DON'T LET THE COLD KEEP YOU AWAY FROM THE FARMERS MARKETS THIS WEEKEND. ALL MARKETS WILL HAVE HEATERS TO HELP KEEP YOU WARM WHILE SHOPPING!
Market Locations and Hours
JIM'S NOTES - FEBRUARY 15, 2019
Hi folks,
Sorry about skipping my blog last week. Too much going on at our annual, three-day conference of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, our great, 28-year-old, state-wide organization of organic and environmentalist farmers. As always, for all those years, it was a really well-organized, high-quality event , very effective at inspiring, educating and bringing together nearly two thousand farmers and others from Penn State and the PA Department of Agriculture. It’s a great way for us tree-hugger farmers to get those academics and bureaucrats to listen to OUR concerns about better ways to farm while protecting the environment. We from New Morning Farm are always enthusiastic participants, and we were this year. (The farm covers costs for all crew members to attend, and considers it work time, for payroll purposes). New Morning Farm had a couple of very cool displays in the “Farm Innovations” section, and our stalwart farm manager, Jenni Glenister, sat in for Jim, presenting workshops on organic corn production and also cover cropping. So even though you didn’t hear from me or see me at market, I wasn’t slacking off or wasting time! We’ll be at all markets this weekend (let’s hope it doesn’t snow, but even if it does...) with some new produce items from a new source near us in PA that I’ll tell you about next week. Ok, you’re waiting for the secret word, for your incredible 5% discount. So here it is: “farmers conference”. See you there (at market, not at conference). Jim. Jim's Notes - February 1, 2019
Happy winter, folks!
We’re all a little chilly these days. We haven’t gone below zero yet at the farm, but close, and the furnace is sucking up lots of logs. It’s conference time in PA for us farmers. We always send the crew to the annual meetings of both the Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association and The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture. Lots of educational workshops, opportunities for networking, and displays of equipment and other useful products. These events really help inspire us and give us ideas and information for doing our job better. I’ve been pretty active in both organizations for decades, serving on committees and boards and giving many presentations at workshops. I’m kind of retiring from all that now, and I’m proud to say that my younger, experienced crew members are taking over for me. Jenni Glenister, who’s been with us for ten seasons and has been farm manager for the last three, has really stepped up at the conferences, already having done several presentations, including two this year. Our 45 years of experience at organic vegetable production means we have a lot to offer younger farmers, and we enjoy doing it. The organization we consider the most important is the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture. Back in 1991, together with about 15 other people, I helped to found this now-great, state-wide group. We are mostly farmers, not all certified organic, but all environmentally concerned. With about three thousand members (the annual conference attracts close to 2000), PASA is really effective at influencing state ag policy and really good at educating farmers and the public about environmentally benign farming practices. Look it up on the internet! It’s a great institution, and interesting to read about. We’ll be at all markets this weekend, with plenty of our delicious winter vegetables, fresh homemade baked goods, eggs, etc. And it’s going to be sunny and MUCH warmer! Mmmm! See you then. Jim Hi folks,
Sorry— no time for notes today. But just for looking in, here’s your secret word for your insider’s discount! This week it’s “high tunnels”. If that means nothing to you, look at last week’s notes! See you Saturday, Jim Jim's Notes - January 18, 2019
Dear loyal readers,
Well we lucked out Saturday and missed the snow by hours (although Sunday at Dupont wasn’t as lucky!). Thanks for coming out and hording! We did run out early of a few things (sorry about those handpies, 90 of which sold out by 10am!). But mostly we were able to save you from starvation while you were snowed in for a few hours, (maybe). Hey, have you noticed those beautiful heads of lettuce and other greens we had the last couple of weeks? Most of them were organically grown by us in our “high tunnels”, and this week we’ll have even more. “High tunnels” are what we growers call the latest technology for winter farming. They look just like greenhouses but have no source of heat other than the sun. So there is no expenditure of energy. During the day the atmosphere in the tunnel warms up dramatically—70 or 80 inside while it’s 20 or 30 outside— just from the sun coming through. Then at night it might go down to zero outside but we pull a cover over the growing plants and the heat stored in the soil keeps everything safe. Last winter we had several days below zero and yet the crops were fine. Amazing! We have four of these structures, amounting to possibly a fifth or sixth of an acre. Not a lot of space but we go to great lengths to use it efficiently, and that’s why you see all those beautiful greens in January. Come out tomorrow and check them out! Jim JIM'S NOTES
FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2019 Welcome to real winter. Looks like tomorrow will be a little chillier than we’ve seen this season. In past years we dreaded this kind of forecast. Half frozen lettuce leaves, shivering customers and crew. But now, with our new winter setup, including heaters, we aren’t worried. Admittedly, it won’t be in the 70s in our shelter, but at least the chill will be off. Hope you will put on your scarf and hat and come out. You’ll need your lettuce and carrots and kohlrabi and eggs of course, and for those extra calories required in the cold, a homemade pie does the trick.
