• Watch the May 15th crop update video!!
• Watch the May 1 crop update!!
• See the beginnings of your harvest event field!!
• See the makings of our new mushroom patches!!

Get your name in the drawing for our fantastic member appreciation prizes by referring us to others:

• Prizes honor member word of mouth. 

Planting onions isn't so bad after all!!  At the Moses Organic Conference, Mark and Jim saw a self-propelled machine you could lay on to weed and plant.  But it only held one person.  "We can do better than that!", we thought, so we built a series of trailers that holds eight people.  See it in action by clicking on this youtube:

• Watch the onion planting video!!

Who said life is easy??  This youtube shows the battle with the cold to save the high tunnel crops at Bluebird Gardens:

• Watch the "Cold Prep" video!!

Compost tea is a real treat for the plants!!  It is a combination of our Purple Cow Compost, their special food for the compost, Organic Gem Fish and black strap molasses.  Jim researched and built a marvelous compost tea machine that sends a vortex of oxygen into the swirling tea mix.  The tea is a terrific root drench or foliar spray.  Leaves, the energy production plant of the plant, become huge with compost tea!  Watch this youtube by clicking below:  4/5/12

• Watch the "Compost Tea" video!!

This update shows our process of potato planting.  See it in action!!  4/5/12

• Watch the "Potato Planting" video!!

This general update of the farm gives a picture of life on the farm in early April.  Meet the farm manager, Maddie, our little, but strong pomeranian!  4/5/12  Hats off to Margaret for giving a huge facelift to our youtubes!!

• Watch a video about life on the farm!!

Update # 3 gives a great picture of the progress in our new greenhouse.  Just smell the fresh CSA excitement in the new leaves of the many new plantings!

• Watch our "greenhouse" video!!

Get a whiff of the newest tomatoes growing for 2012 in this youtube.  Also hear Mark talk about the importance of biological farming!

• Watch our "Biological Farming" video!!

After a week of fog and frost, Mark and Maddie share their excitement on the first sunny day to tell of the 2012 season to come.

• Watch our first 2012 CSA season video!!

In January, I spoke at the MN Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference in St. Cloud at a general session on the powers of biological farming.  Following is the link to that event:

• Mark Boen at the MN Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference

This fall, I taught a class in the Sustainable Food Production Class at MState-Fergus Falls.  Rather than follow the typical paper-writing model, we thought it would be fun to research and show what we learned in the youtube format, thus sharing what we learned with many.  Our topic of focus was biological farming, which is what we practice at Bluebird Gardens.  Following are the links to those youtubes.

• This youtube, by Kelsey and Kaylee, gives a general overview of biological farming.
• Dylan and Dana explore the important step of balancing the chemistry in the soil which builds the house for the biology.
• This entertaining youtube by Aaron and Sharon, shows the incredible importance of earthworms in the soil.
• Cedar and Jess explore the huge importance of cover crops to feed the life in the soil.
• Noelle tells of the important role bacteria and fungi have in the soil!

For more information on our CSA and how to sign up, go to the CSA menu bar of the website, click on it and see the many categories of information under it. 2012 Shares tells of the two sizes of boxes and cost of each. Drop off locations tells of the many places where you can choose to pick up your box. Harvest Events gives total details of how the harvest events work. And when you are ready to sign up, click on Sign Me Up. Feel free to call me at 218-205-4739 any time you have questions.

Following are the drop off locations for 2012.  We have new volunteers and their locations aren't added yet but will be soon.  .  When you sign up, you choose the location that is best for you.  You can also change the location anytime during the season.  Just let me know and I can make that change.  Since some of the members from the full drop off locations have switched to other more convenient drop offs, there might be openings.  Let me know if you desire a drop off location that is already full.

FERGUS FALLS:

Bluebird Gardens ~ 26060 Co. Hwy 18                        

Don Braeger ~  737 So. Woodland Drive                       

Premiere Meats ~  306 No. Tower Road               

Ringdahl Ambulance (employees only)

Becky Boyd  ~  233 East Vernon

The Country Store ~ 1916 College Way

NORTH FARGO:

Border States Electric (Employees only)  105 25th Street No.

