Hey Folks,

Just want to pass on the word that our friend Marc is having a meat sale at Brookfield Farm this weekend. Check out the details below.

SPRING TRAINING MEAT SALE!!!
Sat Feb 20th. 9-1.
Brookfield Farm shop
24 Hulst Rd.

Although the Red Sox are returning to Palms Park to start spring training, us here in the north still have to deal with a few more months of cold weather. Heat up the house with a little home cooking.
This sale will include Pork from Meeting Place Pastures (formerly Green Horn Farm) and Yearling Lamb from Crescent Moon Farm.
Jacoby Ellsbury says "Meeting Place's hams are scruptious"
and Adrian Beltre exclaimed "upon moving to Boston I discovered Crescent Moons lamb and I was delighted"
So take it from the Sox and see you on Sat.

The above testimonials are completely fictitious, but you get the point.
----------------------
Marc D Cesario
Meeting Place Pastures
1368 West St.
Cornwall, Vt 05753
413.835.5474

COME SEE YOUR FARMERS AT THE:

WINTER FARE !!

FEBRUARY 6TH AT THE

GREENFIELD HIGH SCHOOL

From 10-2

This event is to bring together farmers and producers that have produce grown locally and products made from local ingredients.

Riverland Farm will have :

Carrots, Beets, Parsnips, Celeriac, Purple Top Turnips, Cabbage, Potatoes, Onions, Popcorn, Garlic,
Winter Squash, Dried hot peppers, and Organic Eggs (from Old Friends Farm) 

To check out the official website go to:

winterfare.org

We look forward to seeing you there !!!

Dear Friends,

 

   This Saturday Riverland Farm will be the featured farm at Enterprise farm's Food Shed market. The market is held at Enterprise Farm from 9-3 on Saturday December 5th. The market will be open to the public, so tell a friend! We plan on having carrots, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, winter squash potatoes, onions, and more !!  This will be a one day event so come by and see us.

Again the details are:

This Saturday, December 5th

at Enterprise Farm Food Shed

from 9-5.

Dear Friends,

 

  For those that signed-up for the Winter Bulk Share the pick-up is:

this Saturday the 21st of November

from 9-2

It is important that you show up during these hours to pick up your share, as we don't have space to store shares that are not picked up !!

 

 We are excited to be offering over 20 items in the share including: carrots, beets, parsnips, sweet potatoes, potatoes, salad greens, garlic, onions, butternut squash, leeks, brussel sprouts, and much more !!

  In time to stock up for Thanksgiving we will also be offering other great products for sale (cash or check only):

El jardin bread

Diemand eggs

Crystal Brook and Smith Country cheeses

Apex's orchard cider vinegar

Mapleline eggnog, milk and cream

Sidehill yogurt

Greenhorn Farm pork

 We look forward to seeing you there !

If you should have any questions please contact us by e-mail. Thanks !

 

Your Farmers,

Meghan and Rob

Hi Folks, As we all get prepared for Thanksgiving just wanted to send along the Bulk Share info to anyone still interested in signing up.  If you do plan on signing up please contact us and let us know.  We need a final share # by Tues. Nov. 17th.  Hope you are all well. Your Farmers, Rob and Meghan   Bulk Storage Crop Share at Riverland Farm     What:  We will be offering a 1 distribution “winter share” including a large amount of storage crops for you to store and enjoy throughout the winter months as well as some cooking greens and (keep your fingers crossed) salad greens for your Thanksgiving table.  Given the success of last year’s trial run we’ve decided to increase both the size of the share and the number of shares we’ll be offering.   When: Saturday November 21st from 9am to 2pm   Where: In the share room at Riverland Farm   What’s in the share?? Here is a general outline of what we plan to offer in the share (quantities may vary).    Produce will be unwashed as it will store better that way. We’ll also have a short newsletter with recipes and storage tips.   Crop                                                                Amt.                            Cash Value Carrots                                                             25#                              $37.50 Beets                                                                10#                              $15.00 Other Roots (mix and match)                            15-20#                         $22.50 (Parsnips, Rutabaga, Turnips, Celeriac, Radishes) Sweet Potatoes                                                20#                              $30.00             Potatoes                                                           15#                              $22.50 Garlic                                                               5 pieces                        $5.00 Brussels Sprouts                                               2 pieces                        $5.00 Leeks                                                               3 pieces                        $2.00               Kale or Collards                                               1 large bag                   $3.00   Other items that will likely be part of the share but are weather dependent Head Lettuce, Bok Choy, Salad Greens, and Popcorn   Cost:  The bulk share will cost $100.  Our goal is to provide you with over 90#’s or $150 worth of produce for this price.   How do I sign up?  The sign up deadline is November 17th or until we are sold out.  Please fill out the form on the reverse side and return it to us with your full payment by this date.  In addition to the vegetables we will also have a number of great local products for sale on the day of pickup including maple syrup, yogurt, eggs, cheese, bread, eggnog, milk, etc.       Please sign me up for a storage crop share at Riverland Farm!!   Pick up is at the farm Sat November 21st from 9am-2pm   Shares will be sold on a first come, first served basis Enclose full payment of $100 with this form and send to:   Riverland Farm 206 River Rd. Sunderland, MA 01375   Name:_________________________________________________   Address:_______________________________________________   City:______________________ Zip:________________________   Phone:__________________ Email_________________________      

 My apologies for sending a bad link to the Umass Five website. I will post it again so that those interested  in the loan can take a look.

