Farm Happenings for August 13, 2019

New this Week: Cantaloupes from Clarion River Organics, Red Summer Crisp Lettuce, and Hungarian Hot Wax Peppers!

As you can see, we are going to start this week with a few Hungarian Hot Wax Peppers. Let's take a minute here to talk peppers.

Peppers can be a slightly tricky crop to grow. This isn't because of pests or disease, but you guessed it, weather! Pepper plants will not set fruit if temperatures are above 90 degrees or so. Remember that heat wave we had in early July? Well, that was just about when our peppers should have started to set fruit. So, nothing happened, until lately...so now, we have a few green peppers starting (which will eventually ripen to sweet red and orange) and we are hoping for a plentiful harvest in September. So, if you have been wondering why there are no peppers in your share, now you know! Now if we could only find a way to grow peppers in air conditioning...

Dreaming of these...

In other crops news, we are through the first big wave of heirloom tomatoes, but the later plantings and larger heirlooms should hold for a few more weeks. Get them while you can! Cherries and plum tomatoes are plentiful right now so if you have been thinking about canning/freezing some, now is the best time!

This Past Week on Our Farm...

Unfortunately, we had a bit of a scare this past week. While Allie was driving back from the farmer's market on Saturday, the engine compartment of our box truck actually caught on fire. No one was injured, and with the assistance of the local Burgettstown emergency response, the fire was quickly extinguished. We're still waiting for the prognosis on the truck though...

We are also doing quite a bit of tomato processing and freezing ourselves this week at our cafe so that we can serve up farm "fresh" soup all winter long. We are also resetting the fields for the remainder of our fall crop planting. We reach the midpoint of August this week...it's hard to believe fall is almost here already!

Have you seen the new website yet? It's pretty gorgeous, if we do say so ourselves. Check it out! www.cherryvalleyorganics.com

Thank you for being a farm share member this year!

Jodi, Allie, Katie, Emily, and Annie

The CVO Growing 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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