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posted by Jim 5/05/2010 01:47:00 PM


Tuesday, February 09, 2010

 
THE LOCAL HARVEST
The Newsletter of Honey Brook Organic Farm CSA, February, 2010

PLENTY OF MEMBERSHIPS ARE STILL AVAILABLE FOR ON-FARM PICK-UP AT OUR PENNINGTON AND CHESTERFIELD FARMS, AS WELL AS ALL BOXED SHARE DROP OFF SITES! APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2010 SEASON ARE AVAILABLE IN THE PENNINGTON FARM STAND AND ONLINE NOW! The applications for membership for our 2010 season are in PDF forms on the bottom of the “Join Us” page for download. If you are having problems accessing the applications, please hit your “refresh” button on your browser.

As of today, there are still memberships available, but they're going quick! Call for details at 609-737-8846 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Remember to please send your applications to our new PO Box 1096 in Pennington as indicated on the application. We do not guarantee receipt of applications hand-delivered to the farms or mailed to our old mailing address (260 Wargo Road). Also, only applications received in a timely manner and enclosing all checks will be processed; no memberships will be given to those with partial payments.

WHAT’S THE DEAL AT HONEY BROOK ORGANIC FARM? – Sherry Dudas

New to the farm? Then you’ll need a “primer” on what we are all about! We are a privately operated for profit farm business, owned by Farmer Jim Kinsel. Farmer Jim has been renting farmland in Hopewell Township, NJ, since the early 1990s, when he and a partner established the second Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in NJ, the first operating on organic acreage.

In the past several years, Farmer Jim has increased the land he farms organically, as well as the number of members served. This is significant: every acre converted to organic management is one less acre having harmful pesticides, fungicides and herbicides applied to it. Honey Brook Organic Farm manages the largest CSA program in the nation, with over 2,300 memberships providing seasonal, locally grown organic produce to over 3,500 individuals. In addition to the original rented acreage, Honey Brook Organic Farm also rents preserved farmland from the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space and private owners of a preserved farm in Hopewell Township. We also own farmland in Chesterfield Township, Burlington County. We operate two distribution centers for our CSA program: one in Hopewell Township and another in Chesterfield Township, in addition to managing a Boxed Share program that serves over sixteen communities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania (locations of the Boxed Share sites can be found on our Boxed Share application on the bottom of our “Join Us” page).

Farmer Jim is one of the most experienced organic farmers in New Jersey, and this makes a difference for you as a member, since your risk is better managed. Our primary goal is to provide high quality certified organic produce to our members at an affordable price. Also, the CSA program is our only sales outlet. We do not sell to wholesalers, retailers or restaurants, and we do not participate in farmers’ markets. So what we grow is only going to our members, or to food banks or other charities in need of produce. Now that’s the “real deal”!

MORE BITTER COLD AT THE FARMS – Sherry Dudas

We’re experiencing another frigid winter, just like last year, but we don’t mind! We’re hoping that any remaining tomato blight harboring in the soil is killed by the cold temperatures. Snow is also welcomed, as it helps to keep Canada geese from browsing on the fields and gives me the opportunity to cross country ski right where I live.

New projects are keeping us busy through the winter. In Chesterfield, Juan, Jose and Jim have been snaking out ancient drainage lines to make them more effective in draining the sandy soils. Jim, ever more adept at procuring unusual equipment from internet auctions, purchased sewer line cleaning implements in early winter as well as a sewer camera, which allows him to see where lateral lines “T” into main drainage lines. Not only is it cheaper to clean out the lines than to replace them, but there will be far less soil disturbance with this practice. Craig Chianese, of the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Burlington County, located an old drainage line map for the farm, helping Jim establish where the lines were, since they were installed probably some time in the 40s or 50s. The existing drainage tile is made of terra cotta and may have been made in New Jersey. Even though Jim and our workers have been on this project for less than a week, already we are seeing improvements in water drainage.

In other news, our circa 1758 house in Chesterfield now has new siding, a repaired roof and a new paint job and gutters, making the outside appear quite handsome. The inside is another story and we are again looking for a finisher to “go the distance” on this job. We also still need to complete installing the deer fence in early spring, before the deer can get a nibble of our delicious strawberries! While Jim was considering planting blueberries on the Chesterfield farm this year, after sitting in on a blueberry production session at a farm conference, we’re thinking the fields need a bit more conditioning before they’re ready for the organic blueberry bushes to be transplanted.

In February, we will continue to receive municipal leaves and churn the material into rich compost to be applied to the farm fields. Kate will begin the greenhouse seeding by first planting the onions and leeks, then will move on to broccoli, cauliflower, collards and kale. Farmer Jim and I will be going to the Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture’s annual conference, then Farmer Jim will begin his annual trips to Lancaster to pick up supplies, but will be taking our nephew Aaron with him as his co-pilot instead of me. I have my hands full with several legal matters that have cropped up, including some neighbor encroachment and trespass issues that have been a continuing source of consternation at the Chesterfield farm, which will be inspected by the Burlington County Agriculture Development Board in early February. As I used to be a paralegal, these headaches at least help me keep my legal skills honed!

Lastly, Farmer Jim and I will be giving a talk in Cherry Hill in mid-February. Then all talks and tours will cease while we plunge headlong into the new growing season!

posted by Jim 2/09/2010 08:41:00 AM

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