It has been a beautiful spring week around here (albeit with rain a bit more often than we would prefer, but hey…). Our vegetable beds are greening up. More and more plants are getting out of the greenhouse and into the ground. There is still a traffic jam in the greenhouse (so many plants in the queu!) But things are moving in the right direction. We are really excited about the plants we have for sale this spring. Vegetable and herb gardeners – let us tell you why we are excited. Our starts for your garden are Certified Naturally Grown, just like everything we grow, which means they are grown using only biological and mineral inputs. We mix our own potting mix, using only ingredients that are approved for organic seedling production. They are started from seed here at our farm. Our plants are not root bound. These plants are simply healthier plants than those available from the large retailers that we know are more convenient for you shoppers. Additionally, recent news revealed that most plants sold at Lowes and Home Depot had residue on them of an agricultural pesticide that kills honeybees (neonicotinoids).  We obviously do not use any neonicotinoids but they are common in agriculture and we encourage all of you to seek out produce that is free from substances harmful to pollinators (like ours!) and also seek out garden plants that are pollinator friendly! (Lowes has announced that they will phase out the use of this pesticide on their plants…but not until 2019 and only if a “suitable replacement” is found. This does not fill us with optimism.) Additionally, we have chosen unique varieties of many of our crops that are best suited for growing in this lovely Virginia climate. These varieties aren’t found at the big-box retailers. We also innoculate our potting mix with beneficial bacteria (which allow an amazing synergy between plant roots and nutrients in the soil – getting the nutrients into the plant) and include local food-based compost in our potting mix. It is good stuff! This is only a partial list of ingredients. We will tell more in the future! Accordingly, we have our plants listed in our online-ordering for Market Share CSA members and… we will open up for on-farm plant sales starting this Saturday, April 25th! As of Wednesday afternoon, the front of the barn looks like the photo below, but it will be cleaned up in time for you to stop by and purchase plants this weekend. Labeled tables of plants will be outside our greenhouse (immediately facing the barn) for you to select from. Our customary honor-system cash box set up will be in the front bay of the barn (which will become the vegetable pick up area starting in May) for you to leave your payment (cash, check, or Market Share CSA balance). Self-serve Plant Sale hours: 9am – 5 pm. 7 days/week. Driving Directions to our farm: 9501 Deer Range Rd, Moseley VA 23120 – Take the Hull Street Road exit off of 288, West toward Amelia. Deer Range Road is directly off Hull Street (about 9 miles after the 288 exit) on the left after you pass Grange Hall Elementary. Turn Left onto Deer Range Rd, and we are at the very end of the road (1.5 miles). When you get to the cul-de-sac where the pavement ends, you are looking at our fields of vegetables and greenhouses. From the cul-de-sac, please travel on the middle driveway to arrive at our barn and greenhouse. Park in gravel spots in front of barn, which serves as the hub of all farm activities. Finally – promised recipe suggestions. Radishes: Try them roasted! Or simply slice and dip in salt. Or slice and spread a little butter on top and sprinkle salt on top. Or slice on top of a salad. Garlic Scallions — use like garlic and/or onions. Slice, saute in butter with salt, and serve with anything — any protein dish, pasta, stir fry…
Available for Market Share CSA members to choose from this week: Beets, Chard, Garlic Scallions, Kale (red russian), Microgreens, Spinach, Radishes…and Pepper Jelly, Fermented Jalapenos, naturally leavened Hearth Baked Bread. PLUS Plants: Basil, Parsley, Broccoli, Cabbage, Collards, Kale, Broccoli, Tomatoes, Eggplant.
2015 Market Share CSA Members: Reserve your selection online to pick up on Saturday, April 25 at our farm, at Good Health Herbs, or at the South of the James market. (Any vegetables remaining after CSA members choose their selection will be available at the SOJ market, along with transplants for your garden.) **Anyone may order select goods from us, when available, through Fall Line Farms, Richmond’s online farmers’ market. You can use discount code “broadfork” to earn a complimentary 6 month subscription.
AND – those of you wanting to sport our beautiful (and organic!) t-shirts and/or hoodies, you can now order them directly from the printer, in the size and color of your choosing! See our online shirt shop to place your order. We can’t wait to see you sporting these! Huge thanks, as always, to the talented Jennifer Strader for drawing the artwork for us.
Enjoy ~ Janet, Dan, and the rest of the Broadfork crew
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Farm Day is Saturday, May 9th! 1:00 – 5:00pm. Open Farm/Open Barn. Plant Sale. Guided Tour at 2:30. Apiary (honeybee hives) interpretation. Food samples featuring our veggies. Lemon/lavender popsicles for sale for the young and young at heart. Shop from our full selection of vegetable and herb transplants for your garden. Check out the new barn, featuring farm stand and CSA member pick up area, and join in a guided walking tour of our abundant vegetable farm in Chesterfield county to learn how we manage the soil and plants for optimum health, nutritional content, and overall deliciousness! Please plan to join us, and spread the word! {No fee for the tour. Family friendly. Please – no pets.}