SUMMARY: THIRD WEEK of SUMMER 2021! - EXTRA VEGGIES! - FARM CREW SPOTILIGHT - NEW* - NURSERY SPOTLIGHT- ACI DONATION UPDATE AND DONATE TODAY! - DID YOU KNOW?-NEW*- LOCATIONS AND TIMES - WHAT TO EXPECT THIS WEEK - WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT WEEK
Week 3 - The THIRD Week of SUMMER CSA 2021!
(Want to skim this e-mail, but get the most benefit? All NEW and UPDATED sections will be titled in "RED")
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📢STARTING THIS WEEK, THIS NEWSLETTER WILL NOW BE EVERY TWO WEEKS. CSA MEMBERS WILL RECEIVE THE BAG-PACKING AND EXTRAS EMAIL EVERY WEEK AND SPECIAL UPDATES WILL BE SENT OUT DIRECTLY IN BETWEEN NEWSLETTERS📢
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Opening Remarks
Hello Dear CSA Members!
WOW! WOW! WOW! 😍 What beautiful weather we have been having (and such gorgeous shares too!)! We have NEVER, and I mean NEVER had such gorgeous weather for the summer. Rain has come almost every day lately with a perfect mixture of sun and temperate temperatures - let's hope this lasts for a long time (I feel like I'm back in New Hampshire😄)! the pasture sure hasn't ever looked as good as it does right now - and filled with wildflowers too! Our pest pressure has been some of the best we have ever had and the crops are looking great - especially without hail! On the other hand, the temperatures, as pleasant as they have been, and as beneficial for the pasture as it has been, does have it's downsides...
Since the winter and spring have been the coolest on record (and the summer is shaping up similarly), the soil temperatures have very much hindered the growth of the outside crops, and there's not much we can do about it. The onions are hesitant to bulb out and the squash and pumpkins are veeeerrrrryyyy ssssllllooowwww - even the beans and peas are slow! We will definitely have plenty of summer squash this season and the onions will most definitely bulb out for a beautiful fall crop along with our amazing potatoes, but it's been slow growin'😄! Again, as I write this, we are 100% planted and we are excited for some new crops for the fall, but boy oh boy, I'll take a delay in summer crops (tomatoes, cucs, squash etc) for the environmental benefit of this amazing rain, ANY DAY! But...don't worry, those crops will come soon enough 😉 and your bags will be so full of squash you'll be giving them away!!
See below for event updates, new articles and announcements!
Enjoy your share this week and don't forget to join the fun and share your recipes and pictures in the Facebook Community Group!
Volunteering
Our next Open-House volunteer day is not until July 18th, but that doesn't mean you can't come before then!
We need volunteers all the time! Weeding, planting, cleaning, harvesting, bagging and so much more.
Want to volunteer? Simply e-mail our amazing Administrator, Bekka at aci@ahavahcommunity.org to get more information and to sign up!
EXTRA VEGGIES and PLANTS FOR SALE
More and more items will be for sale as we progress through the season. Remember:
DON'T FORGET: SNAP MEMBERS ALWAYS RECEIVE 50% OFF!!
&
As always, all prices are
"Pay-What-You-Can-Afford."
👀GARDEN PLANTS ALSO QUALIFY FOR SNAP AND 2x DOUBLE-UP BENEFITS!!!👀
For Payment: Cash or Check at the drops or the balance can be sent via PayPal to contact@ahavahfarm.com or via Venmo to Ahavah Farm, LLC or by paying with credit card over the phone.
FALL REGISTRATION IS OPEN!!
Did you know that Fall is really the BEST season of all? That's right, Summer is fantastic and all, but it's fall when all the biggest and most beautiful crops come in.
Things like potatoes, onions, squash, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce, leeks and so much more get harvested in the fall and it's the best - especially once the farmer's market's run out, you still have the ability to get fresh, nutrient-dense veggies every single week - and remember, you save 5% by selecting auto-renewal - every season!! Want to sign up? Go to www.ahavahfarm.com/csa to learn more.
INTRODUCING OUR CSA REFERAL PROGRAM!
Refer a friend to Ahavah Farm's CSA OR to Ahavah Farm Nursery's microgreen CSA and you BOTH will receive $35 in credit to use ANYTIME you want! Use to buy extra vegetables, or take $35 off your next CSA purchase - your credit will never expire!
