NO FARM SHARES THIS YEAR

Sweet Morning is not offering farm shares this year. Moving ahead from the pandemic and now that the farm has changed into a one-woman operation, there are many changes taking place. I look forward to creating a new vision of the farm. One thing that remains the same is my dedication to and enjoyment of growing and sharing nutritious, delicious and beautiful vegetables, fruit and flowers! Stop by the farm stand and see what's available.

FARM STAND UPDATE - November 2021

                          

November 2021 - One thing the past two years have taught us all is to be flexible. Once again, our farm stand has evolved. The farm stand is now in a new building, funded in part by an award from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.  We are so grateful to have a winter-proof building available all year round.   Stop by anytime between 12:00 PM and 5:00 PM and choose what you would like. We always have eggs and meat and some type of vegetables. Right now the vegetable choices include Brussels sprouts, onions, potatoes, cabbage, sweet potatoes, leeks, winter radishes, radicchio, kale, mustard greens and chard. Other items will be added as they are available.  The stand is still evolving; inside lights were added just yesterday and more improvements will be forthcoming.  If you have suggestions, let us know!

We encourage you to follow basic safety guidelines, for your health and ours.  Unless you are alone, please wear a mask while shopping inside the stand.

We have a good steady supply of storage vegetables, eggs, pork, and beef.
We check the stand daily and stock as needed.  If you have special requests (a certain cut of meat, a large amount of a vegetable, pick up at a special time, need to use an EBT or credit card, etc.)

To find out what has recently been stocked in the stand, SIGN UP to receive emails about new items and changes.  We welcome your ideas and we are very glad to share our produce with you.  We wish you health and happiness!

BASIC INFORMATION:

• One customer/household at a time.
• Winter hours are 12:00 - 5:00.
• Call or email if you need assistance.
• Pay by check, cash, venmo ("sweetmorning"), credit card, or EBT card.  We need to be present at the stand in order to process cards and to process HIP, so it is best to call or email ahead to set that up.
• If you are unfamiliar with HIP, it is a terrific program to get fresh food to people without reducing your EBT monies.  More information is available HERE or just ask us.  You can get HIP for all vegetables.  EBT can be used for meat and eggs as well.
• Email is the easiest way to contact us in general. sweetmorningfarm@gmail.com

We encourage you to consider buying farm credit.  Spend $100 and receive a $105 credit to use towards any of our products.  Keep track of your balance as you use your credit. 

We currently have steady supplies of eggs, pork, and beef.  If you want particular cuts of meat, get in touch via email and we'll get it ready and let you know when it is ready to be picked up.  Bear in mind that that process may take us a day or two.

We aim to serve you and keep everyone healthy.  If you have any suggestions on how we can do better, please let us know.

Thank you so much!

Laura Timmerman &

Robin Creamer 

Sweet Morning Farm, LLC
910 Greenfield Rd
Leyden, MA 01337
413-773-8325
sweetmorningfarm@gmail.com

Farm Blog/Website

Facebook

Instagram

A NEW YEAR, A FRESH START

PLANNING & RESTING

It's a cold and snowy winter day.  Our farming activities are focused on caring for the animals (pigs, cows, chickens, cats, rabbit, wild birds), looking back and looking ahead, resting, dreaming, and planning.  Seed planting has begun in a small way.  We're warming up for the spring!  

FARM STAND

This winter we've been offering vegetables, eggs, and meat at our open-air farm stand.  The stand runs on a pre-order system.  We send an email twice a week listing what we have available and people place orders to be picked up on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  Send us a message if you are interested.  sweetmorningfarm@gmail.com

Once the weather is warmer we'll go back to stocking the stand continuously and people will be able to stop by at their convenience.  For now, anything we leave in the stand is at risk of freezing, hence the pre-order system.  We are hoping to be able to build a larger, stronger, weather-proof, year-round stand later in the spring.  We'll keep you posted about that.

NEW GREENHOUSE

We are very grateful to have been awarded a Food Security Infrastructure Grant from the state of Massachusetts.  This will enable to to build a second high tunnel almost twice as large as our current tunnel.  We're so glad that we'll be able to grow more food for our community.

NO FARM SHARES THIS YEAR

We have decided to focus on our farm stand here in Leyden and selling at farmers' markets this year.  So no CSA in 2021 but we are planning on keeping the farm stand well stocked with the vegetables you have enjoy in your shares from previous years.  Look for bok choy, spinach, carrots, radishes, mesclun and lots more this spring.  In the meantime, enjoy the snow and quiet time.  Stay healthy and warm!

FARM SHARES are BACK

The biggest news around here is that we decided to offer farm shares this year.
In the winter we had decided to focus on farmers' markets this year but life and our plans have changed!

So the shares are back on for 2020.

We are happy about it because we have the food and want to share it with people and feel confident we can do that safely.  We also found it very hard to let go of the shares so now we get a reprieve from that tough decision. 

