SO WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE FARM THIS WEEK?

VOLUME VI, JOURNAL II JUNE 27, 2011
BLUE HERON FARM JOURNAL
Greetings from the farm! So here is Week 2 of 18 weeks. When I saw the green onions the interns and Adam picked today - I had a grin from ear to ear - they are B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! It made my heart sing - these onions were planted during the flooding and now look at them - please eat every bit of it - including the long luscious green tails.

Thanks for hanging in there with us this spring and now into summer. It feels like it should be the beginning of June not the beginning of July. With the rain we had last week and all that we got planted and transplanted things are looking up. I am no longer going to make excuses for this year. It is what it is and we all have been affected. You know and I know that we are all working hard to get the most of this summer's harvest. So I am done with making excuses...and we are going to run now with what we have. We are thankful that we have not had to go through a tornado, sever flooding that could wipe out our home, tsunami or other weather related tragic events - we are thankful that it was just flooding and cold wet soil - my family and friends are safe - and we have a roof over our heads and we have to wait for a few extra weeks to get the goods of the land - I'm okay with that - we can roll with mother nature and be thankful that we can still produce food and are healthy and safe.

Many things are going on the farm right now - fields are well planted - feel free to ask for a tour - we'll take you on one. The hoophouse are starting to get fruits like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants on them - still immature for us to pick but they are growing. We have over 20 varieties of mouth-watering heirloom tomatoes planted in the field and plenty of saucing heirlooms too. The Cucurbit family loved all the warm moist air and sun - they are growing under the remay. The potatoes are up and growing with the first hilling just days away. The Sugar Snap Peas are getting ready to flower. The chard, kale, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbages are getting big -

We bought some new equipment this spring - one is a tine weeder - I call it "finger" weeder - you drag this behind the tractor and it massages the soil to break up the crust and to kill weeds at their fine hair stage. We can use this over some of our hardier crops like potatoes and brassicas - and it helps us with the weeding. The other piece of equipment was a Jang seeder - its a precision push seeder that has 3 hoppers for seeds. No more thinning beets, turnips, carrots. Thsi seeder spaces individual seeds out - it is amazing - it saves time and money becasue we are not needing to thin and do not use as much seed. We still use the earthway seeder for something while we get the hang of this new seeder.

We have 3 interns on the farm this year. Tracy who is from Troy, NY and graduated from Marlboro College who joined us in the middle of all the flooding (May 1) and has stuck with us through it all and is now finally seeing green and growing vegetables and no puddles. Ashlynn who joined us two weeks ago - who drove all the way here from Texas. And Adora who hails from the Upper Valley who arrived 3 weeks ago. All three are eager to learn about organic diversified family farming and are looking forward to meeting all of you. If you have any cool things going on - all three are new to this are and to Burlington - please let us know - so we can spread the word to them. Since we are a mama and a daddy and two kids - we don't always hear what the latest and coolest things to do are in B-town or here in the islands. A big public thank you to all three of them for sticking with us and having patience with these two farmers - while we are trying to play catch up.

Everything is growing...including Ms Delia Mae - who at her 6 month appointment weighed in at 20lbs 4 ounces - they say you are supposed to double your birth weight by this time and being 10lbs and 1 ounce at birth - she is right on target. If you get to see her - wave to her - she loves it and she will wave back and if you are lucky she might even burst into a little ditty "Dadadadadadadadadada" :) Sadie is also growing being all of 3.5 years old - she is a wonderful big sister to Delia and always watches out for her.

Sadie and Delia love the new additions to our farm this year. We had 11 lambs from 7 ewes - 4 boys and 7 girls. We are keeping 3 of the girls, raising the 4 boys for lamb meat or rams for other people, and 4 of the girls are going to new homes once they are weened. We sell the roving and yarn from these mamas in the farmstand. We will be dyeing some of it soon with natural dyes from our trip to Maine last fall. We have over 250 layers now - selling eggs at the farmstand, farmers market and at City Market - we have them in 6 and 12 packs. Still at 5.00 dozen or 2.50 half dozen with pullet size eggs for sale soon for at a reduced cost. We have about 200 meat birds on pasture - we are going to be starting to process them this week - so if you haven't placed your order now is the time. They will be $6.00lb with them ranging in weight from 4-6lb. All of our chickens - layers and meat - are certified organic and on our pastures. This year will be the first year we will be certfying our Sheep and lambs too.

