certification this week. It
> doesn't really change anything about the way we have already been
> farming except that we need to keep more accurate records (more
> challenging for us than keeping the bugs away!).
>
> Bonnie and Oliver Levis

CSA Week 4

> Summer Greetings to all,
>
> We are a month into the CSA and we hope everyone has been eating
> lots of greens. July brings more variety to the table, and each week
> you will be finding new choices. June has had ideal growing
> conditions with lots of sun and plenty of rain. It's so nice to see
> things coming together in the fields. Yesterday we had a great
> farmers' market in Dorset. The weather was perfect and we had lots
> of new things to offer. Our lovely British wwoofers Sarah and Dave
> do such a good job at the markets. We have also started selling
> grilled VT Goldburgers, scrambled eggs and salads so folks can enjoy
> lunch or breakfast when they come shop at the market. The
> Manchester Markets have been a little quieter, but have been really
> fun. We love our new location downtown, and our spot on the green is
> right next to the children's art tent, which is pretty convenient
> for our 3 little assistants. We encourage everyone to support the
> new Manchester market Thusdays 3:00 – 6:00, and we are happy to
> allow our CSA shareholders to pick up shares there (with advance
> notice). In other farm news, we are thrilled that Tim Fisher, our
> beloved excavator friend has come to start digging out our new
> irrigation/swimming pond. It promises to be beautiful, helpful,
> refreshing and fun. Also you may have noticed the half finished
> skeleton of the new greenhouse in our field. We received a USDA
> natural resource conservation grant to build this unheated
> greenhouse for year round production. We had been working hard to
> get it done this spring, but then it fell off the radar when we had
> to get in the fields and plant your food. Now that we are pretty
> well caught up, we are attempting to wrap the project up, so if
> anyone wants to come help let us know. We hope to be working on it
> all week (and to be realistic, probably all next week too). Anyway,
> we wish everyone well and we'll see you all soon.
>
> Peace!
>
> Bonnie and Oliver Levis

CSA Week 2

>> Hello CSA
>>
>> We hope everyone enjoyed the first week's produce and had a good
>> time coming to the farm. Beyond the constant work of planting,
>> harvesting, cooking, and construction, our efforts lately have been
>> focused on mulching. Some of you may have noticed the mountain of
>> steaming fermented grass near the CSA pick up area. This pile of
>> grass is mowed off about 15 acres of our neighbors fields. As you
>> can see from the photo, the flail chopper mows the grass and blows
>> it back into a hay wagon that is towed behind. When it's full we
>> tow the wagon back to the veggie field and unload it with
>> pitchforks before it starts to compost and get hot and heavy. In
>> fact, within 48 hours, the pile reaches 150 degrees. Last year,
>> Guv lost his croc in the pile and it had melted into a blob of
>> green plastic by the time we found it a couple weeks later. The
>> great thing about the heat is that it kills all the seeds in the
>> grass so that we don't end up spreading tons of weeds over the
>> fields. The mulch serves a few roles. First it keeps the weed
>> seeds in the soil from seeing sunlight and germinating. Second, it
>> keeps the soil from compacting as we walk down the rows to
>> harvest. Third, it creates a really nice environment for
>> earthworms which help decompose the mulch into usable soil/food for
>> the plants. Finally, the mulch keeps the soil cooler in the summer
>> and keeps it from drying out and if left in place over the winter,
>> it holds the soil in place and prevents erosion. So we love our
>> mulch! And although our mower is over 40 years old and is in need
>> of serious repairs and unloading the wagons is a hot, stinky,
>> sweaty, herculean effort, we think it is totally worth it.
>>
>> This week we'll try to make maps of the farm so folks can start
>> walking around and finding stuff on their own. The flower and herb
>> gardens are not quite ready for picking, but are really beautiful
>> and worth walking through and sitting in and enjoying. Part of the
>> beauty of our CSA model is that you can slow down and smell the
>> flowers, pick some basil, talk to the folks who grow your food, ask
>> us questions about how it was grown, bring the kids- it' a safe
>> place for them to run around. We've built a giant sandbox for them
>> to play in. We've been creating nooks for picnicking or sitting
>> and reading. This is your farm, so enjoy, don't rush- it's slow
>> food.
>>
>> Over the next several pickups you will be finding green curly q's
>> with a strong garlic scent… they're scapes (the pre-emergent flower
>> from the garlic plant). We clip them early to divert the plant's
>> energy toward bigger bulbs, and offer them to you because they are
>> delicious. Consider them something between a leek and a string bean
>> with the flavor of garlic. Start your cooking by carmelizing some
>> scapes (chop 'em up and slowly sauté in olive oil with salt) then
>> add in whatever you want.
>>
>>
>>
>> See you soon,
>>
>> Bonnie, Oliver & Co.
>>