ATTENTION AUTO-RENEWAL MEMBERS:
Your automatic renewal will be charged on August 1st, 2021 for the Fall 2021 season. Please make any changes or request known no-later than July 30th. If you would like to change your share size or pickup location, or if you would like to change your Market-Style / Traditional style share or for any other requests, please send them to contact@ahavahfarm.com before July 30th. Thank you.
The following are the amounts to be charged:
Large - Cost is $648.84 minus 5% discount. Amount to be charged: $616.40 (Optional: 4 Cash/Check Payments of $154.10ea)
Medium - Cost is $504.65 minus 5% discount. Amount to be charged: $479.43 (Optional: 4 Cash/Check Payments of $126.17ea)
Small - Cost is $360.46 minus 5% discount. Amount to be charged: $342.43 (Optional: 4 Cash/Check Payments of $90.12ea)
Card payments will have an automatic charge of 2.99% added, but does not apply to cash or SNAP payments.
Door to door delivery members will have an additional charge of $126.00
DID YOU KNOW?
This week I want to share with you a quick video about what CSA really is and why it is important. It's short and sweet and to the point. The major ideas that this video shares that I want to focus on are the following:
Supporting local agriculture is supporting your local economy.
Supporting regenerative agriculture is making a TANGIBLE and positive impact on the environment.
CSA is fresher, more nutrient-dense and more delicious than food from the store.
Pay in advance, so the farmer can purchase seeds and supplies and pay for the labor of planting months in advance.
CSA is about community.
🔦 Ahavah Community Initiative SPOTLIGHT 🔦
A lot has been happening lately, almost too much to share. Recently we have been putting on a bunch of classes and events and you have been hearing about all of them, and that's great! We love teaching and we love community. But what we love to do the most is to serve others in need. The core aspect of ACI, Ahavah Community Initiative, is to support struggling families by donating free food. Not just any food, however, PURE, regeneratively grown food, grown locally in a way that is beneficial to our environment, our health and our community at large.
We fulfill this mission through multiple avenues including offering state-grants like double-up food bucks through the SNAP/EBT programs, flexible payment options like pay-what-you-can-afford, by offering volunteer work-shares, by donating plants for gardens and by offering supplemented CSA memberships and fully donated memberships.
Ahavah Community Initiative is a one-of-a-kind, very special non-profit organization that serves our community in a unique and wholesome way. We believe in this mission so much that all board members (including the Camire family) donate personally to it. Do you believe in this organization too? Please, if you do, consider donating if you have the ability...
Interested in making a tax-deductible donation to ACI? Ahavah Community Initiative is registered as a 501c3 with the State of Colorado as a non-profit organization and all donations are tax-deductible.
Want to get involved with either ACI or as a volunteer on the farm? E-mail us to let us know. We are always looking for volunteers and we would love for you to join the party!
AHAVAH COMMUNITY INITIATIVE
BRING-A-BUCK!
Oh the amazing power of community and crowdfunding!
Every week, at all of the CSA locations, we have a bin or jar that looks like this. We ask all of our members to bring just $1 with them every week to help support their fellow-members and community.
Bring $1 every week and be a part of supporting, directly, families in need.
Don't say your $1 isn't important! The only way crowdfunding works is if we all participate. Therefore, your $1 is vitally important and it is directly through this program that we raise the majority of ACI's food donation funds than any other fundraising program, and yet it is the absolute easiest for all of our members to participate!
Everyone can afford to Bring-A-Buck and if we ALL bring $1, the impact can be enormous - to the tune of feeding 1 family for an entire season for every single week we all participate!!!! WOW!!
Thank you members! The last few weeks of Bring-A-Buck have been great! Thank you so much for your donations! - EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS!
🔦 The Farm Crew Spotlight🔦
Say "Hello" to Ms. Esther! Esther came to us from Monsey, NY because she always want to live in Colorado and as a religious Jew who absolutely loves the outdoors, hard work and working in the dirt, she always dreamt of working on a Jewish farm and when the opportunity came up last March to work and move here, she jumped at the chance - and so did we!
We are absolutely super-excited to have Esther with us. She is not only a hard working team-member (duh, shes all that and a whole lot more), but she has a stellar personality, a caring heart and honestly, a very insightful and brilliant mind.
Every one of us have thoroughly enjoyed our time with Esther, and our kids love having another Jewish woman living on the farm (oh, did we mention that she actually lives here too!?). It's been an absolute pleasure getting to know you and enjoying you Esther and we are so glad you are here!
