Farm Happenings for July 8, 2020

New this Week: Blueberries from Woolf Farm, Pickling & Slicing Cucumbers, Broccoli & Radish Microgreens, Sage, & Thyme

This Week at the Farm:

Two Sundays ago, we were so excited to have finally received a soaking rain. The plants were so happy! Then, we looked at the forecast - 80's and sunny, very small chance of rain for a week, then 90's and sunny, very small chance of rain for another week. Ugh. Well, we made it through the first week of this heat wave. We'll be taking extra precautions and irrigating through this week in anticipation of the heat. Plant growth slows dramatically once temperatures hit 90 degrees so we'll be watching our plants closely to minimize stress, and hopefully, the heat wave won't last!

Due to our aggressive watering and much needed rainfall, the summer squash is back on track! We harvested loads of squash at the end of this past week. Here's our squash line-up for the early part of this summer:

Green Machine Success PM Safari Patty Pan

We'll have a few additional varieties as we head into August including Mexicana and Eight Ball! All of these squash can be prepared in a similar fashion, and we'd love to hear about your favorite squash recipes on Facebook and Instagram. If you are not currently following us, please check us out for more stories and farm happenings.

Farm Partner Feature

This week, blueberries from Woolf Farms will be available in our farm shares! Woolf Farms is a third generation family fruit farm located in Columbiana County, Ohio. To learn more about Woolf Farms, check out their webpage: https://woolffarms.co/

Second Member Appreciation Event Continues this Week!

Each member will receive a CVO thyme plant in the hopes that you have had some "thyme" to reconnect with friends and family during this 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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