For the last few seasons, Ted has managed a winter share for Clinton Hill CSA members. He may decide to do so again this year. We’ll know more in October.
Info from 2009
You can print this page and send it in to register for the winter share! It is okay if you don’t have the original form.
Our winter share consists of a collection of our storage vegetables (carrots, parsnips, beets, turnips, potatoes, celeriac, onions and garlic), our salad and cooking greens (arugula, kale, spinach, chard and salad mixes), and our neighbor’s fruits (apples, pears and cider), all pre-packaged in a 1-bushel box. On Saturdays during November, December, January, and February, we will deliver our winter boxes to shareholders in New York City. We invite you to read this brochure to learn more about our fifth annual winter share.
VEGETABLES FROM THE ROOT CELLAR
In our fifth season, offerings from the root cellar will include several kinds of potatoes, yellow and red onions, assorted winter squashes, cabbages, carrots, parsnips, beets, celeriac, turnips, and small quantities of other items. While most of the produce will come from our farm, we are not able to grow enough of all of these items, so we have filled the gaps with locally grown produce from other organic farms. This year’s beans will come from an organic farm in the Finger Lakes. Our goal is to deliver 10-12 pounds of stored vegetables every month to our winter shareholders.
GREENS FROM THE WINTER GREENHOUSE
The prospect of dining on freshly harvested greens on a cold winter evening might be the best reason to try a winter share. We’ve planted three large greenhouses to assorted salad and cooking greens, including a lettuce mix, arugula, spinach, ‘Red Russian’ kale, mizuna, tatsoi, Swiss chard and other cold-hardy greens. Our goal is to include 1 pound of mixed greens in each monthly share.
FRUIT FROM COLD STORAGE
Our neighbors, the Bordens, are excellent fruit growers and cider-makers. They grow pears and a wide assortment of apples. Your monthly share will include 4 to 6 pounds of their fruit, or an assortment of fruit and their wonderful apple cider. Please note that their fruit is NOT grown organically. Instead, it is produced using IPM (integrated pest management) and low-spray practices.
SHARING THE RISK
We are optimistic that the greenhouses we’ve planted will produce some excellent greens, but there is no guarantee of success. We are using unheated structures. Our approach utilizes an early planting date and selection of the most cold-hardy of varieties. We use the warmth and light of fall to grow them, and then, for safekeeping until harvest time, we keep them under two layers of protective row covers. Although we have taken several precautions against the risk of wintertime losses, it would be wise to think of this as an on-going experiment, refined by just five years of winter growing experience. If you choose to purchase a winter share, understand that there is a risk that greens will be in short supply or absent altogether. But know, too, that your onions, potatoes, root crops, squashes, fruits and other storage crops are already safely tucked away.
FREE-RANGE BROWN EGGS FROM ELIHU FARM
Mary and Bob Pratt have agreed to offer their delicious eggs to winter shareholders again this year. You can learn more about their farm and how to purchase an egg share by looking at their brochure. If it is not attached, please contact them at elihufarm@localnet.com.
THANK YOU
Thanks for taking the time to learn more about our winter share at Windflower Farm. We think you’ll be delighted with the quality of our farm’s produce. If you’d like to purchase a share of the winter harvest, please fill out a shareholder’s contract (below) and send it to us by November 12th at the address below. Feel free to contact us if you’d like to know more. We hope to hear from you soon!
Sincerely,
Ted & Jan Blomgren
Windflower Farm
585 Meeting House Road, Valley Falls, NY 12185
518-692-3188, windflowerfarm@earthlink.net
SHAREHOLDER AGREEMENT FORM
By signing this form you are agreeing to purchase a share of Windflower Farm’s winter harvest for a total of $150. You will receive a delivery on Saturdays during the four months from November through February (11/21, 12/19, 1/16, and 2/20). Your delivery will consist of 10-12 lb. of vegetables from our root cellar and pantry, 1 lb. of greens from our unheated winter greenhouses, and 4-6 pounds of fruits or a combination of fruit and cider from our neighbor’s cold storage. By signing this form you are also indicating that you are aware of the risk inherent in farming, particularly during the winter, and that you are willing to share that risk. By signing this form you are acknowledging that greens are not guaranteed. Please be sure to indicate the site where you’ll pick up your produce, and provide contact information that will help us notify you of any changes in delivery timing due to inclement weather. Deliveries will be made on the
following Sunday (at the same time and location) in the event of bad weather.
Deadline: please sign up by November 12th. Shares are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, with returning members having first priority. Your check will be returned in the event we have sold out.
Note: deliveries start on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
Fill out the following (please write clearly):
____________________________________________
Your signature
____________________________________________
Name
____________________________________________
Telephone
____________________________________________
E-mail address
Pick up site:
____ Riverdale (Riverdale Neighborhood House), 11:00-12:00
____ Washington Heights (New Leaf Café), 11:30-12:30
____ Stanton Street (in the garden), 12:00-2:00
____ Clinton Hill (10 Lefferts Place), 1:00-3:00
____ Prospect Heights (site to be determined), 1:00-3:00
____ Park Slope (Janice Novet’s home, 226 17th Street), 1:00-3:00
Please make out your check in the amount of $150.00 payable to Windflower Farm and send it to us at the address above by November 12th. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to know more. Thanks!