We are fond of saying that we can't control the weather-but that doesn't mean we like it. I've never felt so emotional about spring coming as this season. For some reason, I'm just sick to death of cold and damp and ice-filled breath in the morning. I can't wait to see lambs jumping around in deep green, to see calves be born into the warmth of sunny dappled shade instead of into mud so cold that we wrestle them into fleece vests to keep them alive. In April.

So the timing on everything will be a little late this year unless the sun pops out and there is a delicious bout of warm, close to perfect weather for the rest of the spring. Somehow and sometime soon we will break out of this rut of cold spring- but I have a personal feeling that instead of a gentle spring that eases into summer- we will be having one of those springs that feels like the end of winter right up until it abruptly shifts to summer with nary a glance of gentle.

So now that I've gone on now about the dreariness of this season so far- there are bright spots- we had a good sugaring season that we wrapped up at the beginning of this past week. The fields are slowly, slowly starting to green and we can't wait to get the animals out of barns and winter paddocks and into sunny bright pastures. Best of all- we've had a nice start to our birthing season. There are baby animals in every barn. The sows had nice big litters, the goats had healthy kids and the first lambs started arriving this week and they seem to be coming out ready to jump. The calves are all looking really good- they are being born a little further out in the woody pasture near the orchard- not as readily accessible for viewing at the moment. Their mommas are pretty good at telling them to hunker down and stay hidden and the calves are very good at obeying. Last week we took the crew on a hunt for a calf we knew had arrived to one of our cows, but that we hadn't seen and we were worried. We never found a trace of her even with five humans combing the pasture. Three days later, Jesse snapped her picture as she trotted along with her mother!

The greenhouse is filling up fast- onions, broccoli, spinach, beets, flowers galore, herbs and the first of the peppers, eggplant and tomatoes have all made their appearance. Here's to wishing for a few warm dry days so that we can put them into the fields. Cheers and Happy Spring!

Despite the changeable weather here in the last few weeks- there are subtle signs of spring in the air here at the farm. The sheep are getting rounder (well, Penny the goat is the most obvious), the hay barns are emptying, tapping in is happening in the sugarbush, and......(drumroll) the greenhouse got it's end of winter cleaning and clearing out! An unfortunate turn of events led to the freezing of the winter greens growing in the house, but Amy Pagano and Nancy Ringer came to help get the greenhouse and hoophouse geared up for seeding early greens and to start transplant production next week. The pigs got a lovely treat of mostly frozen greens, the house got a good sweeping while pallets and benches got shifted around. And then out came the boxes of seeds, both old (since most of those seeds are totally fine) and the shiny, new packets that have steadily been arriving in the mail. Consolidated, rubber-banded, and cataloged- our seeds are now organized and ready for becoming your delicious CSA veggies.

The hoophouse got old yucky greens thrown out and we started planting for early salad, turnips, radishes, swiss chard, arugula and wrinkled, crinkled crumpled cress! We will plant more lettuce and broccoli raab next week- these veggies are for the store, so don’t forget that we will have them available starting in April.

So yes, that means that you can now sign up for CSA!!!!! YAY!!!

Please note that there are some changes to the Meat CSA- Please read about those here…..and know that we are simply trying to make the whole process both more efficient for farmers and apprentices to pack and almost more importantly, that we’ve finally accumulated enough real data to realize exactly how much it costs to produce our meats. Our new prices reflect these realizations.

In other farm news, we are spending the last days of winter finalizing budgets, ordering supplies and potting mix, tweaking field planting plans, planting charts and the grazing plans for multiple combinations of livestock. And then we do it again as we try to look at it from another perspective, combination or from a different starting point. All of this so that we can make sure that we’ve tried to plan for all the risks, contingencies, weather and so on and so forth- and can therefore be a little more prepared for the height of the craziness that summer always brings when there are never enough hands, tempers are short and the days are long.

The new farm shop is coming along quickly now. We’ve been without a shop or tool storage area since the old barn burned down in 2009 and while we’ve tried to stay organized, it is hard when there isn’t an actual designated spot for that tool that might change at any time. And there is nothing so nice as a radiant heat floor for making working on tractors and other equipment in the winter time go a little easier.

We do have a March Sale going on this year in the store, please come by and pick up select varieties of Appalachian Naturals Salad dressings and dips for 50% off all this month. All our remaining winter squash and potatoes are also on Sale for .50 cents/lb while they last. We will have other sale items happening as they become available. We will post these on our Facebook page.

