Ironwood Farm's Latest Stories

Next steps! 🌱 Ironwood Farm Update

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:54:26 GMT

Lauren's Message

This December Ironwood Farm is in a deep rest and reset as we head towards solstice. We started a farming business on North Creek, Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican land in 2014. We established greenhouses, fencing, water access and electricity on a previous hay field to grow food for the community, near supportive friends and neighbors Little Seed Gardens through a rental partnership with the Tipple Family. We are now going through a scaling down process on the same land, utilizing the farm infrastructure that has been built over the last 11 years. Good news for 2025: the farm will continue to grow and sell vegetables and herbs! And as you will remember from our winter update last year, Aliyah is leaving the farm this month.

For Aliyah and I personally, the requirements of growing and hustling consistently available wide variety to meet farmers market and CSA needs had become overwhelming (50+ crops, all with varying needs, in continuous successions). This has been coupled with the increasing unpredictability of the weather especially for tender market crops like salads, which were also the most profitable for our sales. The risks of the way we were structured, even as we downscaled in the past several seasons, were still outweighing 1) the stability we want for our families and ourselves, and 2) the stability/security/access that we know is needed for the local food system. Please read down to the bottom of this newsletter to support other community orgs and farms that are contributing significantly to a just future and food system in our area!

My goal for 2025-2026 is to experiment with much less intensive production in exchange for the flexibility to grow whats desired for community in the following priority connections:

growing food for family, friends and volunteers
providing culturally desired items for organizations addressing food insecurity
supporting sliding scale CSA's
offering occasional weekly boxes to community members
stocking select items for our local network of partner grocers and farm stores.
connecting local students with the land

In order to rebalance, the farm is scaling down production from a team of 5 to a team of 1, and from about 6 acres in cultivation to 1 acre. Yeah you read that right... I'm sure I will be asking for your support! I have a vision of volunteers coming to help on the land, taking home all of the food they can carry. The hope is to cultivate a quiet, welcoming space that can give and receive care and feed many with more of the land in rest. Stay tuned!

Aliyah is leaving Ironwood to start her new year with fresh inquiry into her next steps on her path, still very much still a part of this community! Please read her words below. The love of our working partnership is incredible. We met at Little Seed when we had a shared kitchen and each our own living spaces in the woods. Aliyah made me coffee every morning at a time that I really needed love and support. Now here we are 13 years later, each of our children raised with food we grew and a community we wove our fabric into. The communication skills, expanded heart, and spiritual growth Ive learned in the last decade is greatly thanks to Aliyah and our work together.

I am looking forward to the next chapter for us both, apart and together.

Lauren

Aliyah's Fairwell

Dear Community,

First of all, thank you for all your support and commitment to the growth and prosperity of Ironwood. It has been so crucial, not only for the success of the farm, but also for our connection to our community and friends. The sweetest and most fulfilling memory is all our children running around, playing, and exploring the serene landscape of Ironwood.

It is with both a great sadness to leave behind such a considerable accomplishment and beloved community, but also a feeling of liberation. As with the paradoxical nature of life, we experience opposite feelings in every aspect. Coming to terms with this reality, I feel at peace, with a greater understanding of whom I am and what my purpose is, as I journey into the next chapter of my life.

Being a farmer has been my identity for almost two decades now. I started when I was 23 years old, apprenticing and then managing for the first 7 years. And now for the past 10 years, being a co-owner and co-manager of Ironwood Farm. It has truly been such an amazing gift. As I have grown older and started a family, my priorities have shifted, as well as my energy levels. As I enter my 40’s, I want to give more energy to my family and my own personal creative projects and endeavors. Farming can be extremely exhausting and leave me with little to nothing at the end of the day. With winter right around, I’ll be looking forward to giving more of my time and energy to my family and myself. I feel ready to let go of Ironwood and move on to the next chapter of my life.

Finally, thank you all again for the tremendous support and dedication to the success of Ironwood. We couldn’t have done it without you. It feels so good to be leaving the farm with such success. I’m hoping that we all still stay connected and in community.

With much love and gratitude,

Aliyah

CONTRIBUTE TO COMMUNITY

Donate to support Rock Steady Farm's food access farm work!
https://www.rocksteadyfarm.com/donate

Help Sweet Freedom Farm meet their 2025 fundraising goal!
https://www.sweetfreedomfarm.org/donate

Check out upcoming Herban Cura Knowledge Shares and participate in the Living Library!
https://www.herbancura.com/knowledge-shares

Support Long Table Harvest's important food access and gleaning work!
https://www.longtableharvest.org/donate.php

Contribute to Kite's Nest's liberatory education initiatives!
https://kitesnest.nationbuilder.com/donate

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If you have a link, resource, or call to action you would like to make it on here for the next installment, please send it to me! farmers@ironwood.farm

Farming, The Art of Miracles

Wed, 28 Jun 2023 18:58:23 GMT

As the summer officially commences, we are busy planting and planning for the months ahead. Although it feels as if warm weather is just beginning, we are already looking towards our cool-loving fall crops. Last week about 75 trays of our brassicas and chicories began their lives in the greenhouse. We farmers are always stuck in this liminal space between gratitude for present abundance and anticipatory excitement and/or nervousness for the things to come. Today, we are grateful for the arrival of the summer squash and zucchini, but also keeping our eyes forward, tending the emerging fall crops.

The You-Pick Flower row is another thing for the membership to look forward to. The buds and blooms are beginning. I am working on pruning, pinching, and deadheading the plants to encourage vigorous growth. We are excited to share these with you when they’re ready in the weeks ahead. I was lucky to receive some Dahlia tubers from my dear friend, Tonie, at Busy Bee Bouquets in Stockton, NJ. A robust planting of Dahlias will hopefully deliver beautiful blooms throughout the latter part of the summer.

While transplanting our next succession of lettuce and herbs two weeks ago, Lauren said something that had stuck in my head since. She said excitedly, “Look at all these miracles!”. I laughed and thought, “Boy, is she right.”

I started farming because I believe in miracles. When you are so attuned to the undulations of day-to-day life, it is practically impossible not to be absorbed by the magnificent gift of energetic forces each day presents. As we move towards the summer, the pests become more prolific, the weeds more extensive, and the heat more intense. Farming can often feel like a shadow looming over us as we struggle to balance the tasks of the farm, our own lives, and the uncertainty of existing in a tumultuous era.

In these moments of overwhelm, I try to remind myself that as a farmer, no matter how hard it gets, I am indebted to the art of miracles. Each day, forces seen and unseen engage in harmonious transactions to produce the glorious harvest we get to share with you each week. Every moment, microorganisms, fungi, insects, birds, mammals, minerals, water, and sunlight perform their transformative work. What an amazing feat! We feel and know that we work hard. Still, our profession would be nothing without this miraculous, unfathomable inner workings of a perfectly tuned system. I am happy to share this thought with you, and I also need a reminder to stay centered in gratitude as our days get hotter and harder.

It feels like an excellent opportunity to acknowledge these forces beyond our control and express my gratitude to our team: Lauren, Aliyah, Nathan, Zoe, Jonney, Molly, our frequent volunteers, and of course, Tatsoi, our well-loved farm cat. All of whom keep the positive vibes, laughter, and vegetables abundant.

For CSA Members: Whats in the Share This Week?

Head Lettuce (2)

Cabbage

Scallions

Fresh Garlic

Squash

Bok Choy

How/What To Cook

We asked Lauren what she'd cook this week from across the corridor of our home office... and she yelled back "LETTUCE WRAPS!"

This one looks like fire to us: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/spicy-chicken-lettuce-wraps

Cresting Summer Solstice

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 14:00:00 GMT

Happy solstice and happy summer everyone! We’ve made it to the longest day of the year. A big milestone. It’s incredible to see the rapid pace of growth at this time of the year. It’s amazing to see how fast our summer crops and cover crops can grow in just one day. Our summer cover crops are really thriving with the heat and the rain we got over the weekend. Expect to see lots of sunflowers in our fields by August. Our tomatoes, ginger, summer squash, cukes, and eggplant are loving the long days and heat. Lauren and crew has been busy keeping up with stringing and trellising our tomatoes. They’ve all done such an amazing job getting our tomatoes pruned and twined. We’re anticipating a bountiful tomato crop this year.

