Week 6: C.S.A. Distribution

Dear C.S.A. Community,

Another week is here and we have lots of food. One of the items that you will be receiving is called Gongura. I am sure most of you have not had it. It is an indian delicacy. It is in everyone's box. It has a red stem and the leaves are what are edible. Nibble on the leaf to get a sense of the flavor. It is very tangy and has a citrus taste. It goes great in stir fry. Use as you would any other herb. Great to dice up and put into salads as well. Pepper's are finally here and they look excellent!!!!!! This week's boxes have a great assortment of vegetables. Please Remember the herb beds @ the farm. They are loaded!

Week 6: 

• Peppers 
• Zucchini
• Kohlrabi
• Lettuce
• Onion
• Gongura
• Cucumbers
• Cabbage
• Eggplant

Enjoy!

Chris
P.S. If you have any questions we can alway's be reached @ 319-895-6480

 

Gongura Above

Week 5:) C.S.A. Distribution

Dear C.S.A. Community,

Another week is here already. The farm is bursting with growth. Each member will start getting garlic in your box. I want to remind everyone that fresh garlic is strong. Don't use the whole bulb. Set it on your counter and break it open when you are ready to use it. Each bulb contains small cloves inside. These are what you want to use when you cook with it.



Important notes:

YMCA PICK-UP:

 For everyone that Picks-Up @ the YMCA it is still on it's regular schedule this week, even though the actual facility is closed for cleaning. The lobby will still be open for C.S.A. members & the boxes will be their on their usual day.

I had a few questions about extra's and I would like to explain how the system works. Your membership cards have punches on them. Each vegetable symbol represents an extra. They are available Thursday-Sunday only, as we are picking Monday-Wednesday. So if you want or need additional come in and what is available will be in the cooler in the store. Present your card to Brett or Rose and they will punch your card. Extra's vary in quantity each week, and variety. This is because the extra's are the veggie's that are left-over after the boxes have been equally packed.

Herbs:

These are alway's available @ the farm. We have wonderful herbs bed that all of you should take advantage of. Herbs are extremely expensive in the grocery store. Come to the farm and help yourself. They are conveniently located directly next to the parking lot. Their are scissors in the store,  just ask.

Member Discount: All goods in store are always 30%.

Vegetables This Week:

• Garlic
• Onion
• Cucumbers
• Green Zuc's
• Yellow Zuc's
• Kale
• Cabbage
• Potato's

I hope everyone is enjoying their share and as alway's if you have any questions you can contact us at the farm at 319-895-6480

Thanks Chris

Instructions For Holiday Pick Up!! Week 4:)

Dear C.S.A. Members,

It has warmed up a bit and I am enjoying picking veggie's in the sun for once. I know many of you have plans for the Holiday weekend and will be taking off work early. Therefore special pick-up arrangements are in place for this week. If you pick-up @ the farm everyone can come tomorrow and if you can't make it tomorrow Rose will be in the store all day Friday. The farm will be closed on Thursday. All Deliveries Including Downtown YMCA, Wholistic Wellness, Alphagrahics, & Coorporate C.S.A. memberships are going out tomorrow.

Week 4 Distribution:
Half Share

• Cucumbers
• Zuc's
• Lettuce
• Brocoli
• Beans
• Cauliflower

Full Share

• Cucumbers 
• Zuc's
• Brocoli
• Beans
• Cauliflower
• Kale

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Holiday. If you have any questions about this week's pick-up or distribution just give us a call @ the farm. (319-895-6480)

The frogs have hatched and are everywhere, look for them hopping in the grass next time you are out at the farm. Again the Herb bed is doing excellent pick to your delight. We just had more beef brought in so please enjoy this premium meat with your discount. 

The onions and garlic are so close........

Thanks Chris 

C.S.A. Week 3:) Farm Update & Distribution!

Dear C.S.A. community,

Another week is here already and the veggie's are ready to go. This week was clearly extremely rainy none the less the veggie's are growing wildly! This week the boxes will be rather heavy as the Cucumbers, & Zuc's are going nuts. They almost mature overnight with the type of rains that we have been receiving. The overall plant health on the farm is good. The herb beds are also growing like crazy so please cut them if you need some. Their will be extra cucumber's and other veggie's in the store this weekend so be sure to come in and use a punch on your membership card. (If you need more)

Items Week 3:

• Yellow Zuc
• Green Zuc
• Brocoli 
• Kohlrabi
• Lettuce
• Cucumber

I hope you enjoy this weeks box and as usual if you have any questions or just want to chat you can reach us at 319-895-6480.

Thanks 

Chris Bass

C.S.A Distribution Week 2:)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear C.S.A. Members,

Farm Update:

Looks like another great week at the farm. The veggie's are growing excellent. The boxes this week look beautiful. The boxes are growing in weight and in color. The cucumbers and potato's are right around the corner. I will dig potato's next week if the weather allows. I checked the plants today and hand dug up some beautiful new potato's. Many have asked when their are going to be extra veggie's at the farm. They will become available as the season progresses. Typically three to four weeks in we start to have an abundance of extra's. The onions are still growing at a marvelous rate. The garlic is finishing up it's productive life and we will be picking that before you know it as well. Last week I made a mistake on the blog by not explaining what the asterisk meant next to the broccoli. I apologize for the inconvenience. There was not enough to be distributed between the shares the first week because the weather made some of them flower early. On a much more positive note the pumpkins and winter squash have been planted!!!!! I finished planting the seeds last Friday. The farm has a great pumpkin festival and all of you will thoroughly enjoy the Month of October with us.