Jennifer Mastrud ~ 2857 No. 2nd Street

Rona Pfund ~ 1218 44th Ave No.

Lindsay Hagerott ~ 2513 Lilac Lane

Kristi Reich ~ 82 23th Ave No

Carly Jo and Tim Hager ~  521 1st St N

 Flint Communications (Employees only) 101 N 10th St

SOUTH FARGO:

Fredrikson and Byron ~ 5113 Broadway Ste 402  (Employees only)

Forum Communications Printing employees/neighbors

Denise Drake ~ 1834 Rose Creek Drive

 Pamela Grover ~ 810 19th St So

Bonnie Knutson  ~ 6032 24th St So

Kristina Olson ~ 3028 31st St So

Ag Country ~ 1900 44th St So (Employees only)

Vintage Point ~ 1450 25th St. So.    This drop off is now full.                              

Total Health Chiropractic ~ 3003 32nd Ave So.  #4 This drop off is now full.

Anne Kaese ~ 3420 Birchwood Court  (Behind Waterford off So. University Drive) 

LaDonna Carpenter ~ for Microsoft employees  ~ 3365 39th Ave So.  This drop off is now full.

Troy and Kristin Durham ~ 1007 6th St. So.  This is just four blocks from Olivet.

Tim Solberg ~ 4820 48th Ave So  This drop off is now full.

Vincent Wargo ~ 1425 5th St So

Charlene Ota ~ 909 8th St So

Sue Brayton ~  263 Prairiewood Drive

Jennifer Guler ~ 4486 53rd St. So

EcoChic Boutique ~ 4955 17th Ave So  #106  This drop off is now full.

USDA Farm Service Agency ~ 1025 28th St. So  open until 4:30  /Dan Janes

RDO  ~  (Employees only)  at 700 7th St So.

Olivet Church ~ 1330 So. University Drive    The Olivet drop off is now full.

Sun Dog ~ Employees only ~ 2000 44th St. SW  Floor 6     

Vogel Law Office (employees only)  218 NP Ave.

WEST FARGO:

Lisa Simon  ~  4871 51 St. So.

Chasity Seymour ~ 725 Wyndemere Drive  Charleswood

Chelle LeMier ~ 1051 42nd Ave West

Lorissa Lenertz ~ 202 3rd Ave E

Larry and Linda Ottesen ~ 906 Homestead Court

Don Kukla ~ 715 14th Ave East

MOORHEAD:

Donna Vance  ~ Village Green  ~  2812 30th St. So. 

Sydney's Health Market ~ 810 30th Ave So

Danielle Charlson ~ 1002 21st Ave So

Sharon Jorschumb ~ 977 18th Ave Circle No        

Dawn Aberle  ~  5233 18th St. No

BARNESVILLE:

The Cenex Store

Breckenridge/Wahpeton:

Interstate Engineering  ~1999 4th St. No.  Wahpeton

Dilworth:

Miranda Schlichting  ~  602 4th Ave NE 

Elbow Lake:

 Vikki Brekke ~ 121 6th Ave SE

Otter Tail:

Amor Pork  ~  35737 Co. Hwy 1

Perham:

Langen Chiropractic  ~108 Market Drive

Richville:

Wagon Wheel Grocery

Frazee:

Jane Young  ~  204 So. Lake Street

Vergas:

Vergas Gas at 121 W Linden St.

Lake Maud:

Julie Scothorn  ~  12146 Shorewood Beach Road, DL  (off of 59 north of Pelican Rapids)

 Detroit Lakes:

Julie Storsved  ~  520 W. Ave

Pelican Rapids:

Lynne Jensen  ~  709 1st St. NW

Underwood:

Underwood Quik Stop  ~  29346 State Hwy 210

Rothsay:

Faith Waldoch ~ 313 1st Ave NW

Battle lake:

Margaret Dahl  ~  36807 So. Silver Lake Road 

WHAT DOES THE DROP OFF HOST DO?

