4th of July Schedule Changes

Holliston Community Farm - pick up with be moved to Wednesday, July 5th. 1-6pm

On Farm in Pepperell - we will be closed on Tuesday, July 4th. If you regularly pickup on Tuesdays you can come either Wednesday, July 5th or Thursday, July 6th. I recommend Thursday as I anticipate Wednesday will be very busy.

Hello! What a storm!

The weather predictions have been a little confusing and misleading these last few days - even the forecast discussion can basically be summed up as "something is going to happen sometime soon, we think". Well, we definitely got some rain last night and early this morning,

We got 2+ inches here and that's actually great. So many folks are asking me how we are dealing with the weather this season and honestly - this is already, by far, the best growing season we have experience here in Pepperell. After two seasons where our region was designated as a natural disaster area by the USDA, first for flooding in 2021 and then for drought in 2022, having intermittent periods of drying and then rain feels like a gift.

We were able to get a massive amount of cultivation and planting done before the end of the week last week, our team on Thursday morning crushed the to-do list hoeing two plantings of corn, the entire sweet potato field and other various odds and ends all before lunch!

As we were finishing seeding and the soil was starting to feel dry and dusty, I instinctively thought to myself - we better get started on our irrigation routine. And then I remembered the weather forecast and I breathed a sigh of relief! Kevin even managed to get in a full day of tractor cultivation and mowing on Sunday before this rain and our busy harvest day yesterday so the farm is not only under control production-wise, it actually looks amazing. Luckily my uncle is coming this weekend to get some drone shots!

Oh, and we got struck by lightning yesterday. We are pretty sure. Everyone was safe in wash pack pint-ing peas, bagging greens, and washing lettuce and broccoli (we delayed our cucumber and zucchini harvest after looking at the radar) and good thing we did! We aren't sure if it was a double strike (probably not) but the house lost power and not the barn where the main electrical panel is, so just the house breaker was tripped, and the gray farm truck next to the barn had a fully blown out tire. Apparently, this is very common when a vehicle is struck by lightning.

We are feeling very fortunate to all be safe and sound.

I'm realizing our CSA family has grown fairly rapidly this year, and I just wanted to remind folks about CSA etiquette when picking up shares.

Remember, CSA stands for "Community Supported Agriculture". You are supporting our farm and sharing the harvest with not only us, but all the other families who also value fresh, organic produce and local agriculture. We, your farmers, are a part of that community as well.

Please handle all produce on display with care. We work very hard to handle the produce we bring to CSA with great care to avoid unnecessary damage. Please don't riffle through the bins or toss produce around. Especially as we get into squash and tomato season. We tell our team to handle these vegetables like eggs - to avoid bruising and damaging them. We worked very hard to grow and harvest these vegetables and bring them to you (and everyone else in the CSA) in excellent condition. When they are mishandled, it causes either waste because we have to cull them, or if we don't catch it, it causes your fellow CSA members to have to choose from damaged product.

Please note that if there is a choice, unless otherwise noted, there is a limit of one of each item in that choice. So you can't take 4 bunches of carrots in a choose 4. This is to make sure we have enough choices for everyone throughout the distribution time-frame. If you want to double up on something, you can ask a stand attendant and we may be able to accommodate.

Please be patient if there are a lot of folks picking up at once. The CSA pick up display is set up in an order that is best to follow. If it's unclear, please ask the stand attendant "where should I start". We don't want you to miss anything!

Remember, the staff who are managing our distributions also grow this food. We are a team and this farm could not exist without all of us working together. Remember that your stand attendants were literally on their hands and knees harvesting food for you the day before - make sure to treat them with kindness and respect.

We have some really great produce again this week - so much broccoli again! Some of the head broccoli looks a little funky, but it tastes great and needed to be harvested. This is the last week of broccoli, so feel free to double up again - we have lots now, but broccoli doesn't like hot weather so we won't have more until the fall.

We also have the first basil and heavier yields of squash/zucchini and cucumbers. My sister and her son are in town from Las Vegas, and we've been making some great food with our farm produce including garlic scape/basil pesto on pasta with chicken, chickpeas and sauteed summer squash. We also make cucumber and basil gimlets! It's hard to have family visit in the summer when I really can't take any substantial time off - but it's great to have flexible family who are willing to jump in and help! My sister, mom and the kids helped harvest garlic scapes on Friday and Emily helped me harvest squash and cucumbers on Sunday. Fruiting crops have to be harvested every two days at a minimum. And with the heat this weekend we had to harvest so they didn't all "blow out" before Monday (they grow that fast!!).

