We can’t wait to have you all back on the farm again soon! The farm store opening day will be in early May and the CSA will begin June 8th! CSA member balances are due April 15th, however please contact us if you need to set up an alternative payment plan. While our CSA is sold out for the season, we do have some Barrett’s Bucks memberships available and those purchased before April 15th (minimum $250) will receive a bonus credit added to their account. Details about Barrett’s Bucks memberships and payment options are available here: http://www.barrettsmillfarm.com/barretts-bucks. As always, the farm store will be open to the public so no membership is needed to shop online or in person. The first crops of the season are two of our favorites, asparagus and tulips! We are also hoping for a strong spring high tunnel harvest of spinach and carrots to carry us through to the start of field crops in late May/early June.
With less than two months to go before opening day we are ready for the official transition to spring next week! Siobhan, our new crew member and Greenhouse Waterer has been diligently hauling buckets of water to the greenhouse to water our growing leeks, fennel and onions. The small greenhouse is almost full, so by the end of the week we will be clearing tractors and supplies out of our second greenhouse to make room for trays of newly seeded fennel, kohlrabi, cabbage, stock flowers, and high tunnel peppers, as well as ginger that arrived from Hawaii last week! Fortunately for us Sarah began her third season with us last week when she returned to the farm to help seed, organize and generally keep up with our March to-do list!
In between outdoor projects this week we are finishing up winter office duties, as well as devoting significant time and energy to progress on our grant funded projects that must be completed by their deadlines this spring. Due to our lease arrangement with the Town of Concord, this was the last year we were eligible for MA Department of Agriculture grants (our current lease ends in 2024 although we do hope to be awarded another at that time!) so we applied for and received two different grants. One of the two major projects is automation of ventilation in our greenhouses and two high tunnels. The high tunnel project is particularly exciting as the controls and low voltage motors will be powered by small solar panels! The other grant funded project addresses food safety challenges on the farm by helping us purchase an enclosed shed for our harvest buckets and additional food-safe storage bins for produce. We are looking forward to having these farm improvements in place for the coming season (our 8th on the property!) and beyond!