In case you didn’t notice, our winter market manager this year is the intrepid Adam. At the farm he’s our field manager (a big job), and now he is driving trucks and running the market at Sheridan. He’s that good-looking, thin guy about 30 with a beard, who is always moving and always being friendly. I think he’s doing a great job. Don’t hesitate to give him feedback, complaints, or suggestions. Meanwhile, at our Chevy Chase market, Jenni is running things temporarily while Jen and Jared run off together to a warmer place. But they know they can’t get away with this for long, so you will see them back in two weeks. Speaking of our newish Chevy Chase market, which has been welcomed by the neighborhood since September, we’re going to keep going into the winter as long as the demand holds up. And we are hoping the food truck shows up, to give you even more reason to come out. Just a word or two about fruit: it’s a great time for apples! Now that all the great late varieties (Gold Rush, Pink Lady, Nittany, etc.) are harvested and safely in storage, we have a great selection, and even still have Honeycrisp, which are often gone by this date. Another recent addition to our fruits is Bosc pears. This year‘s crop is not beautiful – – small and a little blemished—but riper than usual and sweet, great for munching raw or using poached or in a pear tart. We plan to have samples. As always, thanks for your loyal patronage at our winter markets. We know it takes a little effort to come out in the cold, and we appreciate it. See you Saturday. The magic word this week is “shelter”! (5% off!). And we’re glad we have it. Jim Jim's Notes
Friday, December 20, 2018 Dear loyal readers,
I know I’ve been a bit delinquent in my blogging. Too busy! Thanks for your patience. Here we are at the end of the 2018 season, our 46th as a farm, and the worst year yet for vegetable production in this awful, wet weather. You’ve probably noticed a few shortages at the market, but on the other hand we’ve had great apples, great pears (bosc will start this weekend) and always plenty of organic kohlrabi, thank goodness! And now our greenhouses are kicking in with beautiful lettuce and other greens, which we’ll have tomorrow. So we’ll be here with some great holiday pies—mince, (my personal fave) pecan, apple and pumpkin of course, and lots of choices of stocking stuffers, like organic olive oil, jars of delicious things from our friends at Tait Farm, 3lb xsharp cheddar cheeses from our fellow farmers coop in Cabot, VT and more! Keep in mind that next week, the 29th, we will not be at market. We always have taken off that week, but we will return the following Saturday, January 5. Hope you like our new winter set up which we experimented with last winter. It still may need some tweaking but we think it’s a great improvement for those cold days we have about three or four times a year. I can’t really say it’s warm in there, with those heaters and the sides on the shelters, but it’s so much better than open air. At the end of another year I want to let you know how much we appreciate your loyal shopping with us, for many of you 30 or 40 years of that! The weather may be abusing us, but you, our devoted customers, really keep us going and make us feel that the efforts and risks are worth it. You wouldn’t believe how much your moral support means to us, and your dollars kinda help too! Enjoy your little gift from us of a 5% discount, if you say the magic words: “organic Santa”! See you tomorrow, Jim
To learn much more about our farm's present difficult situation, please read our blog. (Just click on "blog" at the top of this website) for many previous weeks of Jim's Notes.
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Farm News1/15/19
Winter is planning and meeting season for farmers. I think I've had at least two meetings or events a week in January. Last week Caitlan and I spent an afternoon at the Pennsylvania Farm Show with the Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association. We had a great time serving soup and strawberry surprise to raise funds for vegetable research. The stand is full of other vegetable growers, and any spare time is taken up with sharing vegetable and business experience. The last week of January and the first week of February, are the big conferences. We send delegations every year, and I'll be speaking at PASA on cover crops, and on sweet corn. PASA, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, is an incredible group. Their conference is the highlight of the winter, bringing together just about everyone interested in sustainable agriculture. I never fail to come away from the conference energized and ready to tackle the season ahead. At markets this week we'll continue to have soil grown lettuce from our high tunnels, more spinach and winter greens, and all your favorite storage crops. Jennifer 12/21/18
We're just about set for the final markets of the year! Despite a really tough fall, this weekend we'll have a great selection of produce for your holiday feasts. I'm most excited about the return of lettuce! We'll have a beautiful selection of our own soil grown lettuce at markets this weekend. Our high tunnels have protected the lettuce from the heavy rains and sudden cold spells. With the few days of sun these past two weeks, the lettuce is ready to harvest! Happy Holidays! Jennifer Recipe of the Week
Spinach Brownies Recipe By:BOWLINGNUT "They look like brownies, but they're not sweet! Here's a wonderful way to have spinach. This is a treat my girls love to eat. Two 10 ounce packages frozen spinach, cooked, may be substituted for fresh."Ingredients
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Everything Starts as a Seed
Jim and Moie Crawford started organic farming in 1972, on rented land, with a little experience, and practically no money. Over the course of 40 years, New Morning Farm grew from a small operation, selling vegetables out of the back of a pick-up truck, to a farm of over 95 acres with several thriving markets in Washington, D.C.