We just finished planting the last of our summer crops just last week. We got in more salad mix, lettuce, parsley, celery, cilantro, dill, and basil. Its hard to believe, but as soon as summer begins, we’re already getting ready for the fall. We just started seeding our fall brassica transplants in the greenhouse. I’ve been busy on the tractor, starting to get our fall sections prepped for all the late summer and fall crops. In about a month we’ll be back to transplanting and direct seeding.

Our potatoes and onions are looking good. Expect to see those in the share in about 2-3 weeks. Coming up in the next few weeks we’ll have fennel, cabbage, summer squash, bok choy, head lettuce, garlic, and basil.

And lastly, we’re all very happy that Lauren has taken some time to see her new nephew Sabastian in San Francisco. She’s been anticipating meeting this new little one for a while now. She’s helping out her family and having some good bonding time with her family and the babe.

For CSA Members: Whats in the Share This Week?

Hakauri Turnips

Little Gem Lettuce

Spicy Salad Mix

Garlic Scapes

Choy Sum

Cauliflower or Broccolini

How/What To Cook

It's a classic and our favorite way to munch down that little gem: Ceaser salad. Check ou t this easy recipe for making it at home.

For the choy sum, break out that chili crisp! Flash fry it in super hot oil, or blanch it in boiling salted water. Once cooked, toss it in a bowl with your chili crisp, maybe with some toasted sesame oil and shoyu. Win win win!

Rebounding From Hail

jonney@rhizomeconsulting.com (Jonathan Taee) — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 13:49:38 GMT

Dear Farm Followers,

We hope this email finds you well and filled with the joy of the season. We wanted to take a moment to update you on the recent events here at Ironwood Farm, as well as share some exciting news about our ongoing endeavors.

Last week, we experienced a significant setback as a hail storm blew across our farm. The young plants took a beating, and unfortunately, we had to withdraw from the Rhinebeck Farmers Market last weekend. The hail damage affected our leafy greens, resulting in bruising and diminished appearance. While still edible immediately upon picking, the bruising has led to quick wilting and cellular breakdown when stored in the fridge, rendering them unsellable. These challenges are not new to farmers worldwide, and we are all looking for the resilience and wisdom to continue growing in this changing climate.

However, amidst this challenge, we want to share some good news. The resilience and determination of our plants are truly remarkable. Despite the hail damage, their will to live and thrive is evident. Thanks to the life force energy they possess and the support of our dedicated team, we remain confident in their ability to rebound. The core of the plants is still thriving and driving growth upwards, reminding us of the power of nature's resilience. As a result, we're back this week at Market and CSA is looking good!

In addition to the recent challenges we faced with the hail storm, we are also grateful for the much-needed relief that the rain has brought to our farm. After enduring several incredibly dry months, the precipitation is a welcome sight for both our team and the plants. The replenishing showers provide essential nourishment to the soil, ensuring the continued growth and vitality of our crops. As we eagerly embrace the rejuvenating power of rain, we remain hopeful that this trend continues, bringing abundance and prosperity to Ironwood Farm and our entire community.

For CSA Members: Whats in the Share This Week?

Peashoots

Cauliflower

Scapes

Scallions

Dill

Carrots

How/What To Cook

It's unlikely anyone will get to pickling this cauliflower, because it's just so good and tender that it get's eaten on the car ride home.

But if you fancy a pickling adventure check out this simple pickled cauliflower recipe .

CSA Week 1 - Season Begins!

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 13:40:02 GMT

Dear CSA

Welcome to the first week of the CSA! We are super honored that you joined the small cohort of 2023 CSA Community at our small but mighty farm!

There are 40 households picking up at the farm and 10 free shares delivered to the Hudson community. This is a wonderful blend because while we want to run a thriving business that supports a local food system economy through super fresh organic produce, we ALSO want food to be freely available to all! Through this hybrid membership you all come together to make it possible to bring this reality forward. Sending much gratitude to all 50 of you to join with us in this mission of feeding a small radius of folks in different ways.

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On Tuesday night of this week (last night) we caught hail at the farm through a small, concentrated storm that moved through the Ghent/Philmont area. It was a brief burst (3-5 minutes) of small, mushy hail that had softened from what we heard was nickel sized hail - covering the ground - up in Saratoga. We will be making an instagram post specifically about the hail damage as we keep an eye on it this week. This was literally crushing after a very dry spring, waiting patiently for rain. HOWEVER, we expect the plants could mostly bounce back ok - especially as we hit the rocket ship of growth/sunlight increase that is this upcoming 2 week progression towards summer solstice. It was amazing to see how hardy and strong the smallest/youngest growth on the plants are... older outer leaves are tattered on most tender plants but the newest growth is in relatively good shape. The cover crop that had barely made it up through the drought (mostly super resilient cowpeas) also took a hit but at least they are finally watered in!

The good news for this first CSA week is that the CSA share was already harvested and tucked away in coolers before this storm hit! We have some really beautiful veggies for you.

Reminder: Half Moon Pizza will be at the farm slinging pies from 4:30-6! Bring cash, or pay Venmo! Come one come all - bring a friend!

Whats in the Share This Week?

Salad Mix

Peashoots

Broccolini

Hakurei Turnips

Lacinato Kale

Green Garlic

Cilantro

How/What To Cook

Use that green garlic just like you would a garlicy scallion - chop it right up fresh into a dish, no need to peel... and you can use it all the way up to the beginning of the green stalk!

Try this recipe for hakurei turnips swirled into miso butter ... yum!

I love the idea of a kale and white bean stew to make it though these remaining cool spring days.

If you want to volunteer to share some recipes for this section of the newsletter, please send us an email!

February Update from Aliyah

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 16:39:32 GMT

Starting Up Again Into a New Season

Happy February all!

These past couple of months have really flown by. I’ve been enjoying time with my family, having lots of time at Oakdale, our local park in Hudson, right down the street from us. We enjoy using the basketball courts, where Poppy rides her trike around, I ride my skateboard, and Molly roller skates. We also have lots of fun using the skatepark too. Poppy likes to run up and down the ramps and use them as slides. When Poppy needs a change of scene we head down to the dock, find lots of rocks, and throw them in the water. The park is such a great resource to have. It gets us out of the house and moving around, preventing us from getting too stir crazy.

As we find ourselves reaching the mid-winter season and entering the month of February, the start of the farming season is just on the horizon. Lauren and I have been working together on finalizing our crop plan and interviewing candidates for the 2023 Ironwood crew. We have also been doing a very thorough, deep clean and re-organization of the green house. This involves pressure washing the floor and organizing/cleaning the front of the greenhouse where we wash and process our first crops from the fieldhouses around mid-March. We also readjusted our peashoot racks to make them more level, which will improve their growth. And finally, we leveled our greenhouse benches, where all our transplants rest on, which will also improve the uniformity of their growth.

All this work has set us up for a fresh start to the 2023 season. We go into next week starting our first seeding of the year. After the much-needed break we took, it feels very exciting to start things up again. We’ll be seeding cilantro/dill and salanova in the greenhouse. These plants will be ready around mid-March to be transplanted into our second fieldhouse. We’ll also be direct seeding spicy mix, arugula, and salad mix into our first field house. These will be the first crops ready for sale around end the March/ beginning of April. And finally, we also start planting our peashoots again on a weekly basis.

Thanks for all of your support, and good wishes to your own "restart" this year!

Aliyah

Winter Shift Updates

Mon, 23 Jan 2023 17:25:14 GMT

Sitting down to write this newsletter and reach into the depths of internal winter reality, it's hard to come up with words beyond a few basics. "Tired," "fire," "tea," "food." The feeling of exhaustion, so completely crystalized by the pressure of the last few growing seasons, is a potent feeling I am sinking into full-scale intimacy with. Little bits of cozy energy are spent crafting and reading with the kids and gathering with friends.

