Harvest Schedule by Month

Harvest times depend on weather conditions
during spring, summer and fall

MAY	JUNE	JULY	AUG	SEPT-NOV
Asparagus Greens Green Garlic	Asparagus Beets Broccoli Carrots Cauliflower Cucumbers Kohlrabi Lettuce Peas Zucchini	Beans Beets Broccoli Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Cucumbers Eggplant Kohlrabi Lettuce Onions Potatoes Peas Summer Squash Swiss Chard Tomatoes Zucchini	Beans Beets Broccoli Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celery Cucumbers Eggplant Garlic Herbs Kale Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Melons Onions Parsley Parsnips Potatoes Peas Peppers Rutabagas Summer Squash Sweet Corn Swiss Chard Tomatoes Winter Squash Zucchini	Beans Beets Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celery Cucumbers Eggplant Garlic Gourds Herbs Kale Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Onions Parsley Parsnips Peppers Potatoes Rutabagas Salad Greens Summer Squash Sweet Corn Swiss Chard Tomatoes Turnips Winter Squash Zucchini

Foods We Do Not Currently Produce

During the early years of our homesteading experiment we took on some very labor and space intensive projects. Since we were only producing for ourselves, crops like dry beans, corn for freezing and even small grains and crops for the livestock were manageable. Fast forward to today when we are attempting to have a significant impact on not only our diet but also that of 10 or so other families, we have had to go back to the basics and forego some of those earlier experiments.
Shelving these projects does not necessarily mean abandoning them all together. On the contrary, we would love to supply dry beans to all of you. On our part, this involves increased cultivated production. For your part it would mean being willing to commit to some extensive post-harvest handling and processing. Since in the marketplace these products can be secured for the time being at an unreasonably low price, many will find it to not be worth their while. On the other hand, from personal experience, and regardless of the low market place price, cleaning beans while watching a movie or visiting with friends is well worth it. You cannot place a price on the time honored practice of shared hand work.
We will be growing a variety of dry beans this year for the veggie shares. We will work closely with these individuals to share what we have learned about processing etc..
Perhaps next year these same individuals will be able to share their experience with the whole group.
As much as we are proud to list all of the things that we do grow, we think it equally important to list those items that we still secure from other local sources. We are blessed where we live to have folks that specialize in various agricultural products such as dairy, fruit, honey, maple products, bedding plants, and copious acres of corn.
Bulk items like grains, flour and other legumes can be sourced regionally by special order through buying clubs, the Co-op or Natures. When buying in bulk you can request that these items come from regional sources such as Champlain Valley Milling etc..

As always, we welcome your thoughts and comments.

bob and valerie

FFT Steering Committee Forming

Hello Everyone,

As our FFT project is evolving into its second year, we would like to form a "core group" of shareholders to help us better facilitate the planning, operation and direction of the FFT project. This group will meet informally to discuss how we can better
function as a community farm. Your involvement in this group is in no way mandatory, but if you are interested in participating on this level, we welcome you.
The first meeting of this group will take place on Monday, March 17th at 7pm at our house.
The agenda for this meeting will be to define the purpose and operational process for the core group, set up a schedule for future meetings
and hopefully prioritize future agenda items.
These meetings should be limited to no more than 1.5 - 2 hours.

Tea will be served.

Please let us know if you plan on attending.

thanks, bob and valerie

The "First Saturday" of the Month Workdays

Well...March is here, the days are lengthening and we'll reset the clocks this weekend. The seed orders have arrived and the earliest seeds of onions and celeriac have been planted, with many more to follow.
Late winter and early spring is an exciting time. All of the winter planning and head scratching is over and it is time to put all of that dreaming to practice.

The first of our "First Saturday" workdays will be April 5th. For those of you new to the FFT project, these days start at 9am and we work until noon or so and then share in a farm lunch provided by us. Folks interested in bringing a dish or dessert to share won't be discourged!

We work on many a varied task depending on the day and time of the year. April tends to be a month in which we concentrate on garden clean-up, fencing, bed preparation, etc. As the season develops, the tasks evolve as well. This firsthand experience of witnessing a garden go through all of its phases is quite a gift.

The other "First Saturday" work days are as follows: May 3rd, June 7th, July 5th, August 2nd, September 6th and October 4th
If you cannot make a particular work day, don't get stressed out. We are in the garden almost always and make up days can be accommodated.

Your garden experience need not be limited to these work days. You are more than welcome to spend time in the garden as your interest and time allows. We are always more than willing to answer questions as to how and why we do what we do. Beyond the food, this is one of the real benefits of our project. The hands-on connection with the production of your sustenance will not only give you practical gardening/farming lessons but it can give us all a deeper connection with one another. This time spent together is what puts the "C" in CSA.

If you cannot make a particular workday, please let us know so that we can plan accordingly.

Otherwise, see you in the garden on the 5th. Come on, spring!

bob and valerie