In Her Own Words...
How long have you worked for Ahavah Farm?
"I'd say 2 and a half months, 'ish'."
What is your job title and what do you do on the farm?
"I alway say that I am a "farm hand." I harvest veggies and wash them. I wash bins and keep moral up for the team 😁. I do farm drops...but I definitely do NOT wash microgreens (collateral damage 🤣)!"
What do you like most about your job?
"Mmmm, gosh, that's a hard one. I do love my coworkers and I love doing earthy-work and being hands on. It's really nice for that to be your job...like my cubicle is a greenhouse! What's there not to like!?"
Can you share one thing you have learned by working for Ahavah Farm?
"Gosh, ummm...there are a few things like good work attitude and great work ethic. My team has a lot of work ethic (as she specifically called out Tess!). Always on time, always working hard...and I also have learned how to plant things like leeks, so that's always cool!"
Do you have a favorite hobby?
"I have many, but I would say that my favorite is playing piano. I traditionally play classical, but recently I have been into jamming out. - I also like to cook too! :)"
Do you have a favorite quote?
"Not how the world is, but that it is, is the mystery." - Ludwig Wittgenstein
What is a fun-fact that only a few people know about you?
"I am also an Irish citizen."
What are three words or phrases that describe you?
"I would say 'impulsive,' but I'm afraid that has a bad connotation, how about, 'quick acting' and 'intense' but I think I'm actually quite chill and people think I'm funny."
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
"I'd say living in Israel in the north on a farm of some sort."
Is there anything else you would like to share with the reader?
"If you roast the carrots and the beets together, they taste really good." "I don't know, it's all I got." LOL.
NURSERY NEWS
Are you familiar with companion planting? Companion planting is a technique that has been used since.... well basically forever!
Companion planting is a method where you plant things that go well together, or they do something for each other. For instance, we plant marigolds and basil with tomatoes... the basil levels out the nitrogen content of the soil for the tomato and the Marigold offers pest control.
No space for a garden? Don't worry! We have got you covered with our BRAND NEW all-in-one options!!!
Get your garden companions of choice potted up with companions and an already sustaining eco-system! Just give them water, light, and love! No need to ever transplant these babies, just let them grow right from your container!
...Now where can you find an organic heirloom vegetable WITH companions AND No transplanting???... AHAVAH FARM NURSERY
👉ALL CSA MEMBERS STILL RECEIVE 15% off!👈
Also, we will be extending our BIG 50% off plant sale for one more week! BE READY this is the LAST week to replace thos Hail-damaged plants for 50% off!!!!
Microgreen CSA Share!
Love our microgreens!? Than this selection is for you! Receive 3 types of microgreens every week of the year and save 17% every single week!
✔SIGN UP ANYTIME AND START YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AT ANY TIME OF YEAR! AND CANCEL AT ANYTIME TOO!✔
Our microgreens are fresh and will last - unlike anything you can find in the store. We pride ourselves on our microgreen quality as being not only absolutely pure - grown without chemicals, fertilizers or inefficient energy (we grow with 100% solar, renewable energy!), but they are absolutely beautiful, long-lasting and delicious! We really can't rave enough, they are THAT good! (Packaged in a 100% plant-based, commercially compostable container)
What's in a Share?
In your share you will receive a combination of 3 microgreens every week with the option to purchase add-ons and extras when available. Every week we will be growing a mixture of microgreens and you will receive 3 selections of the following: Sunflower Shoots, Pea Shoots, Radish, Kale, Kohlrabi, Basil, Cilantro, Lettuce, Brocolli and more.
Pickup locations and times are the same as Ahavah Farm Veggie Share CSA but you do not have to be a veggie-share member to be a microgreen CSA member - these are two independent programs combined into one.
Go to https://www.ahavahfarm.com/microgreen-csa to learn more and to sign up!
COMPOST
Be a part of our ZERO-WASTE mission here at Ahavah Farm and bring us your compost! PLEASE REMEMBER - NO PLASTIC BAGS. Want more information? CLICK HERE to learn about the program. Thank you everyone who has been bringing their compost! We are so excited that we can help on your mission to become Waste Free!
CSA PICKUP LOCATIONS AND TIMES
NOTATE TIMES: Times are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances. Please be aware that it is your responsibility to check Facebook and this blog on ahavahfarm.com for updated information and changes.
THURSDAYS:
COS North / Monument @ Beasts and Brews (7 Spectrum Loop, Ste. 140) (THIS WILL BE CHANGING SOON!!!)
