Farm Happenings for July 29, 2020

New this Week: Cabernet Red Onions, Lemon Basil, and Cantaloupes from Clarion River Organics!

This Week at the Farm:

No season goes quite like we plan. That's one of the difficulties (and some would say fun) of farming. We surely did not expect weeks and weeks of bright sun and 90 degree temperatures. Are we still in Pittsburgh? It makes us appreciate the overcast, cloudy weather we typically have! All of your rain dances must be working though because we did have some much-needed rain at the farm this week. We hope it continues!

We have been busy this last week continuing to set-up the farm for an amazing peak harvest season that will run from approximately early/mid-August through October. July has been tougher than expected, and we thank everyone for sticking it out with us! We hope you have enjoyed the blueberries, and we'll be sourcing some additional fruit (melons!) from another one of our farm partners, Clarion River Organics, starting this week!

Peak harvest season for our farm, starting in just another week or so, will bring second rounds of some crops like summer squash, cucumbers, salad mix, lettuce, and chard as well as new favorites, such as heirloom slicing and cherry tomatoes, snap beans, potatoes, 6 different varieties of sweet peppers, eggplants, sweet potatoes, sugar baby watermelons, and perpetual spinach. Head lettuce will be back in another week or so too! Late September and October will bring back the cool season crops including radishes, kales, turnips, broccoli, cabbage, kohrabi, pac choi, lettuce, salad mix, and more. There is so much to look forward to in the coming months!

Stay cool, and have a great week!

Farm Partner Feature: Clarion River Organics

Clarion River Organics is a group of 16 horse-powered family farms working together near Clarion, PA. All farms are certified organic and strive to maintain healthy soils as their main means of pest and disease control for their families' health, the farms' health and the health of the watershed. For more information about Clarion River Organics (CRO), visit their webpage at: https://www.clarionriverorganics.com/

If you have any questions, please reach out to jodi@cherryvalleyorganics.com or to support@harvie.farm at any time. Thank you for being a farm share member this season!

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