Farm Share Loan

 

 

 

 

   Umass Five College Federal Credit Union is offering a no interest loan to their members to help spread the cost of purchasing a farm share over six months!! Use the link below to find out more information on the Umass Five website. Check it out and tell a friend.

 

Farm share Loan

 

 

 

Dear Friends,

             Here we are the last hurrah!  The leaves have changed, the fields we’re not still harvesting from are cover cropped, and it looks like the first real freeze is on the horizon.

             Sometimes when we’re in the thick of it (August) the season feels so long and November seems so far away.  Then we arrive at the last share week and it feels like the season went by so fast.  This time of year it is nice for us farmers to stop, take a breath, and think back to last winter.

            From December to April, among other projects, we spend countless hours analyzing the past season going over things we did well or not so well.  We do a lot of critical thinking and formulate a master plan to hit the ground running with when spring calls.  If the farm were an etch a sketch winter would be the eraser, a white blanket giving way to a new beginning, a fresh start. 

            It is not only insightful but actually entertaining to think back to January of this year when all this food was just and idea, a plan, lines on a spreadsheet.  When we are in winter mode anything seems possible.  The excitement of a new season drives the creative thinker in us.  We say things like, “Next year we’ll do such a better job with our u-pick section” and then go on to present volumes of action plans to each other or to ourselves of how we’ll realize each of the probably over-enthusiastic goals we set for the farm. 

            Some of these goals we accomplished and were pleased with the result, others we never got to, and still others we accomplished but weren't happy with the result.  Now is the time to go back to the drawing board.  I like to think about our off-season mindset and in-season mindset as a little bit like the struggle between the architect and the builder.  Our winter spent drawing up the plan, going over the details, contemplative, slow, and cerebral.  The season hits we smell fresh dirt and it flips our internal builder’s switch... out comes the action guy, hammer in hand, ready to put the plan into motion.  The builder knows how to roll with the punches dealt by the season, when to stick to the architect’s master plan and when to say, “What the heck was the architect thinking here… well forget him he’s not out here fumbling around in the dirt, what does he know?”. 

            Looking back on it now with the season coming to a close the ambitions of the ever optimistic architect are almost laughable.  The builder has done what was possible with the resources at hand, made compromises, made improvements, given the architect new ideas and things to think about around the stove for the long winter ahead.  Above all the builder hopes to have done the architect proud.

             This season was challenging, fraught with disappointment but also accomplishment.  It’s humbling work this farming thing.  It is with great pleasure that we stop, take a breath, and look back over the season or even just at this week’s share and think despite the difficulties we were dealt by mother nature… look at the bounty we were able to coax from the earth!  We hope you enjoyed this season as much as we did.  We look forward to seeing you all next spring!  Thanks for your support!!!

On behalf of our all-star farm crew Max and Sue

Your Farmers,

Rob and Meghan

 

BULK SHARES STILL AVAILABLE !!!

 

Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy Riverland Farm vegetables into the winter!! We haven’t yet hit our capacity for bulk storage crop shares so we’ve decided to extend the sign-up deadline to Nov. 14th (or until we sell out).  Tell your friends and neighbors!  The bulk share will be a 1 day distribution Sat. November 21st 9am-1pm

 

SHARES FOR 2010

 

We’ve recently had a lot more new shareholders sign up (earlier than usual).  As a result we expect to sell out of shares for 2010 earlier than in years past.  If you haven’t yet renewed your share don’t wait until it’s too late!!

 

SHOUT-OUTS and THANK YOUS

 

Just wanted to take a moment to thank all of the folks who have come out to volunteer this year.  We had lots of help especially with our potato harvest.  A special thanks to the crew of students from Deerfield Academy, led by shareholder Tim Trelease, who continue to help us twice a week with various projects.  Our core farm crew lost a member earlier than expected this year and as a result we leaned heavily on Max and Sue to pull us through the year.  Max will be back again next year after a well deserved vacation in New Zealand.  Sue is applying to grad school and may be  back on a part-time basis next year. Thanks so much to both of them for their hard work and dedication!!!

 

 

 

Friday October 30th from 3-5pm come to the farm and carve or paint a pumpkin !! We will supply the Pumpkins and you bring the snacks *(please bring a list of ingredients for those with food sensitivities).   See you there!

Hi Folks,

            Just a little note to give credit where credit is due.  The goat email we just sent was authored by Scott and Ferdene who started Riverland Farm way back in 1997.  Since 2007 when Meghan and I took over the farming operation, they have fed, cared for, and maintained the goats and goat pen as well as maintaining the aesthetics around the parking lot and front garden beds continuing to contribute to and enrich the experience of all Riverland Farm members.  Our heartfelt thanks to Scott and Ferdene for all their hard work!

Rob and Meghan