I recently attended my favorite yearly farm gathering, the Young Farmers Conference at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in NY.  The conference is a great opportunity to meet and chat with new and aspiring farmers to share farming stories, struggles, insights, and tricks of the trade.   While at the conference, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by NPR.  Check out the story here:  http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/12/12/143459793/who-are-the-young-farmers-of-generation-organic.

Winter Time Activities

Frost blanketed the fields this morning and the ground is just about frozen.  After a super mild fall, winter finally descends on the farm.   People often ask,  ”What do you do for the winter?”  Well, after a wonderful weeklong vacation to San Francisco (I tried surfing for the first time – brrrr cold, but fun!), it’s now time to hunker down for a year’s worth of record keeping, making a 2012 planting plan, ordering seeds, winter farm-improvement projects, and by February first, back in the greenhouse starting next spring’s seedlings.  The pace slows down, but farmers stay plenty busy in the winter too.

And, since October, Radix has been selling farm-fresh produce to Big Bear Cafe once a week.   If you want to enjoy a bit of Radix Farm’s bounty in the winter, stop by Big Bear for a tasty dinner.

2012 CSA Sign-Up

If you are interested in becoming a new CSA member for the 2012 season, send an email to radixfarm(at)gmail.com to get on the 2012 notification list.  Everyone on the list will receive information in February or March with details on how to join.  Members from the 2011 season have the opportunity to sign up first, then any open slots will be filled  on a first come, first served basis according to the directions in the notification email.     General information on the CSA is available now in the  CSA tab.

Happy Holidays!!

- Kristin

First, a few thanks . . . 

This Friday, November 4th, is the last CSA delivery of the regular season.  October just flew by – I can’t believe the year is over already.  Thanks so much to all the CSA members for your support and for making this another great year.

A special thanks to the Radix Farm interns, Genevieve and Mo.  These two dedicated, amazing farmers worked hard with me throughout the season harvesting and weeding and planting and talking farm-talk all day long.   Hooray for new farmers!

And finally, thanks to everyone who volunteered throughout the season – your assistance and company greatly contributed to a successful season at Radix Farm.

Thanksgiving Week Share

I will likely be able to offer a special Thanksgiving Week Share (depending on the crop availability).  If you’ll be in town for Thanksgiving and need to whip up a delicious feast, you can purchase a share of  local, seasonal, and organically grown produce from Radix Farm to make your holiday meal shine.    I’ll post more details next week, but I will deliver shares on Monday, November 21st, each share costs $30, and will probably include cabbage, cooking greens, salad greens, sweet potatoes, garlic, turnips, and radishes.  Depending on availability and interest from current members, this offer will be open to non-members as well.  If interested, email radixfarm(at)gmail.com.

Sweet Potatoes

Once again, we harvested a bumper crop of sweet potatoes, bringing in nearly a ton of the beautiful orange tuberous roots. Sweet potatoes are often said to be a super-food.  They have huge amounts of Vitamin A and C, as well as Vitamin B6, Potassium, Manganese, Copper and are good source of dietary fiber.  Plus, they are totally delicious cooked sweet or savory, breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Yup, for breakfast too.  Try having a baked (or microwaved to save time) sweet potato with butter and a dash of cinnamon to get you going in the morning.

A quick note to my CSA members: don’t feel overwhelmed with the amount of sweet potatoes you received in the share.  Sweet potatoes should store well throughout the winter.  Try to keep them near 55 degrees and in a dark, dry place.

Sweet Potatoes for Sale

Contact me if would like to purchase sweet potatoes in bulk (minimum amounts apply).  Discounts for purchases of one or more cases (30 pounds/case).   The variety is Covington, with rose color skin and orange flesh.

And check out this link http://www.ncsweetpotatoes.com/sweet-potato-recipes/ for TONS of sweet potato recipe ideas.

Happy Eating,

Farmer Kristin

I’ve been meaning to post photos for a long time.  Finally, here’s a look at the last month of farming at Radix.

Ahh, remembering the season’s tomato bounty.

Genevieve in the field picking beans.

Fall seedlings (lettuce and fennel) waiting to be transplanted.

Radicchio and fennel in the field.  Head lettuce ready to be transplanted.

Same radicchio/lettuce bed on Thursday afternoon after 9 inches of rain.  The raised beds seem to help a bit, but the shear volume of water challenges the plant roots ability to breathe.

Thursday, 9/8, a new stream forms across the field, through the fall kale planting. 

The mini-stream has since dried, and though it took out a section of the kale planting, the rest of the row is doing well.