Ok, So What's in the Share!?

Choose 2 herbs: parsley, dill, basil, garlic scapes, scallions, oregano, sage

Choose 4 fruits: cucumber, zucchini and summer squash. we are trying something new this year - instead of weighing fruits, sometimes we will do them by the each. Also, yes, they are fruits, they have seeds inside.

One head of broccoli

Choose 4: arugula, golden beets, bok choy (2 heads), broccoli (another head or bunch), cabbage, carrots, collards, romaine lettuce, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce mix, micro greens, pea trendrils, radish, salad turnips, peas (snow and snap - limit one pint of peas per share), swiss chard

*Please note* we do our absolute best to estimate what our customers will prefer when it comes to choices based on years of CSA and market experience and data collection. That said, sometimes a crop is more popular than anticipated and we do run out of that choice. We try to avoid this, but have determined this is a better alternative than not giving choices.

The flower share starts next week - the flowers are about to come in full force!!

Hopefully Kerry won't have to wear a sweatshirt and winter hat while harvesting!

If you still haven't signed up for a flower share, we only have a few left!

Subscribe now!

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!

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.

COLLARD GREEN WRAPS WITH PEANUT GINGER SAUCE

This recipe is from our very own Lindsay Katkowski. If you pick up your share in Holliston, Lindsay is the smiling face you see at distribution each week. She says, "I added really whatever I had in the fridge. Beets, kohlrabi, carrots, cilantro, scallions. I had been a little leery of collard greens but figured I would give them a shot this week. I think it was a pretty versatile recipe and very delicious!"

GARLIC SCAPE DRESSING

Fellow CSA member, Melissa Devlin, sent over this super versatile dressing that can be used on salads, pasta, veggies or chicken.

THE BEST BROCCOLI SALAD

Now that we're heavily into grilling season, I love to have a bunch of side salads on hand that will go with whatever I want to throw on the grill. This salad is one of our favorites with bacon, cranberries and sunflower seed.

GOLDEN BEET GAZPACHO

This gazpacho made with golden beets instead of tomatoes is perfect for a steamy summer night. Roasted peppers and smoked paprika give it a smoky flavor with a spicy kick.

SAUTEED JULIENNED SUMMER VEGGIES

Carrots, summer squash, and zucchini get julienned and sauteed with red onion in this colorful summer side dish.

COLD FRENCH LENTIL AND KOHLRABI SALAD

Kohlrabi, carrots and lentils get tossed with parsley, walnuts and goat cheese and drizzled with a lemon-garlic vinaigrette.

PARMESAN CRUSTED CRUSHED TURNIPS

I'll admit it: I'm a bit of a turnip skeptic. These parmesan crusted turnips look and sound AMAZING. I'll definitely be giving them a try.

IMPORTANT DETAILS

Below is information for pick up at all 3 of our weekly locations. If you can't remember your pick up location, please refer to the email sent on 6/4/2023.

Upswing Farm

65 Brookline St, Pepperell, MA

Pick Up Days: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

If you can't make your regular pick up day, you can come another day, no need to let us know.

Hours are 2:00pm to 6:00pm.

Here is a list of the exact dates of your share pick up. *

I recommend stopping what you are doing and adding them to your calendar, with an alert, right now!

June 13-15th

June 20th-22nd

June 27th-29th

July 4th-July6th

July 11th-13th

July 18th-20th

July 25th-27th

August 1st-3rd

August 8th-10th

August 15th-17th

August 22nd-24th

August 29th-31st

September 5th-7th

September 12th-14th

September 19th-21st

Parking: Please park in the parking lot by the greenhouses and the white Upswing Farm sign. It's more like 53 Brookline if you are using GPS.

Picking Up Your Share: Please check in with Joella and cross your own name off the list !

This is very important. We need to know who has come! Then, read the signs and choose your produce based on the signs. Joella can answer any questions you have.

If you are going to be late: Text 508-215-8378. We can pack a box for you and leave it in the cooler trailer for pick up. Make sure you close the door!

