FIELD NOTES
HEAT-HEAT-HEAT is the name of the game coming into the holiday week. Staying hydrated and eating right has been priority one for the crew. Sometimes it's brutal working in direct sun. We're constantly monitoring and keeping each other safe.

Sweet corn is really showing its growth now, summer squash is producing wonderfully, and we are still getting late season crops in the ground. While we keep up with cultivation, we’re watching field pepper growth. And, good news, the cucumbers are almost there!

More high tunnel work continues. The heat really has boosted heirloom tomatoes, we're seeing fruit the size of our fist. We have plenty of leafy greens in abundance and we're picking fresh every morning before the noontime heat kicks-in.

The weather is looking good right now with the exception of a possible thunderstorm on Friday. If the forecast changes we may move the pickup day indoors. We'll keep you posted if anything changes.

By the way, how are all your tomato plants doing? We would love to see your progress! Send us a photo to bardwellfarm@gmail.com :)

See you soon!

Owner Harrison Bardwell

Preorder any online farm store goodies and we'll have it ready when you pickup your farm share. Every purchase supports a local farm!

USE THOSE CARROT GREENS
Carrot tops are totally edible and highly nutritious. They are rich in protein, minerals and vitamins. They contain 6 times the vitamin C of the root and are a great source of potassium and calcium. And, potassium lowers blood pressure, supports your metabolism, and help prevent osteoporosis. 

The greens are reminiscent of parsley. They are slightly bitter and can be eaten raw or cooked. Add to a salad or make a pesto. Blanch them to soften; sauté them with olive oil, garlic, and some of your other favorite leafy greens; or cooking them into a soup or stock. Give em' a try!

Martha Stewart | Photo Katie Quinn Davies
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Strawberry Shortcake with Fresh Basil
Heavy cream is steeped with basil then whipped, infusing it with its essence. Strawberries and fresh basil, a matched made in heaven... see recipe

​7 DAY SUPPORT
​Do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions, need assistance or want to provide constructive criticism. Also, when the program starts, don’t be afraid to talk with your Bardwell Farm Representative in-person during a pick-up day. You can always contact us by using the links below. 
​
(413) 800-5583
bardwellfarm@gmail.com ​

RAIN ALERT TUESDAY
The forecast is possibly calling for rain Tuesday. If the weather is not in our favor for an outside pickup, we will move to our indoor location. 

FIELD NOTES
The ten-day forecast is looking up. Even though we’ll have pop-up thunderboomers, it looks like we’ll be seeing sunshine and warmer weather. With temperatures in the high 80’s crops will be booming.

We’re happy to say Summer Squash, Zucchini and Golden Zucchini are in, Scallions too, and they will be included in your shares this week!

We’ve been irrigating and adding fertilizer amendments as a side-dress application to our second succession of plantings. This covers the leafy greens, brassicas (kale, cabbage, turnip) and cucurbits (cucumbers, melons, squash). We should see some rain this week which will help push these along as well.

Progress has continued with high tunnel #2 and the greenhouse. We’re really excited start early and extend into the season next year. We’ll see earlier and later harvests in the 2020 CSA Farm Share Program.

It looks like will be indoors again for at least the Tuesday CSA pickup day. It was so great to hear all of the comments about our indoor space last week. We’re excited to keep expanding this as the season continues.

We’re looking forward to seeing all of your smiling faces this week!

Owner Harrison Bardwell 

MOOOOOO
Mapleline Farm Milk products have been added to the CSA VAP Preorder Page!

Add something yummy to your share like Chocolate, Coffee and Orange Cream Milk or stock your fridge with staples like 2%, Half & Half, or Buttermilk. See the complete list of offerings by clicking the button below.

XTRA BAGS
We noticed several of you brought an extra bag on your pickup day, you have the right idea! Last week the Chinese Cabbage was ginormous and it almost filled our jumbo tote bag completely. The shares will only increase in size from here on out, so feel free to bring an extra bag or two.

Additional Bardwell Farm Tote Bags are also available for purchase through our Online Farm Store and Tuesday and Friday CSA pickup days as well! 

Photo Cabot Creamery
Red Flannel Hash with Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar
Red Flannel Hash is just about as New England as you can get, it has warmed the bellies of many a farmer and family for upwards of a century. Customarily eaten the day after serving a traditional New England Boiled Dinner, the hash is made by chopping the leftover corned beef, potatoes, carrots, turnips and cabbage, and frying it up in a cast iron pan with a big old knob of butter and topping with soft cooked egg. The “red flannel” part happens with the addition of cooked beets, and in typical Cabot fashion, we’re going red flannel all the way, and better yet, topping it all with a big handful of Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese... see recipe

More recipes:

• Mexican Kale Salad - ifoodreal.com
• Butter-Basted Pork Chops with Tangy Creamed Kale - rachelyarmag.com
• Kale Pesto with Toasted Walnuts - epicurious.com
• 25 Summer Squash Recipes You'll Want All Season - countryliving.com
• Baked Parmesan Yellow Squash - fivehearthome.com
• Sautéed Yellow Squash - foodnetwork.com 
• Quick Refrigerator Pickled Radishes - thespruceeats.com

DON'T STRESS IT
We've talked with many of you over the last three weeks and you've done amazingly well using all of your share before the next one is available. Almost everyone said they had one item leftover and they were still working on it. The Chinese Cabbage last week is a good example of that, it was huge!

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, even for a seasoned cook. You may feel guilty falling a little behind seeing your leafy greens wilt or your root veggies go soft. Please don't feel this way. This is a vegetable adventure and it's meant to be fun!

Get the most out of your share and eliminate that guilt by doing this simple thing.