As Fall Approaches

Fall is just around the corner.  On the farm that means a major harvesting effort to get the potatoes and sweet potatoes in, garlic planting in October, and general clean up pulling in the irrigation systems, tomato stakes, ground cover, and more.   Fall also brings beautiful cooler weather and amazing scenery as the farm turns from every shade of green to an amazing array of autumn beauty.  What better time to volunteer for a few hours while taking in the sights and sounds of fall?

Volunteering on the Farm

Any morning or afternoon during the week generally works for volunteering, with Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays best.  For weekend volunteering, potential Saturday mornings available are September 17th, October 1st, October 8th, and/or October 29th.  If you would like to volunteer any weekday or any of the Saturday morning listed, call or email to confirm the time/date.

Happy Eating

- Kristin

Enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend at Radix Farm.  Come on out and volunteer on Saturday and help with weeding, transplanting, and harvesting.    Volunteer hours for July 9 are from 9:00am  to 12:00pm (please arrive at 8:45am to get set up).  Volunteers can take home veggies in exchange for the day’s labor.  To sign-up, email Kristin at radixfarm(at)gmail.com.

Radix Farm Produce Available at the New South West Waterfront Market

Radix Farm is selling produce through the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture at the
SW Waterfront Farmer’s Market at the Wharf every Thursday this summer from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm. The market is located at the corner of Water and 7th Street SW, just a short walk from the SW Waterfront Metro and the Maine Avenue Fish Market.  Radix Farm’s produce is for sale at the stand with produce from Arcadia Farms and a few of DC’s urban farms.   The Wharf also hosts stands with prepared foods, baked goods, charcuterie and is the only market in DC to sell beer.  Check it out (and mention you’re looking for Radix’s produce).

Glimpses of the CSA Pick-Up

The pick-ups are one of my favorite parts of farming, giving me the chance to meet and chat with members.  What a great crew of members this year!

Here’s Jean, so happy with his kohlrabi

Members bagging their shares at the Mt. Pleasant pick-up.

Happy Eating!

– Kristin

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The CSA is now full.  Thanks for all of your inquiries.  If you are intersted in signing up for the 2012 season, email radixfarm(at)gmail.com and you’ll receive membership information this winter.  Thanks!

Tuesday’s delivery to Mt.Pleasant was a success – perfect attendance by the members and a sizeable share including kale, lettuce, chard, garlic scallions, kohlrabi or radishes, and seedlings.   It was a pleasure meeting everyone at the pick-up!!

Thanks to everyone who signed up for a CSA share with Radix Farm.  We have sold all the shares (40 members this year!) and are no longer accepting new members for the 2011 CSA season.   If you would like to receive notification about next year’s CSA, email radixfarm(at)gmail.com and we’ll send you sign-up information next winter.

Crop Update

The potato crop looks amazing this year.  With 900 row feet planted, if all goes well, you can expect delicious and tender white, pink, and blue potatoes throughout the season.

Potato Plants

Over the past week or so, we transplanted the first round of tomatoes.  After months of being babied in the greenhouse, I hardened them off for a week or two outside, and they are now adapting nicely to their new environment.  Round two will be planted in about two weeks.

Tomato Plants

And in other exciting news – After much research and deliberation, I have finally purchased a new Grillo 107d walk-behind, or two-wheel, tractor.   Manufactured in Italy, Grillo tractors, along with BCS, are the machines of choice for many farms under 5 acres.   They can run over 40 different implements.  So far I have the tiller attachment and the rotary plow, and someday I hope to get a flail mower.   Ready for the most exciting part?  The tractor runs on biodiesel! Hooray for no gas guzzling.  And Sprout seems to like it too.

Grillo Walk-Behind Tractor and Sprout

There are only three more CSA memberships available for the Friday pick-up in Capitol Hill - so send your enrollment forms in soon to secure your space (see  below for sign-up details).  The Mt. Pleasant CSA pick-up site is now full and we are not accepting any new members for this season;  a big thanks to all my returning members and welcome to new members!  

Anyone who would like to be notified when shares go on sale for the 2012 season should email radixfarm(at)gmail.com and ask to be added to the 2012 notification list.

Field Update

I am pleased to report that the spring planting is going smoothly.  The deer and groundhogs have been kind to the collards, kale and cabbage seedlings, the sugar snap peas have sprouted, and the deep green garlic leaves are popping through the field of mulch, just waiting to send up their scapes in June.

The past week of near perfect weather gave me many opportunities to transplant young chard and lettuce seedlings and tractor about, incorporating cover crops to get the fields ready for future planting.   The tomatoes will be planted into what was a patch of hairy vetch, a cover crop planted for its nitrogen fixing capabilities and beneficial effects on succeeding crops.  Hopefully you can come to the farm sometime this season to see all the cover crops and food crops in action.

The 2011 growing season is officially here, so don’t miss your opportunity to eat fresh, local, and organically grown produce all season.

Sign up for your CSA share Now!

