2023 CSA Newsletter #1

Welcome to the start of the 2023 TC3 Farm CSA! I wasn't sure if it was ever going to arrive with the spring that we have had. More on that in a bit, but first I just wanted to say thank you for supporting the TC3 Farm this season. For new members, in addition to joining a CSA, you are having an immediate impact on students' education as they gain hands-on experience in a local food system. A quick (re)introduction. I'm Farmer Todd, the Director of the TC3 Farm and Adjunct Professor at Tompkins Cortland. I have the pleasure of working with students in both the College's Culinary Arts and Sustainable Farming and Food Systems programs and I will be your guide during your 2023 CSA journey. This space will be an opportunity for me to keep you connected with general farm happenings and the work that we are doing with students at Tompkins Cortland. 

Okay, now back to this spring that we have had. One of the things that I enjoy most about agriculture and food production is that the days are always different and that there are continual opportunities for "firsts". Well, we had a stretch of about five weeks of weather that was a first for me in my almost 20 years of farming. We experienced three seasons over that time period that really threw the season off to a chaotic start. The biggest challenge to date has been the deep freeze we had in mid-May. Now, I always go by the way of caution that Memorial Day is our last frost date, and we plan accordingly for our vegetable crops. One thing that is out of our control is the life cycle of our perennials, aka our fruit bearing crops (strawberries, currants, elderberries and jostaberries). The strawberries, due to a warm stretch, were further along in flowering when that freeze hit. A majority of the blossoms were damaged and will definitely impact this season's yield. They are usually ready by now and there are just a handful that are starting to ripen. There are other area fruit growers that also were impacted. Expect lower availability of local fruit this season. This is a great example of the importance of crop diversification to build climate resilience. And by joining a local CSA, you are doing your part to build local food systems resilience in the wake of climate change.

We have persevered and have already made adjustments to the crop plan that my students worked hard on during their Spring Farming Internship. Adaptability is crucial in farming, and it has been an incredible lesson for the students. The summer semester started a couple of weeks ago and again, we have experienced a first for me. I have never experienced such poor air quality conditions, especially due to wildfires, like we did last week. Thankfully we were able to find enough inside work to keep us busy for the most part, but it really became a tangible experience. In a food systems course that I teach on food movements, we have a unit that covers the labor movement, and we discuss the various hazardous work conditions that many farm workers face. In between all the crazy weather, the students have been busy working with me to transform the farm from the spring to summer. Our first order of business is to get the greenhouse and hoophouse crops squared away. In the past two weeks, over 700 hundred tomato plants (46 varieties!), 400 peppers (35 varieties!), eggplant, basil, ginger and for the first time ever at the sweet potatoes have been put in the ground (or pots) in our tunnels. It was a huge undertaking in a short period of time, but the crew has tackled each task with enthusiasm. We will keep you updated on these crops as the season progresses.

Now let's talk about this week's CSA share. It's a little lighter in variety due to the spring that we have had but we have some tasty crops to share with you this week. It is going to be very salad heavy in the beginning of the season. In this week's choice there will be a lettuce mix, baby spinach and rainbow chard that is perfect for a quick sauté. There will also be carrots and one of my favorites, a Japanese salad turnip. If you haven't had the turnips before they are an absolute delight. They are a bit sweet with a very mild radish flavor and can be eaten raw, lightly sauteed and even pickled. We grew these crops in the greenhouse beds over the late winter/early spring and harvested them at the end of May/beginning of June. Some fresh rosemary from the greenhouse will also be in the share, as well as some cayenne powder and hot pepper salt. Additionally, there will be some seedlings for you, if you are a home gardener. 

Have a great week!

-Farmer Todd