Welcome to the Cherry Valley Organics Farm Community!
We are so happy that you have decided to join us for Farm Share this season!
Unlike many of the new food delivery and distribution services that are popping up in the wake of Covid, we are an actual farm with a very diversified focus - vegetables, cut flowers, herbs, and a wide range of herbal value-added products. All of our products marked by the Cherry Valley Organics logo are grown or handmade by us. This diversity of focus allows us to provide fair wages and real professional and sustainable jobs in agriculture. And, as a result, we have an awesome team of highly educated Growers here at CVO, living the best organic farming life.
If you haven't already checked out our website for more information on who we are, please check us out:
We'll be formally introducing our Growers next week!
Updates from the Farm
So far, so good...
The weather is always interesting these days it seems, but overall, our season is off to a great start. Last week was a bit hot, the week before that was a bit rainy, but in farming, you learn to weather (pun intended!) the ups and downs. We have thousands of plants in the ground and planting season is definitely feeling like we're mid-way through the hump (and busiest part!).
If you are new to seasonal eating, you will be wondering what to expect of this thing we call Farm Share. For the next 3-4 weeks, we'll be filling your shares with lots of healthy greens (salad mix, arugula, lettuce, kales, microgreens) and onion family crops like scallions and chives. There will also be herbs aplenty, and since this is a niche crop area for us, we have a wide, unique selection to choose from throughout the season! We'll also be sprinkling in a few veggies like kohlrabi, sugar snap peas (yay for peas!), turnips, and radishes.
By the time we get to late June, we'll be transitioning already to summer squashes, broccoli, carrots, and beets, with cucumbers, snap beans, cabbages, tomatoes, peppers, melons and so much more right around the corner. If you have any questions at any time about what's happening with the crops, the Farm Happening that we write each week, is a great place to start! You can also email Vanessa, one of our Veggie Growers, at any time with questions - vanessa@cherryvalleyorganics.com.
If you haven't already, please take a moment this week to login into your Harvie account and confirm that your preferences are up to date. This will ensure that you are receiving all your favorites in your shares each week, and nothing that you can't use.
We have a great line-up of products for you this season, including many pantry products from our farm partners that can be purchased as Extra items included with your shares each week. Please be sure to peruse the Extras, when confirming or swapping items from your share. We'll have a selection of our very own organic potted plants for the next few weeks!
Heightened Sanitation Protocols
On a more serious note, we take food safety very seriously at our farm. Emily Kramer, one of our Veggie Growers, is our Food Safety Champion, and she is our go-to expert for all things food safety. Given the Covid-19 crisis, we want to reassure all of our customers that we are taking every precaution to ensure that you have a safe and healthy experience with us this season.
Some of the protocols that we have implemented, or enhanced at the farm this past season include:
- Regularly wearing face coverings while harvesting and processing food products (we'll be watching the CDC guidelines closely for when this requirement may be relaxed or altered)
- Strict and regular hand washing protocols
- Social distancing for our team both at work, and outside of work
- Thorough cleaning and sanitizing of all food contact surfaces and high touch surfaces, including harvest containers
- We use only recyclable or compostable single-use packaging in our shares
We want you to know that your health and safety, and the health and safety of our team, is very important to us!
Pick-up Location Protocols
If you have selected to pick-up at one of our hosted pick-up locations, we ask that you observe the following protocols when picking up your shares from our self-serve coolers:
- Wear a facial covering if not fully vaccinated, and practice social distancing with other customers (as long as this remains CDC guidance)
- Review the "share maps" on top of each cooler to find your last name and then open only that cooler
- Carefully find your share inside the cooler based on the "share map," and collect your share from the cooler without touching, or handling other shares
*If you have Add-on Shares such as cut flowers or PA pantry items, they will be located adjacent, but outside, of the coolers. Please remember to collect these items.
Home Delivery
If you are a home delivery customer, then one of our team members will be delivering your shares directly to your door via contactless delivery. We will leave your share near your front door. If you will not be home to bring your share inside right away, then we suggest leaving a cooler on your porch for us to put your share inside. If you have selected cut flowers as an Add-on share, then we suggest leaving a clean bucket with water so that your flowers stay fresh until you arrive home.
If you have any questions, please reach out to vanessa@cherryvalleyorganics.com or to support@harvie.farm at any time. We're looking forward to a great season! And, thank you againn for being a farm share member this year!
Jodi, Emily, Vanessa, Lindsay, Lex, Alliy, Bridget, and Clarissa
The CVO Farm Share Team
Chamomile harvest is coming in, which is always fun and oddly relaxing. Hmmm? Fresh flowers will be available through mid-June, our dried tea will be available next week! If you love chamomile tea, you won't want to miss it!