Allowing in inertia, and choosing to do a lot less, is one way I can keep the flame of my spirit alive. The choice to yield to the stormy, cold days is how I can save up the surge of energy needed for when birds start chirping on a 35 degree sunny day. This is the kind of warm day (when the body senses anything over 32 F as "warm") which sends me right into imagining the joy of March approaching. Without these days of languishing on the couch, I fear that I wont be able to feel the joy of riding that upwell when it inevitably comes.

I'm looking forward to March particularly this season because in line with this slow winter the spring will be a quiet start. I used to feel annoyed at March because it felt like the riot of spring should be beginning. In the Northwest, where I used to live and still love, there are giant pink blossoms dropping from the trees in March... but here in the Northeast it's still mud and cold (although, also, the treasure of tree sap!). These days I feel March as a nice lulling time; the dreaming space of NY spring without the pressure. Little dobs of shocking green colors in the greenhouse (cilantro, dill, lettuces, onions) in the otherwise cozy, soft brown field of view that is late winter Upstate.

This is the first year in awhile that we will have no co-workers on our farm besides Ironwood owners until April. This means Aliyah and I will be going through the steady motions of cleaning up the farm and finalizing the reset for the return of warmth and sun. We will slowly turn fieldhouse beds and plant first successions of seeds. By mid-March the ginger seed will be arriving, tomatoes will be sprouting, and the greenhouse will be beginning to fill up alongside young peashoots which will be making their appearance again. I can already smell the tomato plants as I run my hands through their stems to bend the plants and check that their roots are maintaining enough water while they wait to go in the ground. I can remember how, so strangely and beautifully, a Sungold plant smells just as fruity as the fruit itself. It is my secret wish that our 2022 crew will continue to stop by at times like this for a cup of tea in the greenhouse on a slow day, because we will be missing them dearly. By the time the greenhouse is full at the end of March, we will be ready for the arrival of more lovely humans to share the tasks and high fives around a bit wider.

You've probably gathered by now that Ironwood Farm will be in existence in 2023! I know s everal of you were worried after my last slightly heart- wrenching newsletter. We've made significant cuts to our crop plan and our CSA distribution spread (this was/is hard) in order to bring our energy closer to home. Even with the challenges of farming ever-increasing, we want to maintain care and relationship to the North Creek land that hosts our farm community and families for many more years. The challenge will be to navigate a path of scaling down that feels authentic, and maintains connection and the vibrant energy that we've built here with your help over the last 9 years.

To support this transition, you can join our small and abundant Farm CSA . More information to come in a future post about CSA details, which can also be found now on our website .

Enjoy this snow day!

Lauren

reparations now, land back, and no more cops

Last Week of 2022 CSA

Sat, 29 Oct 2022 01:12:13 GMT

Dear CSA Members

The last CSA week! I feel the pressure of writing the "final" newsletter... to bring it all together, create some kind of summary or leave some lasting flavor of what this season has been. I can tell you so far it takes a lot of big sighs to write the final newsletter! :)

There is a big feeling in my heart that is hard to pin down as we wind up this season, and the feeling is so expansive and ephemeral because it is tied to each person who has contributed to Ironwood Farm this year. It feels like a big sparkling web that contains: fiery fall leaves, the combined joy and drain of too much coffee, the heavy cling of mud on boots. watermelon seeds, dew drops of sweat, and bits of milkweed fluff. It's the day-on-day layer cake of working with folks for a year or more, laughing together, crying in front of each other, crawling through the dirt, and celebrating, that is central at the end-of-season table. Its a bittersweet cake to be sure!

This next year is a big year of transition where in 2023 almost all, and possibly all, of the current team members are moving deeper into their life's needs and desires and taking space from farming. While I will miss the everyday presence of these sweet humans immensely, I feel a sigh of relief knowing that each person I love from the farm is taking the steps that are following their intuition. It's been a really intense 3 years farming during a pandemic and climate change, in amongst many other cultural challenges and vacancies of support that are part of living in the "United States." Farming at any scale requires a certain amount of badassery, no matter how large or small or how the internal structures on the farm are carefully constructed to allow for the most care. I feel very proud and inspired by these friends who take a rest from badassery to breathe into all of the other vibrant, vivid sides of their lives. Or maybe what I meant to say is: these folks teach me that this is what it really means to be a badass. To move in and out of challenges and pressures, to bend and go with the flow and allow transformation and pause, to listen to ourselves.

In light of this change, we are anticipating that next year will look very different for Aliyah and I. We hope to follow our own intuition as it emerges, as far as where we put our farming energy, what we grow, and how we take this moment of transition to evaluate our own trajectory. Stay tuned as we share more information in the coming months!

A huge THANK YOU to all of the CSA members who have been part of our journey this year! Growing food for CSA customers is a challenge because we want to give CSA absolutely everything, and it can be tough to be learning and growing at the same time as providing consistent, high quality produce to local households. This year was especially challenging with the drought! The connection with CSA members is such a joy and we try to improve it every year. We hope you will join us in seasons to come, and we look forward to updating you about changes for next year.

Once CSA is over, if you are craving our veggies and herbs you can find them locally at the Rhinebeck Farmers Market on Sundays through the end of November, at MX Morningstar Farm Store , The Philmont Coop , Rolling Grocer 19 , Talbott and Arding , and Random Harvest ! As well as many other great local restaurants.

Much love,

Lauren

CSA Share: Week 17

Thu, 13 Oct 2022 01:24:04 GMT

Dear CSA Memebers

Happy full moon. I hope you have been able to spend some moments outside with loved ones or to yourself. Though I am coming around to the fact that I actually don’t like the cold and could personally definitely can do without the changes in temperature, I am learning to appreciate by way of veggies the possibilities that the fall can offer.

Sea kale, also known as hydra kale, is a sadly overlooked fall veggie. Seed catalogs describe sea kale as “tender yet sturdy.” And though we can fun of seed catalogs descriptions that feel like too many abstracted adjectives for a run on sentence-it’s exactly how I too would describe sea kale.

A tender and sturdy stem makes for an easy harvest without the frustrations of breakage. If you were harvesting sea kale, I think you too would have an affinity to it. Tender yet sturdy greens- makes the base to a hearty fall salad that gives you nostalgia for June but the bulkiness needed for the fall. If only we could all aim to be like sea kale; tender, yet sturdy.

I am not equipped to tell a story of our sea kale’s seed, but enough to predict that it has a distant relationship to the kale you can find on the coasts of the Black Sea and parts of northern Europe. We are talking about a plant that grows in salty air, vulnerable to all that coastal wind, and fluctuating temperatures-conditions that are too rough for many humans and non humans alike. Sea kale, surviving along these coasts with its tender leaves.

Finally, sea kale teaches me to respect my relationship to this season. I have been ritualizing cleaning my space these days; feeling a little too tender, often too cold, to go too far. So I sweep my home, clean the dishes, make my bed, fluff the pillows, just to tend to my space and to myself a little deeper; I make myself a bit more sturdy to prepare for the hearty winter.

Sea kale, the perfect green for autumn.

With sweetness

Paloma

Whats in the Share This Week?

Potatoes

"Sea Kale"/Hydra or Lacinato

Fennel

Garlic Chives

Yellow Onions

Garlic

Butternut Squash

What To Cook

Enjoy sea kale/Hydra subbed into this recipe here: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/kale-salad-with-pecan-vinaigrette

Simple fennel preparation! Cheese, herbs, lemon juice... yummm https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/shaved_fennel_salad/

Vegetable Storage Tips Yellow Onions

These onions are fully cured and can last in a cool, dry place through the Winter. You'll be getting lots these last few weeks, so as to have onions through the Fall!

