August 2009 - Common Ground Farm

COMMON GROUND FARM
August 2009 Newsletter
It is possible, I suppose that sometime
we will learn everything
there is to learn: what the world is, for example,
and what it means. I think this as I am crossing
from one field to another, in summer, and the
mockingbird is mocking me, as one who either
knows enough already or knows enough to be
perfectly content not knowing. Song being born
of quest he knows this: he must turn silent
were he suddenly assaulted with answers. Instead
oh hear his wild, caustic, tender warbling ceaselessly
unanswered. At my feet the white-petalled daisies display
the small suns of their center piece, their - if you don’t
mind my saying so - their hearts. Of course
I could be wrong, perhaps their hearts are pale and
narrow and hidden in the roots. What do I know?
But this: it is heaven itself to take what is given,
to see what is plain; what the sun lights up willingly;
for example - I think this
as I reach down, not to pick but merely to touch the suitability of the field for the daisies, and the
daisies for the field.
–Mary Oliver, “Daisies”, Why I Wake Early: New Poems, (2005), p. 65.
NOTES FROM THE FIELD
Dear Members,
So, what’s the story with the Tomatoes this year?
As you may have heard, this is a terrible year for the tomato crop, and Common Ground Farm is
no exception. Because of the incredible loss of tomato plants due to the fungal disease that has
spread across our region, we are unfortunately not expecting any tomatoes to survive. If we are
able to distribute any tomatoes in the shares, it will be a big bonus!
photo: Dana Devine O’Malley
Let’s start with a primer:
Between 1845 and 1852, the population of Ireland was reduced by 25 percent, and over a million people perished in one of Western Europe’s great
famines. The oomycete, Phytophthora infestans was responsible for the
more commonly known Irish Potato Famine. Just four weeks ago P. infestans made its quiet arrival into our fields, and as the rain has continued
to fall (near record levels this year) the spores have begun their devastating spread. Since its arrival we have pulled a quarter of our tomato plants,
looking very carefully at the remaining infected path. The disease has since
spread to our potato plants, which we have mowed to prevent the fungus
from going tuber. This may in turn decrease our yields, but was a necessary step in controlling the fungus for future years (NOTE: you should throw
away any rotten potatoes you may find in your share). In acting quickly, we
have begun a spraying program on our crops with an organically approved fungicide.
Tim and Devin in the field
What’s inside:
RReport from the Board
RDirector’s Report
REducation at CGF
RPreserving the Harvest
RRecipes
RCalendar of Events
Phytophthora infestans or late blight is a highly contagious fungus that destroys tomato and
potato plants and has quickly spread to nearly every state in the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic. The spores of the fungus are often present in the soil, and small outbreaks are not uncommon
in August and September. But the cool, wet weather in June and the aggressively infectious nature of the pathogen have combined to produce what Martin A. Draper, a senior plant pathologist at the United States Department of Agriculture, describes as an “explosive” rate of infection.
There are two strains of late blight—tomato and potato—but the illness can jump from one
species to the other. It is highly contagious: A single open lesion on a plant can produce hundreds
of thousands of infectious spores.
(continued on next page)
Fungicides can protect unaffected plants from disease, but there is no cure for late blight. Organic farmers, who are not permitted to use powerful synthetic fungicides like chlorothalonil,
have very few weapons against this aggressive pathogen.
Similar to the hand-me down costs of our industrial food system, we now see residual effects of an
irresponsible industrial bedding plant nursery system. The current outbreak is believed to have
spread from plants in garden stores to backyard gardens and commercial fields. Geneticists at
Cornell are tracking the blight, and have said the outbreak spread in part from the hundreds of
thousands of tomato plants bought by home gardeners at Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, Home Depot and
Kmart stores starting in April. The wholesale gardening company Bonnie Plants, based in Alabama, had supplied most of the seedlings and recalled all remaining plants starting on June 26.
photo: Dana Devine O’Malley
We have already seen widespread destruction of tomato crops,
especially that of local organic growers, and higher prices at the
market. “Locally grown tomatoes normally get $15 to $20 a box”
at wholesale, cites John Mishanec, a pest management specialist
at Cornell who visited Common Ground Farm pre-blight, “some
growers are talking about $40 boxes already.” Almost every farm
here in Dutchess County has been affected.