Another large addition this year is the new hoophouse that was finally completed over the winter months - I believe the beginning part of January - and that is where our early tomatoes, sweet peppers, and basil will be coming from. This hoophouse will allow us to grow into the winter greens and start earlier in the summer. This hoophouse was made possible from a generous grant from the USDA - NRCS EQIP program. All of our peppers and eggplants are undercover this year in the hoophouses - so we can have better yields and healthier plants - nightshades - like these love the heat and boy oh boy do those hoophouses get warm.

Hmm..oh yes, we now have a family cow - yes a real live cow - she is a brown swiss/ jersey cross, her name is Annie and she is about 7 years old. She is from our dear friends Jonathan and Meg who live in Washington, VT and we are honored to have Annie and all of her cowness with us. Annie gave birth to a bull calf on June 1st - Sadie named him Texi - short for Texas. He is a cutie - more jersey than brown swiss. We will keep him and raise him up to about 16-17 month and then have beef. We have been milking Annie since then - or I should say Adam has been milking her everyday twice a day since the 1st. We started out handmilking her but have bought a bucket milker and pump- with the help from some community members/friends - Annie likes the milker better and Adam's arms are not going to fall off. :) In a few years we would like to have a couple of cows and have a micro raw milk dairy. We share the milk with a few families who have invested their time/money and energy to make us having a cow a reality. We do have a bit of extra milk - if anyone is interested please let us know. I have been making the most unbelieveable cream top yogurt.

A big shout out goes to Diantha, Gail and Fiona for helping to weeding the carrots, planting, and other various farm tasks. To Cordelia for all the seeding of transplants and words of encouragement. To Sophie and her Burlington gang for mobbing us when we needed it for help. Also a big thank you to Julia and her girls Riley, Grady, Paige and Mavis and Donna Sue for all the treats, child care, and sprucing up while this mama was out working in the fields. To Missy and Rudd and all their help planting and weeding all the brassicas, potatoes and getting ready for Annie to come. A big thank you to Michael and Cooper, Will and Peter for all their work in /on the barn. And to our dear neighbors Meg and Jim for letting us do laundry and helping with the girls and lending an ear, to Gloria for holding babies when needed and taking care of Penny the chicken and Pippin. For David, Roy and Sharon for all your support and rhubarb:) And to the numerous other folks who have helped us this spring by your thoughts, prayers, food and support. Thank you!

We will be updating our blog more with pictures and we are alive and well on Facebook - so please "like" us so you can know the daily goings on of the farm. Okay, well, in true Christine fashion I have rambled long enough - more to come in the next addition. Thanks so much for being part of our farm - we really appreciate it. Peace, your farmers, Christine, Adam, Sadie and Delia

WHAT’S IN THE SHARE THIS WEEK: Red Leaf, Green Leaf, Butterhead, or Romaine Lettuce Heads, dill or cilantro, Basil, Green Onions, and Garlic Scapes!

EGGS FOR SALE
We have the pretty girls’ eggs for sale – these are free-range, certified organic chicken eggs that are brown, green and blue – with the brightest yellow/orange yolks you ever seen. The eggs are $5.00 a dozen.

What is a Garlic Scape?
Garlic Scapes are the false flower head that forms on quality, stiff-neck garlic. It whirls into swirls and are quite tender to eat in their curly-que stage. These scapes form about a month before the garlic is ready to harvest. We pick them off so the garlic bulb, which is under ground, can be nice and plump. We think of these scapes as our hold over until the bulbs are ready. They are a once a year treat usually available starting mid June. You can eat the whole scape - have fun with them. Enjoy!

Garlic Scape Ideas:
You can add sliced scapes to any stir fry recipe.
Slice and sprinkle over any pasta, or slice and cook them in almost any sauce recipe.
Great in guacamole and fresh salsa, too.
Chop & add to softened cream cheese.
Add chopped fresh scapes when serving a light garlic soup; can also add them to buttered, french bread floated on the soup. Use them as you would green onions, they're just better.
An excellent addition to stocks....and much Asian cuisine. Put in Thai chicken/basil/coconut soup. Good in salads, on bruschetta, pizza.

