Clagett Farm

Our summary of your 2009 season

2009-11-14T15:41:27-05:00

We'll be emailing our year-end survey questions to you shortly, so we summarized the season to help jog your memory and give you a sense of our perspective.

Overall, we felt good about the season. There was a lot of variety in the shares all season, we had a bumper crop of potatoes, and when late blight struck the mid-Atlantic region we were relieved that our tomatoes survived until the end of the summer. We also had a steady amount of salad in the spring (mostly lettuce) and fall (mostly spicy mix).

Our disappointments this season were that the shares were on the light side, so a larger household or a vegetarian one would have needed to buy a lot of extra produce. Also, we learned from a few mistakes that cost most of our sweet potatoes (we planted in a wet field) and beans (we didn't release the bean beetle predator soon enough). The year was cooler and wetter than average, so plants in the cucurbit family suffered more. We had plenty of summer squash, not quite enough melons, and almost no cucumbers or winter squash.

A few changes we made thanks to previous years' surveys:

In the past few years we've planted some perennials--rhubarb, asparagus and mushrooms --which will continue to increase their production each year.
We tried celery for the first time, but it was a miserable failure.
We made the double-skip option a permanent feature so everyone could double their shares in exchange for skipping the previous or following one.
We gave more choices in the share this year, so you could avoid some items and take more of the ones you like.
We did a better job of emailing a list of what was in the share every week. Our listserve stopped working, so we couldn't send it to our worksharers and other interested folks, but that's easy to fix for next year. We know many of you want to know sooner what will be in your share each week, but that has been especially tough for us to predict.
We bought a new scale for the Dupont pick-up, but then one broke, so we're back down to two. That's easy to replace, but there's not much we can do to alleviate the tight space--we're generously given free use of two parking spots but no more.

You received an average of 6.2 pounds per member per week this year. Rather than list what was in the share each week, we have merged the weeks into groups by season:

Average early spring share: 4 pounds

bunch of garlic scallions or scapes
1/3 pound lettuce (or other salad greens)
1-2 pounds kale (or other cooking greens, incl. cabbage)
1/4 - 1/2 pound carrots, asparagus, kohlrabi, turnips, radishes, broccoli, sugar snap peas, rhubarb [varied from week to week]
1 pint strawberries (first two weeks only, along with a little you-pick)
herbs and flowers

Average late spring share: 5.75 pounds

garlic (1 or 2 heads)
1/2 pound total combined lettuce, broccoli, spring onions, chard, chiles, or a pint of sungold tomatoes
1.5 pounds total combined bok choi, cabbage, turnips, beans
1.25 pounds popcorn or zucchini

Average summer shares: 10 pounds

1 head of garlic
3 pounds of tomatoes
3 pounds of potatoes
2 pounds, total combined summer squash, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers
3 ears of corn or 1 melon
½ pound total, combined chard, chiles, beans, okra

Average late summer shares: 7.5 pounds

1 head garlic
1 pound tomatoes or 3 ears corn or 1 melon
2 pounds potatoes
1.5 pounds, total combined summer squash, peppers, eggplant
1/2 pound, total combined okra, cucumbers, beans, salad greens, chiles
1 winter squash (acorn or carnival)

Average fall shares: 4.5 pounds

1 head garlic (or loose cloves)
1 pound sweet potatoes or winter squash
1 pound kale/collards/ chard/ turnip greens or 1 head cabbage or bok choi
1.25 pounds, total combined summer squash, peppers, eggplant
1/4 pound salad greens (each week was a choice between 4-7 different mustards, mild and spicy)
1 pound daikon or watermelon radish or 1 bunch cheriette radish or 1 bunch carrots

If you would like to read a more thorough review of the season, here's a link to Gail's end-of-season summary.

Stay tuned for our post this coming Thursday of what's available in the fields to glean.

Thanks!

