Farm Happenings for August 20, 2019

New this Week: Sweet Basil! Cantaloupes and Green Beans from Clarion River Organics are back this week too.

If you haven't checked out our extras, be sure to check out all the great products offered by Clarion River Organics, just one of our farm partners. The pickled hot peppers and sauerkraut are delicious! Anything you order will be added to your share for delivery this week.

https://www.clarionriverorganics.com/

This Past Week on Our Farm...

Well, it's officially the dog days of summer. We are definitely ready for some cooler temps, although we'll be sad to see our warm-season veggies go as we move into September. The team gets pretty tired during August. It's during these times that we remind ourselves of our commitment to the local food system and our customers, and we know more comfortable weather and less field work are right around the corner.

As predicted, the heirloom tomatoes were fast and furious this year. We are over the main season harvest (already), but there will continue to be stragglers here for a few more weeks. Disease from the early weeks of hot, humid weather in July has overrun the plants and it is unlikely that we'll get multiple rounds of harvest. The cherry and paste tomatoes are still going strong though!

This week, we are seeding fall carrots, beets, pac choi, tatsoi, radishes, arugula, and much more to be ready in just a few short weeks.

And, finally this week, meet Nahla, our farm dog. She can be a fierce protector of crops and humans, but she is every bit as sweet and adorable as she looks! She keeps spirits high with us laughing at her farm dog antics all day long. She is also famous for giving lots of kisses to faces, elbows, knees...well, just about any body part she can reach really. Belly rubs are her favorite! Nahla was rescued from a kill shelter in Mississippi by South Hills Pet Rescue, a great non-profit that rescues loads of dogs each year. https://www.southhillspetrescue.org/

To meet more members of our team, check out our new website at www.cherryvalleyorganics.com. We've got lots of gorgeous farm photos for you to view!

Thank you for being a farm share member this year, and have a great week!

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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