Welcome New Members!
Dear Members,
Another week, another cute cow photo from Anne Brown. This little guy got lost when the herd moved to a new pasture far away, and spent what must have been a scary couple of nights alone in the big bad world. Their joyful reunion was a bright spot in the week. We are about halfway through calving season now, completely finished with lambing, and have officially started farrowing as of yesterday, with the first sow, Hegel, delivering a litter of five. With piglets, we really want a littler of 12, and are happy with 10. Five? Well, we had hoped for a more expansive synthesis, but history has taken a different course. All our pig mamas are first timers this year, so we give them a little grace.
Say hi this week to new members Melinda, Mike and Allison! We are very happy to welcome them into the farm family. With lots of new people coming onboard, it's a good time to explain the system we use when items we have are limited.
Rather than tell you how much of anything to take, we have a color code system to guide you.
GREEN tags mean take what you want, unlimited. For vegetables, this means we have enough for you to take extra for the freezer or for canning if you want to. It's great to get some of those hearty greens and herbs in the freezer at their peak! For meat and butter, we always ask that you only take what you need for the week, and eat anything you have in your freezer or fridge before taking more.
YELLOW tags mean we have enough for everyone to take a reasonable amount for the week, but not enough for your winter stash, and if you go crazy we will run out.
RED tags mean the item is limited and you should take only enough for one reasonable meal for your household this week.
We are tagging the beef freezer RED going forward, as our beef supply is going to remain fairly tight until this batch of cross bred cattle gets to finish weight. Cattle just take a long time to grow on grass, and as you probably know, the beef market has gotten insane out there. If you can hold your beef consumption to one meal a week that would be greatly appreciated, but we do understand there will be some exceptions. Talk to us if you need clarification.
I also wanted to remind everyone that we are happy to accommodate special requests when we can. We want everyone to be happy, and we're so grateful for your support. Reach out to the farm via text or email ahead of time. We can't always get you exactly what you want but we will do our best to work with you.
Finally, please know that everything is stocked fresh and full on Fridays, and we refresh items all weekend. Members are very welcome to pick up outside of these times; we do our best to keep the basics available all the time, but can't guarantee you'll find the full panoply of delights outside of our regular pickup hours. Let us know if you have any questions about that. Don't forget to sign in, no matter when you come.
Here's more news you need to know:
-Crown Point Bread and pastries will be here Friday afternoon. I'm hoping we might get some special items this week, like some sweet or savory tarts. Stay tuned to our socials for news on that. And remember, we are now on the summer bakery schedule, with Drifters Loaf delivery on Tuesdays, usually in the early afternoon, and Crown Point breads and pastries delivered on Fridays, usually around 5PM.
-We're wrapping up plant sale with a BOGO special on all remaining plants. Buy one, get one on all the remaining tomatoes, peppers, herbs and flowers.
With love and gratitude,
Kristin
PS, If you are picking up over the weekend and notice we're out of or critically low on something, would you please send me a text at (518) 645-4658 so I can refresh it? Thank you!
Estimated Availability for Members This Week
Green = abundant, eat with abandon
Yellow = Somewhat limited supply, enjoy but don’t go nuts
Red = Limited supply, take just enough for one meal
Vegetables
Green group, abundant, eat with abandon
Beets - Red and Gold
Cabbage - Green, Red
Carrots
Celeriac
Chives
Lovage
Onions, Red and Yellow
Parsnips
Potatoes - Gold, Red, White
Rutabaga
Lettuce Mix
Shallots
Sorrel
Thyme
Oregano
Winter Squash - KabochaYellow group, somewhat limited supply
Asparagus
Red Russian Kale
Rhubarb
Peppermint
Sage
Lettuce MixRed group, limited availability this week
Head Lettuce
Value-Added Products
Kimchi
Kraut
Hot Sauce
Frozen Tomatoes
Lard
Tallow
Schmaltz
Eggs
Unlimited and abundant
Farmer Only Raw Dairy
Our raw milk does not provide the protection of pasteurization.
Buttermilk
Skim Milk
Whole Milk
Yogurt
Fresh Cream
Sour Cream
Red group, limited availability this week
Butter
Grassfed and Pastured Meat
Meat:
Pork - ground, sausage, shoulder steaks
Lamb - ground, assorted cuts
Bones - beef
Offal - pork, chicken, beef
Red group, limited availability this week
Beef - ground beef and steaksGrains, Beans & Dry Goods:
Everything not grown by Essex Farm is certified organic.
Note: we have more products than we have room for on the grain table so check the buckets under the table if you're looking for something. Cornmeal and Pancake Mix are back!
Beans- Black and Pinto
Chickpeas
Steel Cut Oats
Rolled Oats
Essex Farm Popcorn
Sea Salt (Cargill)
White Bread Flour (Sutton)
White Pastry Flour
Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
Whole Wheat Bread Flour
Buckwheat Flour
Cornmeal
Pancake MixPlease be advised that consumption of raw or undercooked foods including meats, poultry, dairy, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness.
This Week's Share is Brought to You By: Seth Allen, Anne Brown, Gracie Broughton, Beth Davis, Will DeHaven, Catherine Eskilstark, Nicholas Johnson, Kristin Kimball, Mark Kimball, Barbara Kunzi, Joanie McMahon, Will Glaser Wilson. Thanks to Ted, Ken, Ben, Jackie, Will, Harmony, Sergei, Kathleen, Gwen, Charlie, and Barb for the help this week!
