Dear Common Thread Members and Friends,

Spring is finally here!  Asher has been chiselling and discing the soil to get it ready for planting, the greenhouse is bursting at the seams with plants, and we've put in the first round of broccoli, mini-onions, kale, cabbage, arugula, carrots, spinach, baby lettuce, and scallions!  It's supposed to snow tomorrow, but these hardy plants should be okay under the row cover.

Our four full season apprentices, Sophia, Gabe, Sarah and Stephanie have all arrived and are working hard on the farm and learning about farming.  Their bios and pictures are on our website(click here)(scroll down the page a bit).  In addition to planting and greenhouse work, they have been busy dismantling last year's low tunnels, making new pick your own signs, getting equipment and spaces ready for the season, harvesting winter greens, prepping our (heavier duty) caterpillar tunnels, and much more.  

Onions growing in the greenhouse

We have found a host site for a Rome delivery, The Vigneto Restaurant, and will be able to deliver there on Tuesdays for a 3-10 pm pick up if we have enough people sign up.   If you or someone you know is interested in the Rome pick up site, please let us/them know. We still have space at all our pick up sites.   We need more people to be able to do the deliveries to Cicero, Green Planet, Cazenovia, Laci's Tapas Bar, Syracuse Real Food Coop, Allen St. in Syracuse and Manlius so if you are hopeful that we will drop off at these sites and can help spread the word, that would be helpful. 

Asher checks the plant germination chamber

It's not too early to pre-order chicken to be delivered to Common Thread Farm in June.  We will be a drop off spot for pre-orders of chicken from North Country Pastured LLC, a very small, family-owned and U.S. Department of Agriculture inspected poultry processing firm located in DeKalb Junction (St. Lawrence County), NY.   They raise pastured poultry using no antibiotics. Provided there is sufficient interest, they plan to do monthly deliveries of pre-ordered chicken to Common Thread Farm, starting in June when the CSA begins.  For more information, please see their flyer. 

We hope to see many of you at our Open House on May 3 between 10 am and 2 pm.  The rain date is May 4, 1-5 pm. The farmers and apprentices will be on hard to give tours, offer snacks, and answer questions about food, farming and CSA.

Thanks to everyone who has donated toward our sponsored share program, to help people participate in the CSA who couldn't otherwise afford to.  We already have 6 families or individuals signed up, one more than last year!  We still have

Open House, May

two people on the waiting list and continue to get inquiries, so if you haven't donated yet and are interested, there are still people who would be grateful for your help.  

We're looking forward to a great growing season and look forward to seeing you out on the farm and at the markets!