Kale: In a bag in the fridge! If you're short on space you can take the leaves off the stems, chop it up and into a bag or Tupperware! New Paragraph

CSA Share: Week 15

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 01:30:40 GMT

Dear CSA Members

About a month ago, the perimeter of the farm exploded in goldenrod. This has become a familiar harbinger of the fall for me, and in the last couple of weeks purple asters have popped up throughout the goldenrod. Lauren sent me the photo above as something to share in the newsletter, and I was reminded of the chapter on goldenrod and aster from Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Here's a bit from the chapter, to pair with the photo above, and hopefully a walk around the farm when you pick up tomorrow:

"That September pairing of purple and gold is lived reciprocity; its wisdom is that the beauty of one is illuminated by the radiance of the other. Science and art, matter and spirit, Indigenous knowledge and Western science--can they be goldenrod and asters for each other? When I am in their presence, their beauty asks me for reciprocity, to be the complementary color, to make something beautiful in response."

Sending much farm love this early September evening,

Nora

Whats in the Share This Week?

Potatoes

Choy Sum

Eggplant

Lettuce

Kale

Yellow Onions

Parsley

What To Cook

Eggplant season is coming to a close and whether you're happy or sad about that, this looks like a perfect fall dish with the last of the eggplant plus this week's potatoes and even ginger if you've still got some from last week. Aloo Baingan is a Pakistani & North Indian-style vegan curry made with potatoes (aloo) and eggplant (baingan or brinjal).

Do you find you're not using your herbs in a timely fashion? Not sure what to do with an entire bunch of parsley? We were just discussing this in the field and one great way to eat all your herbs is to blend them up in something like this parsley vinaigrette which you can put on almost anything you're eating. For me it's often salad, or an egg sandwich. But this can go on meat, pasta, etc.

We grow two different varieties of Choy Sum on the farm, and this one more closely resembles Gai Lan which is also often called Chinese broccoli. This recipe with oyster sauce is a classic and delicious way of cooking the greens.

Vegetable Storage Tips

Yellow Onions: These onions are fully cured and can last in a cool, dry place through the Winter.

Potatoes: Also cured, the potatoes can similarly last for weeks to months in a cool, dry place. If you notice they are starting to sprout though, it's time to get them cooking!

CSA Share: Week 14

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 01:38:49 GMT

Hey CSA Members

The deluges of rain we waited for day after day this summer have arrived with abundance. Yesterday during a rare event where all 6 members of our core crew gathered in the poll shed to share our updates and plan the remainder of this week, we could barely hear each other even in our close circle from the loud drumming on the metal roof. It sounded like hail from the power of the sound, but it was just huge, voluptuous, and fast rain like we haven’t seen at all this season.

I can feel the temptation towards cliché labels like “too little too late” while being drenched with rain after the intensity of this summer’s drought. But it feels so important to resist that and open up to receiving gifts that arrive whenever they arrive. I try to imagine the creeks filling up every time it rains this fall… to think that I’ll be out on my kayak soon or next spring, grateful for all of this water, separate from the desires of farming production. The trees and grass are suddenly so lush and this must be a true relief for any grazing farmers and their animals in our area.

Young ginger is one of the other gifts that is arriving at this late-fall time. The ginger you’re receiving in the share this week has traveled a long road to get to you! The mother rhizomes arrive to us in March from Hawaii; we unpack them and get them sprouting in a converted cooler that’s been outfitted for heat and humidity. The sprouting always happens quicker than we think, with green shoots suddenly heading for the ceiling in the dark cooler… searching for sunlight. This season the seed that arrived looked less happy than usual – a little banged up and evidence that it had pre-sprouted and died back, so we weren’t sure how it was going to do. We did lose some of the crop but what grew is glorious. I love working with the ginger plant almost more than anything else on the farm because every step of the process is done by hand. The aromatic scent of the leaves during harvest has become a seasonal relationship: familiar, comforting and tender. The first harvest is always like reconnecting with a familiar friend.

Ginger also signals that we’ve nearly made it to the end of the season, no matter what has occurred, what was won or lost. She’s here to mark the turn of the year and send us on with sweetness and warmth.

5 more weeks of CSA! Please enjoy these last weeks of produce from our farm to you!

Best wishes,

Lauren

Whats in the Share This Week?

Baby Ginger

Napa Cabbage

Baby Boy Choy

Carrots

Kale

Sweet or Poblano Peppers

What To Cook

Ginger... So many ways to enjoy fresh baby ginger! Lots of lovely recipes out there but here is an NPR article with a recipe that outlines a great pickling process from "Joy of Pickling". I like to leave just the pink parts of the ginger inside the jar for a light pink color (I wonder if a quick blanching of these pink ends, even if you aren't blanching the rest of the ginger, might help release the pigment... Ive tried it both ways and without blanching it doesn't seem to release the color as much!), or as the author suggests you can put a slice of beet into it too for a deeper pink.

Our farmer friend at Little Seed Gardens, Claudia Kenny, taught us to blanch baby bok choy al-dente in boiling salt water. You can drizzle sesame oil and soy sauce once it comes out, and even grate a little ginger over top, to finish the dish. As Samin Nosrat would say, make sure the cooking water is salty like the sea!

If your fridge is overwhelmed, pickling this week is a great way to put some goodness up for colder months. Napa, carrots, bok choy, and ginger are all great elements of a kimchi recipe.

Vegetable Storage Tips Baby Ginger

Separate the stems and chop them up to steep into an herbal tea with a little bit of the ginger root, some honey and a cinnamon stick. The rhizome can be left on the counter for the skin to dry, or use it within 2-3 days from your fridge. Keep the pink bits attached to the rhizome if you want to pickle it!

Carrots: Remove the tops immediately and keep the roots in a plastic bag in the fridge, they will keep for weeks! If you leave the tops on it contributes to dehydration in the fridge.

CSA Share: Week 13

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 13:05:08 GMT

Dear CSA Members

Dear CSA,

I'm excited about this week's share as it highlights the beauty of what we call the "shoulder seasons" in farming, aka Spring and Fall. This time of year is special for many reasons, and the variety of vegetables we harvest is one of them. To have fresh tomatoes alongside butternut squash and collard greens feels like a treat for me in the kitchen. And as the mornings and nights cool down, it's fun to wear sweaters and make stews again!

Each week we try to share some varied recipes with you, and we'd love to know more about what you're cooking with your share. Got any recipes that you love? Even if you're totally winging it, we'd love to know your process. If you're willing and able, please send a recipe (whether it's a link online, or a quick run-down of what you created) to wholesale@ironwood.farm , and we'll share them out via the newsletter over the last month or so of CSA!

Hope you're finding small moments of joy in these late summer days,

Nora

Whats in the Share This Week?

Tomatoes OR Cherry Tomatoes

Sweet Peppers OR Poblano Peppers

Eggplant

Collard Greens

Butternut Squash

Beets

Jalapeno Peppers

What To Cook

Please forgive me if I've already shared this black pepper tofu and eggplant recipe by Smitten Kitchen, but it's just so solid. If you haven't already tried, I highly recommend!

This Trini Callaloo shared by Brigid Washington via Bon Apetit is her version of a essential Caribbean dish. It also happens to use both collard greens and butternut squash. It's a more complicated recipe than some I usually share, but since both collards and butternut will stay good for a couple of weeks, you could plan for it!

For those members receiving poblano peppers this week, try some of the classic Mexican dishes such as chiles en nogafa, chiles rellenos or rajas poblanas. You can find links for those recipes and great information about the peppers on this site .

Vegetable Storage Tips

Collard Greens: Similar to kale, collards should stay green in your fridge for 1-3 weeks. Try to get as much of them in a plastic bag as possible and keep in the crisper drawer.

Butternut and Winter Squash: Keep in a cool, dry place and squash can keep for up to six months. Something else I like to do is peel, de-seed and cube squash and then throw it in the freezer for the winter!

Care On A Farm In The Middle of the Season

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 13:19:10 GMT

Tea at Ironwood Farm

We have made it through 2/3rds of the CSA season. Though the world continues to be on fire, with dismal amounts of rain, and several personal challenges have arisen for each on the farm, the farm keeps giving, and we all continue to show up with the land. Yes- because it’s our livelihood but also because I feel many times the farm can be a source of care and safety that we all crave and deserve.

