As you can see from the last time I posted here, we have been pretty busy for the 2011 season!  We helped create a Cooperative CSA called Firsthand Farmers Cooperative and also continued with our busy farmers markets and restaurant deliveries.  As we move into cold weather, we are happy to slow down a bit and get ready for the 2012 season ahead!

Big thanks to our employee Adam for being a rock this season!  And also to our intern, Owen, for his enthusiasm and positive attitude this season.

Looking ahead to 2012, we plan to continue operating our CSA with Firsthand Farmers Cooperative.  See the “CSA Info” page for more details on that.

And for more regular updates on the farm check out Appalachia Star Farm on facebook.

If you have visited the CSA page on our website you know we are in the midst of some big changes here at the farm.  We are creating a cooperative CSA with 5 other farms called Firsthand Farmers Cooperative.  This is the entity that will be facilitating our CSA from here on out.  Firsthand Farmers Cooperative has an email - firsthandcooperative@hughes.net and because Kathryn, of Appalachia Star Farm, is acting as CSA manager, all email to that address will come to my Inbox at astarfarm@netzero.net.  So either address is fine.

Firsthand Farmers Cooperative will also have a website and as soon as it is set up I will post the link here on our site.

Also, you may have noticed that our email address has changed.  appalachiastar@netzero.com will be disabled next month so please update your address books to our new address:astarfarm@netzero.net

Thank you all for your support as we make these changes!

Our new intern, Paige, has a blog where she is posting about her time here at Appalachia Star Farm (in addition to other musings).  Check it out at http://dontpointyourfeet.blogspot.com/.

Also, for more updates about the farm, become a fan on facebook.

Happy Spring!

Our 2010 CSA is full.  Please contact us by email (appalachiastar@netzero.com) if you would like to be on the waiting list for 2011.  Please visit our market stands in Charlottesville, Nellysford, and Lexington if you were not able to join the CSA this year.

Also, we have setup a facebook page for the farm.  Check it out and become a fan to get updates on farm news and events!

We are making some changes to our CSA this year - we are moving our pick-up location to Random Row Bookstore on Main Street in order to offer more additional shares from area partner farms.  We are currently offering dairy shares from Mountain View Farm in Fairfield (cheese, yogurt, milk, and butter), mushrooms from Sharondale Farm in Keswick, pasture-raised whole chickens from Davis Creek Farm in Nelson County in addition to our vegetable, egg, and herb shares!  On top of all that delicious local food we will be offering a few extras for sale at our CSA drop locations - locally made goat milk soap using Appalachia Star Farm herbs, herbal preperations, cookbooks, T-shirts, hats, honey…It is quite literally going to be a bountiful season!

There is still time to get on our waiting list for this season as we will be expanding the CSA this year.  We will open up sales to the waiting list in January.  However, if you aren’t able to get a share this year you can also purchase farm credit to use at any of our market stands or on the farm.  For every $100 you purchase you get $115 in farm credit.  Credit must be purchased by before May 1st.  Email us if you are interested or if you want to be on the wait list for the CSA.

This is our fourth year in hosting an Appalachia Star Farm Dinner.  This dinner features not only our produce, but other delicious local products.  In the past we have featured local and sustainably raised meats, but this year we decided to go vegetarian and feature locally grown mushrooms and dairy products in addition to fruits and vegetables.  There will be four wonderful courses prepared by our chefs, Josh Zanoff and Revolutionary Soup owner, Will Richey.  Plus we will showcase local wines.  Details are below.

When:  Sunday, September 13th at 6pm
Where:  Revolutionary Soup (The Corner location on 14th Street, not the downtown location)
Cost:  $50/person includes four courses and wine.  ($45/person for CSA members)

If you would like to join us please email appalachiastar@netzero.com

For those who cannot make it to our farm stand on Tuesdays or Fridays by 5pm,  or  to the markets on Saturdays, we now have some produce available on more days of the week.  The stand will still be closed on Wednesdays and Saturdays, but if you want to come by anytime during daylight hours on Sundays, Mondays, or Thursdays we will have certain items available all the time.  The best variety will still be on Tuesdays on Fridays, but we have items like potatoes, garlic, onions, and squash available anytime.  Also, our basil and parsley rows are located next to the farm stand so if you want to “pick-your-own” feel free.  Tomatoes will be ripening over the next couple weeks and they will also be around the stand most of the time.