-Carrie and Gail

College students--design a T-shirt

2009-10-22T07:42:49-04:00

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is offering cash prizes to the winners of a T-shirt design contest. Any college student can enter, so if you have any in your midst, and they need to take their mind off the midterms they just finished, tell them to design a T-shirt and win some extra cash.
Details are here: www.cbf.org/tshirtcontes. Good luck!

Volunteer with CBF to plant trees this fall

2009-10-18T22:34:58-04:00

There are two volunteer days coming up this fall planting trees with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The trees are grown at Clagett Farm, and then planted by volunteers in other parts of the state. With your help, these trees should prevent soil and other pollution from washing into the streams they are planted beside. Contact the organizer, Marcy Damon, if you are interested. Details below:

Sunday, October 25, 2009
10 am – 2 pm
South River Greenway Reforestation Project
Anne Arundel County
Crownsville, MD
Volunteers will plant over 1,200 trees to restore 4 acres along the headwaters of Bacon Ridge Branch within the South River Greenway. Partners include the Scenic Rivers Land Trust, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources, South River Federation and funded by the Chesapeake Bay Trust and the DNR Landowner Incentive Program. Dress for the weather, equipment and refreshments provided. To register, send your complete contact information to Marcy Damon at 443-482-2156 or email MDrestoration@cbf.org

Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009
9 am – 1 pm
Stream Buffer Planting and In-Stream Restoration
Little Catoctin Creek watershed (Frederick County)
Myersville, MD
Help plant 700 native trees, shrubs and live stakes in this tributary in the Catoctin Creek watershed. This planting is the last phase of a stream restoration project. Learn about in-stream habitat enhancement and erosion protection techniques. Partners include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Town of Myersville, Monocacy and Catoctin Watershed Alliance, Trout Unlimited and the Highlands Action Program. Dress for the weather, equipment and refreshments provided. To register, send your complete contact information to Marcy Damon at 443-482-2156 or email MDrestoration@cbf.org.

Last share is Nov. 10 & 14, Gleaning begins Nov 20

2009-10-15T10:46:24-04:00

After this week, we expect to have four more shares. We try hard to make sure our CSA gives out 26 weeks of produce, which is uncommonly long for a CSA in this region (other than those offering winter shares). You're getting good value for your money!

Our last pick-ups will be Tuesday November 10th and Saturday November 14th. The weekend before Thanksgiving (beginning November 20th) we open up the fields for you to harvest anything that remains. We will post on this blog a list of what's available, and set up signs in the fields to help you find the crops you are looking for. Generally, you can expect it to be more of whatever was in your last share.

Speaking of last shares, we are expecting to continue offering lots of salad and cooking greens from the brassica family. It's curious to us why we had such an abundance of lettuce in the spring versus an abundance of spicy mix in the fall, since we planted lots of both for each season. Farming is a fickle business!

In addition to greens, you'll be seeing some daikon and watermelon radishes, and a modest amount of sweet potatoes. This is a great time to try new ideas for salad. For example, some dried fruit and a sweet or creamy salad dressing can be the perfect balance for a spicier salad green. No need to add pepper!

The last few years we've had trouble with our winter squash, including pumpkins. Most conventional growers use frequent applications of fungicide to deal with the various mildews and disease that strike plants in the cucurbit family. Since that is not one of the tools we use, we are considering using a wider plant spacing for better air circulation, and some floating row cover on the plants until they start to flower. That might at least give us a head start on the disease, so we are more likely to offer a jack-o-lantern to everyone next year. Every year is a new experiment.

Enjoy the wonderful fall weather!

Your farmer,

Carrie

Grow A Row-- local gardeners donate extras to those in need

2009-10-06T14:22:00-04:00

Another update from the Capital Area Food Bank on their new program, Grow a Row.

Hi, it’s Anika from the Capital Area Food Bank.　

For those of you who do your own vegetable growing, I want to let you know about a new program my department just launched.　 It’s called Grow A Row, and it aims to connect gardeners like you with your neighborhood social programs (food pantries, soup kitchens, childcare programs).　 We’re asking gardeners to grow an extra row for the less fortunate in the DC Metro area.　 As it might be too late to plant an extra row, you can also donate your excess harvest, rather than gifting your neighbors with bags of zucchini. 

