Cover crops have always been an important piece of our plan for improving soil health, as they add organic matter, promote a healthy ecosystem (both above and below ground) and prevent erosion. The work of seeding cover crops begins much earlier in the season, but the pace picks up in September, and by mid-October we are furiously working to ensure that there is as little bare ground as possible over the winter. Typically we’ve found that cover crops sown after about October 20th don’t provide much coverage over the winter, which makes it difficult to get every acre covered (We are always still harvesting some crops from the field and we aren’t always able to get all the landscape fabric, plastic mulch and drip irrigation lines out of the field in time for that deadline). While it doesn’t work with every late fall crop, for several years we have been successfully sowing clover underneath our cabbages and kale in August. Since we reduced the total acreage in cash crops this year, we were able to see all of the white clover we seeded in 2022 return and flourish all season long, a nice reminder of the investments we make in soil health every year!
Next week is the final week of the Main Season CSA, with the last pick-up on October 21st. The Extended Season goes until November 18th. If you are a Flex member and are unsure of how many weeks you have skipped, be sure to ask the Shopkeepers when you check in so you can plan which weeks (if any) you still need to miss. Current CSA members should have received an email on Saturday with details on how to renew their membership for the 2024 season. If you didn’t get an email, please reach out and we will forward along that information! The farm store will be open until October 28th, which is also the date that 2023 Barrett’s Bucks expire.
In the CSA this week:
Butternut squash - This week we’ll start distributing some of the smaller squash, as well as ones that have some superficial blemishes on them. These are all completely fine to eat, but they won’t store as long, which is why we want to start moving through them first. We will also have some larger blemish-free squash in coming weeks.
Daikon radish - We’ll have a beautiful assortment of white, purple and red!
Broccoli - We’ve been struggling with disease in the broccoli field this fall, so have picked the heads smaller than usual in order to avoid losing them altogether.
Beets
Carrots - We’ll be back to mostly orange carrots this week, but we should also have some rainbow carrots in the mix.
Yellow Potatoes from Atlas Farm (organic)
Yellow Onions
Garlic
Leeks
Fennel
Green peppers
Eggplant
Lettuce
CSA Pick-Your-Own:
The PYO fields are really winding down. Please note that although the CSA is open until 6:30 on Wednesdays, the PYO fields are closed when it gets dark.
As long as we don’t have a harder frost this week, we will have some hot peppers and basil available.
Herbs - Sage, thyme, oregano, mint and parsley.
In the farm store:
In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have the first lemongrass of the year as well as kale, tomatoes, colored peppers, salanova and scallions in the store. We will also have organic cranberries from Fresh Meadow Farm in Carver, MA, honey from Double B (from hives on the property), mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and eggs from Pete and Jen’s.
We accept credit card, cash, check and EBT in the farm store. The farm store is open Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm and Saturday 9am - 3pm. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday and Friday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering currently opens at 6pm on Tuesday for Wednesday pick-up and 6pm on Thursday for Friday pick-up.
PYO Flower CSA
Because of dwindling supply, the flower field is now open only to Flower CSA members. It’s possible we’ll have a hard enough frost that the field will be closed for the season, but if not, available varieties include zinnias, celosia, gomphrena, verbena, strawflower, rudbeckia, ammi, and amaranth. Picking hours are during any farm store hours: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We recommend bringing your own pruners or scissors as well as water for transporting your flowers home.
Mushroom CSA:
It is the fourth week of the 8-week Fall Mushroom CSA. You may come to pick up your mushrooms anytime the farm store is open (Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm). Your mushrooms will be kept in the cooler and retrieved by the shopkeeper when you arrive at the store.