If you see steam coming out of the sugarhouse- stop by and check it out- we are BOILING!!!

As we move out of the dark of the year, we are feeding out large round bales of hay that smell like the sweetest part of the summer, the plastic houses are filling with green and we are planning field layouts, perusing through the stacks of seed catalogs, putting together orders of supplies, planning grazing rotations of animals and breaking the ice out of frozen water buckets.  We are aching for warmer winds- for a sense of a shift towards spring. A little respite for planning is nice, but now it is feeling like time to tap trees for sugaring, to warm up the greenhouse and start thousands of little seeds and see a little more mud instead of just ice. Unless winter decides to give us some more snow- that would be okay- we haven't gotten enough cross country skiing or sledding.

As you drive by the farm you can see the roof going up on the equipment shop! It is so exciting to think of once again having somewhere to work on tractors and store all the tools and such out of the rain and not have to worry about  being in the way of livestock or hay storage.

We have all cuts of all of our meats in stock as well as syrup, squashes, potatoes and greens (you can call Des to find out what she has) in the store- we are open on Fridays and Saturdays! Cheers!

Our Meat CSA offers these beautiful meats at a discounted price for buying in bulk. We have two seasons- both running for five months. The first runs from June to October--same season as our main season Vegetable CSA-- while the other runs from December through April. We offer three box share sizes to meet your family's needs in 10, 15 or 20lbs per distribution.

Distributions are once per month on the first Saturday of the month. We will send you a reminder e-mail so that you don't forget to pick up your box.

We pick the cuts each month that go into your share. We will honor reasonable requests for specific cuts or numbers of cuts as we can, and if you don't like a particular cut you may swap it out in the exchange freezer (however this must be done the day you pick up, once the meat leaves the store we can not take it back). Meat cuts will be seasonabley appropriate- more roasts and stew in the winter and more grillables and kabob in the summer- although this is subject to change occasionally depending on what we have available in the freezers. If you are having a special dinner or planning a holiday meal, let us know ahead of time and we might be able to put a beautiful top round roast, leg of lamb or pork loin roast as part of your share that month. We have lots of great recipes both here on the site and available at the store if you need a little extra help preparing your meats.

Share pricing for Winter Season 2013:

10lb share: $375.00

15lb share: $555.00

20lb share: $730.00

Meat CSA has started for the Winter Season but we may have space for you to join now. Email us with any questions- farmers@holidaybrookfarm.com or use the Contact Us page on this site.

We have two position types, Intern and Apprentice.

An internship is for those who want to experience and learn about food & farming, while an apprenticeship is a more in depth opportunity to learn how to farm. We provide room and board, education, and a weekly stipend. We expect interns and apprentices to engage and participate in all aspects of the farm – fieldwork, haying, animal chores, farmstand staffing.
Farming is a lifestyle as much as a business – there is no hard line drawn between farmwork and household duties. Interns and Apprentices work six days a week with a weekday off. 

Farm Overview:

While you can peruse the website for more detailed information on all aspects of our farm, here is a short synopsis of what we do. Holiday is a 1500 acre farm- 1000 acres of which is sustainably managed woodlot and the rest is a mix of pasture, hayfield and vegetable fields. It is still a big place- but for the most part, it has a lot of small farm enterprises on a larger landbase. We rarely run out of grass. The farm is owned by the Crane family, but the farm business is owned by Dicken Crane who also works daily on the farm. He runs the forestry and compost operations. He also oversees the rest of the farm (the livestock and vegetable operations) but leaves the day to day decision making and planning to Desiree & Jesse Robertson-DuBois, the farm managers. They are also the crew bosses and live on the farm along with the apprentices.

Position Descriptions:

Internships are for three to six months. They are suited to those with limited or no prior farming experience, who are interested in organic, sustainable food production but who may or may not have decided that farming is a life they wish to pursue. The primary goal of an internship is to introduce people to farming. Interns can expect to be given an opportunity to experience everything that we do during the season. An intern will not be expected to perform independent work until later in the season.  Internships are only available April through October, and we have one positions available per season.

Apprenticeships are typically six months or longer in duration. Apprenticeships are available for those with previous experience farming, who are looking to learn skills that will enable them to manage a farm on their own in the future. Apprentices will be able to and expected to take on some responsibilities based on their specific area of interest. Two apprenticeships are available during the season. 