　 Fresh produce is an essential component of a healthy diet, but is not frequently donated to soup kitchens or food pantries due to its perishable nature.　 Grow A Row is an excellent opportunity to bridge community, build relationships, and provide people of low income with access to fresh, local produce.　 If you’re interested in participating, or for more information email Anika Roth and Jody Tick at

growarow@cfoodbank.org

or call (202)526-5344.　 Happy gardening!

Our produce makes local, fresh food a new habit for underprivileged recipients

2009-09-23T22:25:18-04:00

Hi folks. This is Anika with an update on the Capital Area Food Bank's From the Ground Up Food Grant at Clagett Farm. My co-worker, Emily, and I have been visiting the 9 agencies who receive and distribute fresh produce from the farm to their underprivileged clients.

It seems like agencies that serve underprivileged people are always stretched to their limits. So they're always excited about getting free food, but they don't always have the time and energy to make the systematic changes that we hope will accompany the FGU Food Grant. Sure, step one is always getting food to the people. But a big premise of the Food Bank is that we must also offer education that leads people toward self-sustainability.

Now the FGU Food Grant is one step removed from the people it serves. We don't take food directly to clients, but rather to agencies that serve clients. So our challenge is to educate not only clients, but agencies as well. At the beginning of each season, we bring 3 staff from each of the participating FGU Food Grant agencies to Clagett Farm. Farmer Michael takes us on a hayride tour of the farm and tells us about their sustainable practices and the benefits to both humans and the land. We also do a cooking demo with "less common" veggies like spicy mix and kohlrabi. We encourage agencies to try new things and to nudge their clients to try new things too.

Some agencies are a little hesitant at first, but they get the hang of it in no time. After two years of participating in the FGU Food Grant, Martha's Table has gone all out! This summer they built raised, movable garden beds in an underutilized parking lot by their trash bins. This will be a learning tool for the kids on-site. (A lot of the Clagett produce goes to feed the children in Martha's Table's onsite program.) Growing in the beds are wax beans, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, kale, celery, morning glories, and lots of herbs. Martha’s Table appreciated the tomato seedlings they got from Clagett – all of their tomatoes came from you! They even built a trashcan compost which can be easily rolled for aeration. Check out their blog post about their garden at: http://marthastableblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/marthas-table-school-yard-garden.html and see the pictures below for a sneak peak:

Aromatic herbs help deter the smell from the trash bins behind them.

Peppers & tomatoes in cute containers.

Can you believe they did all this in a matter of weeks?

As more proof of what they've learned from being involved in the FGU Food Grant, I witnessed firsthand the storage of tomatoes OUTSIDE the refrigerator. Martha's Table - you get a star of approval from us!

Proof.

Win a share for next season! Raffle tickets on sale now

2009-09-18T14:16:49-04:00

Buy a $10 raffle ticket to win a share for next season. Tickets are on sale at all pick up locations. You may also buy tickets at the Fall Festival on Saturday, October 3 from 1 - 4. The drawing will take place at 4 pm, and you do not need to be present to win.

Tell your friends! Considering how many people have been added to the waiting list for shares next year, they may have better chances at winning a raffle than signing up on-line to become a new member!

All proceeds from the raffle and silent auction, and all other donations made to Clagett farm go to support our food grant program. This allows us to continue to distribute between 40-50% of our harvest to low income individuals and families int he DC metro area, mainly through Capital Area Food Bank member agencies who receive free produce for up to 2 years through the grant program.

Details: There will be one winner of the drawing. The individual or family may choose any pick up location and any pick up day (either Tuesday or Saturday at the farm or Tuesdays at Dupont Circle.) Our season will start either the first or second week of May and goes through the second to last week before Thanksgiving.

