It's definitely spring in New England. The cold weeks are a little more stressful - we've got a 27 degree night predicted for Wednesday. I've been a bit frustrated these past few weeks with more rain than I would like, which slows down the drying of the fields and delays plantings. We have quite the backlog of seedlings that need to go into the ground. It takes a lot of time to keep them watered and I'd love to just plant them and make room for the next round!

We are preparing beds today for onions, kale, beets, chard, collards, kohlrabi, the last planting of peas and some more direct seeded crops like radishes and arugula. Plus we are preparing the beds inside the last two high tunnels we have built with the tractors, before we put up the end walls.

With these very cold nights predicted these next few days, I'm feeling grateful that I haven't already planted. Not listed above is a half acres worth of spring cabbage and broccoli. Broccoli especially can be sensitive to getting frozen and thawed in spring. It won't die, but it can do what is called "buttoning", which is a cute term for broccoli making a tiny little head about the size of a button and then going to flower. Not so cute if you are trying to grow and sell it to pay your bills, but very cute out of that context.

So, I haven't been able to plant, and now, I can wait until after this cold. So, thanks for the rain.

Look how beautiful those plants are! I consider March and April my season of doubt. 'Have I totally messed up the crop plan?' 'Will anything actually grow?' It's a very tempered doubt, now that things have mostly worked out every year, but still, when it comes to my planting dates for broccoli and cabbage in spring, I always have to hold myself back from starting seeds too soon. I'm sure folks who start seeds at home have similar feelings. But transplants that are just the right size, not over grown in their pots, undergo so much less transplant stress. It's soooo much better to be on time than too early.

This year in particular I was feeling very nervous about my timing on my spring brassicas, and yet, here I am with excellent plants, ready to go out when the weather is right . . . I should probably put a memo in my calendar for next March 18th saying something like "don't worry, you're not late!"

Almost all seedlings on our farm go for at least one ride on the back of the truck. The brassicas were grown in the Dragonfly greenhouse that we rent across the street from the farm, and got to take a little trip on Prescott and Brookline Street last week to get to the hardening tunnels. I just ADORE the way they look in the rear view mirror.

Hardening is when you expose plants to higher winds, more direct light, less water and more extreme temperatures than in a greenhouse to ensure they are sturdy for transplanting.

And look at how beautiful the vegetable fields are! The patch work of cover crops are just so excellent! The dried, dead grasses are oats and peas that were planted after harvesting crops in July and August last year, that grew to almost 5 feet high before being killed by freezing temperatures in winter. We will incorporate them before planting, and the microbes in the soil will digest them, releasing nutrients for our spring and summer crops! Hooray!

The rains have also been good for our cover crops of rye, vetch and clover, which are growing lush and bright green, increasing our soil organic matter and feeding the microbial populations in the soil. We will wait to incorporate these crop until the end of May/early June so they can continue to feed the soils.

We've had plenty of inside greemhouse time to seed and pot-up seedlings. Rainy, gray days are great for potting up little seedlings because they aren't trying to photosynthesize, which causes stress on a plant without secure root connections in the soil. Sometimes, if we have to pot up and it's going to be very sunny, we will put the trays under the tables for a few days to let the root hair re-establish. This is an extra, but necessary step - but not needed this year!

No matter what, when growing diversified produce, some weather will be good for some crops, and some weather will be good for others. It's a part of why diversified vegetable growing, however inefficient it might be, feels more secure to me than just growing one or two crops. Plus it's way more interesting.

But, boy is it a lot of work. The forsythia is out, and looking wonderful after being knocked back last year by that deep freeze in early February (the same one that got the peach blossoms). I knew it would be lovely this year, and for some reason, I'm just not into it. I usually post Robert Frost's poem, "Nothing Gold Can Stay" in one of my emails at this time of year, but right now, all forsythia makes me think of is how much work I have ahead of me.

But we can't skip a spring poem! I read this poem this past week, and it really struck a chord with me.

How can I love this spring

when it’s pulling me

through my life faster

than any time before it?

