great to see other farms joining in the fun

This great map from epicurious can tell you.

With just about a month to go until the first CSA delivery things are starting to look less like sprouts and more like full blown vegetables. The persistent cold throughout March and April had me worried about being ready for an early June start date, but now it seems a little more plausible. The pac choi and lettuces are starting to head up, arugula is getting its first leaves and radishes and turnips are just beginning to poke out of the ground. Spinach and kale are well into adolescence  and the perennial herbs are coming back strong.

Thanks so much to everyone who has already signed up for the CSA. It’s looking like it will be a great season. We do still have a few spots left, so if you haven’t signed up yet now is the time to do so! Visit our CSA page for the enrollment form and details on how to sign up, or email us at csa [at] growingheartfarm [dot] com.

Delivered to your door

We are honored to have written a short piece about the Yoga of CSA for Wanderlust.

“What can I do?”  It’s a question that we all ask ourselves at some point.  You may even have read sustainable farming leader, Joel Salatin, posing the same question recently in his Guest Scribe post here in the WanderlustJournal.  Many people have spent the better part of their lives asking that same question, and if there is one thing that we can all agree on, it is that there is no one answer. Some go inward: spending time working on themselves, developing a regular “practice” and practicing self-care in the hopes of uplifting and healing those around them.  Others selflessly throw themselves into causes, projects, and service to others at the expense of their own happiness and well-being.  However, the two approaches may not be at odds.

- See full article at:
http://journal.wanderlustfestival.com/connect/blog/yoga-community-supported-agriculture#sthash.n8715QSf.dpuf

Lots of sun, a little rain and warm nights. Time to get crackin’ on the farm.

The soil has thawed out and dried up nicely so we were able to till the field yesterday. Here’s a shot of the field pre-till. The greenery is rye grass that served as a cover crop over the winter. There’s also a layer of compost on top that will be tilled in to add more organic matter and microbiology to the soil.

Here’s Verne, our friendly neighbor/tractor afficionado, working his magic.

Fast forward a few hours and here you have a field of fluffy happy soil.

Now these little guys finally have a home in the outdoors. Time to do some serious transplanting.

Fresh produce is close at hand. Join our CSA to get ya some.

Thank you Happy Food For All for this post

10 Reasons Why to Join a CSA!

1. Know Where Your Food Comes From

2. Support the Economic Democracy of Small Farming

3. Save Money

4. More Selection of super fresh veggies

5. Better Flavor and better for you

6. Have fun!

7. Grow Your Local Economy

8. Put the Culture Back into Food

9. Ecological Stewardship

10. CSAs are healthy for you, your community and your environment!

Yesterday was the spring equinox. It was 20 degrees last night.

Even though it may not feel like spring, we have to make sure our little baby plants don’t know that. This is where our inventive heating system comes in.

The farmhouse has the luxury of a powerful wood stove and plenty of local firewood for heat.

The veggie starts live just outside the front door, so we share the heat with them by blowing the hot air out into the greenhouse with box fans.

The warm air circulating through the greenhouse keeps everything, including these little kale sprouts, warm and happy.

But since it has been so cold at night, we still have to tuck them in before the sun goes down. A layer of Reemay protects against the danger of frost.

Pampered veggies = healthy food. Join our CSA to get in on the fun.

The Growing Heart Farm 2013 CSA is now open to the public. Sign up now and receive delectably fresh, deliciously local, and delightfully healthy veggies all summer long.

Here are the details for this year’s CSA:

Join the Growing Heart Farm CSA to share a garden of local veggies picked fresh and delivered to your neighborhood.

Current 2013 pickup locations are WEDNESDAY EVENINGS @:

• SOHO – Nathan Love 407 broome st map
• WILLIAMSBURG/GREENPOINT  - Awakening Center 607 Manhattan Ave map
• PARK SLOPE –  8th Ave and 17th Street map

The season is 20 weeks from June to October and share size will vary with harvest averaging 2 grocery bags of produce each week.  Shares are $600 and can be split into a half share.  Registration is limited to 50 members; first-come, first-served.

The Farm and our Community
Our young farmers grow primarily for our NYC CSA which shares some of the best hand picked “ultraganic” veggies you will ever taste.  We practice permaculture, use solar power, and irrigate with spring water.  We are one of a few truly local farms operating within 100 miles of NYC and we are within walking distance of the Metro North Railroad.

Growing Heart Farm was founded to support a sustainable community in the New York City region.  We host events and retreats that foster a connection to growing food and conscious living.

Enrollment form is here: http://growingheartfarm.com/GrowingHeartFarm_CSAenrollment2013.pdf
Learn more at  http://growingheartfarm.com/?page_id=45
Or email us with questions CSA@growingheartfarm.com

greenery in the greenhouse

Hello friends. So there’s some new life around the farm this spring – new starts in the greenhouse and me, your new farmer. I have been busy getting acquainted with the farm and preparing for the growing season. I’m looking forward to sharing the farm’s bounty with everyone. To give you an idea of the delicious veggies that will soon be in our CSA shares, here’s a list of what I’ve started in the greenhouse so far:

beets
broccoli
cabbage
cauliflower
chard
chicory
frisee
leeks
lettuce
kale
kohlrabi
onions
pac choi
spinach

Soon to follow will be arugula, baby greens, carrots, peas, radishes, turnips…those will all go directly into the ground when it dries out a bit more. Then the next round in the greenhouse will be the summer crops – basil, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, summer squash, tomatoes… I have several varieties of each crop, so there will be a wide variety of color, flavor, and texture. Yum.

It’s going to be a great season here at Growing Heart Farm. If you have any questions about the farm, the CSA, our growing methods, the nature of the multiverse, or anything else please don’t hesitate to contact me at hilary [at] growingheartfarm [dot] com. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone.

-hilary