Internships or Apprenticeships may be extended (by mutual agreement) for a second season Apprenticeship. This allows for participation in the winter planning process, when much of the business decisions and production planning for the year get made. During the second season, significant management responsibilities are possible. 

We are a member of the CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training) program. The CRAFT program is a group of farmers who host workshops on the member farms, designed to teach aspiring farmers vital information and skills. The CRAFT program also creates a social network of like-minded apprentices in the area. Both Interns and Apprentices are encouraged but not required to attend all CRAFT visits.

People who join our crew as interns or apprentices may expect to be exposed to all of the following:

Basic livestock care, including managed rotational grazing using/installing both temporary (polywire and electric net) and permanent fencing (woven wire and hi-tensile). You will also, depending on arrival time, participate in lambing, including lamb watches, tagging, docking and tattooing.

Herbal tonics and treatments for animal health.

Greenhouse seeding, watering, and management of transplants and cool house season extension.

Seeding and transplanting in the field, weeding and hoeing, harvesting, washing, and packing vegetables.

Selling at Farmers’ Markets, Farm store, managing CSA distributions.

Tillage and field preparation.

Cover cropping, crop rotations, fertility building.

Tractors & Equipment use, maintenance, and repair.

Seasonal activities that happen early or late in the season including, shearing sheep and trimming hooves, and building projects.

Extracurricular household activities that are part of our lifestyle and that we are happy to share our knowledge of can include milking our family goats & dairy processing, bread making, lactofermentation, canning, drying, seed saving, along with woolcraft, including spinning, knitting, weaving.

Application:

As an initial application, please email us a resume with references as well as a cover letter in which you answer the following questions:

Who are you? Describe yourself: background, interests, future hopes or plans.

What attracts you to farming? What about our farm is most appealing to you?

What do you hope to gain from your experience? What do you want to learn during your time at our farm?

What physically demanding experiences do you have? Please describe your physical condition, abilities and limitations. Any other health or dietary considerations we should know about?

What sort of interpersonal interactions do you most enjoy? Do you enjoy working in groups, working alone, interacting with coworkers, interacting with strangers, etc.?

Have you lived closely with other people before? Have you lived on your own? Do you have experience preparing meals for yourself and others?

What skills do you have that would be of benefit to our farm?

Are you applying for an Internship or an Apprenticeship (as we define them)?

When would you like to Intern or Apprentice?

For the next part of the application we would like to have a phone conversation so please indicate in your email your availability for such a conversation. Ideally, a visit to the farm is also desirable, although we understand that not everyone lives close enough to do so.

The farm is super busy still as we continue our prep for winter- animals are still out on pasture, but are closer to the barns these days.We are building fence and battening down the barns for the winter.

We also need to renovate the sheep barn a little to accomodate our growing flock and we have a new ram (thanks for the above pic Lisa!). Rhay, a silver purebred Blue-Faced Leicester came to us from Cranberry Moon Farm in Cummington. He is huge and he got right to work. He is a foundation sire for our "Mule" flock production (a ewe lamb from a Clun Forest ewe bred to a BFL Ram is called a mule- these resulting ewes will have a larger frame size but still retain good grass-finishing and mothering characteristics and can be bred to a larger terminal sire such as an English Suffolk to produce a larger, meatier lamb that still grows well on grass alone).

We are also borrowing Crabapple Farm's Clun Forest ram again this year to produce more gorgeous purebred Cluns. He did a wonderful job last year- lots of nice ewe lambs to add to our flock. 

We have some lamb coming back from the slaughterhouse next week- so if you like lamb for your special holiday meals, let us know so we can put some aside for you. We also have incredible boneless, smoked and netted hams- these range in size from 2-4 lbs and are ready to make for Christmas dinner.

We are bringing our wool yarns and sheepskins and maple syrup to the Shire City Shindy this weekend! This artisan fair is held in the old Notre Dame Church on Melville St in Pittsfield- lots of beautiful, local arts and craft for sale- Friday night from 5-8p and Saturday and Sunday from 10-6. Finish up your holiday gift shopping by buying local this season!!!! We've even bottled our syrup in pretty glass bottles from maple leaves to traditional jugs- the perfect present for that hard to please person on your list.

Cheers!

Farmhand Chili

This recipe is just as good without the beef......adjust the spiciness to suit your needs!