• C.S.A. Week 2 Distribution:
• Green Zuchinni 
• Yellow Zuchinni
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Gourmet Lettuce

Herbs are alway's available in our herb beds and they are properly labeled so you know what you are cutting.

If you have any questions feel free to call the store anytime @ 319-895-6480.

Thanks & Enjoy Your Second Box,

Chris 

P.S. Funny Side Note, Whoever get's the Green Zuchinni that looks exactly like a telephone in the picture enjoy.

C.S.A. Distribution Instructions:(Starting Week of June 10th)

Dear C.S.A. Members,

I have great news!! The broccoli is ready and so are we :) This week will be the first week of our 2013   C.S.A. Distribution. It is going to be a great year! The first 3-5 boxes you receive will be mostly spring veggies so enjoy. The farm this spring has been busy and wet. All of the planting went smoothly and all of the plants in the ground are in excellent condition. One of the many benefits of growing in raised plastic beds is that it keeps excessive amounts of water out of the root system of the plant, which has been helpful this spring.

The first few distributions are generally lighter in weight because of the greens*

Pick-Up Reminder: (You should have already chosen one)

• Thursday Farm (10a-6p)
• Friday Farm (10a-6p)

Farm pick-up will commence this week. If you chose this location then come to the farm to get your box. The herb beds are ready, so cut away to your delight. Once you get to the farm please come inside and we will get your box for you. All you have to do is let us know your last name so we can check you off the list.

• Wholistic Wellness Thursday (12-5p)

This is a drop-off location. The boxes are located in the back hallway. They are not labeled with your name because all of the boxes are the same other than size. You will be able to tell the difference between a half and a full share. A half is simply about 50% of the size of a full box.

• YMCA Friday (10a-6p)

This is another drop-off location. The shares will be stacked against the glass wall as soon as you walk into the lobby and you will see them. They will be grouped by their size.

• Alpha-Graphics Friday (10-5)

This drop-point is located in North Liberty. The boxes will be available right when you walk in. Since there are only like five or six of you, we will label your boxes.

If anyone has any questions relating to their C.S.A box or where they are supposed to pick-up, please let the farm know. We will do anything to make this an awesome experience for all of our members. Remember if you want herbs they are available to all C.S.A. members! Just ask for scissors when you are in the store.

• Corporate Friday (12-1p)

These shares are delivered to prearranged location.

• Rockwell Thursday (12-1

Rockwell Parking Lot.

Week 1 Distribution

• Red Or Green Lettuce
• Bak Choi
• Kohlrabi
• Kale
• Herbs
• Brocoli*

I hope you enjoy your first share!  Let the season begin:) 

Thanks Chris Bass
brett@bassfarms.org

Welcome & Hello Again!

To: C.S.A. Community

This is the start of my updates that I post throughout the season. They are informational, & mostly about the farm. I will post what you will receive in your box each week and corresponding recipes just in case you receive a veggie you have not cooked before. I will also let you know through email and social media when the C.S.A. starts so pay attention to your email.

Farm Update:

This spring has been a little bit challenging due to the rain. Although nothing we can't deal with:) I am glad to report that all of the veggie's are in the ground and are looking excellent. We planted around 35,000 plants this year on the farm. It is going to be a great year! The potato plants are already above ground which is such a great sight to see. The garlic is also looking great as well. The community herb bed which is located on the farm is already growing like crazy! If you need herb's you can come to the farm anytime and cut them. You can get scissor's and a bag in store. We have a great variety of herbs. They are free and only available to member's so please utilize this great benefit you receive. Every year at the farm we are alway's trying something new. This year we put half of the greenhouse in Tomato Production. They have taken extremely well. The picture's below are of actual veggie's in our field right now. They are a little bigger, pictures were taken on Sunday.

This is one of the types of lettuce that will be in your C.S.A. share.

Brussel Sprout

Kale

This is garlic. Many people don't realize that this item is planted in the fall and harvested following summer. 

We plant everything in Plastic to reduce water consumption & reduce weed pressure.

This is the tomato patch. Their are six row's that are roughly 100 yards long.

One of the Experiments on the farm is the tomato "project" in greenhouse. The picture above is one of them.

The farm is ready, now all we have to do is wait a little bit and let all these little plants grow up. If anyone has any questions or just want to say hi, you can call 319-895-6480. We are alway's here for our members. Remember we are only closed on Monday's so if you need beef or anything in the store feel free to stop by and use your membership discount.

Many of you have asked how to prep & store your veggie's, Please click on the link below if you would like the informational sheet on storing veggie's below.

http://bassfarms.blogspot.com/2013/04/csa-storage-tips.html

Thanks For Reading Chris