Garlic Scape Pesto
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp. fresh lime or lemon juice (optional)
1/4 lb. scapes
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt to taste

Puree scapes and olive oil in a food processor until smooth. Stir in Parmesan and lime or lemon juice and season to taste. Serve on bread, crackers or pasta.

Fried Scapes (from dakotagarlic.com)
Cut scapes to green bean size and saute them in butter and salt for six to eight minutes. During the last minute of cooking add about 1 tsp. of balsamic vinegar.

Spinach and Scape Frittata (adapted from dakotagarlic.com)

3 Tbsp. olive oil
10 eggs
1 cup (1/2 lb.) chopped raw spinach
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley or basil
1/2 c. finely chopped garlic scapes
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl mix all ingredients except oil and scapes. Heat oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet on the stove. Add the scapes and saute until tender on medium heat for about five minutes. Pour egg mixture in skillet with garlic and cook over low for three minutes. Place in oven and bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until top is set. Cut into wedges and serve.

First Pickup - tomorrow Monday, June 13

Hello Everyone-


Sorry for the late notice but after talking to a few members at market on Saturday and since the spinach did not bolt this week - we will be having a a pickup this MONDAY at the farm from 4-6pm. We wanted to make sure you got spinach and rhubarb before it went by. For those folks on Thursday, we will dropoff to you on Thursday (more info to follow for the CCV, Winooski, Colchester, Essex info in different email).

We plan on pickup this week, Skip the week of the 20th (unless some thing grows really fast between now and then), Start the week of the 27th and from there forward.

In this week's share will be: Spinach, Green Garlic, Rhubarb, Basil Plant, tomato plants if you like and a jar of bread and butter pickles.

Don't worry there will be recipes..and a a newsletter..


Thanks again for sticking with us us as we negotiate this tricky weather this year. We are working hard each and everyday to make sure you will have the food you need this summer and fall. PLease email with any questions, feedback, etc.

Also, this is a short notice, sorry again for this, if you are at the pickup on the farm on Mondays and you can not make it - we will have all this in the cooler and shelf and you can help yourself on Tuesday and then just check off your name on the clipboard.

Look forward to seeing you all -


Peace, Christine, Adam, Sadie and Delia

We need help planting on Tuesday June 7th:)

We are looking for a MOB of people to descend on our farm TUESDAY- yes TOMORROW - to help us gt caught up from flooding - we are looking for a short bit of time - meet at 8 until noon or whatever you can give. We will feed you yumminess. Our fields and hoophouses were flooded and are now finally ready to plant into - call us or email if you have the time. Thanks so much!

Thought for the day courtesy of Sue

My sister Sue is out in Kalcutta, India working/ doing service at Mother Teresa's homes and Brother Xaviers.  This is what she posted on her update today and wanted to share it with all of you - because love is hard - whether it be with people, animals, farm, land, weather..

Love you Susie - you are amazing for doing what you are doing!

"True love is love that causes us pain, that hurts, and yet brings us joy. That is why we must pray and ask for the courage to love." -MT

Looking for two apprentices for this growing season

Hey everybody - we are looking for 2 apprentices (we just had to positions open up unexpectedly) to start ASAP for this growing season - room (wonderful yurt like tent in the middle of a pasture),board and small stipend - we have a dairy cow, sheep, lambs, chickens, meat birds, and tons of vegetables - come learn about small family farming in the middle of beautiful lake
champlain - you can check out our full description of a farm apprentice below.


Apprentice Period: May 21, 2011 - October 15, 2011(maybe later)

Work Period Detailed Explanation:
We would like to have three apprentices come sometime in May and finish in October. The work will include all parts of vegetable production for a small csa and both wholesale and direct markets. Work will include planting, cultivating, harvesting, and marketing vegetables. Work will also include helping with farm/CSA events, working on community growing of vegetable donations to the local food bank, caring for our small herd of sheep (not for meat), caring for pastured broilers and hens, caring for and milking our family cow, and putting up hay.

Farm Type:
Diversified (integrating crop/livestock)
This farm is Certified Organic
This farm has a CSA
This farm runs a farm stand
Stipend Available: Small stipend, room and board

Work Schedule:
The work week would basically be Sunday through Friday, 5 1/2 days a week. Friday evening through Sunday morning would always be free. We are extremely flexible and would hope apprentices would be too. We expect to provide a weekly stipend, probably about $50/week. Its negotiable. We feel that remuneration in the form of room, board, and education should be considered by any applicant.