The drop off host provides a cool place for the boxes while they are waiting to be picked up.  This can be a garage, office.  It is nice if the drop off host is available when CSA members come to pick up their week's produce, but is not totally necessary.  In almost all cases, this will be a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.  We plan to deliver the boxes as early as possible each day.  The fine line we walk is that some items need to be harvested that very morning to be of the best quality.  But we also want to deliver early for your convenience.  So the likely balance between those two will put most deliveries in the late morning or early afternoon.  The CSA member has 24 hours to pick up their produce   If the member cannot pick up their box in that time, the host can decide what to do with that produce.  It can go to a food shelf, given to a friend or neighbor or used by the host.

WHO CAN BE A DROP OFF HOST?

In most cases, it will be a CSA member.  It can be a private residence and the boxes can be stored in your entry or garage.  It can be a business.  Some businesses who would like more traffic into their store may elect to be a drop off host.  They might not even be a member.  I really appreciate any efforts by CSA members to be thinking of good drop off sites.  You can email your suggestions to me right through this website or call me at 218-205-4739.

WHAT DOES THE DROP OFF HOST RECEIVE?

We very much value the willingness of host participation.  The host will receive a five dollar credit for their membership for every box they host for the season.  For example, if they host ten boxes, they will receive a fifty dollar credit off their membership.  If they choose, they can receive their credit as a check at the end of the season.  This applies for drop off hosts who allow the general public to come to their site.  For businesses, who are a drop off for employees only, the benefit for you is a drop off at your work site.  The five dollar credit per box won't apply in those cases. 

More and more businesses are rallying their co-workers to become Bluebird Gardens CSA shareholders so the drop off site is that work site.    I am most welcome to come and talk to any work site about becoming CSA members of Bluebird Gardens!  Just call or email me and I will come!

If finances are a real problem, which is totally understandable during this hard economic time, you are invited to apply for a CSA sponsor.  Just supply your name, address and phone number, which I will keep confidential, and your story.  Tell of your situation and the need you have for this CSA share. Also tell what size CSA share you need.   I will post your story on this page.  Based on your story, anyone can decide to sponsor your CSA for you!!  If you allow, it would be cool if your sponsor called you with the good news.   Otherwise, I can let you know the good news.

Once someone is sponsored, I will highlight their story so we know their need has been fulfilled.  (This could become a real celebration page!!)   Unless the sponsor wants to remain anonymous, we will add their name as the awesome sponsor!!  One never loses by giving!! 

# 5

 #6

I am writing to request to be considered for Food Share. I have definitely fallen on hard times. I have been separated from my husband for the past year and am now in the process of a divorce. We have had a lot of difficult times in our marriage and this decision was not a quick one. A lot of counseling was done to try to prevent this outcome. My husband has put us through A LOT and continues to. He quit his job in August with the purpose of taking away any financial and medical support from our two girls and I. I work a full time job plus several other odds and ends jobs just to try to pay our monthly bills, unfortunately most months unsuccessfully. I have 2 daughters, 13 years old and a soon to be 9 year old. We first became members of CSA last summer and loved looking forward to our weekly boxes. We also took advantage of the harvest events, it was exciting for them to get the chance to see where the weekly vegetables came from. My girls have asked me several times if we will get to be a part of this wonderful experience again this summer and I have had to say no because I am not able to pay for the membership. I do not like asking for help because it is not an easy thing to do but I am asking for help so that I can provide the most amazing vegetables to my girls again this summer. Thank you for your consideration.

#6 is sponsored by one of our amazing CSA members who felt she one time walked in the same shoes as the person in number #6 and with that empathy, has decided to sponsor her.