2011 CSA Details

Radix Farm CSA memberships for the 2011 season are on sale now and available until each pick-up site is full. New CSA memberships will be sold in the order in which we receive applications.  Radix Farm CSA shares for the 2011 season cost $625 for 22 weeks of fresh produce, including delivery.  The 22 weekly deliveries will occur within a 24-week period between late May and mid November.

Radix Farm has two pick-up sites and might be able to offer limited on farm pick-ups.

1. Mt. Pleasant / Columbia Heights neighborhood on Tuesdays (roughly 5:30pm – 7pm pick up time)
2. Capitol Hill (near 10th St and North Carolina Ave SE) on Fridays ** (roughly 5:30pm – 7pm pick up time)
3. Group on-farm pick up, Upper Marlboro, MD on Fridays.  If Radix Farm is not delivering to your neighborhood, an on-farm pick up option might be available – please contact me if you have a group of shareholders that could pick up at the farm on Fridays.  Five share minimum per group, picked up by one person (person can alternate).

** Radix Farm requires a minimum number of members to sign up for the Capitol Hill site to continue delivery to the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The Farm reserves the right to cancel this drop at any time before May 1 with a full refund.

To find out more about the CSA and what to expect in your share, please check out the “CSA Overview and 2011 Details” tab and the “2010 CSA Shares” tab above.

How to Sign-Up: New Members

Step 1: Sign up begins on March 8th, and will continue until full.  To apply, email the 2011 Radix Farm CSA New Member Enrollment Form to radixfarm@gmail.com. Be sure to indicate your preferred pick-up site.

Step 2: I will respond to your email with one of three answers:

-       Welcome! You have a spot in the CSA – you have until  ______(Date) to mail in your check and CSA Shareholder Agreement.

-       You are on the wait list for your preferred site.  I will be back in touch.

-       Your preferred pick up site is not available.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Looking forward to a great season,

Kristin

Radix Farm in the Community

I will be speaking at Rooting DC this weekend, February 19th, with Vinnie Bevivino and Christian Melendez on “Seed Starting and Season Extension”.  Check it out – Rooting DC is a great Urban Gardening learning and sharing event.

Speaking of speaking . . . I was also privileged to speak at last weekend’sTEDx Manhattan: Changing the Way We Eat viewing party organized by Future Harvest – CASA.  The viewing party was a  live webcast of the TEDx Manhattan event –  big thinkers sharing big ideas about changing the way we eat on a systemic level, with intermissions of local farmers and foodies speaking to local concerns.  See a very nice blog post about my brief talk by Ibti of the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture here.

I will also be presenting with a panel of farmers on “How to Start and Manage a Community Supported Agriculture Program” at theAccokeek Foundation’s Center for Agricultural and Environmental Stewardship on March 3rd. If  you’re thinking about starting your own CSA, don’t miss this all day event.

CSA Shares

Check back soon for an update on process to purchase  CSA shares for 2011.  There is general info on CSA prices and what to expect in the CSA – Overview and 2011 Detail tab.

Seeds to Food

Can you believe that this table full of seeds will produce all the food for the CSA this season.  Truly amazing!

High Tunnel Building Project

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped with building!

Ahhh, a project planned and completed.  What a great feeling.

Enjoy the rest of winter, spring will be here in no time.

– Kristin

The CSA shares were fresh and plentiful throughout the season (check the 2010 CSA Shares tab to see what was in the shares each week).   Members received over 40 different crops of more than 100 varieties, plus early season seedlings and occasionally flowers.  The star performers this season were definitely spring kale, eggplant, summer squash, and sweet potatoes.  Each week the share included some form of garlic and 15 of the 22 shares included a salad mix (lettuce, arugula, and/or spicy mesclun mix).

2011 CSA Shares

CSA shares for the 2011 season will be available sometime in February or March.  If you are interested in joining the CSA, email radixfarm(at)gmail.com and I will put you on a notification list.  When the shares are available, I will email  everyone on the list with further instructions.  I will also post updates and instructions on this blog, so check back in mid-winter.

Other News

Part of the Farm’s mission  is to provide fresh and healthy food to all parts of the community.  We accomplished this not only by delivering weekly shares to the CSA members and selling at the Cheverly Farmer’s market and to DC restaurants, but also by donating fresh produce to various agencies and soup kitchens.  During 2010, Radix Farm donated 932 pounds of produce to: Melwood, Christ House, Martha’s Table, Bread for the City, Food and Friends, and Girls Rock DC.

Ah, and now, December brings time for a little rest.  I’ll be back at it full force in January though, drafting crop plans, ordering seeds, building things (a high tunnel), and lots more behind the scenes farm work.  Contact me throughout the winter if you have any questions, or if you’d like to volunteer in the spring or work for a share during the season.