Room and Board: Room and Board

The apprentices will live in Sibley tents (like a yurt) we will be placing on the edge of a hayfield. Our hope is that apprentices will have their own tent. The meals, bathroom, and shower arrangements will be in our small home. We have a 3 year old daughter (and a 5 month old daughter) who love to share meals! We would provide three meals a day, vegetarian if requested. We are not vegetarians. Meals on off times would not be provided, but food and amenities would always be available. Any potential apprentice would need to be willing to share the yurt with the other intern.

Trial Period Information:
We do require a visit with potential interns. It seems only fair to all involved that we meet and get a feel for the "fit".

All Organic:
All crops are raised organically. The sheep are not certified organic, but they may as well be because they eat only hay/grass and are managed to reduce parasite loads, and thus reliance on wormers. The sheep gave birth to 11 lambs in the month of May 2011.

Farm Background:
We (Christine and Adam) have been married since 2003. We started our farm in 2004. We started our family in 2007 when our daughter Sadie was born. On December 10th, 2010, Delia Mae was born. Our farm grew out of our desire to grow good food for our wedding, and we caught the farm bug. So, we are in our 7th year of organic farming and our 5th year with a csa program. It was the dream of landowners Roy Newton and Ev Grimes to bring the land back into active farming use. They supported us in starting Blue Heron Farm on their land. We are working on our dream of creating a diversified, sustainable, family farm with produce, grazing animals for fiber, poultry, apprenticeships, and eventually, as an educational/therapeutic youth farm worker program.Why educational and therapeutic? We both have a background in education, counseling, and social work (3 Masters degrees between us!). We both love to see people grow and learn. We both believe deeply that it is important for our world to have an organic, local food system, and we know working with your hands and seeing the fruits of your labor is profoundly good for the spirit.Another aspect of our farm is the attempt to make organic affordable, and to give back. We participate in NOFA's supported csa share program, and the senior-share programs, both of which help low income community members afford fresh, organic food. We also sell food at a reduced cost to the"Food for Thought" program which helps families in Grand Isle County with food during the months kids are out of school.Currently, Adam works full time off the farm. Eventually, we want our farm to be our sole income source, but that takes time. Our farm will always be organic.

Farm Setting:
Blue Heron Farm is located in Grand Isle, which is one of the islands of Lake Champlain. Its is a beautiful place. Quaker road is named for the original farmers (after the First Americans, that is) who settled here. Several original barns and farm houses still stand. To the west, the sun sets over the Adirondacks, with Lake Champlain in between. We are surrounded by mostly hay and corn fields, average amounts of rural development (such as houses), wildlife, and great neighbors. Up the street, a family grows pick your own blueberries, and next door, our friends are growing 300 raspberry bushes!Our farm consists of 15 acres on one side of Quaker road, and 15 on the other side, just a bit down the street from each other. All are in the organic certification. All of our land is either pasture or in veggie cultivation. The veggie side of the farm is on the land of our friend Roy Newton. On this property, we have a "amish style" shed for a farmstand, a 21x48 greenhouse, a 24x60 hoophouse, a new 30 X 72 hoophouse for season extension crops, a small 14 X 48 pepper hoophouse, and all of our cultivated fields. Roy's house is also on this land.Just down the way, we have our more modern barn that houses our tractor, tools, equipment, etc., as well as hay and sheep at certain times of year. Behind this, to the north, is the remaining pasture land that the sheep graze and where we cut hay. This where the yurt like tents will be going. We also have a small patch of woods on this land.

