Icey on the farm this morning. A few brave hens are still laying. We have faith that carrots, beets and onions are still growing strong below the frost line.

Happy Solstice every one! Let the light increase, so the veggies can grow!

The remains

When the market season ended the fields were still producing. The remains became a charity CSA to new parents and struggling farm friends.

More hens

Replaced the missing hens with 2 barred rocks and one more red. Even in this cold weather the hens continue to lay. 3 dzn in the last 4 days.

3 in, 3 out.
Our new RI reds were short term guests. I believe the new 12 week olds slipped through a hole in the cage the others couldn't, but need more.

CSA FAQ

How do you sign up?

Farmerrussell@gmail.com is my email.

Please make all checks payable to Edible Old Dominion LLC

and mail to

Edible Old Dominion

2006 Farrand St.

Richmond Va. 23231

In this economy, or any other, cash talks. Though we are happy to hear from everyone who is interested, we start counting the members when the checks start showing up. One membership is paid in full as of 12.01.2009. The plan is to have a total of 40 members this year.

If I want office delivery do all members need to be whole share members?

No. It's the member count that we are looking for, the amount of bags we will be bringing. Those bags can be whole or half shares.

What is included in an average bag?

The goal is to have on average about 25 to 30 dollars worth of produce for each whole share bag per week. The produce is selected from what we will be bringing to market that week. Member shares are pulled first. Some of you may have seen us at markets this past season with only peppers, or a few other oddities on the table. That is because the production that week was only enough for the members. Our final delivery this past season was 1lb of Mixed Greens, 2 bundles of brocc raab, 2 bundles of kale, 3 bundles of swiss chard, and 3 bundles of radishes. Our Chickens only begin to lay towards the end of the season, so next years members would also be getting a half dozen eggs with that same bag. Half shares are literally half. Half share members receive eggs every other week.

Are you organic?

No. Organic is a government certification that takes three years to obtain and can cost several hundred, to several thousand dollars, to maintain. We do use organic methods. We never use synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. My daughter runs through the fields on the farm. I want to be able to keep it that way.

Do you grow only Heirloom vegetables?

I wish. We are huge fans of biodiversity and use heirlooms whenever possible. The split this year will probably be 50 /50. Losing half of a tomato plants production can be hard when you are growing a couple in your backyard, when you have 800 plants of that variety it can bring you to your muddy knees.

2010 CSA

Howdy all!

Enrollment in the 2010 CSA has begun! The first half share was given as a wedding present in mid-September. Membership is limited to 40 or so members. Fresh local food introduced me to some amazing people last year. It is wonderful the experiences that can be had bringing real food to others’ tables. It would be great to expand every year, but the "C" in CSA is the important part. The connection to the community is paramount and keeps me from distributing solely to the restaurants and wholesale clubs. Last year I had the chance to establish a relationship with a business office and deliver directly. After years of sales I can appreciate the difficulty to get out to the local markets. If you can come up with four other members in your office (5 members total), I will be happy to deliver to you at work once a week. For everybody else, I will be at the following markets for pickup:

Bryan Park (North of the James), Tuesdays, 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Innsbrook, Thursdays, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Forest Hill Park (South of the James), Saturdays, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Community Supported Agriculture works a lot like buying bonds in a company. You buy in at the beginning of the season and receive dividends, or produce shares, throughout the season. The first shares this year will be available starting the first week of May and continue weekly through the third week of November. Each week your shares will consist of the current in-season produce for market, as well as some limited or specialty items that were not produced / picked in large enough quantity for market sales. In-season means there will not be tomatoes in May, arugula in July, nor blackberries in November. Some produce has a very long season, others a much shorter harvest window. I will be offering tips on preservation, and if there is enough interest, a canning party is always a ball.

Examples of this year's produce:

Early Spring

arugula mix

spicy greens mix

swiss chard

broccoli rabe

bok choi

radishes

beets

kale

carrots

peas

onions

herbs

Early Summer

tomatoes (possibly by late June)

peppers

eggplant

beans

salad mix

herbs

Mid Summer

squash (3 kinds of zucchini)

cucumbers (slicers and picklers)

melons

patty pan squash

tomatoes

peppers

eggplant

salad mix

herbs

beans

Late Summer

tomatoes

peppers

eggplant

okra

salad mix

herbs

beans

Fall

winter squash

tomatoes

peppers

eggplant

okra

herbs

swiss chard

broccoli rabe

bok choi

radishes

beets

kale

carrots

beans

THE TOMATO QUESTION

Tomatoes have taught me that one cannot live on heirlooms alone. Almost a third of the farm is dedicated, at one point or another, to love apples.

· Cherry tomatoes

There will be pints of cherries made up of the classics: sungolds, green zebras, oregon springs, wasipincon peaches, and either brown or black cherries.

· Beefsteaks

o Great White is a low-acid white beefsteak that is soft, delicate, meaty, and juicy.

o Red Pear is a large heirloom Old North Italian pear-shaped beefsteak.

o Hybrid beefsteak varieties will be grown, but only included in CSA members shares upon individual request.

· Paste tomatoes

o Black Plum is my all time favorite sauce tomato – perfect in my Eggplant Parmesan recipe.

o San Marzano Redorta are large roma paste tomatoes great for canning and sauces.

Half vs. Whole Shares

It is usually doubled when it comes to comparison. THERE WILL BE EGGS THIS YEAR, chickens willing and foxes staying away. Whole shares will get a half dozen every week, while half shares get a half dozen every other week. On rare occasions, whole share members receive the oddities that are less abundant. This past year, for example, whole share members got more eggplants.

COSTS AND DEADLINES

Whole shares = 500.00

Half shares = 275.00

50% due February 19

50% due March 19

No refunds after April 1

There is a 10% discount for returning members (you wonderful, patient souls!)

Office delivery is available with a minimum of 5 members.

The majority of produce will be grown in Louisa County.

Feel free to tell friends.

Please post any questions.

Just restocked the Rhode Island Reds with three from or friends over @ Eden Farms. We rest assured they will be safer then three we lost to a coon.

Preparing for Snow

With the first snow expected in a few days another half dozen bales of straw were spread out over next springs root crops.