Tomato blight on our vines
As referenced above, we have begun a rigorous spraying program using the Organic Materials and Research Institute’s
(OMRI) standards, thus continuing to adhere to our Farmer’s
Pledge. The product’s base ingredients consist of Copper Hydroxide and we spray every 5-7 days, depending on the rain cycles in
between those sprays and if we feel it’s healthy depending on
farm activities. With this said, it has taken an immense amount of our labor, time and resources
to try and manage this disease. Even with so much time devoted towards managing the disease
we are still at a point where we don’t plan on having tomatoes this season. If the rain continues
at its current pace, we will rip out or burn our plants in the fields to fully kill any living host organisms on which the fungus may survive. This is a management practice for future seasons, with
the sacrifice being this season.
It should be noted that many area farms are facing similar issues. Understanding these issues and experiencing the effects of them is a part of being in a CSA-- knowing how your food is
produced and the threats associated with it. If you do choose to purchase tomatoes elsewhere
this season, we encourage you to be persistent in finding out what chemicals were
used on those tomatoes and find out how
toxic they may be to you and your family.
Wishing for less rain,
Devin and Tim
photo: Dana Devine O’Malley
If you have any questions, please don’t
hesitate to ask us about the fungal disease, our management decisions or any
other questions you may have. Rest assured that we are as disappointed as you
are about the tomato crop.
Close up of tomatoes affected by late blight
For more on late blight go to:
“You Say Tomato, I Say Agricultural Disaster,” article from the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/opinion/09barber.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=late%20blight&st=cse
”Growers Worry Blight Could Wipe Out Tomato Crop,” segment from NPR Morning Edition:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106457956
REPORT FROM THE BOARD
Conversations with many folks who have returned as Common Ground Farm members for several years have confirmed my experience as a member for four years. Though the Farm begins
as a destination – a place to go weekly to pick up your share of the crop, it has the potential to
be more. I have come to understand my membership in Common Ground Farm as a journey,
as an unfolding series of experiences that have drawn me closer to the land and to the farmers, board, members, and the community. To illustrate what I mean, here is a sampling of my
experiences at the Farm during the month of July.
• It’s a Wednesday morning and once again I am in the fields with Tim, Devin, Creek, Daniel,
Kim and Heidi. I have been joining our farm staff on Wednesdays to share in the work, learn,
and enjoy this wonderful farm community. Again this week, we’re weeding carrots. They have
grown from barely visible sprouts, but the weeds have grown faster. I am struck by how much
time and attention organic farming takes. We are all down on our knees picking weeds, one by
one, row by row. After two hours of work, Creek figures that we are progressing down a threerow bed at about 10 feet an hour. It’s slow, tedious work but rich conversations about just about
anything under the sun (literally) fill our time.
photo: Dana Devine O’Malley
• In June, I had been introduced to some of the diseases that challenge organic farmers like Late
Blight and Wilt. In June, with daily, drenching rains, the conditions became ripe for both, but
because we are committed to not chemically treating our crops, it was a time of vigilance and
hopes that our crops would be spared. As we moved into July, signs of both Late Blight and Wilt
appeared. I can still remember Devin pointing out two squash plants that been attacked by
Wilt, which is carried in the bellies of beetles that bore into the stems and excrete a parasite into
the plant. Within a week, Wilt had spread from two plants to several rows. During that same
period, the first signs of Late Blight appeared on tomato plants. Despite quick removal of these
infected plants, this quick moving disease spread throughout the tomato crop borne by trillions of spores. Tim and Devin’s message will detail this serious challenge to our crops, but what
I was most keenly aware of was the implications of being an organic farm and being organic
farmers. It’s one thing to abstractly acknowledge that as members we share the risks of organic
farming with our growers. It is another to experience this loss and accept it as a risk of growing
without reliance on toxic chemicals. As Tim observed, in experiencing the loss of most of the first
planting of tomatoes, we need to be thankful for the bounty of greens that the rain brought
earlier in the season. I was also struck with how carefully and thoughtfully Tim and Devin responded to every challenge that nature threw at them in June and July. We are in good hands.
The Green Teens at the opening day of the Mobile Market
• I am standing by the barn. Tim, Heidi and Helanna have created a mock farm market and are in the midst of teaching the
Green Teens how to run the stand. Tim and Heidi are pretending to be customers with one group of teens who are manning
the stand while Helanna teaches another group how to make
change. Entering the stand, Tim scans the produce and asks,
“Excuse me, what is this Kohlrabi?” One of the teens is caught
off guard by this question, but a second teen, without missing a
beat, says, “Why, Kohlrabi is a member of the turnip family. It’s
great raw, cut up in a salad, or you can steam it.” I think to my
self – “What a great way to learn,” followed by “I am so glad that
we have partnered with the Green Teens.”