Thank you for stopping by!

We have strawberries in and they are available at the on-farm stand and at our market stands.  It has been so wet lately (8 inches this month!), I am a little worried about how long they will hold up in all of the moisture.  We have already noticed more moldy and rotten ones than in previous years.  So come and get them while they last!  Also asparagus will only be available for a couple more weeks.  Another spring treat that doesn’t last very long is garlic scapes.  These are the flower stalk of the garlic plant.  We pull them off so the garlic will put its evergy into bulb growth instead of flowers, but the scapes are a delicious crop in their own right.  Check out the “Vegetables” page for more information and recipes for Garlic Tops.

Coming soon: beets and cabbage

Our self-serve farm stand is now open on Tuesdays and Fridays until 5pm.  Currently we have eggs, asparagus, spinach, lettuce, arugula, kale, radishes and other greens.  Our strawberries should be in around the end of May.  We will post updates as other crops come into season.  Come on by!

While the Charlottesville City Market has been going on for a few weeks now, our other markets are opening this weekend.  The Nelson County Farmer’s Market begins Saturday, May 2nd from 8-12.  It is located in the town of Nellysford on Rt. 151.

Also, we are participating in the annual Pre-Mother’s Day Plant Sale at Rockfish Valley Ruritan Park (in front of the Rockfish Valley Community Center) on Sunday, May 3rd from 9-3.  We have lots of plant starts available - herbs, flowers, and vegetables.  Plus there are many other vendors with lots of great plants for landscaping, fruitscaping, annuals and perennials.  Come check it out and maybe take home something for your Mom and yourself!

The Lexington Farmer’s Market also begins in May and the first market is Wednesday, May 6th.  The market is in downtown Lexington in the parking lot on Jefferson Street behind the Southern Inn Restaurant.  The market is open from 8-1.

Please come visit any one of our great markets!  We have plants for your garden and delicous, fresh produce and eggs for you!

This Saturday, April 4th is the opening day of the Charlottesville City Market.  We will be there this week and every Saturday thereafter from 7am until 12 noon.  Please visit our stand for a taste of what the season has in store!

We will also have a small stand the the Rockfish Valley Community Center Community Market this Saturday as well.  This is the final Community “winter” Market as the Nelson County Farmers Market begins the first Saturday in May.  The RVCC is located on Rt. 151 in Nelson County near the intersection of 151 and Rt. 6.  The market runs from 9am to 12 noon.

We’ll have eggs and plants available at both markets and a limited amount of produce.  Get there early!

Sorry folks, but our 2009 CSA is full for this season.  Don’t despair, however, as you can still get on our waiting list for the 2010 season and you will be first in line for next year.  Also, you can visit any one of our great market stands this season beginning in April - which is rapidly approaching!  Check out the home page for a list of the markets we attend.  Also, if you want to visit the farm, you can pick up some vegetables at our self-serve on-farm stand which also opens in April.

If you would like to get on the 2010 waiting list, please email me.  Thanks!

We have just worked out a lease to rent an acre of land a few miles from us.  We are excited to have this opportunity to expand a few crops and improve our rotation on the farm.  We try to maintain a crop rotation of three years between crops of the same family.  So if a field grew tomatoes, we would not plant anything in the tomato family there for 3 years.  The problem is we grow a lot of crops in the same family - tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant are all in the same family.  Also summer squash, winter squash, cucumbers, and watermelons share a family.  So at times it gets hard to find places to put things.  Our plan is to plant our potatoes and winter squash on the leased land this year.  This will give us some space in our rotation and also help us do more of those items.  We may also use the land for other things depending on how it goes.  We’re excited about this venture and hopefully it will lead to increased production on two popular items.  Stay tuned!

The 2009 season is almost underway.  Now is the time to contact us regarding the CSA.  In early February we will open up sales to our waiting list and we are usually full by March.  The first CSA delivery is May 18th.  Please visit the “CSA info” page for more information.

Here on the farm we are gearing up for the season.  Kathryn is primarily doing office work - taxes, website creation, CSA member information.  Also looking at our numbers from last year and seeing what things we want to do differently this year.  Michael has been finishing up some construction projects and starting some new ones.  We finished some new fencing for our animals and soon we will begin construction of our new On-Farm-Self-Serve Stand which will be an exciting addition to the farm.