When five separate dooms

are promised this decade

and here I am, just trying

to watch a bumblebee cling

to its first purple flower.

I cannot save this world.

But look how it’s trying,

once again, to save me.

By James Pearson

from the collection "The Wilderness That Bears Your Name"

"I cannot save this world."

I cried when I read this poem. But then I re-read it. It still moves me, but I struggle with the line, "I cannot save this world." I think it should include the word "alone" somewhere.

Maybe not alone, but in community, if we were to work together? It's early, and I have a big day of work ahead, but I've been thinking a lot about how beautifully complex individual humans are. My hope, in this season of renewal and hope, is that we can all approach each other with a little more grace, and find the ways we can do good in this world, together.

And stop in awe more often. Make little spaces to stop and wonder at the ways in which nature is so highly complex, and yet sometimes incredibly simple. Be in awe about how much we have learned about bees and flowers, and also be in awe of how much we still don't know.

So, about your vegetables. We've got some very tender baby arugula this week - if you are unsure if you like arugula, this is a great batch to try. We've got overwinter beets so you could make an arugula, beet and goat cheese salad, or pizza . . . (the one above is spinach, onion and mushroom pizza I made on Friday. Pizza and quiche are great spring meals you can put greens on/in to use them up!

We also have a mild greens mix with mizuna and tat-soi. It's not spicy, it is very nutrient dense and make a great salad, or you can add it to a stir fry right at the end (after you've turned off the heat) to lightly wilt it. You don't want to cook these greens much at all, they are so tender!

We've got some more over-wintered spinach (we'll switch to spring spinach next week - maybe the week after), and then a smattering of other greens choices throughout the week - they won't all be at each distribution location. You all seem to like pea tendrils and micro greens more than I thought - we are increasing our next seedings so we can have more - but until then, we need to spread them out.

What's in the Share

Mix and match 4 pounds: carrots, potatoes (from Brookford Farm in Canterbury NH, certified organic and biodynamic), onions, beets, celeriac and maybe a few other overwintered crops.

Choose 3 bags of greens: Arugula, mizuna/tat-soi mix, spinach, pea tendrils, micro greens (maybe some other choices in there)

note: pea tendrils won't be in Holliston, they weren't ready to harvest yet

What is on the horizon:

more greens! Chives, cilantro, dill, bunched spring radishes . . .

Tulips available again this week! This will be the last of them! Aren't they amazing?

Recipes

Hi! Jessica Girotti here. If you have a recipe that you love that you'd like to share with other members, or if a recipe link isn't working for you, feel free to email me at jgirotti@live.com. (Please note that I can't re-print a recipe from a cookbook that isn't already online.) Don't forget to check out the recipe pages on the Upswing website if you need more ideas.

CITRUS ARUGULA SALAD

This is a great one to make now while the citrus is still at a peak. Arugula with citrus, avocado and jalapeno and some fresh tarragon. Add some chicken or beans to make a main course.

MIZUNA, POTATOES AND LEMON VINAIGRETTE

If you're new to mizuna, it's a Japanese mustard green that is packed with nutrients. You can sauté it or use it raw like in this simple salad.

GINGER BEEF STIR-FRY WITH TATSOI AND JASMINE RICE

I fell in love with this recipe when I was doing a trial of Blue Apron awhile back. Now I save by making it myself and I get to use organic ingredients from my share.

ROASTED CARROTS WITH LEMON AND CHIVE

Lemon and chives really push these roasted carrots into the next level!

ARUGULA AND ROASTED ROOT VEGGIE SALAD

Ok, ok. This recipe is technically called a Winter Salad, but it still works well in early spring!

SPRING BEET AND PEA SALAD WITH CHIVES

This is a gorgeous spring salad with fresh herbs, goat cheese, citrus, peas and beets.

PLEASE READ

Typically your weekly share email will come out Tuesday morning.

Pick up is market-style. The produce will be out with signs telling you which vegetables to take and what the choices are. Ask the stand attendant if you have any questions.

