Thanksgiving in the Farm Store!

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We are stocked up and ready to feed you and your families this holiday!  We will have all our usual Farm Store items in stock in addition to some extra items for your holiday meal!

What’s available in the Farm Store this week!

Local, Organic Produce!

  • Brussels Sprouts $8.99/lb bag
  • Cranberries (Massachusetts) $6.99/12oz bag
  • Garlic $6.99/half lb bag
  • Lettuce Mix $2.99/bag
  • Parsley $1.99/bunch
  • Parsnips $4.26/lb bag
  • Persimmons (Fuyu and Hachiya) $19.99/bag of 8 or 2.99/each
  • Pumpkins, Pie $5.99 each
  • Rutabaga $6.72/2 lb bag
  • Squash, Acorn $1.99 each
  • Squash, Delicata (Price TBD)
  • Squash, Butternut $1.99 each
  • Tomatoes, Greenhouse Grown (Price TBD)

Local Grass-Fed Organic Dairy

  • Milk -Half Gallons – Whole, 2% $6.99
  • Buttermilk, Quart $3.99
  • Heavy Cream, Pint $4.99
  • Half and Half, Pint $3.75
  • Whipped Cream, 7oz $4.99
  • Chocolate Milk, Quart $3.99
  • Yogurt (Maple, Plain, Lowfat Plain) $5.99
  • Butter (salted and unsalted), half lb $5.99
  • Ricotta Cheese $6.50
  • Firefly Farms Chevre, 4oz $4.99
  • Firefly Farms Merry Goat Round, ~10oz $12.99

Also found in the dairy cooler (but not dairy):

  • Tofu $3.99
  • Kombucha $3.49
  • Pickles (Kosher Dill and Spicy Garlic) $10.99
  • Apple Cider $9.99/gal $5.99/half gal

Other great additions to stock your home for the holiday:

  • Apple Cider Donuts
  • Shortbread
  • Rise Up Coffee (Whole Bean)
  • Together We Bake Granola
  • Honey
  • Maple Syrup
  • Sunflower Oil
  • Sauerkraut
  • Nut Butter
  • Jam

And more!

 

Kids LOVE Farm-to-Table meals from their CSA

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REGISTER FOR SUMMER-FALL SHARES while Shares are still available!

Cooking well-rounded and nutritious meals can be hard, especially if your kids don’t think they like vegetables.  It’s a real problem…you spend precious time and energy preparing fresh food for your family and then…they won’t eat it!😞

In my experience, joining a CSA can actually help with this problem by making your kids active participants in their food chain!  Kids can accompany their parents to CSA pickups, meet the people who grow their food, meet other families who participate, and go home energized and excited to try some new things!  Our CSA pickups are actually designed to be kid friendly…all the produce is arranged at “kid height,” allowing kids to help their parents select which carrots to take home, or whether they want to eat lettuce or kale this week.

When kids are connected to the farm, they are more likely to be involved in the food preparation and healthy eating at home.  A CSA can really be a valuable and enriching experience for your whole family.

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Nutritionist Julie Negrin has the following tips for involving your youngsters in food prep:

1. Create a kids’ cooking station.  Seat them at the dinner table or counter away from the heat so that you can whip up dinner with minimal interference.

2. Start small.  Give toddlers little tasks that won’t slow down your meal preparation, such as stirring or rinsing off vegetables.  You can increase their responsibilities as they age.

3. Give yourself plenty of time and multitask.  Take advantage of those long days off from school and find a few recipes for them to cook that just happens to result in a family dinner.

4. Create the menu together.  Encourage kids to explore cookbooks and websites for recipes.  The more invested they are in the meal, the less likely they’ll whine about it.

5. Keep cleaning equipment close by.  Enlisting kids in the cleanup will make the experience more pleasant for everyone — and teach them another essential life skill!

6. Invite a confident cook to help.  If you’re a kitchen novice, this is an ideal time to learn alongside your kids.  If you’re a confident cook, you’ll have some extra help.

7. Sign up for parent-and-kid cooking classes.  You’ll pick up teaching tips, kid-friendly recipes and possibly new family friends.

8. Praise them.  Providing for our kin is such a primal urge that kids feel an immediate sense of pride and self-worth when they feed their families, so make sure to gush over their hard work.

9. Accept that not all kids like to cook.  Your non-cooking kids can still contribute to the meal by washing produce, setting the table, folding napkins, deciding which platters to use, garnishing the dishes, clearing the table and tasting each dish to determine if it needs additional seasoning.

Happy cooking!

We’re here to make it simple and easy for you to eat great local organic produce at home.  We want to help you be healthy and happy!  Join us this Summer…you deserve it!

Ground yourself. Do something good for yourself and your community this year.