On the farm, care can feel like great communication, flexibility when personal matters need to be addressed, a space to cry, coffee on all days, and the yearning to meet different access needs of the team. For me, during a season when my life has felt uncertain and unsettling, Ironwood has been a place of serious refuge. Even if safety is not something we can access all the time, I can find moments to settle my nervous system on the farm. Burnout is real, and pouring rain makes me seriously wish I could stay in bed, but both the land and the people of Ironwood’s orbit call us back together.

A couple of days ago, many of us gathered at Nora’s home. To paint the scene: we’re laying in Nora’s cozy living room, rain is pouring, kids are running around, lighting is somehow the perfect glow, the cat is curled up, we have been prepared a warm meal, and even though there’s maybe 10-12 people packed in the room, the conversation is just soft enough to hear the rain. I feel settled. And I hope each one of you can access that feeling at some points during your week too. For the carelessness that reigns this land between borders, due to neoliberal agendas that prioritize profit over care, it has been what one may call healing to be part of such a place like Ironwood.

Maybe there are a host of reasons you signed up for Ironwood CSA; perhaps you wanted to support the local food system, develop a relationship with a farming community, or have access to tender greens grown with a lot of love. Whatever the reason may be, and whichever farm you choose, you are supporting the ethics of that farm. And each farm in this area has their own culture and tenants, such as the tenants clearly expressed by Sweet Freedom or Herbana cura . From my experience as a crew member of Ironwood, care is a pillar of this farm, so much so, I feel I have learned how to better provide care….So here’s to a future full of communal spaces alongside a universal basic income, that prioritize networks of care.

Enjoy your veggies,

Con cariño

Paloma

Whats in the Share This Week?

Tomatoes OR Cherry Tomatoes

Sweet Peppers

Arugula

Kale

Yellow Onions

Thai Basil

What To Cook

You know how sometimes it takes a couple of farming seasons to try that one recipe you've been wanting to try? That's me and Joshua McFadden's peperonata . I did it this season and now I'm here to spread the news! It's delicious! Make it! Also I used whatever onions I had instead of scallions, and you can sub big tomatoes for cherries.

This thai basil sauce recipe looks like the perfect way to quickly use your basil and then have it for cooking throughout the week!

Want to freeze some of your sweet peppers for use in the winter? Try this method !

Vegetable Storage Tips

Thai Basil: Similar to basil, this doesn't want to be too cold or too warm. In a plastic bag in the fridge will do, but use within a couple of days for the best quality!

Onions: Seems like this might go without saying but just so ya know, our onions are cured and can last through the whole winter in a cool, dry place. If you keep them for months and they start to sprout, use them asap!

CSA Share: Week 11

Wed, 31 Aug 2022 13:33:27 GMT

Dear CSA Members

We’re all excited it’s the last week of August as we transition into September and the beginning of the fall season. September is such a wonderful month, bringing us cooler weather, the shift of light and the shorter day length. This translates to less weed pressure, the end of the life cycle of flea beetles, and the flourishing of fall crops. And thank goodness for the rain that we finally received last night. Hopefully it’s a sign that the drought is ending and there is more rain ahead of us.

We really crushed it last week with cultivation and weeding, taking advantage of the hot dry weather. Our fall greens and roots are looking amazing and bountiful. Look ahead to salad mix, arugula, spicy salad mix, roots, and bunched greens in the coming weeks.

Our sweet peppers are finally ready and will be bountiful for the next few weeks. They are the last of our summer crops to ripen. While the tomatoes are winding down, the eggplant are flowering again and will make a comeback in the next couple of weeks.

Happy cooking!

Aliyah

Whats in the Share This Week?

Tomatoes OR Cherry Tomatoes

Sweet Peppers

Peashoots

Kale

Shallots

Garlic

Thyme

What To Cook

Here’s two simple, quick, and delicious sweet pepper recipes. One for cooking on the stovetop and another for a quick pickle .

This peashoot salad recipe is a nice, light, end of summer salad with parmesan and simple a simple lemon vinaigrette

Here’s an easy stovetop kale recipe with lemon and garlic.

Vegetable Storage Tips

Thyme: I always leave perennial herbs like thyme out in a little cup on my counter. They will eventually dry and then can be used as a dry herb for months!

Kale: Like so many other vegetables, kale will store best in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Use within 1-2 weeks!

This drought is really kicking our butts

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 15:08:19 GMT

Hey CSA,

Thank you for supporting us through these summer break weeks. We're back on and CSA will continue uninterrupted through the third week of October. It's been a real blessing for the farm, and us farmworkers, to have a bit more time during these off-weeks to care for the farm and ourselves.

And what a time it has been this August! This drought is really kicking our butts. We often think of summer as a time of abundance and yet this August has us really stretching to feel abundant. As many of the fruiting crops are winding down, we've decided to really turn our attention towards the fall crops. This was probably the driest summer in Ironwood's history, but that doesn't mean the fall will be too! Sweet peppers are finally coming on, and the fall greens are looking splendid. Today we just harvested our first winter squash and you'll be excited to see cured onions and garlic in the share this week. There's plenty more where that came from.

Soon we'll have salad mix, arugula, spicy mix, kales, and broccolini. Thanks for being on this seasonal journey with us and please know that your support is integral to everything we do on the farm.

Happy cooking!

Nora

Whats in the Share This Week?

Tomatoes

Potatoes

Green Beans OR Summer Squash

Sweet Peppers

Yellow Onions

Garlic

Holy Basil/Tulsi

What To Cook

The peppers in your share this week are Jimmy Nardello, a farm favorite. They are sweet! Don't be fooled by their shape and red hot color. Here are two fun slow food recipes highlighting the peppers; one a cocktail and the other Spanish-style peppers and potatoes.

Got an instant pot? This Indian dish of green beans and potatoes can be made within 30 minutes in the instant pot and looks perfect for a weeknight dinner.

Vegetable Storage Tips

Sweet Peppers: In the crisper drawer of your fridge. I often put them in there loose, but you can also use a plastic or paper bag. They should keep well for at least one week, up to two.

Green Beans: Beans will also do best inside the fridge, in a plastic or paper bag.

A Word From One Of Our Farm Volunteers: Kara

Wed, 20 Jul 2022 15:25:53 GMT

Hi! I’m Kara, a volunteer farmer at Ironwood. It brings me great joy to be a small part of cultivating such stunning vegetables alongside Ironwood’s kind hearted and dedicated farmers. I’m not lying when I tell you that its straight up vegetable worship going down in those fields every day, and that’s why your vegetables are second to none!

Growing up in Columbia County, I was surrounded by farms but I always wondered where their food went. My family shopped at Shop Rite in Hudson, but I would drive by fields of corn every day and wonder “why can’t we buy and eat this?” It was a strange paradox to grow up in a farming community but never actually have access to the local, fresh produce growing all around me. The bounty of delicious, local food is part of why I live here now – and I imagine it is for you too!

Unfortunately, despite the many new and wonderful organic farms in the area, residents of Columbia County are still not able to access local, fresh produce and food insecurity remains a serious reality for many of our neighbors. At Ironwood we grow vegetables for free CSA shares that go to local families and community members. We partner with Long Table Harvest , Hudson Community Fridge , that Columbia Recovery Kitchen to get fresh, local vegetables to those that need it. You can support our efforts by contributing to our Food For All Fund , which helps offset the costs of free produce.

Thank you for being a part of providing good food for all and for helping us make the dream happen out there in the fields every day!

With gratitude,
Kara

Whats in the Share This Week?

Cucumbers!

Big tomatoes or Cherry tomatoes

Red or White Fresh Onions

Cilantro, Tulsi or Thai Basil

Summer Squash or Eggplant

Chard

Garlic

What To Cook

When strawberry season and tomato season kiss: Spaghetti with Strawberry-Tomato Sauce !

Eggplant is here! This moussaka is my favorite summer eggplant dish. We don’t generally do meat in my house, so we leave out the lamb and substitute butter for the lamb fat. And definitely sub fresh tomatoes in place of canned. It will last you days and you will be transported to a Greek island with every bite!

And while you’re at it, pick up a nice piece of feta and some kalamatas and enjoy a Horiatiki salad with fresh cucumbers and tomatoes!