Farm Operation:
Adam works full time, but during the summer is able to take considerable amounts of time off. Christine works full time on the farm and always has Sadie and Delia tagging along. We grow a fairly wide variety of mixed veggies as you would expect for a csa. We love to grow garlic, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce, spinach, pac choi, kale, basil...well...we love growing it all. Each year we try something new or to improve how we grow things. We have about 3.5 acres under cultivation. This is increasing as we try to incorporate longer cover crop rotations for soil health. We do everything either by hand or with the help of our 30 hp tractor and borrowed equipment here and there. We use a lot of tractor- formed raised beds. We will be trying to do more weeding with the tractor this year.We have a 50 family CSA and sell at two local farmer's markets, as well as a local natural foods market. We also have an honor system farmstand on site.We have about 170 pastured certified organic laying hens, and we usually do at least one round of pastured broilers per summer. We hope to increase our numbers of both eggs and pastured poultry as we improve our systems.In addition, we have 9 sheep: one icelandic ewe, one shetland ewe, and 7 border-leceister romneys. We raise them for their fiber and their positive effect on the land. We will grow this herd to about 20 in the coming years. We are hoping to build some grant funded fencing and water infrastructure this year to help facilitate rotational grazing and hay land management.We are also hoping to build a new hoophouse designed to extend our seasons at both ends. The fencing and hoophouse would both be through a large NRCS grant.

Work Expectations:
We are looking for apprentices who are able to lift at least 50 lbs on a daily basis. We need people who are able to put their heart in to their work and do their work with integrity and at at a pretty good pace. Farm work is strenuous, hot, and at times very tedious. Interns need to be able to pace themselves, take care of their bodies, and communicate when they need a break. Our work pace/day is sane, and we want the experience to be sustainable for everyone. Most of all, we want to have fun and have a team/community approach to our work.

5 Topic Areas of Expertise:
1. Starting and growing a community supported agriculture program.2. Soil fertility management. (crop rotation, cover crops, testing, planning).3. Growing crops from seed to harvest, including seed selection, greenhouse culture, bed preparation, transplanting/direct seeding, fertility, cultivation, harvesting, and post-harvest handling.4. Direct and wholesale marketing of organic produce and the "business side" of farming.5. Raising chickens for meat and eggs using organic methods.6. We are not "experts", but we will be caring for our sheep, having them bred, and putting up hay for them. Apprentices will learn about basic animal care.7. Canning for home use 8. Learning how to put up (and actually can, freeze and dehydrate) all your own food for the winter.

Instruction and Training:
Much of the work and learning of apprentices will be side by side with us, through conversation, shared ideas around planning a day or a crop, and through a whole lot of demonstration of what we do and how we do it. This will be hands-on learning most of the time. We will supply apprentices with reading materials that have been useful to us, provide opportunities for "Q&A" sessions, conduct impromptu field meetings, and arrange for apprentices to learn about any special area of farming they are interested in. We want apprentices to have the freedom to take initiative once they feel they "get it" so that they are able to take on a few responsibilities on the farm. Overall, they will find us to be supportive, available, and concerned about the quality of their learning on our farm. Two likely additional projects: installing fence/water system for the sheep and building a new gothic style hoophouse.

Support for Learning:
Attend NOFA Vermont workshops as part of paid work
Time off to attend NOFA Vermont workshops
Attend other organizations’ workshops
Provide transportation
Support and create local networking opportunities for apprentice
Host an apprentice workshop

Interested applicants should send us an email at harmonyvt@yahoo.com and fill out the apprentice application at www.nofavt.org. We can provide academic credit if needed. We are currently looking for 2 interns that can stay through the end of the season

Why We Raise Pastured Certified Organic Chicken and Eggs

Blue Heron Farm is a small diversified certified organic family farm in Grand Isle, Vermont surrounded by Lake Champlain. Our farm has always been certified organic since its conception in 2004- vegetables and animals- including our eggs. We are a mama and a daddy raising our children and farming. Our family, including our young daughters, eat all of our food and other local farmers' food - and they know where all their food comes from. We want to grow clean food for their little, growing bodies - food that is free of synthetic fertilizers, harmful pesticides, genetically modified organisms (gmos). The animals on our farm are treated with respect and dignity. They get to be the animals they are to their fullest potential.

Our chickens get to graze - get to be a true chickens - out running around the tall pasture grasses, dust bathing, eating bugs, worms, occasionally a field mouse-being the true omnivores that they are and eating clean certified organic grain. These chickens are a vital part of our farm, working as mini tillers in our pastures, waking up pasture grasses and tilling in nutrients. When the chickens, are done with an area we move them to the next pasture in their refurbished travel trailer where they lay their eggs.

We believe we are what we eat: We don't want our children to be the guinea pigs for GMOs.