Blanch & Freeze - you may have some kale, swiss chard, or maybe that cabbage we've been talking about. You're really not sure what to do with it and you don't want to throw it out. We suggest freezing it. All of these summertime veggies will be amazing in soups or stews heading into late fall and winter. Blanching your unused veggies prepares them for freezing. If you're not sure how to blanch a vegetable properly watch this quick video.

Once your veggies have been blanched you need to freeze them properly. If using ziploc bags, invest in the freezer quality kind. Place your blanched veggies in the bag and try to remove as much air as you can before sealing. Place in the freezer where you can see them and get at them easily.

If you love what your CSA brings you every week and you plan on doing it year after year, invest in a vacuum food saver. It's easy to use, has many applications, and will save you money in the long run.

FIELD NOTES
We are already into Week 3, can you believe it?

The last couple of weeks have been so much fun. It's awesome hearing the ways you all have been using your shares. We are pumped seeing your photos on social media and sharing your excitement of trying new things. Keep them coming! By the way, how are all of your tomato plants doing? Send us your photos!

Thanks to the sun last week we were able to wrap-up cultivating and more field prep. Pumpkins are all-in and we're really excited about the new varieties we'll be presenting in the fall. Everyone should cross their fingers, or maybe say a little prayer, after the autumn we had last year, we don't want a repeat.

Another rainy week ahead with cooler temperatures too. This will slow production again but when that sun and warmth comes back, look out, there will be a growth spurt. We are staying optimistic even with production roughly 3 weeks behind.

Many of you have been waiting for our summer squash and zucchini and we're still a couple of weeks out. Thank you for your patience.

If it's raining Tuesday and Friday, we have you covered. Just enter the door and stone step porch area on the north side of the house (right behind the normal CSA pickup area). We'll have everything set up in there all nice and cozy like.

One more thing! We have added 7 new products that will be updated in our Online Farm Store and available for preorder on pickup days. You'll see Mother's Strawberry and Blueberry Jam, Dill Pickle Spears and Bread & Butter Pickle Chips. We also added 3 new creamy cheese curd flavors sourced locally from Mayval Farm, Garlic, Chive and Buffalo, ohhhh so good!

See you all soon!

Owner Harrison Bardwell

LETS GET COOKING
We welcome your recipes, please send them to bardwellfarm@gmail.com!

7 DAY SUPPORT
​Do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions, need assistance or want to provide constructive criticism. Also, when the program starts, don’t be afraid to talk with your Bardwell Farm Representative in-person during a pick-up day. You can always contact us by using the links below. 
​
(413) 800-5583
bardwellfarm@gmail.com ​

RAIN ALERT TUESDAY & FRIDAY
The forecast is calling for rain and possible thunderboomers on Tuesday and Friday. If the weather is not in our favor for an outside pickup, will move the location indoors. 

We have an area setup on the north side of the house, just behind the outside pickup area, up the stairs, and through the door. Just look for the Bardwell Farm representative to greet and guide you in :)   

​ADD TO YOUR SHARE
Preorder the night before and we'll have your items ready on Tuesday and Friday pickup days when you arrive!

FIELD NOTES
We want to thank all of our farm share members for an awesome first week. It was wonderful meeting all of you and sharing your excitement. All of the recipes, comments, and feedback we received was amazing. Please keep them coming. Thank you again for investing in our farm!

The warmer weather has been good for crops and has moved things along. We're finally starting to see growth. It's crazy to say this but it's been dry for an extended period of time and we can use a little rain. It looks like that may happen in the five-day forecast.

Our cucumber seedlings took a beating. Before all of these nice sunny days, the cool damp weather brought a new set of complications and Cucumber Beetles. We were prepared for this and seeded another field just in case. It may set us back another week or so, but at least we'll have them. This seems to be the running theme this season.

The high tunnel tomatoes have taken off, almost doubled in size, and we're already starting to see golf ball size fruit! We can't wait to share the new varieties with you as well as the meaty and flavorful heirlooms.

Last week we had to limit everyone to a strict share without doubling up on another item for the ones you did not like. Tuesday we may be lifting that rule (to be determined) because production is getting better. Items we cannot double up on this week are asparagus, spinach, and leaf lettuce as we are still limited. We want to thank you for your understanding.

We've added more items to the Value Added Products Preorder page. You can now add pasture raised eggs, cheese curds, organic coffee, raw honey, and maple syrup to your CSA! Just order online and we'll have it ready when you pickup your share. More products will be coming soon!

Thanks for reading :)

Owner Harrison Bardwell

COME PICKING WITH ME
We put together a short video (condensed version) of what it's like to pick a small CSA Farm Share. You'll be seeing these items this week! 

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH ALL OF THESE VEGETABLES?
Tips for managing your farm share veggies
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Prepare your most perishable items first 
Pea Shoots definitely, they will go limp quickly. Spinach next, keeping it dry extends life. Then start thinking about Asparagus, it dehydrates fast.

Prep that lettuce
Get the most out of those greens by washing, drying, and storing them. If they’re clean, in the fridge, and ready to go odds are you'll be making that salad.

Water is good 
Soaking asparagus and radishes upright in a flat dish of water extends life. Soaking greens in cool water, drying, and storing ensures availability.

​LETS GET COOKING

We welcome your recipes! Please send them to bardwellfarm@gmail.com.
A big thank you this week to Anne Benedict for submitting your creamy non-dairy asparagus soup recipe :)

​7 DAY SUPPORT
​Do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions, need assistance or want to provide constructive criticism. Also, when the program starts, don’t be afraid to talk with your Bardwell Farm Representative in-person during a pick-up day. You can always contact us by using the links below. 

(413) 800-5583
bardwellfarm@gmail.com ​
​