Maybe you’re starting to amass an impressive zucchini collection like me? This zucchini and ricotta galette is easier than you think to whip up. Just mix the dough up in a food processor, roll it out and fill it with any cheese you like, sliced zucchini and this week’s Thai basil. Can’t go wrong.

Vegetable Storage Tips

Tomatoes: On the counter - no fridge! However because we harvest our tomatoes ripe on the vine, we recommend using them up pretty soon... while they're flavor and texture is at peak!

Eggplant/Summer Squash: Especially eggplant, but also summer squash, will benefit from being stored in the coolest place of your kitchen but not necessarily in your refrigerator. If your kitchen is running hot then definitely fridge is the way to go, but squash and eggplant can take on chilling injury (brown spots, pitting) if stored under 50 degrees. At the farm we have one of our coolers set to a slightly higher temp during this season to keep things at their ideal temp!

Big Feelings - Chill Vibes

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 13:47:11 GMT

We have a new slogan at Ironwood Farm:

"Big Feelings - Chill Vibes"

At this point in the season there is a siren's call to panic, pressure and stress. Farmers can sense it building alongside the humidity/heat (the rashes!), the pest pressure and the bone-dry soil. We run a narrow gauntlet each year as it relates to the many variables of growing food within/alongside the natural environment. And then this gauntlet is itself within an already squeezed political environment that does not prioritize resiliency, rest or care.

I feel so proud of this Ironwood Farm team in how we have *a lot of capacity* (not all the capacity) to tune out that siren's call and choose love and care for each other and ourselves. There are for sure moments of doubt, of pushing through, and of feeling the impacts on our bodies... and feeling at the edge of this job and way of life. While Aliyah and I have made a conscious effort in the past many years to set this culture - as much flexibility as we can offer each other, including space to heal, to care for children, to take vacations, to take breaks as needed - this Chill Vibes atmosphere absolutely would not exist without the total dream team of farmers that are gracing the farm this year. We are figuring out ways to carry the fullness of Big Feelings that comes with being a human at this time, in this place, in this profession - and in our individual lives, while allowing a lot of space within our workplace. Its really hard to describe... but if you've been in our orbit I'm sure you've felt it! Almost 99% of the time when we rally for a task its with a giggle, a saunter (we do not run from task to task), and a snack. Again, small but essential things in our daily existence. I am realizing that every time I write about this team I want to mention the snacks!

I am also feeling so grateful for this seasons volunteers!! Andy, Kara, Donnay, B and Inez contribute so much to the same spirit above that keeps us in the game. When someone joins the team as a volunteer it brings a special energy and encouragement from the outside world (farms can be a bit isolating). This is a feeling/presence I imagine is common in community led farms... where there is a sense of the food being grown for the community at large, and a desire for that to succeed not from a capitalistic standpoint but from the perspective of wholeness/connection/contribution/sustenance. Our farm team brings this but the volunteers really enhance it and bring it to potency. Check out our Instagram page for an upcoming post highlighting some super-amazing volunteer projects that we are adoring right now!

Wishing for you all to experience the sweetness that I get to be around each day. And thank you for being part of this little farm's world!

In gratitude,

Lauren

A HUGE Thank You to All Our GoFundMe Supporters

Sat, 13 Nov 2021 19:18:04 GMT

Wow wow wow.

We're writing this wayyyy late. We're only just coming up for air as the busy season ends. But the gratitude, love, and thanks are no less felt.

Back in the summer we ran a GoFundMe to raise funds for farm seating. We realized that while we were playing host to many visitors, CSA members, farmers, and families, we had nowhere for people to sit! We wanted to do something about this, and turned to our community for support.

We teamed up with the incredible Cruz Luis from Cruz Luis Wood Products , an insanely talented and go-get-it 15 year old lad from Hudson who started a woodshop business during the pandemic when school was closed. He agreed to build us 5 picnic benches and 6 Adirondack chairs to welcome our visitors.

If you're looking for some well built, locally made, community supporting outside furniture, get in touch with Cruz Luis!

We launched our first GoFundMe campaign to raise the $3,000 to put towards the project, and pay Cruz for his excellent craft. We were a little nervous about this, because we've never done a fundraiser for the farm before. We've always been a for-profit production farm, with every last bit of "profit" invested back into the farm for the next season. Fundraising felt a little awkward, but we just didn't have the budget to do this ourselves.

And wow... the response was absolutely incredible! Within 6 hours we were fully funded. The speed and breadth of generosity was overwhelming. So many people were so generous!

We would like to sincerely thank everyone who donated to this project. You all made this a reality. You helped support a young Hudson lad grow his business, you gave Ironwood visitors and crew a place to rest and eat comfortably. AND you helped enhance our community gathering space. We are so so thankful to you all.

We would also like to give a special shout out to Dave Chicane who is the owner and chef at Hudson Food Studio . Totally to our surprise, Dave came in with a whopping donation that really helped launch the fundraising. This is a BIG deal. Dave's commitment to the farm goes back eight years, back to the first year of the farm. He helped build our first greenhouse! He's been buying and featuring Ironwood vegetables from the start, and LOT of them, which has really supported our wholesale efforts. He offers our crew a discount when they eat at his restaurant. He is one of the most farmer-forward and supporting restaurant operators we know. AND he did this in the middle of a pandemic when business is tough. For all these reasons we literally shed a tear when we realized what he had done. Thank you Dave and the entire team at Hudson Food Studio.

Dave of Hudson Food Studio back in 2014 building an Ironwood Farm Greenhouse

Slowing Down Speeding Up

Sat, 11 Jan 2020 14:24:28 GMT

Slowing down and Speeding up

These January thaw “spring” smells are making us really excited to get back into active relationship with the ground. It’s comforting to be doing less farming this winter; the stirring sensations of slightly warmer days trigger a genuine pull because we have allowed ourselves to be slower. It’s a slowing down and speeding up all at once, the “doing self” resting and inspiration coming online.

Walking around on the hard cold earth it feels right to be doing less, like a devotion to rest on a bigger scale. I hope that as farmers in the winter we send some prayers for slowness, in our own upcoming seasons & for each other & the wider community.

We’re planning for 2020 in this spirit. Our goal is to recognize that our efforts and possibility are not infinite in any given year, and to choose a few things – however enticing – to say no to. This may seem obvious, but it’s a new effort! We’ve been talking in farmer circles about how folks who live in conjunction with the land are intoxicated by possibility. We experience every year how quiet contemplations of the earth spiral into the most delicate and profound bursting at the seams… the planet teaches us what possibility looks like, and how infinite. I think what we’re trying to do this year is to put more effort into doing less so we can learn, rather than race to match the possibility of nature. The potential to trade in some stress for wonder is really exciting.

Part of this dynamic is recognizing our small part in a larger community of badass and tender souls. We don’t have to try to do everything - so many beings around us are doing amazing stuff. Aliyah and I are in a young parenthood state: we are our young kids, our jobs, our desires for balance & meaning. It’s all of us all the time. It feels good to take one tiny step back and watch/encourage the development of the things around us.

The step back is really tough because it’s the opposite of so many parts of this country are fighting for, silently and loudly, for centuries. The step back is not just about letting the land rest, but about who has access to land and food. How can we take up less space and meet our basic needs? This feels like the big question and such a huge opportunity for urgent shift.

In all of this pause, there’s a little speed gaining that also needs to happen, or we will miss the ride altogether. We’re making decisions and hiring a fabulous crew. Any day now we’ll be seeding leeks and first fieldhouse transplants, then alliums and tomatoes and eggplant. We look forward to keeping you posted!

Thanks for being part of our journey and letting us be part of yours,

Much love

Lauren & Ironwood Farm

A Busy Winter

Fri, 15 Feb 2019 19:23:18 GMT

A New Year, A New Season of Inspiration

It’s a surprisingly busy winter for us at Ironwood Farm. We’re starting first seeds for the spring fieldhouses, leeks, and soon onions and nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant). We’re knee deep in planning: hiring for our 2019 crew, addressing weak links in our chains of production from seed to dollar, and thinking about what we need at the farm to make a happy, creative work environment that provides space for our families and connects to other local businesses.