If you can't make it on your regular pick up day: You can come on one of the other pick up days. You don't need to let us know, but if you are frequently going to be changing your days, it is better for us if you sign up for a regular Tuesday pick up so we can have our numbers right for the week. If you can't make it to any of the pick up days let us know and we can box a share for you to pick up another day.

If you want to send someone else in your place: This is a great idea if you are going on vacation! Give your neighbor or anyone who is helping take care of your place your share for the week. Just make sure you forward the person you are sharing with the weekly email so they know pick up procedure. No need to tell us if you are going to do this.

Can't make it and want to donate your share to a local food pantry? Let us know and we will make sure it gets to one of the five food pantries we serve weekly.

Holliston Community Farm

34 Rogers Rd, Holliston, MA

Your pick up day is Tuesday.

Hours are 1:00pm to 6:00pm.

If you can't make it by 6:00, we can leave the share in the walk-in cooler for you to pick up later.

Here is a list of the exact dates of your share pick up. *

I recommend stopping what you are doing and adding them to your calendar, with an alert, right now!

June 13st

June 20th

June 27th

July 4th

July 11th

July 18th

July 25th

August 1st

August 8th

August 15th

August 22nd

August 29th

September 5th

September 12th

September 19th

Parking: Please driving up the driveway at 34 Rogers Rd, past the yellow house and past the farm stand and park in the parking lot. Please drive carefully, it is a narrow drive, and you will need to travel the drive from the house to the street single file. Please be patient and courteous with one another.

Picking Up Your Share: Please check in with Lindsay, cross your own name off the list !

This is very important. We need to know who has come! Then, read the signs and choose your produce based on the signs. Lindsay can answer any questions you have.

If you are going to be late: Text 508-215-8378 if you are going to be late. We can pack a box for you and leave it in the cooler to pick up later that evening or the next day.

If you can't make it and want to switch your pick up day to Thursday 1-6 at Weston Nurseries or Saturday at the Ashland Farmer's Market: Please let us know by Monday morning at 7am, if possible, so we can adjust our harvest for the week. Email upswingcsa@gmail.com.

If you want to send someone else in your place: This is a great idea if you are going on vacation! Give your neighbor or anyone who is helping take care of your place your share for the week. Just make sure you forward the person you are sharing with the weekly email so they know pick up procedure. No need to tell us if you are going to do this.

Can't make it and want to donate your share to a local food pantry? Let us know and we will make sure it gets to one of the five food pantries we serve weekly.

Weston Nurseries in Hopkinton

93 East Main St, Hopkinton, MA

Your pick up day is Thursday.

Hours are 1:00pm to 6:00pm.

Here is a list of the exact dates of your share pick up. *

I recommend stopping what you are doing and adding them to your calendar, with an alert, right now!

June 15th

June 22st

June 29th

July 6th

July 13th

July 20th

July 27th

August 3rd

August 10th

August 17th

August 24th

August 31st

September 7th

September 14th

September 21nd

Parking: DO NOT GO IN THE MAIN ENTRANCE OF WESTON NURSERIES! There is no way to drive to the back lot from there. Instead, turn north at the light in front of Weston Nurseries onto Legacy Farms Rd North and turn right into the parking lot behind the nursery. You will see out white Box truck there, with tents. Park anywhere on the gravel lot, not too close to the tents, if possible.

Picking Up Your Share: Please check in with Anna (Ah-na) (she's new and she's great!) and cross your own name off the list !

This is very important. We need to know who has come! Then, read the signs and choose your produce based on the signs. Anna can answer any questions you have.

If you are going to be late: Text 508-215-8378. We can arrange a spot for you to pick up.

If you can't make it: Please let us know by Monday at 7:00am if possible. You can switch to pick up at the Holliston Community Farm (see details above) or at the Ashland Farmer's market, 125 Front St, Ashalnd, Saturday 9am-1pm

If you want to send someone else in your place: This is a great idea if you are going on vacation! Give your neighbor or anyone who is helping take care of your place your share for the week. Just make sure you forward the person you are sharing with the weekly email so they know pick up procedure. No need to tell us if you are going to do this.

Can't make it and want to donate your share to a local food pantry? Let us know and we will make sure it gets to one of the five food pantries we serve weekly.

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.