Hamlet Organic Garden

Here’s an update from our quilt maker Pauline: Unfortunately, Jim and I won’t be able to attend the Strawberry Fest. So I’m sending this to update you and our membership on the progress of our raffle quilt.

Since our kick off meeting I’ve made most of the blocks. Soon I will be assembling them into a quilt top. It’s been enjoyable for me to sit and sew on my old Singer Featherweight at my bay window overlooking my garden.

I have inquired about ordering raffle tickets, and I’m prepared to order them for our membership as soon as I’m done with the quilt. Hopefully, it will be completed before the corn is harvested, or the cows come home!Enjoy the Festival, Pauline

Despite a late frost that almost destroyed the crop, the strawberries have been fantastic, abundant and EARLY this season! So early in fact that we had to move our Strawberry Festival up to this weekend! Stop by Saturday June 12th at 11:30 for our first party of the season, and the inaugural bash in our new Greenhouse!

Admission is $10 (kids under 18 free) and you’ll get all the chicken, sausage, veggie burgers, grilled zucchini, and strawberries you can eat, as well as water, mint tea, wine and home brewed beer. Back on the menu by popular demand is the homemade Strawberry Cream Soda! Entertainment provided by members Reiny and Charlie so bring your dancing shoes. Lots of fun kids activities too!

As with most of our events, please bring a side dish to share, and your own plates and utensils to reduce plastic waste!

Feel free to bring a strawberry dish to enter in our strawberry recipe contest-can you beat the legendary vegan strawberry ice cream? Or the strawberry cream soda? Find out this Saturday! See you soon!

Pickups will be starting next week!  Look for a phone call this week reminding you of your balance and pickup day.  If you bought a half-share this season, you will be picking up every other week–some will start week 1, and some will start week 2.  Look for a phone call to let you know what week you’ll be picking up.

Our strawberry field is opening up this week though!  Stop by anytime this week, Monday-Saturday 9am-5:30pm.  The u-pick limit is 1 pint this week.

Long Island Native Grass Initiative  is having their annual plant sale

Native Plant Sale 2010

June 4 & 5 and 11 & 12, 2010 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.or by appointment through Suffolk County Community College

Eastern Campus Greenhouse, Riverhead NY

All plants are produced from seed collected from native plant populations across Long Island and Staten Island.  The use of native plants in landscaping and restoration activities on Long Island are increasingly being encouraged by local governments, environmental organizations and scientists, as the impacts of invasive species and development on biodiversity are understood. In response, there is an increasing demand for Long Island native plant material by the public. Unfortunately, sales of such native plants have been stifled due to the lack initial sources of plant materials needed to create commercially available native plants. The Long Island Native Grass Initiative (LINGI), a cooperative effort of over 30 non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, and nursery professionals serves bridge this gap between supply and demand through the LINGI Annual Native Plant Sale.  For more information contact Polly.Weigand@suffolkcountyny.gov

Don’t miss our Annual Member Meeting Saturday May 22nd at 10:30am. It’s a great time to meet the farmers, board, and other CSA members. After a quick introduction at the new greenhouse, we’ll take a tour of the farm.

If you are interested in becoming a pickup coordinator, a mandatory training session and shift sign-up will take place after the meeting at about 11:30. Even if you have been a pickup coordinator before, its mandatory you go to a training session before your first shift. Everything is different now without the barn, and I want to make sure all coordinators are on the same page! Don’t worry if you can’t make it to this session–there will be another one Saturday June 5th at 10am. Other training sessions for pickup coordinators will be available later in the season, probably once a month.

We only have about 10 spots left for members this season, so if you haven’t sent in your application, send it in soon so you don’t miss out on a season of fresh, organic, locally grown veggies!

Ramona giving the new tractor a test-drive

Well, it seems we made it through that cold spell relatively unscathed! After a
full weekend of plant sales, we spent Sunday afternoon and evening rushing to
cover our tender cucumbers, squashes, and strawberries from possible frost. We
got everything covered, but luckily we didn’t get much frost–just a touch here
and there, but not enough to damage anything.

Don’t miss our Annual Member Meeting Saturday May 22nd at 10:30am. It’s a great time to meet the farmers, board, and other CSA members. After a quick introduction at the new greenhouse, we’ll take a tour of the farm.
If you are interested in becoming a pickup coordinator, and mandatory training
session and shift sign-up will take place after the meeting at about 11:30.  Other training sessions for pickup coordinators will be available later in the season, probably once a month.

