Way back when, our farmstand would close at Halloween. After a while, we added an addition and a wood stove and stayed open until Thanksgiving. There were a lot of cold Novembers in the '80s and '90s so we gained a lot of experience in cold weather growing. One August day, while the crew was having lunch around the pool, the idea of a winter CSA came up and after much laughter and discussion we thought we'd give it a try. We hadn't planned for any storage crops but we did have a bunch of greenhouses that would soon be empty of summer tomatoes. Somehow we convinced 40 faithful customers to give it a try. Now, we're up to 143 shareholders that help support our farm and employees into the winter months! We're lucky we live in a state where local, organic food is so valued.
This week's photo shows how we're able to protect the greenhouse crops through the cold. Kale is one of the hardiest winter crops so generally only one layer of Reemay, the trade name of the fiber white covering, is sufficient. For the record breaking Thanksgiving low temperatures, we used 2 or even 3 layers on certain vegetables. A few greenhouses have heaters set to 35 degrees on extremely frigid nights. The ability of the greenhouses to heat up again the next day prevents damage to the greens. It's amazing what we can grow in winter but we need to make sure you stay healthy!