# 7

Hi. We are a homeschooling family with 7 children. We discovered CSA's and Bluebird Gardens specifically, last year and were thrilled! My kids love salad and other vegetables, and it felt so good to know that I was giving them good organic food that was fresh from the farm. I had my kids watch the videos all spring so they could see the planting process and understand where our food was going to come from. When it was time to go out to the farm, it was the highlight of our summer. Even our 2 and 3 year old children came out into the fields and helped pick peas, beats, carrots, and potatoes. Sadly, the cost of a full family membership is prohibitive for us. If someone could help us out this year so that we can, once again, enjoy all the joy and wonder of gardening, we would be so appreciative. Thank you.

# 8

Hello,

I recently heard about your organization's sponsorship. I am amazed & moved by the generosity of others! I am writing in hopes that my sister's family can be considered for a sponsorship to help them through this most difficult time in their lives.

My 37 year old brother-in-law, XXXX, of XXXXX, MN, suffered a large stroke followed by a series of small strokes on October 31st, 2011. XXXXX required brain surgery to relieve swelling and reduce the pressure on his brain to minimize brain damage and to remove the parts of his brain that died. He was hospitalized for over a month while he received therapy. The doctors discovered, after the strokes, that XXXX has a blood disorder and a hole in his heart which will require surgical repair as soon as he is cleared for surgery.

He has regained the ability to walk with a walker but still requires 24 hour supervision due to memory & vision problems. He continues to receive outpatient therapy but it is unknown if he will ever be able to work again. He was the sole provider for his family that consists of his wife and four children ages 13, 11, 7 & 5. His wife plans to work as soon as she is able but for now she is his full time caregiver. This tragedy has left this family in financial turmoil.

I have not seen any children who love vegetables more than these children. This family would be truly appreciative and grateful. Please consider them for a CSA sponsorship. Thank you.

#8 was sponsored by one of our amazing CSA members!!

# 9

Dear Mark, I am a single mom of 2 boys 19 & 16. My financial situation like many others out there has changed and it is getting harder and harder to stay afloat.
I have had to take on 2 sets of braces one being my own and the other are for my son. I have no help from his father and that is a huge monthly bill.
I do not know how I will be able to do it but by the grace of God and help from anywhere I can find it. If you would pick me I know this would help with my food bill and also a way to keep me healthy w/ my high blood pressure & diabetes. I am not any different from so many out there so I am thankful for anything!
I hope I am lucky and blessed to be able to be sponsored! I have a friend that is a member and has shared with me a few things from the box! What a blessing! Last year i was one of the 1st to get a letter into you and this year you already have so many. I hope everyone finds a sponsor what an amazing thing that would be!

Have a Blessed day!

# 10

Need: 2 person share.

Statement:
I am so amazed that assistance like this exists. The compassion of people in this area is truly genuine. I'll keep it short, as everyone has a story. My little household could really use local veggies this summer. Many circumstances this past year have led us to fall short in the financial department. We can't afford a car or many of our bills, but if we find sponsorship here, at least we will feel the comfort of healthy, fresh food at home. Thank you so much for your consideration. Cheers.

 #10 was sponsored by two of our amazing CSA members!!

See the prizes by clicking the following youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xqt-NPZtMQ

Items in the drawing are tools that help you make the most of your CSA. The most valuable item in the drawing is a new chest freezer! The website, seriouseats.com gives great info on how easy it is to pop fresh vegetables right in the freezer. A vacuum sealer with bags will be in the drawing. So if you can't use those green beans this week, put them in the vacuum sealer and in the freezer they go! A food dehydrator is in the drawing. Ethan, a member from Fergus last season, was telling me how he put the Kyoto Mizuna in the dehydrator and it made the most amazing flavor in soup. Or Holly dehydrated her mushrooms. A juicer is in the drawing. If you are having a hard time using the last items in your box, juice them...yes!!, DRINK them. If your main beverage is pop, you may not instantly like the flavor of juiced vegetables. But hang in there, the rush of natural energy you feel from drinking the juice will soon make you a convert! A canner, along with canning supplies will also be in the drawing! A new Chevy Volt, that gets mega miles to the gallon, to get you to your farm on just pennies is, shoot, NOT in the drawing:-(!!