It’s clear to me that membership in Common Ground Farm provides wonderful opportunities
for learning, and for intimate involvement in a vibrant, relevant community of people. I hope
that you will all seize the opportunities that being a Farm member provide. I have realized that
the rewards are in the journey and if you move beyond a weekly share pickup, who knows what
great adventures lie in store.
Terry Murray, President, Board of Directors
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Dear Members and Friends,
What a month since my last dispatch! Kids camps, workshops, a week-long intensive with the
Green Teens, a broken well, a Simon Draper Habitat installation in the fields, a day-long summit on the feasibility of moving our farm to Obercreek farm in New Hamburg… In this newsletter, Tim and Devin are also addressing the tremendous disease pressure they are facing in the
fields, but let me say this, even though our farmers are new to us, this is something beyond the
most seasoned growers. We, as an organic farm, have essentially no control over this, except
insofar as trying to implement containment measures for this season and next. I want to thank
Stonykill for their efforts to work with our neighbors in the community garden plots to help
ensure that we are all on the same page in terms of containing blight and trying to lessen our
chances of suffering the same fate next year. And really, Tim and Devin, we swear it does not
rain like this every year!
Our farmers have experimented with growing some potatoes and flowers on a small plot at
Obercreek in New Hamburg. The results of the experiment: we need a deer fence! Really, this
was just a chance to get their hands in the soil there and even though it is fenced and even
though potatoes are not so attractive to deer, the deer seemed to have found their way in. This
year we grew potatoes outside the fence at Stonykill, as we desperately needed to expand our
acreage and again, the potato is the best crop to plant in an exposed area. Next year we will
not have that option as we will be pulling new plants that come up from all the tubers that just
don’t make it into the harvest (volunteers) and which will carry the blight. So we will be down a
little under an acre and one way to compensate would be the try again at Obercreek, another
would be to just forgo the spuds for one season.
photo: Dana Devine O’Malley
And speaking of Obercreek, I briefly want to report on a summit that was held at the residence
of Alex Reese and Alison Spear concerning conservation, development and farming on the
property. I want to thank Alex and Alison for pulling together a crew
of experts who were willing to commit to a day to help us figure out
how to keep Obercreek farming! At the table were architects, engineers, developers, a farmer/green builder, a farmland conservation
expert from Scenic Hudson and the president of Glynwood’s Board. It
was clear that keeping farming going on that land is a priority and
that Alex has a dedicated group of experts to help him and us realize
this.
Common Greens bus and the Mobile Market
On another front, this past Friday July 31st, Common Greens, the
mobile market and partnership between the Green Teen Community
Gardening Program and Common Ground Farm, officially kicked
off. With activities like the “Go Green Pledge” and “Taste and Chews”,
Green Teens staffed the produce booth, engaging customers, reporters as well as Congressman’s Hall’s office. In a brief downpour, the
teens, farmer Tim, Helanna Bratman and Lisa Jessup gave a brief
press conference to the soggy crowd. There was a statement read by
Representative Hall’s office as well as moving testimony from a senior
customer, Virginia, who expressed her gratitude for the types of food
we are bringing as well as her appreciation for the teens who work
the market. This was also the grand unveiling of the newly tricked out
bus—or veggie mobile. It was a pleasure working with local designer
Melissa Tatge who designed the bus and logo as well as Ken at Mixture
in Beacon for making and these decals and making them work on our
“seen better days” bus! Common Greens has been making two stops
in Beacon since July 10th and will run through the end of October.
(continued on next page)
Lastly, please mark your calendars for the Brunch in the Fields Saturday September 12th—it
was sold out last year so make sure to get your tics in advance! Also, we are looking for a coordinator for our annual Fall Harvest Dance, a great way to do work hours! If you are interested,
please contact me at [email protected]. This is an event that is a lot of
fun to work on!
And oh yeah, it rained a lot. Which at times has seemed very dire, but in reading this, we are still
managing to get a heckava lot done.
Peas, Lisa Jessup, Director
EDUCATION AT COMMON GROUND FARM
From the Education Director
Jen Clapp, [email protected]
Monarch butterflies are finally back! I keep searching the milkweed plants around the farm
for evidence of their eggs, caterpillars and chrysalises but no luck. Oh well, at least I know that
soon the sweet-smelling flowers will give way to thick green pods full of seeds, and then – magic!
