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The Dark Earth Newsletter ...
(Dec 30, '11) Thank you
On behalf of everyone here at the farm thank you for all you have done and the outpouring of support and help. The prevailing weather conditions of 2011, (March flood, August Hurricane and Tropical storm, October Nor'easter) have left a lasting impact on all of our lives not to mention all the other challenges and opportunities everyone in our far reaching community experienced in their own personal lives this past year.
We have gained so much - all of our hitunnels are now moved to high ground above the 100 year flood zone, the greenhouse that was crushed is being replaced by a bigger more energy efficient system, we are working on a new crop plan for this year, working with local experts for solar powered water pumps for the outlying tunnels and greenhouses, increasing the hitunnel production capacity. By partnering with farmers in Pennsylvania we're able to keep a portion of our seed saving program going, 2 of our chefs had secreted away a stash of our black beans - seed we've saved for over 8 years now - and we're able to once again plant these amazing beans in the upcoming season.
We're currently ordering seeds for tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, onions, shallots and herbs. We'll begin planting towards the end of the month. If there is a particular variety in these categories you would like to see in your share we need to know now so it can be ordered in time for planting.
Thank you again and wishing you a healthy and prosperous New Year!
From all of us here at the Rogowski Farm - Sto Lat!!!
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(Nov 19, '11) Thank you for all of your support this year and join us as we celebrate the 2nd season of the Pine Island Farmers Market!
We launch the season with the return of our fantastic vendors from last year such as: Bobolink Dairy, Fontanarosa's Pasta, Janets Quality Baked Goods, Late Bloomer Farmer, Pazdar Winery, Pickelicious, Snoep Winkel Farm, Sunrise Mountain Soaps, Sweet Things Wild Thyme, Black Dirt Gourmet and of course Rogowski Farm.
And help extend a warm welcome to our new vendors Acorn Hill Farmstead Cheese, Lowlands Beef and Sleepy Hill Orchard. To help kick off the holiday season we have Bea Bloom Ceramics, Bombshell Bags and Shalimar Alpacas. Enjoy a chef demo featuring one of our region's renowned executive chefs and live music by Evan Teatum and Lesley Ann Bow Forman.
Market opens at 10 am - the pot belly stove is fired up and the chef is in the kitchen warming up the burners for our infamous farm fresh breakfast which proudly features market vendor products so you enjoy a tasty breakfast while getting ready for your Thanksgiving Day festivities.
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A letter from Farmer Cheryl Rogowski (Sep 1, '11)
As you are aware Hurricane Irene has come and gone bringing over 10 inches of rain and high winds throughout the Hudson River Valley Region. The magnitude of a storm like this has not been felt in this area since 1955. The farmers worked feverishly to harvest as much as we could on Thursday, Friday and Saturday before the storm. We pulled all the tomatoes, dug potatoes, pulled onions, harvested peas, and ran out of time before we could get to whatever of the winter squashes and pumpkins were ripe. Any greens were put in the refrigeration units until we were able to deliver them as close to the harvest time as possible.
On Sunday the flood waters rose so rapidly that I was trapped at my home and was unable to get to the farm, our power went out and wasn't restored until sometime Tuesday afternoon. Our internet service was knocked out and has not yet been restored and we are running things on cell phones. The flood waters are still receding. There are over 20 roads closed in our town. Whatever vegetables may have been in the fields above ground and have since been under water are no longer desirable to consume.
I am still unable to enter the furthermost reaches of the farm as the water is still too deep. Once these fields are accessible the damage will be fully assessed to see what crops in the back forty may have survived. Potatoes and the Jerusalem artichokes can still be harvested. It is not yet known if we can salvage any of the winter squashes.
On a more positive note thanks to the weather conditions all summer whenever it rained we worked on moving the hitunnels to higher ground. This proved to be a wonderful thing as they are perfectly dry, so dry in fact that we need to irrigate them. We began planting arugula, radishes, lettuces, spinach, swiss chard and more greens in the hitunnels yesterday morning. Varieties were chosen that will be ready to harvest in about 30 - 40 days. The farmers are working to finish the remaining tunnels and we are seeking to put up more structures so that we will soon be able to harvest more great fresh vegetables for you.
While we work to bring another harvest to you things will be very lean as you can see by the deliveries going out now. In the true spirit of CSA we will do our best to provide veggies to you as best we are able and hope that you will join with us in celebrating the harvest that we are able to provide.
On behalf of the Rogowski Farm family thank you for your support and assistance in this challenging growing season.
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