Pickups will probably start the last week in May or the first week of June, but as we get closer to that date and are able to better assess the crops, we call everyone to confirm.

This Friday, Saturday and Sunday May 7th, 8th, and 9th from 10am until 4pm is our fifth annual Mother’s Day Plant Sale! Stop by the new greenhouse at 319 Beaver Dam Road in Brookhaven.

We are teaming up with Phil Altomare of Sacred Gardens to bring you a wide variety of organically grown annuals and perrenials you won’t find at the garden center! We have delicious veggie and fruit plants for the home garden, bedding plants for the front of your house, shrubs and trees, exotic tropicals and medicinal herbs. You are sure to find something for mom!

New this year, we’ll also have certified organic vegetable and flower seeds for sale! Stock up on all you need for your garden this summer!

There are still a few shares left–please fill out an application and send your deposit to hold your spot for a season of fresh veggies.

Eggs are in abundance again, those girls haven’t taken a day off since it got warm! If you would like to buy eggs, drop me and email and I set the on our porch for you.

This will be a busy week at the farm as well (they all seem busy now, don’t they?). As is typical in farming, our most important piece of equipment broke at the worst time! Our disc is what we use to begin breaking up the soil for planting–most beds get 1-3 passes with the disc, before being fertilized, spaded and planted. Luckily, it was only out of commission for 5 days, but now we are rushing to make up for lost time!

This week we’ll be planting the first half of our onions, as well as kale, carrots, and spinach. The weather will be getting cool at night again for a few days, so we’ll have to heat the greenhouse to keep everything from getting too cold.  More later! the HOG

Until we are able to figure out plans for a new barn, we are erecting a hoophouse to take the barn’s place for storage, as a central meeting place, and pickup location.  We bought the house from our neighbor, and have been taking it down over the past few weeks.  With this run of good weather, we should be able to finish it putting it up!

Wormwood from the medicinal herb garden, waiting to be added to mead last summer

Spring: the ground thaws, the days get longer, buds appear, sap rises, and everything and everyone starts to become more active. Spring fever, understood literally, can be taken to symbolize this re-awakening of the body. Lymph flow tends to be more sluggish in winter. Spring gets things going again. There are several herbs which aid this process. Both Calendula and Cleavers gently encourage lymphatic drainage. In combination as a tincture, these two herbs really help to energize that sense of Spring in the body. This year at the farm, the medicinal herb garden is being expanded by about 15 species. Those who were members last year may remember some tinctures being sold at the pickups. Over the winter, I was busy making more tinctures from all the herbs that were harvested in the Fall. So far, tinctures include:
-the Calendula/Cleavers “Lymphatic” tincture.
-a “Sinus-Clearing” tincture composed of Nettles, Plantain, Baikal Skullcap, Eyebright and Goldenrod.
-a “Relaxation” tincture made from Chamomile, Skullcap and Valerian.
-a “Carminative” tincture made from Catnip, Bronze Fennel and Anise-Hyssop.
-a “Cleansing” tincture made from Milk Thistle, Dandelion Root and Red Clover.
-an “Adaptogen” tincture (good for overall energy and vitality), made from Astragalus, Ashwagandha, Gotu Kola, and Licorice Root.
-a “Memory” tincture made from Ginkgo, Sage and Gotu Kola.
-Nettle (a good anti-inflammatory)
-Anise-Hyssop
-Raspberry Leaf (used for menstrual discomfort)
-Lemon Balm (a calming herb)
-St. John’s Wort

Dried herbs that are available include Calendula, Ginkgo, Sage, Rosemary, Chicory Root, Dandelion Root, Milk Thistle Seed, St. John’s Wort, Nettle, Lavender, Yarrow, Chamomile, Red Clover, Mint, Bronze Fennel, Anise-Hyssop, Gotu Kola, Motherwort, Blue Vervain, Thyme, Comfrey Root, Ashwagandha, Eyebright, Marshmallow Root, Astragalus, Baikal Skullcap, Common Skullcap, Pleurisy Root, Elecampane, and Licorice.

If you are interested in any of these tinctures or dried herbs, or if you have any questions, or if you’d like to help out with the herb garden this season, please contact Brian at nicedream815@yahoo.com The remaining herbs will be available at the Annual HOG Mother’s Day Plant Sale May 7th 8th and 9th