There's more information about the shares at the 'farm share' page of this blog and you can see pictures of past shares at the 'what's in my share?' page.

Someone asked us recently about what we grow for the shares.  We made a list and you can see that we like growing vegetables and we like sharing them with people.  Here is an incomplete list of what we are growing in 2020. 
(Really, there are other things we also growing!) 

Greens - kale, chard, escarole, mustard greens, collards, calalloo, Malabar spinach, New Zealand spinach

Asian greens - bok choy, napa, pak choy, bekana

Salad - mesclun, head lettuce, arugula, radicchio, pea shoots

Roots - carrots, beets, salad turnips, radishes, winter radishes, rutabagas, parsnips, onions, daikons

Alliums - red onions, yellow onions, sweet onions, leeks, scallions, Asian onions

Legumes - beans (several colors and types), soybeans, snap peas

Herbs - parsley, dill, cilantro, chervil, basil, cutting celery

Fruits - summer squash, winter squash, cucumbers, pickling cukes, sweet and hot peppers, eggplant, tomatoes (many kinds), ground cherries, tomatillos

Brassicas - cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, Asian broccoli, Brussels sprouts

Other - fennel, celery

Flowers - too many to mention

We just like growing things!

Farm Stand - May 1, 2020

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

We will no longer be posting what we stock at the farm stand on this blog.  If you want to know what and when we stock, sign up for our EMAIL LIST.

5/1/20

Hello, people,

We stocked the stand with sorrel, radishes, pea shoots, mesclun, and arugula.  We will pick spinach tomorrow morning.

Pea shoots taste like peas and can be used fresh or cooked.  They are a nice addition to a stir fry or use instead of lettuce in a sandwich.

We picked lots of radishes today so enjoy them!  Remember that the radish tops are edible, tasty and nutritious.  Add them to eggs, soup, stir fry or whatever you like.  When violets are in bloom, we like to make a salad with sliced radishes, chunks of cucumber, chopped chives or scallions, and violets, dressed with oil and lemon juice.  It's delicious and pretty.  What do you like to make with radishes?

Remember, we decided that in order to simplify our system, we will no longer post what we stock at the blog.  We'll just send an email. 

Enjoy the first day of May and the flowers to come.

We wish you continued good health,

Robin & Laura 

Sweet Morning Farm, LLC
910 Greenfield Rd
Leyden, MA 01337
413-773-8325
sweetmorningfarm@gmail.com

Farm Blog/Website

Facebook

Instagram

April 24 update

Greens are all gone!

We sure wish we had more for you.
Hopefully the harvest will pick up soon.

We'll stock more parsnips and meat tomorrow.

There should be more radishes next week.
And the pea shoots are looking great and really close to being ready!

We planted more lettuce, chard, and kale in the garden this week...

Farm Stand - April 24, 2020

We picked and prepped some green and red things for you today.

Added to the stand:
10 bags spinach
3 bags mesclun
4 bunches of radishes!
Quantities of vegetables are still pretty small but they taste good.

There are plenty of eggs, parsnips, pork and beef.
Email if you want a special cut of meat.

9:00 - 6:00
1 customer at a time
Cards or checks only, call us to use a credit or EBT card
Sanitize your hands before using the stand.

By the way, you can get HIP awards (Healthy Incentive Program) at our stand for the vegetables.  Email or call for more information.

Farm Stand April 21, 2020

We just put 7 more bags of spinach in the farm stand.

That's it for greens this week until the weekend.

Spinach, Tokyo bekana, arugula, snap peas, radishes and mesclun are sprouting in the garden but remember, good things take time.

We have LOTS of eggs and lots of pork and beef.

9:00 - 6:00
One customer at a time.
Sanitize your hand before using the stand.
Credit cards, EBT cards, or checks only.
No cash, please.
Call the farm to use a card.

Plants are $3.00 each.  So far there is just cilantro and catnip but there will be more in the future.

Let's all stay safe and healthy!

Farm Stand April 17, 2020

We picked spinach, mesclun, claytonia, arugula, sorrel, leaf fennel, and cilantro for you.  Mostly there is spinach.  That is in good supply.  There are parsnips and there will be for the next week or so but their season will be ending soon.  Thank you, parsnips!

As usual, there are lots of eggs and meat cuts.

If you want a particular cut of pork or beef, you would like a pork bundle, email us and Robin will help you.

Thanks, everyone for your support of our little farm stand.  And for patience as the crops start up here in the spring.  We've got lots of things planted and it looks like there will be pea shoots and radishes soon, hopefully next weekend.  The spinach looks nice in the high tunnel and we are happy to share it with you!  Our greens eating has included some of what we grow but also what we can gather like dandelions and ramps. (Sustainably harvested, of course!)  Soon there will be some nettles ready to pick.  Do you harvest any wild greens?

Be well, keep fighting for the health of us all!