The drawing winners will be sent by email on May 15 at 8:00 PM. If you are a winner, you have twenty four hours to call me telling which item you want. The first ones to call will get the item of their choice. If you don't read your emails and call, we will draw another name. Once again, the purpose of the drawing is to let our members know how much we appreciate your igniting word of mouth. It is magic and we are most grateful for your passion. We also want to draw attention to the items that help you get the most out of your CSA journey.

The stands have been a beautiful part of our past.  In the last two years, Bluebird Gardens has evolved very well into the CSA model.  We find it beneficial in many ways.  We have an efficient means of delivering our produce to many CSA members.  It is an ideal model to connect our members to the place where their food is grown.  Our CSA members quickly become like family to us.  In 2012, we will have our CSA membership and a small self-serve stand on our farm.  Our produce will not appear at any other stand.

What more could our customers want than a box of our produce from June to mid-October and the chance to stock up for winter at our many harvest events on the farm?

For more information on our CSA and how to sign up, go to the CSA menu bar of the website, click on it and see the many categories of information under it. 2012 Shares tells of the two sizes of boxes and cost of each. Drop off locations tells of the many places where you can choose to pick up your box. Harvest Events gives total details of how the harvest events work. And when you are ready to sign up, click on Sign Me Up. Feel free to call me at 218-205-4739 any time you have questions.

We are now ready for members to sign up for the 2012 season!!  We had such a wonderful time in 2011 serving our CSA members and we are planning for a more exciting 2012!!  We have had many signups and are thrilled with the word of mouth excitement our 2010 and 2011 CSA members have created!!   But don't worry, you still have time to sign up for this season!  We serve the same general area as last year...   North Fargo, South Fargo,  West Fargo, Moorhead, Underwood, Battle Lake, Otter Tail, Perham, Breckenridge, Wahpeton, Fergus Falls, Dilworth, Rothsay, Barnesville, Frazee, Vergas, Pelican Rapids and Detroit Lakes!!   As you read through the information below, feel most free to email me through this website or call me at 218-205-4739 if you have questions of any kind!  

To get a real feel  for what the CSA experience is all about, please read the "What Past Members Said" under the CSA menu bar.   The real in-depth energy emitting from the Bluebird Garden's CSA is that our farm is YOUR farm!!  The five signs that greet you as you drive to Bluebird Gardens say, "Bluebird Gardens....CSA...Welcome to...YOUR... farm!!  Not empty words by any means!!  Our farm completely evolves from member wishes.  The core of our CSA is the box full of variety delivered to many convenient drop off locations.  But the harvest events are the icing on the cake where members come to the farm, walk in our shoes, stock up for winter, make a memory, and take a piece of the farm home with them.  In addition to the harvest event requiring coupons, this year we are excitedly offering events needing no coupons for CSA members.  So any time you come to YOUR farm, hop out of the car, pick farm flowers to grace your house, cucumbers, zucchini, herbs, kale, brussels sprouts, spinach, lettuce and the sweetest grape tomatoes!!  We are also in the midst of planning activities to deepen the memory of the trip to your farm such as the corn maze and tomato cannon shoot.  So, yes, yes, yes!!  Welcome to YOUR farm!!

On the following you tube, Mark and Maddie share their excitement over the coming 2012 season:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5FOidcyZr4&feature=related

SHARE OPTIONS:

FAMILY SHARE for $595:

• 
• You will receive bushel size box of our produce each week from June to mid October  that will feed a family of four.    Enjoy the immense variety from our 150 acres of vegetables!!

