As last Sunday was Arrowhead's last Sunday at the Newburyport Farmers' Market, we felt it only appropriate to offer an introduction to the Farm for our long time Market patrons. So, if you have been an Arrowhead customer at the Farmers' Market, we invite you to visit us here at the Farm this Saturday from 11 until 3. You will receive a complimentary one week Trial CSA Share, which includes a week's worth of Fruit, Vegetables and Herbs. And just as important, it gives you a chance to see and interact with the Farm that produces your food. And this is the direction we are headed---to acquaint folks---particularly the young folks----- with a local Farm that produces local food, in a time honored fashion. And Arrowhead has done this for three hundred and twenty nine years.
 
So please join us at the Farm on Saturday, talk with the CSA Volunteers, tour the Solar Greenhouse Plantings, visit our Livestock and Poultry and find out just how we produce your food. And be sure to bring the young folks. Thanks.

Tan, hard at work picking your vegetables

Fern-like carrot foliage in the number 6 greenhouse

Once again Gus Gustafson will be on hand Saturday to help folks dig a few Potatoes. Young Folks, especially, love to dig Potatoes. It's just such a thrill to see those bright tubers emerge from a fork-full of soil. And everyone will get to take a few home to eat. This year's varieties will be Red Gold and Green Mountain, and all grown, of course, without the use of Pesticides. A fun time for all involved. You need not be a CSA Member to participate. No charge. Thank you, Gus.



One Day Market at Cape Ann We will be back at the Cape Ann Farmers' Market Thanksgiving Special on Saturday the 17th. Again, please see below.
Click here for information

Click here for their poster

Hens & Leaves

A perfect combination for Tomatoes. Every Fall we spread our Tomato Growing Greenhouses with a thick layer of leaves. Then we turn our Laying Hens into the Greenhouses to scratch around in the leaves, helping to break them down, and leave all that great Hen Manure behind. After a few weeks we move the Hens on to the next Greenhouse to repeat the process, until all of our Growing houses have a nice layer of composting Leaves and Manure. A mid-winter rototilling helps complete the composting process. And in early March when we transplant the new Tomato plants into that fertile compost, the plants just take right off growing, healthy and dark green from the rich compost. Oh, and I forgot to mention, we like to add earth-worms to the soil as well to keep breaking the compost down into usable plant nutrients. Jean and Marty, two of the CSA Volunteers, reminded me last week that we picked the first Tomatoes from our Solar Greenhouses in April this year. Can't do that without plenty of the Sun's heat.
 
Now, about those leaves. This year, for the first time since the 1960s, Arrowhead will be receiving all the leaves collected by the City Trucks. We will happily spread these on our Fields before tilling in the Spring. But we need about 350 bags of leaves for our Greenhouses. So, just as last year, please bring any bags of leaves you can to the Farm when you come by. The Tomato Plants will thank you for it.
 

We only have a few White Holland Heritage Birds left, and the Naragansetts are all sold out, so you need to order as soon as possible or run the risk of having to eat a common Turkey this year! Please send me an e-mail and I'll do my best to get close to the size you need.

Arrowhead's Mid Winter Share is a fun Share that will start on January 5th and run every Saturday until Spring----right through the doldrums of Winter. I say it is a fun Share for several reasons: It is literally a preview of Spring. You get to visit our Greenhouses every week; all the crops are a verdant green; the air smells of warm earth; you can brush against the herbs and release their Spring aroma; there are brightly colored Ladybugs which we employ to keep the greens free of herbivorous insects; and CSA Volunteers will help you harvest your own greens, if you wish.
 
This year in addition to #4 Greenhouse, which is heated to 30F just to keep the soil from freezing, we also have planted Greenhouses #s 1, 2, 6 and 7 with cold hardy crops that will be growing with just Solar heat. And a lot of new crops growing for this Winter----I dare say a plethora of crops. New this coming season are plenty of carrots (take a look in #6 when you visit the Farm), Kohlrabi, five new Cultivars of Spinach, Leeks, Rutabaga, both English and Dutch winter Leaf Cabbages(known for there sweetness--not you average Cabbage), Sweet Southport Onions, ten new varieties of Chards---each with a slightly distinct flavor, a new Asian Green, Yukina Savoy, and Watercress.
 
 In #4 we will have popular crops from previous years; Baby Lettuces, Vitamin Green, Kales, Lots of Baby Swiss Chard, Shallots, Tatsoi, Arugula, Red Cardinal Spinach, Mizuna, Purple Bok Choy, Pak Choi, Green Garlic, Chinese Cabbage, Mesclun Mixes, Braising Mixes, Red Rain Mustard Greens-- and from the Broccoli Family; Sessantina, Spigariello, Happy Rich and Calabrese---talk about a great stir-fry! And of course some fragrant Herbs and just a few Spring Flowers to brighten the Greenhouse.
 
Sorry, not done yet. From the storage room in the barn will come Green Mountain Potatoes, Scarlet, White and Purple-Top Turnips, Winter Roasting Radishes, Daikons, those beautiful Watermelon Radish and those wonderful Winter Apple Varieties.
 
I just can't say enough about this FUN Mid Winter Share----- although I've likely said far too much already. And just to bore you further; the Basic Tenets of Community Supported Agriculture are that we need you to sign up for this Share NOW while we are incurring the costs of growing it for you. Thank you.

Rutabagas

Kohlrabi