BRING YOUR OWN BAGS TO COLLECT YOUR VEGETABLES!



Farm phone (you should probably add this to your contacts): 508-215-8378

Pick up details by location

Holliston Community Farm, 34 Rogers Rd. 1pm-6pm Tuesday

Drive up the long driveway, past the yellow house and park in the parking lot beyond the farm stand wagon with the red roof. Lindsay will be there to help you with pick up.

Upswing Farm, Pepperell, 65 Brookline St, Pepperell, MA 1pm-6pm Wednesday

Park in the parking lot near the greenhouses and come to the greenhouse with the wooden end-wall and open flag. Joella will be there to help you with pick up.

Weston Nurseries, Hopkinton, 1pm-6pm Thursday

We are in the back, gravel parking lot, with an entrance off of Legacy Farms Rd North. You will see our box truck and tent. Park there and Kevin or myself will be able to help you!

Share Season

Week of April 15th to the week of June 3rd, 8 weeks, every week.

WHAT IF??

If you want to switch pick up locations:

Email upswingcsa@gmail.com by Monday morning

If you miss a share:

We harvest specifically for you, that is one of the benefits of the CSA. If you miss a share and let us know within 24 hour, we can hold the share for you to pick up at the farm. Otherwise the share will be donated to PACH, our local food bank.

If you want to send someone else:

Please do! Just let them know the details and you can send anyone to pick up your share!

If you are running late:

Text the farm phone and let them know, we will put a share aside for you.

If you would like to make a substitution in your share:

We try to accommodate substitutions. Please ask the stand attendant if you would like to make a substitution.

We love growing a wide variety of vegetables for our CSA members. We get to grow so many different crops and harvest them just for you. The gears are already in motion for growing our 2024 crops.

Don't forget to sign up for your shares. A part of the benefit of the CSA to us is upfront payments so we can order seeds and supplies and pay our great team!!!

Mushrooms Shares

We are offering a mushroom share that coincides with your current Winter CSA Share. You will receive 1 pound of mushrooms with each distribution.

We partner with Fatmoon Farm in Westford. They grow a wide variety of delicious, certified organic mushrooms including: blue and yellow oyster, shitakii, lions mane, king trumpet, pippino and more.

Each distribution is either one variety or a mixture of varieties based on availability.

We love these mushrooms. You can also subscribe to receive mushrooms with shares for the rest of the season!

If you would like to be added to the winter mushroom share ($32 for the remaining 2 distributions) please email me by Sunday!

Flower Shares Available: They make a great gift!

Summer: 15 weeks aligning with summer vegetable share. Option to choose an every/other week pick up for 7 weeks. $285 every week, $140 every other week

Fall: 4 weeks coinciding with the first 4 weeks of the fall vegetable share. 20+ varieties of dahlias plus lots of other vibrant fall blooms! $100

"The Flower Share that my son and his wife gave me for Mother’s Day is the most wonderful gift I have ever been given! Spectacular is one word for this weekly arrangement. The flowers are simply gorgeous! Every week is more beautiful."

FOR SALE THIS WEEK!

TULIPS!!: $20/bouquet,

Tomato Sauce: $12

Kimchi: $10, 2 for $18

Hot Sauce: $10

Try all 3 for $30

T-SHIRTS $20

Know someone that would like to receive weekly CSA emails but can't join the CSA? Click Here to add their name to the weekly CSA list for updates on what's going on at the farm, and to get an idea of what we will have available for retail sales!

Your Farmers,

Brittany, Kevin and the Upswing Farm Team

Also, I'm bad at spelling. I am a generalist, so as long as most of the letters are there, and there is good context, by brain prefers not to be bogged down by details. Also, I am frequently typing these emails late at night or early in the morning after or before a big day of work. I promise I'm not making spelling or grammar errors because I don't care. I really, really do care, I'm just no good at copy editing and I rarely have time to send these out for a proof read to Kevin who is still sleeping. I hope you can forgive me.