The carrots in the featured photo were pulled early Wednesday morning at Glacial Till Farm. Derek wanted to see how big the carrots were (and I think his wife wanted some for dinner), so he snapped this pic before coming to pack shares for delivery. He only has 50 bunches of carrots this week, so you may or may not see them in your share. If you love fresh carrots and want to see them in the coming weeks, make sure they are highly rated in your preferences.
This week we also have blueberries (75 pints) from a local Amish farm. As with all of our produce, these blueberries are naturally grown without chemicals. Be quick to add them to your share because they will be snatched up quickly.
Also making their first appearance this year are cherry tomatoes from both Spur Hollow Farm (red) and Detweiler Farm (sungold). Again, limited quantities this week while we wait for them to ripen. Full-size tomatoes will be coming soon.
Baked goods this week are English Muffin Bread and Blueberry Scones from Dinner Bell Farm. Mushroom shares will be mixed oyster mushrooms from Full Moon Mushrooms.
Farm News
Humble Bee & Tree Farm: We have volunteered to be part of a Penn State study on the use of reishi mushrooms to control varroa mites in honey bee colonies. Honey bees are struggling under the weight of many stressors, causing large numbers of colonies to die each year. Pressure from diseases, viruses, parasitic mites, and environmental stressors are all acting against the bees. Beekeepers are the caretakers of managed honey bee colonies and their actions can influence health. Researchers have shown that mushroom extracts can benefit honey bees. However, they are added to the colony in a sugar syrup that, itself, can negatively impact the colony.
In this study, we propose to determine whether applying the mushrooms to the colony via smoke will have health benefits. Last spring, Penn State asked for five beekeepers to supply 40 honey bee colonies for this study. Every two weeks, we will determine the population of parasitic varroa mites in each colony. Once we have collected the data, we will compile it and share it with other beekeepers. Penn State will write an article for publication in the national beekeeping publication, The American Bee Journal. We will also present the work to beekeeping clubs in the northeast through oral speaking engagements.
Humble Bee & Tree Farm has just a little bit of honey left right now, but they will be extracting fresh raw honey in the next few weeks.
Customizing your Share
I have noticed a few shares coming through that don't have their full value. When you swap items, if you are trying to stay within your allotted budget without extra charges, you will want to look at the green bar like in this picture to see if you can add more products. Now that our summer produce is beginning, we have a few items that are only $1.00, so you can fill your share up more easily.
If you didn't receive a share last week, you haven't heard that our Webstore is now closed permanently. We are moving all of our Webstore items over to Harvie (it will take a couple of weeks to get all of our meats listed), so you have lots more to choose from when filling your shares. Products that come from farms that are members of our cooperative can be swapped into your shares, but products from other farms and local producers are usually only available as extras.
Milk Bottles
When you order milk, please return your glass milk bottles so Pasture Maid Creamery can reuse them. The plastic caps can be thrown away. There is no longer a bottle deposit (because Harvie isn't yet set up to support that without me tracking it all), so you're on the honor system to return the bottles that we are charged for. If you purchased milk previously through the Webstore and paid a deposit, let me know when you return it and I will issue you a credit in Harvie.
Your farmers are thankful for the recent rains to nourish the ground and plants. Rain showers do more than bring water. The stress from gentle rain helps strengthen plants, and rainwater contains lots of plant-available nitrogen that is taken in through the roots. Plants will often take a huge growth spurt after a rain. So when the rain prevents you from enjoying the outdoors, you can still appreciate it.
On behalf of your NWPA Growers Farmers,
Amy Philson