Aliyah and Molly are expecting their baby very soon as Molly heads towards her 34th week of pregnancy! So there is a sweet fire burning under our butts to get things sorted out before Aliyah takes a much supported & deserved maternity leave.

We are feeling the shift in winds of a partner’s departure and having young families: it is a strong theme as we head into 2019. Jenny’s move to Idaho to begin a new venture has opened palpable space on the farm. We feel her vacancy. There is a sliver of quiet space which used to be filled by her conversation, her devouring of audiobooks, her speed and alchemy of getting things done and creating solutions and new directions. The farm is noticeably quieter and slower. Her departure invites Aliyah and I to ask ourselves what we want. There is also an opening of human space for the participation of our romantic partners to turn an eye to the farm, seeing what they’d like to make of our collective connection to this place for as long as we have it.

All of this to say there is an air of hope and curiosity at the future while we quietly plod along and start stirring the magic of a natural cycle which will soon explode with the sun’s return. We’re finishing the new floor of our greenhouse, which now has French drains thanks to Jonney, Lauren’s brother Walker, and some help from Nicholas from Whistledown Farm! We have numerous projects we want to tend to and were trying to stay focused on the ones which get us closer to harmonic connection with the folks, creatures and ecosystems we work with. All of this while picking & packing for local restaurants and food businesses.

As we think of the sun returning, we’re thinking of harvesting armfuls and truckloads of vegetables and fragrant herbs soon. We hope you will join us in this season’s delicious adventure! We will be opening all of our CSAs for sign-up in February . We’ve also developed a CSA survey from 2018 that we hope previous members will help us answer to troubleshoot and celebrate our distributions. Stay tuned for a link in your inbox!

We look forward to sending more news soon as the season develops, and the new baby arrives!

Happy Almost-Spring,

Lauren & Aliyah

Ironwood Farm

Transitions and Gratitude

Thu, 01 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The Ironwood Newsletter - November 19th 2019

Dear Friends,

It is with a spirit full of gratitude that I share the news of my departure from Ironwood at the end of this fall season.

For almost a decade now, I have lived and worked here. I’ve made bosom friends, grown as a farmer, and collaborated in every season with this particular land. Sharing the joy and challenge of building Ironwood, together with Aliyah and Lauren, has been one of the biggest accomplishments of my life. I’m so very grateful to this entire community for supporting us and helping bring the farm into existence. For a long time it was my dream, and now it is made manifest. I don’t know that you get to have that experience many times in life.

In early December I’ll be heading West to Idaho to be with my partner. It’s bittersweet because I’m leaving so much here, but I feel joy and excitement about moving towards love, and leaning into the unknown.

When we three started Ironwood, we had a specific and unified vision that has naturally evolved and shifted for all of us individually over these five years farming together. I’m looking forward to taking what I’ve learned from the systems we invented together to inform a new vision, and potentially to feed folks from another radical farm out West. And I’m equally excited to witness Ironwood as it continues to evolve with Aliyah and Lauren at the helm, alongside the young growth of their new families.

When I first thought about the intention and tone of this letter, I wanted to make sure it wouldn’t be a tool for maudlin lingering, have some kind of award speech vibe, or be a kind frame around an Instagram version of life. The truth is, farming is hard work. It is hard, but it is beautiful and nourishing, and it is something we – all of us, and nature - create together. So thank you for helping build Ironwood, for helping me to have a life that I really like and for the opportunity to do work that I have been proud of: to feed myself and others.

I’ve been surprised to find that the muscle that farming has exercised the most has been my heart. It feels pretty full right now.

With love and gratitude from your farmer,

Jenny

Summer CSA Starting Soon

Tue, 01 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Join Us for Your Organic Bounty at Ironwood Farm: Starting Early June 2018

Ironwood Farm's Summer CSA is Starting Soon

Bring on summer, your weekly supply of certified organic veggies, and the bounty of your local farm! We are so excited for this coming season and look forward to welcoming you to the farm, our healthy, tasty and diverse vegetables and fruits, and our supportive community.

Signup today at: www.ironwood.farm

THE LOCAL CSA DETAILS:
Starts: June 7th 2018
Ends: October 18th 2018
No. of Boxes: 20
Pickups at:
At the Farm: Thursdays from 4:30m to 6:30pm
In Hudson, Rivertown Lodge: Thursdays from 4:30pm to 6:00pm
Price: $525

OTHER LOCATIONS:
We are super happy to announce several other CSA locations in New York state this year. Other locations include:

Kingston, NY: Village Coffee and Goods
Irvington and SleepyHollow, Westchester, NY: The Rivertown CSA
Rigdewood, Queens, New York: Ridgewood CSA

Check out the details for pickup details and CSA options on our website: www.ironwood.farm .

OTHER IMPORTANT NOTES:
a) We have a Friday farm cooler pickup if needed
b) Payment plans available

GIFT IDEA:
Ever thought of gifting a share to a family member or loved one? Healthy veggies make an excellent holiday gift!

WHAT IS A CSA?
It's when you pay a farm up front for a "share" of the goods they grow and produce, helping the farmers with their high costs at the beginning of a season. In return for your "share", you receive a weekly selection of the farm's freshest and best produce, helping feed your family and friends while supporting your local farm community.

WHAT VEG CAN I EXPECT:
Check out our list of summer veg here: http://www.ironwood.farm

End Of Winter

Thu, 15 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The Ironwood Newsletter - March 15th 2018

The shifts in weather in the last 2 weeks have been pretty baffling. We are struggling to line it up with “normal” vs. “abnormal…” maybe it’s just the new normal? 2 weeks ago during 60/70-degree days I was on the phone with a farmer friend asking, “Should we be getting in the ground??!” I remembered one early Spring a few years ago when farmers I knew were suddenly planting carrots in March, prepping beds, getting a jump on spring work. It’s a weird time of year where we want to be enjoying the last sips of slow living, but especially as farmers with a young business, we also feel a bit like we’re at a starting line, crouched to sprint – looking right and left to see when others start running. Luckily, a good dump of 15” of snow will curb all that anticipation and sit you right down.

I’m looking at the dogwood buds in our backyard and thinking of the peeper frogs that were starting to sing on those warm February nights: it’s easy for us to change plans due to a re-freezing of the Northeast landscape but probably less easy for them?

At the farm we are dearly missing our great winter worker and friend Sunny, who brought so much bright energy (yes, that’s his name) and support to our winter. We’re all hands on deck as only 3 owners for the month of March, finalizing plans for the year before crew shows up and work really kicks off in April. We are looking forward to the delicious future flavors of baby salads, radishes, beets, cilantro, dill and chard growing in the fieldhouses, but we're also appreciating the abundance and nourishment of peashoots proliferating right now in our greenhouse.

This year we are are improving our greenhouse with circulation fans (what an idea!), building a new processing site for the summer and buying a giant white board that will be our “mainframe” for decision-making, co-management and accountability. We’re focusing on developing soil health this season with improvements in cover-crops, a 2-year crop rotation plan and reduced tillage in our fieldhouses. We are also honing in on what we can learn from the challenges and lessons of collaboration and teamwork. It’s not easy to run a business between 3 strong, independently-minded women, but we know if we have made it this far there is a lot we can learn from each other. These are very basic things, but for us they are helping to keep us focused this year as we walk the path of keeping our business viable and growing good, delicious and clean food for the people we serve.

We’re currently opening up memberships to our CSA’s at the farm, in Hudson, and in Westchester (Irvington and Sleepy Hollow). We hope you will join us! Sign up is now available on our website: www.ironwood.farm

Until April!