1 bag dry beans (1lb)            

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes                           

1 onion, chopped                      

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 quarts water                         

 2 Tbsp chili powder

1½ lbs Holiday Brook’s grass-fed  ground beef      

1 Tbsp packed brown sugar                   

1 cup kale, chopped    

2 Tbsp molasses                      

 1cup fresh corn kernels

Cayenne or other spicy ground pepper to taste (we like to grind our own)

Salt is also to taste.....

Rinse and pick through beans. In a large pot add beans and enough water to cover, soak overnight. Drain and add 2qts water to pan and simmer for 2 ½ hours or until beans are tender. Set aside. In a Dutch oven sauté onion and brown the beef.  Add tomatoes, chili powder, garlic and simmer for 20 min. Add beans, kale & corn and heat slowly, add salt & fresh ground pepper to taste. Serve with local cheddar & crusty bread.

Announcements:

Fall Leaf Collection is under way- bring your leaves to the farm to be composted. You can't miss the huge leaf pile- NO BRUSH, NO BAGS! PLEASE! We can not compost any brush larger than your pinky finger and we certainly can't compost plastic bags- this is a service that we are happy to offer to our community free of charge- but plastic bags in our piles make for a big mess that takes time, labor and money for us to pick out and dispose of. Please be consciencious and bring your bags home with you. Paper bags are totally fine and we will take your garden waste too!

We are currently OUT of compost for this season! Try us again in the spring. Have a great winter.

Compost:Locally our screened compost is known as "Black Gold" or "Dicken's Dirt" because this is one of his specialties. According to Dicken's recipe, we mix together animal manures with leaves, a little bit of food waste from our local groceries and a bit of lawn waste from our neighbors.  The mix is piled high to heat up and turned repeatedly to cook thoroughly enough to kill off any weed seeds but not enough to destroy healthy micro-organisms, fungis and bacteria which are essential for good organic matter. The finished compost is sreened to remove any large pieces of wood or stones. What is left looks like the best brownie mix and smells almost as good as chocolate.

Compost is not dirt or even soil. By adding it to your existing gardens, compost brings vital nutrients, fertilizers and microbials along with an organic matter "sponge" that helps soil retain moisture during drought.

It is ready for amending your vegetable or flower garden, to rejuvenate your lawn or make your potted plants the happiest they've ever been. We recommend an initial application of 3 inches for your vegetable garden to give it a boost of healthy microbiology in addition to the benefits of organic matter.

Note: Organic matter is a natural component of any healthy soil. It is comprised of decayed vegetative matter, bacteria, microbials and fungis; the living layer of the soil. It should not be confused with the term "organic" used to reference a process of food production. Our compost is not and can not be certified organic because it is not food. You may use it for certified organic vegetable production; please reference Our Practices.

50/50: We also blend our screened compost 50% with good quality, local topsoil/loam and a little sand to help with drainage. This product is perfect for filling raised vegetable beds, smoothing out rough patches in your lawn or rejuvenating flower beds. Our 50/50 blend is ready for planting.

Screened Grindings: A new product for us. We make it by composting wood grindings. This makes a nice black mulch in your gardens.

Pricing & Delivery Information:

Compost: $40/cubic yard*

50/50: $40/cubic yard

Want to schedule a truckload of our fabulous compost or 50/50 blend? WE ARE CURRENTLY SOLD OUT FOR 2012!! Please call us again in the spring of 2013.

*What is a "cubic yard"? A cubic yard is defined as a volume of material measuring

We will be bringing our gift glass bottles of dark amber maple syrup, yarns, sheepskins and other farm goods to the Alchemy Initiative Handmade Holiday Festival on December 1st and 2nd. And we will also be at the Shire City Shindy on December 7, 8 & 9. Both affairs are filled with high quality artisan works- buy local this holiday season and feel good about supporting your community and the artists around you.

This is our favorite holiday here at the farm- we love knowing that our delicious food is going home to become part of a celebration of gratitude among friends and families. We hope that you enjoy this weeks basket- we picked herbs, including a parsley root (delicious in all soups or stuffing) and added extra garlic. Leeks and cabbage join carrots and potatoes. The dark green or red buttercup squashes make the best pumpkin pie so don't forget to grab one too.