We eat these chickens and these eggs - so why wouldn't we want them to have clean feed - free of pesticide residues, synthetic fertilizers, and genetically modified corn and soybeans (which is in all conventional feed)? Studies are still out on what exactly GMO's will do to our bodies and our children's developing bodies .
We make choices each and every day on how we feed our family and what we spend our limited resources on. When we buy organic feed, we know exactly what is in there and we are supporting other organic family farms. People ask if we make a lot of money off our egg sales. Currently, we have about 170 layers, 2 roosters, Rocket and Ramone. We certainly make a much slighter profit on our eggs as a trade off for sticking with certified organic feed, but the tradeoff is worth it. Many local organic farms have split operations - they have organic vegetables but not organic chickens. Organic Chicken feed is expensive - it is more expensive than conventional feed - that is one of the big reasons why local organic vegetable growers will produce eggs with pastured hens that eat non-organic (conventional) feed.

We have partnered with City Market to make local, pastured, certified organic eggs available here for you. We hope you enjoy our chickens' eggs and know that we are grateful that our family is one of the many local farmers on your table feeding you and your family. Feel free to get in touch with us and give us your feedback. We do farm tours, have a farmstand, have a CSA with pickup on the farm and with dropoffs in Essex, Colchester, and Winooski (including chicken and egg shares), at the Champlain Islands Farmers Market in Grand Isle and South Hero.
Peace,

Christine Bourque, Adam, Sadie and Delia Farris

Winter Journal Post and CSA Letter

February 28, 2011

Hello to all returning and potential CSA members, neighbors, friends and family!

As I type this, Sadie is napping and her little sweet sister, Delia Mae is laying by my side watching me type. Sadie can spell her name now and is very excited to be a big sister and she is a huge helped in all the winter shores with the sheep, bunny and all the chickens.

This winter has been quite eventful- Sadie turned 3, Delia Mae was born December 10, the 30 x 72 hoophouse is built, and we have started the process to buy the land that we farm - on both sides of the road - 31 acres of land. At the end of the growing season, we were notified that the land that we live on and graze the sheep on was going to be put up for sale. This was the catalyst to get things in motion with the Vermont Land Trust and their partners to try to buy this land and some of Roy's land - where we grow all of your/our vegetables. To make this more affordable, we will be conserving the land - so it will always be in agriculture - open land - a small diversified, organic family farm - in Grand Isle, right here on Quaker Road. This is very exciting and we will share with all of you as we go through this process in conserving and buying this land - so Blue Heron Farm will have a stable land base into the future.

We feel very blessed for all the support we received from our CSA members and community from last growing season. We were very blessed with a beautiful summer, the energy and excitement of 4 interns (who rocked and learned so much about organic farming (and potty training a then 2.5 year old), luscious heirloom tomatoes that had juice that dripped down your cheeks, more watermelon and melons than we knew what to do with, harvesting pumpkins and watermelons in September together- all the glory and abundance of a prolific growing season. We are looking forward to another great growing year with the hopes of extending this growing year into December with our new hoophouse - which many hands helped us build.

CSA: nitty gritty, work shares, drop offs, and Supported Shares
This year we are staying at 50 shares and making sure we have enough variety and quantity for all of you. After a very successful fifth year with the implementation of the sliding scale fee structure for the CSA, we will continue that this year. We want to continue to make organic produce affordable to all and be able to pay our costs. With members buying upfront their vegetables for the season, it helps our costs immensely and we can budget for the rest of the season. We would like to get payment by April 15th. If any of you can pay sooner than that, that would be great since most of our buying is right now through March (I know, I know I should have mailed this in January). Shares will start the first or second week in June. **For those who pay by March 15th – you will be entered to win 5 dozen of eggs.

Also, we will be having a working option along with your share which can help with cost of the your share – more info in the brochure. We will also have CSA member work days scheduled once a month where you can come out to the farm and help us with big labor projects that are family friendly. Also, this year we will continue to work on and post on our farm blog www.blueheronfarmvt.com.

Also, we will be delivering to Fort Ethan Allen, Pinewood Manor (thanks so much Beth) in Essex Junction right past 5 corners in Essex off of Rte 15 across from IBM, and CCV in Winooski on Thursdays. If you know anyone in that area that maybe interested please feel free to pass a brochure to them or give us their name and number and we will send them a brochure. There will be a small one time delivery drop off charge of $35 for the Colchester/Essex drop off sites (to cover our fuel and time costs).