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Community Photo

Top 8 Reasons to Join a CSA This Year:

  1. Build Community.  A CSA pickup is a community of health-conscious food-lovers who come together each week.  You might make new friends and see old ones at the CSA pickups or seasonal potlucks.  Extra produce is donated to emergency women’s shelters in our communities.  Plus, CSA pickups are fun!
  2. Environmental benefits.  By joining a CSA, you know you’re supporting the most environmentally sustainable food delivery system that exists.  No middle-man, no storefront, short delivery distance, and less waste.
  3. Connection to the land.  Other than becoming a farmer yourself there is no more direct connection to your food, the people who grow it and the land that produces it than joining a CSA.  Ground yourself this year.
  4. Your family will eat more produce.   A CSA provides a constant supply of fresh produce into your home.  You will definitely eat more produce with a CSA Share because you will always have some on hand when you are cooking.
  5. Cooking support.  A CSA provides you with relevant recipes and cooking tips each week to help you make the most of your produce.  Knowledgeable CSA pickup staff are always available to answer any cooking questions you might have.
  6. Try new things.  Get out of your cooking rut and enjoy some vegetables you’ve never heard of.  You’ve got to cook and eat…joining a CSA can make cooking new and exciting every week.
  7. Save money.  You’ll save money by cooking with whole, unprocessed ingredients.
  8. Be happy and healthy!  Overall, I think your family will be healthier and happier when you join a CSA!  Health and happiness = priceless.

Groundworks Receives Bridge Builder Award for Produce Donations

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bridge builder award 3 bridge builder award 2 bridge builder award

Thank you Bridges to Independence for including us in a wonderful independence celebration this weekend!

Bridges to Independence is an organization that shelters and supports homeless women and families.  We are grateful to be able to contribute fresh Produce to their shelters.  This is one of the places where we send unclaimed CSA Shares.

The independence celebration honors women who have come through their doors and are now living independently.  Several of the women graduating shared their stories, hoping to inspire others in the community who are still working towards independence.  We were moved by what these strong, resilient women had to say.

Bridges to Independence also honored a few individuals and businesses that have supported them in different ways and we were honored to receive a Bridge Builder Award.  We accepted this award on behalf of our CSA members and generous volunteers who make these donations possible – this is your award!  Congratulations, and thank you!  Here’s to many more years to come!

You can find out more information about Bridges to Independence here: bridges2.org, including how you can donate and volunteer.

 

Garlic Scape Pesto Recipe

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adapted from simplyseasonal.com

Ingredients

1 bunch garlic scapes
⅓ cup olive oil
⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan
¼ cup raw nut of your choice (walnuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds, pine nuts)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2-4 tbsp water
salt and pepper to taste

 

Instructions

  • Cut off the most woody few inches of the scape stem and discard.
  • Combine your washed garlic scapes, grated parmesan, nuts and lemon juice in a food processor and process at a medium speed until they are roughly chopped. Continue to run the food processor and slowly pour your olive oil in through the opening on the lid of the food processor. Process until all of the ingredients are very finely chopped and beginning to become smooth. If the pesto seems a little thick add 2-4 tablespoons of water until the desired thickness is achieved.
  • Finally, stir in salt and pepper to taste. Serve on pasta, spread on toast, or use in a sandwich.

Organic Winter-spring Produce Shares More Diverse Than Expected

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Winter-spring Compilation

It will probably surprise you learn that a Winter-Spring Produce Share from Groundworks Farm is just as diverse and varied as the Summer-Fall Shares. You can see the official Seasonal Produce Guide here. Everyone works very hard to bring you a local, varied, and diverse Share at every pickup, year-round.

Most people assume they’ll only get a bunch of root vegetables. But roots are only a small part of the story. For example, this is a Share you might get in January:

-Apples, Green Boston Lettuce, Spinach, Broccoli, Red Potatoes, Carrots, Pea Shoots, Baby Kale, Beets, Mushrooms, Thyme, Brussels Sprouts

And, here’s a Share you might get in March (typically the hardest part of the year to eat local in our area):

-Onions, Garlic, Apples, Lettuce Mix, Beets, Gold Potatoes, Rainbow Carrots, Parsley, Spinach, Rutabaga, Alfalfa Sprouts, Frozen Roasted Tomatoes, Japanese Sweet Potatoes

And, remember, these Winter-Spring Shares go all the way through May as well! Here’s a Share you might get in May:

-Strawberries, Rhubarb, Red Potatoes, Asparagus, Swiss Chard, Spring Mix Lettuce, Collard Greens, Easter Egg Radishes, Sweet and Spicy Greens Mix, Mushrooms

Join our community and keep your meals fresh, local, and fun this Winter and Spring! Click here for more information.

logo circle with credentials underneath

Groundworks Farm in the News

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Here’s a throwback to last May, when Kevin was interviewed about our unique CSA program.  10 months later, our community is stronger than ever.  Our on-farm distribution facility is a little nicer now too…

Way to go Kevin, and thank you to WBOC for the VERY nice video!

Groundworks Farm Reaches 100 Donations to Women’s Shelter

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Here’s a great article about our organic food donations that we can all feel great about.  Thank you for making these and others donations possible!