Fall Festival October 3rd--donate items for silent auction

2009-09-04T11:05:08-04:00

Our annual Fall Festival at Clagett Farm is next month. Here are the details:

Rain or Shine!
Free and open to everyone
1-4pm, Saturday October 3, 2009
Hayrides across the farm to visit the cows throughout the afternoon
Potluck snacks (2:30pm)
Silent Auction (final bids by 3:00pm)
Raffle drawing for CSA membership in 2010 (4:00pm)
Chrysanthemums sold by Melwood, which has a nursery that employs the developmentally disabled

Do you have items you would like to donate for our silent auction? Consider baked goods, services, handmade toys, gifts and accessories, tickets to events, and other items that would appeal to our CSA community. We can accept donated items anytime this month, and up until 1:30pm on the day of the Festival.

Clagett Farm, 11904 Old Marlboro Pike, Upper Marlboro MD 20772, 301-627-4662, clagettfarm at cbf dot org, www.cbf.org/csa

CBF Restoration Position now open

2009-08-28T14:13:25-04:00

Please email resume and cover letter to Marcy Damon at mdamon@cbf.org, 443-482-2156. Position closes Sept. 11. Thanks!

Maryland Watershed Restoration Intern
Fall 2009

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation seeks a Restoration Intern in its Philip Merrill Environmental Center headquarters office in Annapolis, MD.

CONTEXT OF THE POSITION

CBF organizes several large-scale restoration projects for volunteers in targeted watersheds each spring and fall. The Restoration Intern will be responsible for pre-event preparation and working with adult and family volunteers during restoration events.

Essential functions include:
1. Restoration Activities
1. loading and transporting trees from Clagett Nursery to the restoration sites using a truck and 14’ trailer (training will be provided)
2. loading and transporting equipment to the site (prior to event days)
3. marking holes for auguring (prior to event days) if necessary
4. placing tree shelters and mulching trees (if needed) on planting days
5. assist volunteers on event days
6. assist Clagett Farm staff in maintaining Clagett tree nursery (weeding, watering, organizing)
7. clean out and organize restoration storage areas at the Merrill Center and Holly Beach Farm

2. Assist with agricultural and living shoreline restoration workshops and events (throughout Maryland and over the state line in PA and WVA)
1. Collect volunteer information, photos, material, sign-ins, do equipment demonstration
2. Move trees and equipment at the site
3. Direct volunteers in moving trees and equipment

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS
Successful candidate should be working on Bachelor's degree (or Master’s degree) with a concentration in environmental studies or be a recent college graduate. Arrangements can also be with the college/university to receive college credit and a small stipend. Intern will be required to work certain weekdays, on weekends and evenings. In addition, candidate should be familiar with environmental issues and problems facing Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries and be able to work with the general public and volunteers of all ages and backgrounds.
The position is a part-time 2-month position and offers a stipend. Start date is late-September – mid- November. Closing date for resumes is Sept. 11, 2009.

Emeril Green show airs August 31, 8 pm (grillin' at Clagett Farm!)

2009-08-26T07:14:33-04:00

 
Check out the Emeril Green show this Monday, August 31 at 8 pm.
An episode on grilling and cooking with fresh farm vegetables 
will air. The episode was taped in June at Clagett farm.

Featured in the episode is Michael Heller, Clagett farm manager 
as well as Carrie and Rob Vaughn, vegetable production manager 
and assistant farm manager, respectively. Amelia Vaughn, age 1 
year and 8 months also makes an appearance! Special guest Don Baugh
(vice president of education for CBF) teaches us the real way to 
eat soft and hardshell crabs.

You'll get to see how Chef Emeril used the siberian kale (he pickles
the stem!), garlic scapes, and fresh herbs from the wash station. 
The episodes air a few different times on August 31 and September 1 
on Planet Green, so if you can't watch the debut on Monday night at 
8 pm, check the schedule to see when you can. Probably recipes and 
videos will be posted on the website eventually, too. 
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/emeril-green/?campaign=tvmod-emeril