– milkweed seeds burst out all over the place like stuffing from a mattress. Seems like there is
always something to look forward to on our farm.
Children’s Books
Each year, as our budget allows, I try to pick up a book or two to add to our small library of children’s garden and nature books. There are many books out there, but not so many that meet my
own personal criteria: good story (or at least readable text that is appropriate for kids), beautiful to look at, informative but not boring, large enough to share with a circle of children. Here
are a few of my favorite titles:
Tops and Bottoms, by Janet Stevens
Farm Animals, by Karen Wallace & Nicki Palin
And the Good Brown Earth, by Kathy Henderson
An Egg is Quiet, by Dianna Aston & Sylvia Long (wow, talk about beautiful…)
photos: Dana Devine O’Malley
If you would like to borrow any of these books feel free to contact me. If you have any lovely books
you would like to donate they are most welcome.
In July, chicken expert Sara Milonovich visited Common Ground Farm to teach a workshop about raising
chickens. Folks who attended learned all the basics of keeping their own backyard flock (a big thanks to
the farmers’ chickens for being willing assistants)!
WORKSHOP AND CLASS SCHEDULE
To register for any of the classes listed below, or for more information: Call (845)838-1822 or
email [email protected]. Also check out www.commongroundfarm.org
for more info.
Summer Program for Kids ages 5 – 9
Summer is a time for fun, sun and exploration! It is also a bounteous time in the garden, with
lots of fresh foods to taste. Each day we will spend some time working in the children’s garden, visiting the chickens, and seeking out something delicious to eat. We will make stepping
stones, sun prints, a farm journal, ice cream, we’ll visit the pond and woods, and have oldfashioned fun with scavenger hunts, cooking, campfires, and keeping cool in the sprinkler.
Final session: August 25 - 28
Tuesday through Friday, 9am to 12:30pm
Cost: $110 per week, CGF members, $125 per week, non-members
Upcoming Adult Workshops
Please pre-register by calling or emailing Jen Clapp: (845) 838-1822 or [email protected].
Fall Garden Clean-up
Date: Saturday, September 19 at 10:30am
Cost: $10 CGF members, $15 nonmembers
Location: Beacon home (details upon registration)
Master gardener Jen Stengle returns to share her encyclopedic knowledge of all things Plant,
this time with a focus on fall garden clean up and preparation for winter. Learn all you need
to know about keeping your gardens healthy and strong through the winter, including how
and when to divide perennials.
A couple weeks ago, folks gathered at the home of member Lee Ann
Pomplas to learn the basics of canning, pickling and lacto-fermentation
(a traditional technique for pickling). Everyone learned how to preserve
our harvest for long storage, and we all worked together to make pickled
beets (see photo at left) and pickled turnips. Below is a simple recipe for
lacto-fermented green beans, which is an easy introduction to a great
method of preservation. They are delicious when they are done (really,
they are, as everyone at the workshop can attest to!), with a yummy,
sharp, briny flavor and the nutritional value of the raw bean intact.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
LACTO-FERMENTED GREEN BEANS
Green beans or yellow beans, washed well
Sea salt
Spices—anything you want, I often do garlic, peppercorns, dill
Any size jar (depends on amount of beans)
Wash jar in hot soapy water, and then fill with boiling water for a few minutes and empty.
This is to sterilize the jar(s). Alternately, put through a cycle in the dishwasher.
Put spices in bottom of jar, then pack beans tightly into jar.
Make a brine by mixing 1-2 tablespoons of sea salt per one quart of water.
Pour brine into the jar(s) and cover lightly with lid. The beans need to be submerged comletely in the brine.
Store at room temperature, for up to a week or two. During the process of fermentation,
the brine will bubble indicating that fermentation is happening and the brine will get
cloudy. These are good things! I often put my jars in a dish in case they bubble over.
Taste every few days to see if the raw taste is gone and the beans have softened and taste
tart and pickle-y. They are done when they taste right to you, it really is a matter of taste.
When ready, put jar in fridge, and they will last for months.
RECIPE IDEAS for the harvest
The recipes this month are from member Anne Dailey; She is the founder of Hudson Valley Real
Food, a group committed to supporting local food and sustainable farms which also acts as
a food buying club and resource for information on real food and traditional nutrition. Check
out www.hvrealfood.com for more information or email [email protected]
Baba Ghanoush
Ingredients
3-4 medium sized eggplants
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup tahini
juice from 2 lemons
salt and pepper to taste
Method
1. Remove stems from eggplants and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil to coat. Roast whole at 350F for
45 minutes, until soft.
