Farm Happenings for July 1, 2020

For our every four week members who may just be joining us for the first time this week, welcome! You will want to check out the Farm Happenings from prior weeks to stay in the loop on all of the activity going on at the farm!

New this Week: Cucumbers (limited), Carrots (limited), Beets (limited), Chives, Specialty Basils, Spearmint, Uncured Garlic, and Lavender bunches (in the "Extras")

This Week at the Farm:

This week, we started having a few struggles with crops (which is not unusual on an organic farm). Unfortunately, the rain continued to miss the farm until last Thursday when we got steady rain for about an hour. That was not nearly enough of a drink for most crops, and so we will need to continue aggressively irrigating our high priority crops at this point. Perhaps we will get a storm or two this weekend in advance of the forecasted heat this coming week! More rain dances needed.

Regarding pests, we had a few struggles early in the week with many turnips being impacted by root maggots, and therefore, not included in the shares. This crop does much better for us in the fall after insect pressure declines. We also had some meadow voles snacking on the kohlrabi so there were limited quantities there. And finally, the most notable issue was the blossom end rot on our summer squash fruits. It's terribly disappointing when you have 100's of beautiful fruit on the plants, only to see the ends rotting and whole fruits dropping off. Just like in tomatoes, blossom end rot is due to a calcium deficiency caused, most frequently, by low moisture content in soil which prevents uptake of calcium by the plants' roots. While we get our squash back on track, quantities will be limited in our shares. We appreciate your patience (and rain dances)...

We'll also be including limited quantities of carrots, beets, broccoli, and broccolini in the shares in the coming weeks!

New Member Appreciation Event this Week!

Since we have received so much positive feedback from you all about our potted flower giveaway, we decided that there was no "thyme" like the present to start our next member appreciation event! This week, we will give each of our members a thyme plant in the hopes that you will have some "thyme" to reconnect with friends and family during this upcoming holiday week. Enjoy!

If you have any questions, please reach out to jodi@cherryvalleyorganics.com or to support@harvie.farm at any time. We're looking forward to a great season! And, thank you for being a farm share member this year!

Jodi, Emily, Annie, Allie, Heather, Bo, Meghan, Nicole, and Vanessa

The CVO Team

Cherry Valley Organics began in 2001 as a USDA certified organic farm, producing a high diversity of agricultural products, including vegetables, herbs, cut flowers, and potted plants. Since those early years, we have grown into an organic lifestyle company, producing a wide diversity of products that support a clean, organic lifestyle, including our herbal teas and herbal body care products, all of which are grown or hand-made at our farm.

At Cherry Valley Organics, we believe in…

*Living the healthiest life possible (full of organics!)
*Fair, livable wages for our team members
*USDA certified organic growing and production practices
*Minimizing our carbon footprint and ecological impact
*Supporting our local community

Cherry Valley Organics is a collaboration. Unlike traditional family farms, we come from diverse geographical, family, and professional backgrounds. We are growers, scientists, food & health enthusiasts, teachers, caretakers, chefs, and nutritionists. We are all farmers. And, all of us here at Cherry Valley Organics are committed to growing and producing high quality certified organic products for our community. We would never compromise on organics. Ever.

Cherry Valley Organics, founded by Jodi Danyo, began as a one-third-acre “urban farm” in the Pittsburgh suburb of Crafton, Cherry Valley Organics now encompasses approximately 36 acres in nearby Cherry Valley, Washington County, PA. Despite this expansion, the footprint of the operation is still quite small with farming operations encompassing less than 8 acres. The farm was built, quite literally, from the ground up!

Our Farm Share Growers, Emily Kramer, Vanessa Davis, Lindsay Henry, Alexis Williams, and Alliy Gundlach, love producing high quality organic products for our local Pittsburgh communities. You can find our products at the Sewickley Farmer’s Market on Saturdays (April through November), and also at local florists and specialty shops. In 2018, we opened a Farm Market & Cafe along the Panhandle Trail in Burgettstown, PA.

What makes our Farm Share unique?

*We wash the produce. Thoroughly. You are unlikely to get any mud in your CVO Farm Share bag. We still recommend that you wash our veggies, but many items will be ready to eat (and may make for excellent snacking in the car on the way home from the pick-up location).

*High diversity of veggie crops. We grow over 150 varieties of vegetables and herbs per season, on average.

*Specialty crops, like microgreens. It's a bit unusual to see this high value crop in farm share programs. They are a bit tricky to grow, but wow do they pack a nutritional punch! Despite their small size, they are the most nutritious veggie in the share!

*We believe in minimizing our environmental impact, and we use biodegradable and compostable packaging wherever possible. And we have a variety of new packaging products in the works for 2021.

*Specialty cut flowers are a niche crop for us. We grow many of the hard-to-grow flower varieties like Ranunculus, Bells of Ireland, Delphinium, and more. Many more. Nearly 300 varieties! Our flowers are not your run of the mill market flowers. Our bouquets are carefully crafted, and absolutely gorgeous!

*We have extensive partnerships with other local businesses and farms, including Primrose Farm (pasture-raised eggs), Paul Family Farms (maple syrup), Tait Farm (jams, butters, shrubs), Weatherbury Farm (flours, milled products), Big Bob's Honey (honey), Clarion River Organics (potatoes, sweet potatoes, melons, winter squash), Woolf Family Farms (blueberries, apples, peaches), Cherish Creamery (cheese), Emerald Valley Artisans (cheese), Steel Cup Coffee Roasters (organic, fair-trade coffee), Conover Family Farm (pickles, hot sauce) and more! A selection of these items is available on a weekly basis and can be added onto your Veggie Farm Share in any quantity you choose. We believe in the value of small business and keeping dollars in our Pittsburgh neighborhoods.

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