Hello Common Thread Members and Friends,

The snow has finally melted and it appears, chilly as it is, that spring has arrived! There wasn't much of a window between the frozen ground and this round of rain to plow.  Luckily, we heard from a few good sources that it is possible to plow when the ground is frozen with a chisel plow (which draws shanks through the soil) 

Plowed fields

so we managed to plow several fields during the frost period which leaves us closer to being ready to plant when the seedlings are ready, in the next week or so.

We are concerned that an especially cold spring will prevent us from having food to distribute by the first week in June and want to let CSA members know that if we need to start later, we will extend the season later into the fall.  As of now, we're still aiming for the first week in June but we have a back up plan just in case.  We are also planning to use more protective structures than we were originally planning on to help the plants along in this weather.  (We will be using hoops, some with plastic and some with a poly spun material called row cover.)

In the meantime, we have been busy putting up a hoophouse (an unheated greenhouse), tending the greenhouse, getting our tractors and equipment in shape, and ordering supplies for the season.  

Tom, Kelly and Leo

Our third apprentice, Tom, joined us 2 weeks ago, along with his partner Kelly and son Leo.  Tom is from New Jersey and graduated from Vassar College where he studied Political Science. He worked with us at the Poughkeepsie Farm Project a few years ago, as did Kelly. Tom says, "It's an exciting time to be a part of Common Thread, the whole family agrees! I'm very grateful to have another opportunity to learn from Wendy and Asher's vast knowledge and experience."

We have a new drop off site, in Utica!  Utica Coffee Roasting Company has kindly offered to host a site for us this season on Thursdays.  If you know of anyone close to Utica who might be interested please let them know. Members with Clinton pick up who find Utica more convenient are welcome to switch, just let us know.

We still have plenty of shares left, so as always, we are appreciative of help in letting others know that we have CSA shares available.  Because of the generosity of our CSA members, we also have a few subsidized shares available for low income participants.

Putting up the hoophouse

Do you have any favorite vegetable recipes you'd like to share?  If so, please send them to us.  We would love to get some good recipes on our website and to have on hand for newsletters as the vegetables come in.  

Our Best, Wendy and Asher 

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