Winter farm update from a snowy field

On Serafina Says Farm in Canton, CT the garlic sleeps under heavy insulation, the compost piles are mounds of snow - their height rivaled only by the cliffs of snow created along the edges of the fields by the snowplows. To enter the field, I must wade through a snowbank that hits me mid-thigh - and I am relatively tall! I trudged out through knee-high snow (the snow fell into my muck boots!) to prop up the CSA sign in the field letting all who drive by on Rte 44 know that CSA shares are still available! The field may be a silent sheet of snow, but the CSA sign promises that spring and the abundance of summer are just around the corner!

And to prove the point, I have started the first set of crops!  Onions and leeks have been seeded and are germinating happily in a warm grow room with no idea that in a few weeks they will be moved to a less tropical greenhouse. Brussel sprouts and rosemary seeds will also be sown this week, which will be followed by the cole crops (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage) and then the tomatoes for the greenhouse. Ahhh, just daydreaming about sweet summer tomatoes makes my mouth water. How about you?

The farm signed the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Farmers' Pledge again this year, promising to follow organic growing practices. As a farmer who leases land, I am grateful to be farming at Bristol's Farm, which has been farmed organically for over one hundred years. It is wonderful farmland that has been well cared for by previous generations of farmers with crop rotation, green manures, and compost.

One issue that has come to my attention over the last year is the demineralization of our soil across the country. Intense farming can deplete minerals, which leaves our vegetables less nutritious than they could be. I have begun researching how to create more microbes in the soil to increase the nutrient density of the farm's crops, and I plan to experiment with bio-ferments this year.

To test my progress, Santa Claus brought me a refractometer to test the BRIX of the plants. BRIX measures the sugar content of the plant, which reflects its mineral density. I will let you know how these test results fare over the course of the season, and I will be tracking progress year on year. Exciting!

Vegetable & Wheatgrass CSA
Shares are still available, for pick-up in Canton at Serafina Says Farm, farming at Bristol's Farm, on Thursdays from 4-7pm between June-October.
Shares usually sell out in March.
When you purchase a CSA, you contribute to keeping farmland active, you support a local farmer to continue growing food, and you boost the local economy. All that, AND you get to eat the freshest, most delicious food available!
CSA order form and information online here.