2. Combine eggplants, tahini, remaining olive oil, and lemon juice in a food processor, and
blend until smooth.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with toasted pita bread, sliced carrots or spread on a sandwich.
Check this out for inspiration!
“101 Simple Salads for the Season,” by Mark Bittman in the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=101%20salad%20recipes&st=cse
Mashed Potatoes with Cabbage
This is based on the classic Irish dish, Colcannon.
Ingredients
2 lbs new potatoes, skins on, cut into chunks
2 cups sliced cabbage
1/4 cup (or a bit less) white wine
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup sour cream or creme fraiche
salt and pepper
fresh chives (optional)
Method
1. Add potatoes to a large saucepan and fill with water to cover. Bring to a boil, and then
reduce to simmer. Allow potatoes to cook until easily pierced with a butter knife. Drain and set
aside.
2. While potatoes are cooking, saute cabbage in a medium sized skillet, with either butter or
olive oil for 2-3 minutes over medium heat until it begins to soften. Add white wine, cover, and
allow to cook slowly until the wine has nearly evaporated.
3. Add the butter to the potatoes and mash to desired consistency.
4. Combine mashed potatoes, sour cream or creme fraiche and sauteed cabbage and stir to
blend.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste and fresh minced chives if desired.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Green Beans with Tarragon
serves 4 as a side dish
Ingredients
3 handfuls green beans
fresh tarragon, chopped
(continued on next page)
1-2 Tbsp butter (you can substitute extra virgin olive oil, or coconut oil)
salt and pepper to taste
Method
1. Snip the stems of green beans and cut into 2 inch pieces
2. Steam beans until just done - they should still be bright green and have a bit of snap to them!
3. While beans are still warm, mix with chopped tarragon (you can change amount depending
on your taste), butter, salt and pepper. The butter will melt as you stir.
Note: This dish is best if you allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes so the flavors can meld.
Preserving the harvest
This is an ongoing series exploring the different ways to preserve our harvest of veggies for
enjoyment year-round. Many members are interested in what to do with all the leftovers, so
we hope that this will help! In this second article in the series, CGF member Bonny Carmicino
continues the discussion of freezing vegetables.
What I Wish I Had Known My First Year At The Farm
Part II: Overwhelmed by Abundance
Hello everyone. After last month’s discussion of how to get a freezer, now we’re ready to start
putting things in it! This month, I’m going to talk about easy-to-preserve foods.
Let’s focus on simplicity here. There are foods that need to be blanched or precooked before
freezing, but there are others that don’t. (Blanching and precooking reduce enzymatic
activity that leads to nutritional loss and off-flavors. For more information on blanching and
precooking, check out http://www.gardenguides.com/how-to/tipstechniques/vegetables/
freezing.asp or your favorite traditional cookbook.) Cookbooks sometimes list the “exceptions”, but stop short of telling how easy these “exceptions” are to freeze. For example, my
favorite easy-to-freeze food is the tomato. When you’ve done your farm pick-up, and you’re
looking at a pile of beautiful organic tomatoes that you know you will not be able to consume
in a week, pick out some nice-looking ones (avoid ones with part you will need to cut out later),
and set them in the freezer... the end. Once they are frozen solid, you can corral them in a bag
or container if you like. Or you can just let them knock around the little corners of your freezer.
Then, when fresh tomatoes are a mere memory, get one out of the freezer. Leave it sitting on
the counter for about a half hour (or run it under warm water for a few minutes if you are in
a hurry). The skin will slide right off. (Tomato skins get tough when frozen; you will want to
remove them.) Core, chop, and add to your favorite cooked tomato dish. It is really that easy.
Previously frozen tomatoes will be mushy if you use them raw; you will be disappointed if you
slice them on a sandwich or use them in a salad. However, for any dish that is heated, they will
be lovely. Think minestrone soup, shrimp scampi, or fresh tomato sauce in February!
You might be wondering why you’re told not to refrigerate tomatoes, but I am telling you to
freeze them. This is the deal: There is flavor loss when tomatoes are cooled. If you are talking
a day or two on the counter vs. a day or two in the fridge, leave them on the counter. But when
you are talking six months in the freezer, the ability to preserve the food outweighs the loss in
flavor. They will still taste a whole lot better than the “tomatoes” available in the supermarket
in February.
My second favorite food to freeze is the green pepper. Take the peppers and prep them for
your favorite dishes. For example, remove seeds and membranes and cut in strips for stirfries, in chunks for sweet and sour sauce, or however else you like them. Package and freeze.