We value your support and friendship. If these costs are a hardship, please call us and we can come up with a payment plan. We are also hoping to provide 3-4 supported shares for families who are in need of this. If you are in need of financial aid this year please let us know and we will get you the financial aid info for a supported share. Also we are accepting donations for the Farm Share program that supports our farms supported shares. Last year we were able to give financial support to 4 families from our community and provide extra food to the Round Barn through generous donations from our members. Our goal is to raise $500 for supported shares so NOFA-VT will match it and make a share more affordable to families in our community. If you would like more info, please give us a call. You can send the donation in with your registration form or send it directly to NOFA-VT with “Blue Heron Farm supported share” in the memo.

Our Community Service (Yours and Ours):
Because of you, our CSA members, we are able to outreach to our community here in Grand Isle County with food and goodwill.

Last year, we had our second year with the Senior Shares at the Round Barn here in Grand Isle. We delivered fresh veggies to 20 residents at the barn and have had community dinners with them once a month since October. We are looking to expand this for this upcoming year and look forward to having them out at the farm with us. If you would like to join us for our monthly lunches, just let us know and we will let you know when they are. We will continue this program again this year with the hopes of expanding it.

Also, we donated and sold a bunch of food for the Food for Thought program last year, which fed over 125 children in Grand Isle County for 12 weeks. This was started by Kaight Althoff (one of our CSA family members) and Melissa Hood and they are doing it again this year with the goal of feeding even more children countywide during the 10 – 12 weeks of summer vacation. Last year, Sadie and Christine, along with some of the interns, would go and help pack boxes on Sundays and bring leftover produce from market or extra veggies that CSA members donated while they were away on vacation. Each week, Blue Heron Farm was able to donate or sell (at a reduced rate) fresh veggies. Our farm plans to help out again with this year by donating veggies and if any of you would like to help with volunteering on those Sundays, delivering food to families, growing veggies here at our farm or your own place, buy a CSA share for this program or with financial support please call Kaight at 372-5843 or give us a call.

This summer we will be working with area churches and community groups to put in community gardens in our community. We will also be working on growing certain crops for the food shelf here in the county. If you would like to help with any of this, let us know.

Chickens, Eggs, Bread, Pasta, Pork and Turkeys (Oh My…)
So we are going to try out having add-ons this year of our chickens, eggs, and food from fellow CSA members Gloria, Daniel, Matt, Aimee and Eric. We are excited about this and we think it will help lighten your grocery shopping having these items available. Later in the season, we will let you know about organic pork and turkey shares from Aimee and Eric. Their pigs get a ton of veggie scraps from our farm, and their pork is quite yummy.
Blue Heron Farm Certified Organic Pastured Chickens & Egg SHARES These chickens are a heritage breed from France (not the Cornish crosses that many producers use). There is more meat all around the bird and the birds are great foragers on pasture. There is a deposit of $50 and then the chickens will be $6.00lb when they are finished. Shares are 5 or 10 birds - fresh or frozen. Egg shares are: $90 for 18 weeks for 1 dozen a week or 1/2 dozen for $45 for 18 weeks. This year we have partnered with Wally's Place(Matt) and Grand Isle Pasta (Gloria and Daniel) to offer weekly deliveries of fresh bread and fresh pasta with your share.
Thank YOU!

We couldn’t do this without all of you. It is because of you, we made it through last year with the hope for this growing season. Adam, Sadie, Delia and I look forward to walking out to the chickens with you and your children, meeting our sheep and their lambs in the pasture, picking sungold cherry tomatoes and ground cherries, uncovering treasures of potatoes and carrots from the earth, and enjoying that you know where your food comes from.

When we sit and plan this year and reflect over the last 7 years – we are truly blessed to have this as our work. We are honored that we are one of your farmers and you are our community. Whew – that’s a lot of writing – well, there was a lot to fill you in on too Hope you are all well. We have enclosed this year’s CSA brochure. We have also enclosed an extra one to pass to a friend. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you walking in the fields - smelling the basil, having tomato juice run down your cheeks and eating fresh lettuce again .

Peace,
Christine Bourque, Adam Farris, Sadie Farris and Delia Farris.