11:30pm to 12:30pm (Drive Thru / Market Style)
Denver @ JCC (350 S. Dahlia St.):
3pm to 4:30pm (Drive thru / Market Style)
FRIDAYS:
Colorado Springs @ Ranch Foods Direct (4635 Town Center Dr.):
1:30pm to 3:00pm (Drive Thru / Market Style)
3:00pm to 6pm (Inside store - 🚨TRADITIONAL SHARE MEMBERS ONLY!!)
Peyton @ Ahavah Farm (7545 Log Rd.):
10am to 11am (Drive Thru / Market Style)
This Week's Harvest
As always, nothing is guaranteed. These are the items that are "in season" and are anticipated to be ready this week (which may or may not be available at the CSA).
Small = 4-6 items per week
Medium = 7-9 items per week
Large = 10-12 items per week
Redbor Kale- We have never enjoyed such amazing kale in our lives! We decided to plant even more for Fall and I think it's the new staple of our farm. Amazing. Simply delicious and amazing! (don't forget to massage it - no really!).
Carrots - There really is nothing quite like our beautiful and incredibly tasty carrots!
Leek Greens - Leek greens (almost identical to garlic greens with a more oniony flavor - delicious!) are amazing! Use them the same way you would use scallions - but with leeks! Add to any dish needing garlic or leek - as a topper, in a salad, in a soup etc. Highly requested and unique.
Cabbages - Some of the most amazing cabbage on the planet - we have coppenhagen market and red acre.
Cabbage Leaf Rolls - A favorite of so many, including our family. Where else will you get HUGE cabbage leaves to make stuffed cabbages? OH MY GOSH...stuffed cabbage!!!!! https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/stuffed-cabbage-recipe-1920701
Tomatoes - Well they are taking FOREVER but there are SOME coming in. I do not know if they will be going in the bags, as there may not be enough, but they may be for sale as extras (we'll see our yield!).
Basil- Delicious and amazing! This basil is the BEST for pesto - and let me tell ya, we eat lot's of pesto!!
Beets - Cylindra beets, long and cylindrical are some of the best beets ever! Tender, delicious, easy to manage. NUMO! Here is an article on how to prepare beets four different ways.
Dill - Did you know that the name "dill" comes from the old English word "dilla" meaning to "lull" because dill has been used as a medicine for toothaches, stomach pain and other ailments - particularly in infants to treat colic. Did you also know that dill is fantastic on roasted veggies or to make dressings or to pickle things - other than cucumbers? Dill is one of my favorite veggies and I use it nearly every day!
Red Fire and Green Muir Lettuce - A beautiful red and green lettuce with big, fluffy leaves.
Turnips- One of the most requested of all the things we grow are turnips. Now, for you newbies, I know you are thinking that sounds crazy...but until you try these amazing, mouth-watering turnips, you won't believe it!!!
Radish Microgreens - Next to the barley grass and the sunshoots, radish microgreens are some of the most nutritiously-dense items we grow on the farm and not only that, but during our annual survey last year, they ranked as the #1 most requested and love item we grow! They have a fantastic bite to them, last considerably long in the refrigerator and are beautiful in appearance.
Garlic Greens - Garlic greens are amazing! Use them the same way you would use scallions - but with garlic! Add to any dish needing garlic - as a topper, in a salad, in a soup etc. Highly requested and unique.
Pea Shoots - One of the most desired and sought after items we provide are these pea shoots! Quite literally the best you added to any dish or salad. Our favorite way is to add them to stews and soups. A perfect topper too! Here are four fun ways to use Pea Shoots: http://blog.bostonorganics.com/4-fun-ways-to-use-pea-shoots
Broccoli Microgreens - Last week we told you that Radish Microgreens were the #1 most loved item we grow, well, these microgreens weren't on the list then! I have a sneaking suspicion that these microgreens are the real winners!
Sunshoots - Our sunshoots are certainly some of the nicest, most high-quality sunshoots you will ever find (that actually goes for all our microgreens). They are one of the most beloved items we grow as well and a regular staple to our CSA. Here are some ideas to use your sunnies this week: https://www.martinsgardenacf.com/sunflower-shoots-recipes
That's it for this week! We love you to pieces, are incredibly grateful for each and every one of you and we are blessed to the core to be YOUR farmers!!
Yosef, Havah, Kids and Team The Camire Family
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