Bridges to Independence, which manages the Sullivan House Emergency Women’s Shelter in Arlington, published this great article about our longstanding partnership in their Newsletter this month.

Click HERE to learn more about Bridges to Independence and the work they do in Arlington and Alexandria to help women and families.  They are a great organization to consider for charitable giving.

-Margaret and Kevin

LOCAL FARMER REACHES 100 DONATION MILESTONE

January 11, 2017

Farmer Kevin Brown grew up learning about giving back to the less fortunate. His family lived in Arlington, near Sullivan House – Bridges to Independence’s emergency shelter for homeless women and families – and he remembers bringing gifts to the shelter every year. “At Christmas, Mom would make cookies and we would bring them to the shelter. Then we learned to sew and we brought handmade dish towels and oven mitts. It was important to our parents that we learn about helping others,” he says.

brooke-and-kevin-resized

Brooke Alexander and son Kevin Brown

The lesson sure caught on! Today, Kevin is the owner of Groundworks Farm, an organic farm on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The farm’s CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) provides fresh produce to Arlington residents year-round, including fruits, vegetables, eggs, chicken, meat and cheese. Customers pick up their shares each week; any shares not picked up are donated to local charities. Arlington shares are donated to Bridges to Independence, providing the shelter residents with a rare treat for those living in a shelter – fresh produce.

Today Groundworks Farm donates 75 pounds of produce a week to Bridges to Independence, and recently the farm made its 100th donation! Bridges receives enough from Groundworks to provide each family in the shelter with a large bag of fresh fruits and vegetables every week, and often there is extra left over for other families in need. Shelter residents have access to small kitchens, so they are able to store and cook the donated food. Kevin’s mother Brooke Alexander delivers the produce each week, continuing the family’s connection to Bridges.

Says Kevin, “Part of the farm’s mission is giving back. It’s important to me to eliminate food waste and give fresh food to people who really need it. When we share our extra food, it feels like our purpose is a little bigger.”

What’s in a Winter-Spring Organic Produce Share? The Answer Will Shock You…

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PageLines- WinterShare.jpg

It will probably surprise you learn that a Winter-Spring Produce Share from Groundworks Farm is just as diverse and varied as the Summer-Fall Shares. You can see the official Seasonal Produce Guide here. We work very hard to bring you a local, varied, and diverse Share at every pickup, year-round.

Most people assume they’ll only get a bunch of root vegetables. But roots are only a small part of the story. For example, this is a Share you might get in January:

-Apples, Green Boston Lettuce, Spinach, Broccoli, Red Potatoes, Carrots, Pea Shoots, Baby Kale, Beets, Mushrooms, Thyme, Brussels Sprouts

And, here’s a Share you might get in March (typically the hardest part of the year to eat local in our area):

-Onions, Garlic, Apples, Lettuce Mix, Beets, Gold Potatoes, Rainbow Carrots, Parsley, Spinach, Rutabaga, Alfalfa Sprouts, Frozen Roasted Tomatoes, Japanese Sweet Potatoes

And, remember, these Winter-Spring Shares go all the way through May as well! Here’s a Share you might get in May:

-Strawberries, Rhubarb, Red Potatoes, Asparagus, Swiss Chard, Spring Mix Lettuce, Collard Greens, Easter Egg Radishes, Sweet and Spicy Greens Mix, Mushrooms

Join our community and keep your meals fresh, local, and fun this Winter and Spring! Click here for more information.

Eat Local. Save The Planet. Be Healthy. Build Community.

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Supporting local organic farms and food producers is one of the most effective ways YOU
can reduce your own carbon footprint and live a little lighter on the planet.

       Sustainable farming techniques + less food miles
                                                   = less carbon per meal = healthier planet.

In the warm Mid-Atlantic Summer months it’s easy to source local. There’s lots of farmers
markets, Summer CSAs, and local produce on the grocery shelves and the restaurant menus.

But what about eating local the other half of the year, in the Winter and Spring?

The Winter and Spring seasons are actually my favorite time to eat local – hearty soups,
flavorful salads, crisp apples, and succulent roasted root vegetables keep me warm all Winter.
Then with the first blush of spring comes strawberries, asparagus, and the first crisp field
greens as the outside world awakens yet again.

The Groundworks Farm CSA makes it easy to reduce your food miles year-round.  Our
knowledgeable, friendly, and supportive pickup staff is always available to help you keep your
family dinners interesting.  Pick up new recipes,storage tips, and talk cooking every-other
week with our supportive localvore staff and community so your kitchen can thrive all the way
through those cold Winter Months.

Eat local. Save the planet.  Be healthy.  Build community.

Want to see our large Winter-Spring produce diversity for yourself?  Check out our
seasonal produce guide below. I think you’ll find the Winter-Spring seasons to be
just as exciting and diverse as the Summer-Fall.

seasonal produce guide

 

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