April 13, 2020

It's a rainy day!

We are out of greens for a few days.
We have plenty of parsnips, eggs, pork and beef and will re-stock as needed.

If you want a particular cut of beef or pork, or would like a pork bundle, get in touch and we'll get that ready for you.

PLEASE FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES TO ENSURE EVERYONE'S SAFETY:

• One customer at a time.
• Please sanitize your hands before entering the farm stand.
• Hours are 9-6.
• If you see us around, feel free to wave and shout, but please don't try to find us for any reason.  Call or email if you need assistance.
• Payment by card or check is preferred.  We can take credit cards and EBT cards over the phone.  NO CASH PLEASE
• Email is the easiest way to contact us in general. sweetmorningfarm@gmail.com
• HIP is available for vegetables!

We will sanitize and restock a couple times a day.

It's hard to wait for the spring bounty of vegetables but we are working hard to grow lots of good food for you all.

April 11, 2020

We just added 7 more bags of spinach.
That's it for greens for at least a few days but there are lots of eggs, including white ones, parsnips, pork, and beef.

The canopy has been replaced.  Let's hope this one can handle the wind and rain!

The stand is open 9:00 - 6:00.
We sanitize for opening, in the afternoon, and again at closing.
Please remember to follow our safety guidelines (posted at the stand).

Thank you all for your support and consideration.
Together we will get through this challenging time.
Wishing you health and joy,
Your farmers at Sweet Morning Farm

Farm Stand - April 10, 2020

We just put out 12 bags spinach, 4 bags of mesclun, 2 bunches of cilantro, and 8 bags of parsnips.  There are lots of eggs, pork, and beef as well.

There are several dozen all-white eggs, for decorating fun.  Keep in mind that fresh eggs will hard boil but can be very difficult to peel.  

The trick is to steam your hard cooked eggs instead of boiling them.  

Then they peel just fine!

Happy Easter to all who celebrate it.

Happy Weekend to everyone!

Farm Stand update - April 9, 2020

Oops!  It is so rainy and windy today that the canopy over the stand broke down.

We'll fix that up tomorrow when the rain and wind stops and we will also be re-stocking it at that time.  We'll let you know when the stand is safe and stocked for visitors again.

April 7, 2020 in the farm stand

OPEN AIR FARM STAND

One person at a time.
Use hand sanitizer before you use the stand.
No cash please.  Checks or credit cards are fine.
Open 9:00 - 6:00.

Parsnips
Claytonia
Sorrel
Eggs
Pork
Beef

Pork Bundles

We are now offering 20lb pork bundles for $200

This is sort of a happy medium between purchasing a whole hog vs. buying a pound or two at a time.

How it works:  contact us and we'll give you a list of available cuts.   Let us know what you like best, and we'll put together a 20lb mixed bag based on your preferences.  

Most cuts are in stock now, so get in touch to order any time!

2018 in PICTURES

We had a busy year, tried some new endeavors and made new friends.  It was a good year full of food, flowers, family, and friends.  We are looking forward to 2019 and 

wish you a very happy new year!

These pictures show just a few of our activities and joys of 2018.

Spinach in the high tunnel.  Winter magic.

Althea, our newest and youngest kitty.

The Gator (a big help on the farm) and one of our Angora rabbits.

Meatball the rabbit

Robin with three of our young pigs.  We really enjoy raising pigs. 

Lots of love in our family for this little girl.  And she loves her da-da.

Our newest farm animals - cows!

Ruth with George and Rocky.

We had pretty nice summer squash this year.

Chloe learning to climb stairs.

This green daffodil popped up in the yard!

Duroc pigs

This year was the first time this apple tree bloomed.  Sadly, no fruit this year but we look forward to crops in the future.  (NIEDZWETZKYANA planted 2015)

Nice turnips, including a new variety, Violet Queen.

R & R enjoying R & R

There was logging around here this year, creating new growing space for vegetables, fruit, and pig.  And and more sunlight and sky!

Chinese Forget-Me-Nots - a new flower and so pretty.

Milo

We won first prize for our farm share at the Franklin County Fair.  Golly.

A typical late summer share.

A volunteer in the garden - datura

Bitter Melons - We've been enjoying learning about, growing, and eating them.

A big early fall share.

Pac choy - This was a new crop for us and we will definitely grow more next year.

Gladioli!  An experiment this year with a happy outcome.

Winter squash did well this year.

A new fun crop, Extra Dwarf Pak Choy.  More coming in 2019.

We've been working on the perennial flower beds (thank you, Ruth!) and adding new plants as we are able.  These are chrysanthemums.

Our growing family

We raised some ducks in the summer.  Highly entertaining!

Shelburne Falls Farmers' Market

Blue Laced Wyandotte rooster

Farm Visitors

More farm visitors

Bigfoot

Last share of the season, # 20.

Our youngest flower fan.