Lauren and the Ironwood Team

Fall Into Winter

Mon, 06 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Ironwood Newsletter - November 6th 2017

Dear CSA members & Beloveds,

Whew! It must have been a busy, wild year if we're just sending out the first newsletter at the very beginning of November. We’re in the middle of our pivot towards winter; battening down field houses from the cold, recruiting for Winter CSA (starts Thanksgiving week!) and getting some big harvests of fall crops into storage. It’s a valuable opportunity to reflect on the season, and therefore to write newsletters. :)

Tiny Civilization

I've been reflecting this year that building a small farming business is like building a tiny civilization from scratch. While we’ve watched water flow through our greenhouse this year during torrential rain storm, and seen plastic blow off two fieldhouses, there is an ancient part of my brain that is turning on, trying to learn from mistakes; trying to make sure that our small corner of Hudson Valley farming survives alongside the thriving farms of our friends and neighbors that keep us inspired.

As a farmer friend clarified this year, the nature of farm-learning is generational. In the best situation, people would pass on knowledge gained from an entire lifetime to the next wave of farmers. It’s very difficult to learn from the land and natural cycles in the short span of a few seasons, given the sporadic nature of one season to another (especially right now). When I worked for a farm I couldn’t have imagined all of the questions we would have as the 3 owners of Ironwood, and all of the attempts that our mentors had tried and tested and discarded in their path to stability and upward spiraling of their land and business.

There are many aspects of a small farm start up that feel like a civilization from scratch. There are the roads, coolers, fieldhouses, greenhouse and processing areas, and the incredible way that natural cycles interact with these things once you establish them. I wish I had taken at least one civil engineering class in school. We see on a day to day basis a micro metaphor on our farm of how human plans (we think we're so smart!) can lead to creating problems for ourselves.

Winter Food & Wind Up to the Cold

In amongst all of this learning, surviving and preparing for the winter, there are amazing things around us. Giant fennel and celeriac have materialized from months of warm weather and tons of rain. Gorgeous purple cabbages have headed up for the first time in our business history! The warmth that is pushing into November is giving us an extra window to enjoy delicate flavors before crisping frost and blanketing snows.

We built a new field house this year which means more winter greens - yum. Field houses are inhabited by winter head lettuce, salad mix, spinach, spicy salad mix, Italian chicories, claytonia and mache. Parsley and Rosemary are growing indoors. Winter hardy kale and brussel sprouts are standing in the field, ready to take on the cold. Tons of beets, carrots, & daikon will be rolling in for storage in the next 2 weeks as temperatures drop.

We are lucky to have an awesome end of season crew to help make this possible. Sunny has come to work with us this winter after his season at Letterbox Farm, and we are so appreciative of his fun and upbeat attitude that goes with his name! We are going to be squeezing all of the joy out of our last 3 weeks with Isabel, who has dedicated 2 amazing seasons to the farm and will be heading to France next year to pursue training in winemaking; an area in which she already has tons of skill and passion. We are lucky to have Alexis, a friend of CSA members, to join us a few days here and there for the last push. We love these folks!

As winter transition starts, we hope we get to see you all. Friendly faces and good food are what make farming in the winter worth while!

Looking forward to playing in the snow and feeding folks this winter.

Much Love

Lauren and the Ironwood Team

Moving Down A Gear

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The Ironwood Farm Newsletter - October 7th 2016

Slowing Down Speeding Up

So it’s been awhile since our last newsletter. We’ve been holding farm work together as each crew member is taking a rotation of much needed time off. We remember saying the phrase, “In the Fall, when things slow down…” multiple times this year and last. Each year we say this, and each year we experience that fall is not really a time of slowing down!

Big Fall Harvests

Cool weather is a beautiful time for growing hakurei turnips, peashoots, daikon radish and Chinese cabbage; we harvest all of these in huge quantities October-December. Hakurei and peashoots are headed to Blue Apron, daikon and Chinese cabbage to local kraut and kimchee makers. We are planting greens for winter, trialling spinach as transplants to compete with an insistent population of chickweed that loves to grow in our fieldhouses. It’s the time of bringing in watermelon radish, celeriac, sweet potatoes, beets and eventually carrots and parsnips for Winter Rhinebeck Market and our very exciting upcoming Winter CSA season.

Celebrating Ironwood's Crew

All of this happens at the same time. The crew is feeling a sense of achievement at the year winding down, but we are also tired in the face of all that remains to be done. We try to take care of each other as we strive to meet the farms needs of making big and essential fall sales and organizing ourselves for winter. I have a deep appreciation for the unique person who is a farm worker. Isabel and Eva continue to grind through repetitive and heavy tasks with us, they put up with having 3 managers, and they still occasionally smile at our weird jokes. In the midst of multi-tasking and problem solving to make it all come together at the end of 2016, I am remembering to look around at our golden, wind-swept crew, hear the geese calling for Fall and feel the embrace of these last warm days.

Winter CSA Sign Up NOW OPEN!

We hope you will join us for a fantastic Winter CSA in 2016/2017! First distribution is Thursday, Nov. 3. All 12 distributions will take place at our cozy greenhouse, Nov. 3 – Jan. 26. For a full list of produce included in the Winter CSA and to sign up, please go to www.ironwood.farm and click on the CSA heading!

Beautiful Cover Crop

Fri, 26 Aug 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The Ironwood Farm Newsletter - August 26th 2016

Celebrating a Vibrant Cover Crop

This is the time of year when we see our land management plan come to life as we tuck away sections of spring and summer soil into cover crops. We planted 2 stands of sorghum sudan grass in late July which make our hearts sing. This luscious, organic matter producing grass has been the work of many people. Dave, our land owner, let us borrow his mouldboard plough to turn under stubborn rye and vetch. When the plough broke, our neighbor and CSA member Alton came over with his welding equipment to fix it. Aliyah and Jenny learned together on the plough and got the soil turned. Jenny planted the cover crop and Eva disked it in. There were many steps in this process which we know will produce results in soil. In many ways looking at a section of cover crop is even more satisfying and gratifying than looking at a hefty field of vegetables. It represents success, care and big-time learning in our long-term direction forward.

Winter and Fall Seeding

We’re seeding lots of fall and winter spinach and lettuce right now, getting ready for cool weather crops. After a long string of poor spinach germination we are attempting a switch to transplanted field house spinach. We hope this will become big and bountiful to feed our hungry Winter CSA members (and us farmers) November – January. We’re also excited to trial some winter hardy lettuce varieties this year to keep the salad season going.

Beans Beans Beans

But summer is not nearly over yet! We’ve got our eye on a beautifully weed-free bed of beans which should be producing and arriving in shares next week. Herbs are at their peak of flavor, including some beautiful cilantro and dill. Peppers are turning gorgeous colors and field tomatoes are rocking. We hope you are enjoy these days and meals!

Recipe of the Week!

From Julie Fischer
of @healthyonhudson (Instagram)

We love it when our CSA members get creative with their veggie share, and we love it even more when they share it with everyone, as Julie has recently done on here awesome Instagram feed. Julie is a part of our Rivertown CSA down in Westchester county, closer to New York. She posted a delicious looking image of a ratatouille, the recipe for which she kindly shared for this weeks newsletter.

Why we love this recipe... it's that time of the summer when the fridge might contain some lingering veggies leftover from the busy summer's over-scheduled weeks. And you need to make room for the coming fall crops! And so, it's time to do a clear out and cook something delicious with all that remaining bounty. This is the key to that delicious door! Julie gives us a great list of veggies for the recipe, but feel free to mix and match with what you have leftover in the fridge. Thanks Julie for sharing!

Ingredients:
1-2 onions
2 eggplant
2 large zucchini
3 garlic cloves - minced
1 green pepper - cut into chunks
2 large tomatoes - cut into chunks
1 - 6 oz can tomato paste
1 tbsp fresh basil chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Steps:
Layer half of the veggies in crock pot in order: onion, eggplant, zucchini, garlic, pepper, tomato
Then sprinkle half of the basil, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper
Add 1/2 can of tomato paste
Repeat with remailing vegetables, herbs,spices, and tomato paste.
Drizzle with olive oil
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours
Store in refrigerator or can be frozen

YUM!

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Wow wow wow.

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End Of Winter

The Ironwood Newsletter - March 15th 2018

Fall Into Winter

The Ironwood Newsletter - November 6th 2017