(continued on next page)
To use, take out however many you want and add to your dish. Again, they won’t make good
raw green pepper strips, but they will retain a surprising amount of crispness in sautéed peppers and onions. Similarly, you can mince Jalapeño peppers and put them right in the freezer.
Minced, they are even fine in raw dishes. I forget how much one Jalapeño pepper looks like when
it is minced, so I mince one, measure it, then package in one-pepper-sized units. Ice cube trays
with sliding tops on them work really well for this.
Onions are another easy-to-freeze food. You just chop or mince, package, and freeze. Sweet
onions (Walla Wallas and Videlias) don’t keep well at room temperature or in the refrigerator,
so freezing is a good choice if you have extras of them.
Zucchini also freezes well. There is some debate over whether it should be cooked first, but I have
had good results grating it in a food processor, then freezing it in pre-measured portions for use
in zucchini bread or soups.
Freezing is also a good option if you are not yet ready to learn to can, if you are uncertain about
acidity level and the need for pressure canning, or if you just don’t want to bother getting out
your canner. As a general rule, foods that are fully cooked and have a high water content will
freeze well. Foods high in fat content (and lower in water content) do not keep as well in the
freezer. When you are overwhelmed by some type of food, cook up a batch of a favorite recipe
and freeze the leftovers in single-use portions. I delighted in last year’s eggplant bonanza with
Szechuan Eggplant. When cucumbers are ripe, be ready to make freezer pickles.
In the fall, if you get a fruit share and find yourself with more fresh cider than you can drink,
just plop jugs in your freezer (be sure there is some air space at the top for it to expand when it
freezes). When you are ready for fresh cider, put a jug in your refrigerator and let it defrost for a
couple of days.
Moving beyond the freezer, there are some foods that dry really nicely. One is hot peppers. Put
them in a bowl or colander on your kitchen counter and let them sit there. Give them a shake
every several days, and pick out any that are molding or getting soggy rather than drying. This
doesn’t work for the thicker-skinned peppers such as Jalapeño or the round, orangey-yellow
Habaneros, but it works great for a variety of the small, narrow peppers.
photo: Dana Devine O’Malley
Next month I will complete this series with a discussion of packaging options and methods for
storing foods.
Garlic drying and curing on racks.
If you have any questions or comments about the newsletter, please let me know! Email me, Lee
Ann Pomplas at [email protected].
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Work Hours Announcement: There has been much confusion about our work hours policy
this season. Please note that for the rest of the season, regardless of what the sign up sheet says,
if you are signed up to work on a harvest morning you may do so anytime between 8am and
Noon. Depending on the day, you may or may not be harvesting, but we will put you to work
somehow.
We could use a scale! If you have an extra scale meant to weigh people, we could use it to
weigh our potato harvest coming in from the fields. We could also use a few more box fans for
the Greenhouse Curing Season, and we can always use good 2x4’s. Call Tim at 517.775.3134 if
you have any questions. Thanks!
COMMON GROUND FARM IN THE DIGITAL WORLD!
• Check us out! You can see the Farm’s Twitter page at: http://twitter.com/cgfarm. Folks who are logged into Twitter
can then “Follow” us on Twitter by clicking the button under our logo.
• ALSO, on Facebook, search for Common Ground Farm and become a Fan!
• See a recent article featuring CGF in the Valley Table online:
http://www.valleytable.com/pdfs/Working%20toward%20a%20win-win.pdf
• AND, as always, visit us on our website, www.commongroundfam.org.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
C ommon Ground “sing around the campfire”
Friday, August 21st
6pm
Common Ground Farm
also on the following Friday:
September 18
Chris Ruhe will be the singing host, with guitar and song-sheets featuring old chestnuts that
generations have loved. Anyone can bring other musical or percussion instruments; adults and
children can share stories, too. Bring your bug repellent and singing voices. The singing will
start around 6:00 on Fridays, at the end of the distribution of the physical food. Bring a potluck
dish if you wish and then some spirit food will be served, musically. See you there!
second annual brunch in the fields
Saturday, September 12th
(rain date Sunday, September 13th)
photo: Dana Devine O’Malley
Join us for the second annual Brunch in the Fields. It will take place in our fields just like last year.
Please look for details to follow on our website and at distribution. It is a wonderful event where
you get the chance to eat local foods and enjoy the wonderful scenery of our farm!
Straw flowers in the field, yay flowers! yay bee!
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