Growing up on my family's farm in Pennsylvania, I never would have pictured the life I live at Willow Haven farm. As a kid I spent summers in our large family garden we called, “The Truck Patch”. I helped mom every summer, picking beans, weeding, and cutting fruit and vegetables for the hundreds of jars of canned and frozen produce we put up. Now I spend less time out in the field and more time in the kitchen doing the same preserving for my own farm family. Farmer Reuben values my many hours doing much of the behind the scenes marketing, writing emails to cultivate customers and capturing the farm story each week. I'm always learning along the way in my quest to improve the farm experience for each of our current and future farm members in our 500+ member, year-round customized farm box delivery program. Reading our stories will connect you with your food in a way you never experienced before. Someday soon you will want to fit local food into your life and we'll be here to help you.
Wait... They'll think I'm a savage!
Hi Reader,
Farmer Reuben started getting the kids in the greenhouse this week to help with seeding our early vegetables. Yesterday I found Blaise, age 14, in the warm, sunny seed starting area and decided to interview him for you. You know how teenage boys are right? They like one word answers so I had to work to get him going.
Me: Hi, Blaise. Do you like seeding?
Blaise: Yes
Me: What do you like about it?
Blaise: It's relaxing, not difficult and I'm good at it. At least, I think so.
Me: Are there certain types of vegetables you like seeding?
Blaise: I like seeding brassicas over lettuce. They are round and not hard pick up.
Me: What do you forward to at the beginning of the farming season?
Blaise: Ummmmm. I looking forward to being done with school and doing farm work in general. I get tired of not doing things with my hands all winter.
Me: Do you like harvesting anything in particular?
Blaise: I like picking watermelons because they are really good. I like tasting them and eating them. I like tomatoes and peppers. I don't mind picking kale or bok choy. I like picking chinese cabbage too.
Me: Is there anything you don't like picking?
Blaise: Beans! I don't really like picking beans. It's so tedious. It doesn't feel like you are going any where or making any progress.
Me: What are the first vegetables you like to eat in the spring?
Blaise: I really like chinese cabbage.
Me: Raw or cooked?
Blaise: Both. Let's say cooked so I don't sound like a savage. In fact, when there is one in the field that isn't good enough to send to a customer, I just take a big bite out of the whole cabbage before I toss it away. It tastes perfectly fine.
Me: Do vegetables taste better in the field or on your plate?
Blaise: It depends. I think it's weird to not eat cherry tomatoes right after you pick them. Why would I wait and bring them into the kitchen before eating them? A lot of vegetables I prefer cold, like watermelon and cucumbers. Tomatoes I don't want cold but I don't want them hot from the 90 degree sun. I once ate beets raw in the field and it's horrible! I'm never going to do that again. I like cooked kale sautéed with garlic and sesame seeds. I like swiss chard cooked. I've tried to eat swiss chard raw but I just can't. I've tried almost everything raw in the field. Except squash. Zucchini I've eaten in the field but not winter squash. I've eaten potatoes and sweet potatoes raw but I prefer those cooked.
_______
Now you know!
Aren't you glad someone has taste tested all the vegetables in the field for you?
Actually, we do make sure to give all our Farm Share CSA members plenty of information so they know which vegetables to cook, which ones to eat raw, which to use first, how to store each vegetable and plenty of recipes and planning ideas.
Have you considered joining our Farm Share CSA? We've added more spots for the 2021 season because we sold out last year. But we are already 75% full!
If you want to know if a Farm Share CSA is right for you, download our Six Question Guide. After considering the six questions you should ask before joining a CSA, you'll know if a full season membership to Willow Haven Farm will fit into your life.
This is the first winter we've kept someone working on the farm all day, every day. Our 19 year old son, Simeon, is working full time for us - doing the winter maintenance and now cleaning up the fields and getting ready for spring planting. He's pretty handy so he's done a lot of construction for us and today he is pulling up the remaining plastic weed barriers from the fall crops so the soil can be tilled and formed into beds for the first onions and lettuce plantings.
The younger kids are getting ready to take care of the chicks and ducklings for our Foster A Chick experience. Last week they cleaned out our cellar, swept and organized boxes.
Chicks will be here in just over two weeks and the kids can't wait to hear their "peeping" and watch their funny antics. If you want to foster a pair of chicks this spring, you can get all the details and link to reserve them here.
Is the snow gone at your house or do you still have piles at the end of your driveway?
Much of our snow melted in the last week and we can see most of our vegetable fields, pastures and yard. There are still deep drifts along the edges of the road and some piles in front of the brick oven where we are baking bread tonight.
Since our On Farm Market is open tomorrow, we've focused on cleaning up around the market building and bakery. We can see the deck again, which reminds me of all the amazing Farm Dinners and Pizza Nights we had out there last year. I can't wait for the warm weather so we can eat outside together again.
Fresh baked bread, pizza crusts, salmon, cheese, eggs, veggies, meat and more are in our little market store on the farm tomorrow from 10 am - 2 pm.
Open Farm Saturdays in March, April and May are the best time to chat with Farmer Reuben, see our farm, and ask your questions about our Farm Share CSA program. I hope to see you soon.
We'll keep farming for you!
Reuben and Tessa DeMaster
Willow Haven Farm
Directions to the farm
P. S. Get more of your groceries from your local farmer! Order now for Wednesday delivery. Join Online Farm Stand No membership necessary. 1. Get the Farm Stand Email. 2. Choose your Farm Food items. 3. Pick your drop off or delivery location. Find out more Here.
P. P. S. Curious about our Farm Stay Airbnb? Have you ever wanted to stay on a farm? This well maintained farmhouse is in a quiet valley surrounded by 30 acres of land. Willow Haven Farm is a working organic vegetable farm and dairy. It’s a great place to get away. You can enjoy quiet walks and beautiful evenings. Our goal is to make it hard for you to leave. Willow Haven Cottage
P.P.P.S. Want to purchase amazing grass-fed artisan cheese from our sister business, Haven Farmstead? The grass-fed dairy cows at Willow Haven Farm are co-owned by farmer Reuben and cheesemaker, Steve. Living on pasture and milked once a day, they produce excellent milk for the best old-world style cheeses. If you've traveled to Europe, you'll be pleasantly surprised to find the same excellent flavors here in PA. Shop the Cheese Store.
Tessa DeMaster
Growing up on my family's farm in Pennsylvania, I never would have pictured the life I live at Willow Haven farm. As a kid I spent summers in our large family garden we called, “The Truck Patch”. I helped mom every summer, picking beans, weeding, and cutting fruit and vegetables for the hundreds of jars of canned and frozen produce we put up. Now I spend less time out in the field and more time in the kitchen doing the same preserving for my own farm family. Farmer Reuben values my many hours doing much of the behind the scenes marketing, writing emails to cultivate customers and capturing the farm story each week. I'm always learning along the way in my quest to improve the farm experience for each of our current and future farm members in our 500+ member, year-round customized farm box delivery program. Reading our stories will connect you with your food in a way you never experienced before. Someday soon you will want to fit local food into your life and we'll be here to help you.
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