Category: Events

Annual Meeting
You are warmly invited to the annual meeting of the Friends of Boulder Knoll at 7 pm on Thursday, October 22, in the Old Chapel at Elim Park, 140 Cook Hill Road in Cheshire.  We will review and celebrate the past year, elect this coming year’s Board of Directors and officers, and discuss plans for the coming year.

Work needs
I have been away for a few days but am back now ready to get the garden ready for next year. If you can spare a few hours during the week or the weekend, please let me know.

I am planning to be at the farm during afternoon hours for the next few weeks in good weather. I do have some flexibility, so if you would like to come out in the morning, please email or call me (home 393-1245 or cell 645-1734). We need to spread manure and compost on all the growing beds, pull out and compost plants, take down trellises, plant cover crop, mow, weed and put wood chips on paths.

Garlic Planting
Stay tuned for info about this November event.

Extra Share
Thanks to all those who took the opportunity to receive an extra week of veggies from the farm. We opened this up to those on the waiting list after you signed up. We will receive over $250 in donations from existing members and friends for this (very cold) effort. If you haven’t sent your donation, please send a check made out to Friends of Boulder Knoll to PO Box 1329, Cheshire, CT 06410.

Compost
Keep it coming! We want kitchen waste including coffee grounds, egg shells, paper towels and napkins. I’d welcome leaves too (no large sticks please). Please place new stuff on the far right side of the bins.

Thanks to all of you, especially people who have come out to help even after they’ve put in all of their requisite hours and Fellis, who knows just when I need a hot cup of coffee, a muffin, or a warm veggie treat.

Brenda – Your exuberant and sometimes chilly farmer

Potato harvest this Friday from 430 – 530
Bring a garden fork, gloves and a kid or two. And good grief, let’s get some pictures!

Harvest Potluck postponed until Sunday, Oct 4th, noon – 2 p.m.
due to predicted rain. Please bring a dish made with CSA or other local ingredients. Please also bring your own eating utensils and bowl or plate if you can. We’ll have some there too. The benefit art and bulb sale will happen at 474 Maple Ave on Saturday from 10 – 6 even if it’s raining. If it rains on Sunday too, we’ll have the potluck indoors at 474 Maple Ave. Thanks Greg Melville for the use of your home.

Last share-out harvest next week
Anticipate a distribution of potatoes, leeks, lettuce, parsnips, bok choi, maybe beets or carrots, parsley, broccoli or broccoli raab.

Extra share on Thursday, Oct 15th!
For a $10 donation to the Friends of Boulder Knoll, I will provide an extra share on Thursday, Oct 15 from 5 – 6:30.We are opening this up to folks on the waiting list and other members of the wider Friends of Boulder Knoll organization, but shares are quite limited. Please sign up by emailing me at mariebrenda@SBCglobal.net or at the farm at next week’s pick up. If we get a big response, Thursday could be too late so let me know soon if you are a Thursday pick-up. There will probably be many different kinds of greens, broccoli, bok choi, carrots, lettuce, parsley, etc.

Request
Please remember to tell me if you can’t pick up or email or call (393-1245 or 645-1734) if you have forgotten. I’ll be happy to save it for you. Doing the work to harvest food that isn’t picked up wastes time on busy harvest days.

Recipes
Don’t forget to check out this week’s recipes on our blog at http://tr.im/AhSf

Greetings from Brenda –
Here’s a quick reminder about the WORK DAY COMING UP

When –
Sunday, May 31 from 1-4 p.m. at Boulder Knoll Community Farm (steady rain will cancel)

What we’ll do –
Weed out the perennial flower garden, prepare a flower garden for our welcome sign, finish painting our tool shed, haul compost to the herb garden and move straw from   the    barn to the potato patch.

What to bring –
Water, snack, sunscreen, hat and work gloves if you have them. We would welcome donations of annual or perennial flowers in any quantity or variety.
We would also LOVE to get bags of leaves for mulch and buckets of kitchen waste for the compost pile.

Wish list –

Besides the leaves and flowers, we still need
Wood chips – please call Brenda if you or someone you know can offer them in larger quantities
Platform or spring scale
Large coolers – latch can be broken – rescue them from the side of the road!
bag of greensand
Short handled tools like trowels and weeders

Work hour credit available –
After our work day, please let Annmarie Golioto know if you want to be credited for the time you put in during this or previous work days.

Please let me know by return email if you plan to come. We’d love to have you there even if you can’t come for the whole time.

Hope to see you Sunday!
Brenda

Hello to CSA members and Friends of Boulder Knoll Board!

WORK DAY COMING UP A work day will take place on Sunday, May 31 from 1-4 p.m. We will be weeding out the perennial flower garden, painting our fantastic tool shed (which was built by member Ian Meakin with assistance from an able team of members), and maybe organizing the inside of the veggie distribution building, in addition to other tasks. Bring water, sunscreen, hat and work gloves if you have them.

Farm Tour and Lunch Potluck Let’s get to know each other by having a potluck lunch on Saturday, June 20, 12 noon to 2:30ish. We’ll be offering tours of the gardens and you’ll get a peek at the veggies that will be in your share the next week. We’ll orient you to our CSA distribution procedure and answer any questions you may have. Friends and families are very welcome!  Leashed dogs are fine, just not in the garden. Please send me an email if you plan to come and what you might bring. We won’t assign food catagories – just bring something you’d like to share. We’ll have paper goods and utensils, but you can bring your own to cut down on waste.

First Distribution is Monday, June 22 or Thursday, June 26 Some CSA members have not yet chosen a standard pick-up day (Monday or Thursday). You should expect an email or call asking you to tell us your preference. You have the option of switching days occasionally, but we want you to pick a regular day. If you are open to a Monday pick-up day, that would be helpful to us. We’ll be publishing a list of members with their towns so folks can combine pick-up trips if they want.

Wish List Leaves (bags are fine) – We need leaves badly – put them on the right side of the compost pile.
Wood chips – please call Brenda if you or someone you know can supply some
Kitchen waste for compost pile (no meat please) Platform or spring scale
Large coolers – latch can be broken – rescue them from the side of the road!
5 bags of concrete to go under the sill in the shed and to anchor the posts for our welcome sign  bag of greensand

WORKERS! As you may recall, all Boulder Knoll CSA shares are asked to contribute at least 12 hours of work during the season. There are also 4 work intensive shares who are working 60 hours over the season. Thank you very much to those members who have weeded, worked on the fence, planted, prepared garden beds, hauled compost, and organized the toolshed. Thank you to Annmarie Golioto who has been organizing the workforce for us. Please let Annmarie know if you would like to do some work. Work done early in the season is” advantageous for us, especially on a new piece of ground like we’ve got!

Our Welcome Sign Thank you to 60 hour member Kathryn Frund who spearheaded the creation of a most beautiful welcome sign for our farm. Kathryn, an experienced artist, conceptualized the piece and created the lettering. Joan Pilarczyk designed, and a group of young students at Artsplace in Cheshire painted the gorgeous image. We will invite you to the official unveiling when we have a firm date.
Hope to see you all on June 20th for the potluck lunch and tour!
Your farmer,Brenda Caldwell