It is also a time for us personally to wholeheartedly support our neighbor farmers and local value-added producers. Our table will be graced by a turkey pasture-raised by Diemand Farm (we always need a HUGE bird), local cheeses from Cricket Creek Farm, breads from Bread Euphoria, veggies and side dishes will come from our fields and our family gardens. Pies will be baked from local apples, our squashes and maple syrup and so on. We definitely don't adhere to a strick locavore feast- but we try to come close.

We wish you all a lovely and happy Thanksgiving- know that we give thanks for all of you- thank you for buying local from your community!

Cheers-

All of us at Holiday Brook Farm (Dicken, Desiree, Jesse & the farm crew)

Your Share this week:

Salad mix (cut lettuce)

Brussels sprouts

parsley root with parsley tops

carrots

Keuka Gold potatoes

Cabbage

Leeks

Herb bunches- Sage, thyme & rosemary

Garlic

Welcome to our first season extension CSA share in two years! We’ve been doing small amounts of season extension veggies for preorder sales and wholesale clients, but we finally have a good system in place for consistent enough vegetable production for an actual CSA. Thank you for taking part in this endeavor- we hope that you enjoy our offerings.

A couple things that you should understand- this is very seasonal and what grows well at this time of year are greens of all types! This can get a little boring if you are not used to eating this way, so let us know if you need more recipes. We have beautiful carrots, squash and some other roots and we bought in extra potatoes from Thompson-Finch Farm in NY (organic!).

We will harvest from the field for as long as is feasible for both plants and harvesters. Then we will be working from the plastic houses. Did you see Paul and the quick-hoop caterpillar tunnels in the Berkshire Eagle on Thursday? These tunnels are more to protect baby plants for the Winter Warmer harvest starting in early spring, and depending on how well they grow under there we could be digging into the crop as early as mid- Feb. In any case, towards December you will find your share being filled out with dry beans & corn, herbs, etc. It will be creative and fun. We will box most of your veggies, but you will always have your choice of squash from the bins in the store and occasionally there will be other items laid out for your selection as well.

First BIG REMINDER!!!! ----The week of Thanksgiving----We will harvest on Tuesday!!!! You may pick up either Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday before the holiday so that you can share your delicious veggies!

 Jada Haas left us this week, off on a new adventure at Upinngil Farm in Gill, MA for the winter. This farm looks to be a great place for her to add more skills to her repertoire of farm experience. We couldn't have accomplished everything this season without her- she was awesome! We hope that she has fun and visits often. Cheers!

What’s in your share (maybe)

Carrots

Parsley

Bok Choi

Broccoli

Garlic

Acadia Collards

Winter Squash- Mixed

Brussel Sprouts

Tomatoes

Potatoes- Keuka Golds

Featured vegetables—Kabocha squashes

I may or may not have said this, but these squashes are my favorites of the winter squashes. Their flesh is a deep orange, dry and stringless- so the texture is smooth and soft- they come in skin shades of red, green and mixes.  They make the best pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins or cakes because they are rich in flavor as well.

Our favorite way to eat them is skinned and cubed small and then cooked in a skillet on super low heat with butter and a little salt and pepper. The cubes will dissolve as the squash practically melts. When the squash is all soft and tender-finish with just the hint of maple syrup.

Recipe of the Week:  Sauteed Broccoli & Collards

This is a personal home kitchen recipe- one of our spontaneous farm lunches turned culinary delight! Use as a delectable side dish, or add to pasta or rice (I would throw a sprinkle of parmesan on top if so). Remember that the pasture-raised bacon is lean and what fat is does have is rich in good for you fats. Check out Eat Wild's website for more info.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch collards, de-ribbed and chopped
• 1 large or 3 small broccoli crowns, chopped stems and all
• ½ lb of pasture-raised bacon, chopped
• 2 avocadoes, optional but delicious! Chopped.
• A smidgeon of butter
• A Tbsp of balsamic vinegar
• A good size handful of dried cranberries

Directions

Put the smidge of butter in a heavy cast iron skillet and add the broccoli. Keep the heat fairly low so that the broccoli caramelizes as it cooks. When the broccoli is starting to seem tender, add the bacon. You may need to turn up the skillet to get the bacon to sizzle a bit. Stir constantly so that the broccoli doesn’t burn. When bacon is just done add the collards and cook until tender and wilted. Turn off the heat. Add the vinegar, dried cranberries and avocado. Stir to coat. Enjoy.