• BONUS ~ Farm Harvest Events are a bonus with our CSA.  You can attend them if you choose.  It will help you connect even more with your farm and allow you to stock up for winter.  If you attend the ten optional farm harvest events, it becomes an incredibly irresistible deal that you can't pass up!!   Each farm harvest event has a general value of $40.00, some much more and others a little less.  As much as possible, we will combine harvest events so you can do more than one harvest event on a trip to the farm so your driving is minimized.  The farm harvest events are a bonus with our CSA and are worth at least $400.  So many last year took part in the harvest events and felt so good heading into winter with freezers and canning jars full.  The events are meant to be a family affair where you stock up for winter, make a memory and take a piece of your farm home with you!! 
• We also have members who are quite content to just receive the box and they don't take part in the bonus harvest events.  Since everyone pays for the box only, they are at no loss for not attending the harvest events.

If you sign up and choose the automatic equal credit card payments over five months, it is just $119 ach month for those five months.  And then... after that, it is just Christmas one week after another!

DOUBLE FAMILY SHARE FOR $1190

You receive two family share boxes each week that feed a family of eight!  The bonus gift from your farm is twenty harvest events for the season.  Plan to can and freeze with this one!

 SHARE FOR $395   

• You will receive a half  bushel box  of our produce each week from June to mid-October that will feed a family of two.     
• BONUS ~  The members receiving the Share can choose to attend five  of  the farm harvest events.      

If you sign up and choose the automatic equal credit card payments over five months, it is just a painless $79  a  month for those five months.  After that, just sit back and enjoy.

HOW DO I GET MY BOX?

In the sign-up process, you get to choose the drop off location that is best for you.  You can change it at any time.  This is where the boxes will be delivered for you beginning in June.

WHAT AREAS ARE WE SERVING?

We are happily serving the following areas: North Fargo, South Fargo,  West Fargo, Moorhead, Underwood, Battle Lake, Otter Tail, Perham, Breckenridge, Wahpeton, Fergus Falls,  Dilworth, Rothsay, Barnesville, Frazee, Vergas, Detroit Lakes and Pelican Rapids!!  If you live in one of the areas on the route to any of these cities, we are very open to stopping there as well.   If there is a work site or neighborhood group that would like me to come and answer questions about our CSA, I am most willing to do that.  I can be as brief as you need:-)  Some insurance companies now pay people who take part in CSA memberships just as they pay people who attend fitness centers.  Check with your insurance.  You may qualify!

RETURN POLICY

When CSA Members buy a stake in the farm, they become shareholders of that farm, which entitles them to the bounty of the farm as well as the risk. Once the season has begun, the CSA member will not be eligible for a refund. However, before the season begins, any CSA member may back out at any time and get an 80% refund.  The twenty percent down payment is not refunded since that is already buying seeds for next year.

We have sold at stands to our wonderful customers since 1978.  We felt very connected to our customers.  We will still continue our KMart stand in Fergus.  In 2010, our first CSA summer, we discovered a surprise.  The CSA model of providing produce brings even more amazing connection between our farm and our customers.

"What might do this?" I wonder.  Perhaps it is the fact that the CSA customer invests in the farm before the season even starts.  That investment brings a sense of belonging, trust and connection.  Members receive weekly emails from me that tell about the weekly box and happenings on the farm.  ...More connection from that.  Receiving the box each week certainly brings connection.  But the icing on the cake is the farm harvest events.  Being much more than a chance to stock up for winter, it allows the CSA member a chance to walk in our shoes and experience the farm first hand...and take a piece of it home with them.  Our goal is that our CSA members feel that our farm is THEIR farm.  That is what the CSA model is all about...connecting people to where their food is grown.

Those are my thoughts.  I think our past CSA members can say it better.  I will continue to add more comments this winter.  Their comments follow:

We wrote about our experience with the CSA on our blog. 

 http://fitness.conspicuousfamily.com/2010/09/eat-your-vegetables.html

 Your vegetables are by far the best I have ever tasted.  Not only do I think it is because of what you do to the soil but because of all the love you add with it.  You and your farm are Awesome!!!!!  Your farm has touched so many people, myself, my kids, my grandkids and my daycare kids. Attached is one of the pics of my daycare kids holding your pumpkins that they decorated.  They loved them.   We all appreciate and love you bunches.  But, by far the harvest was amazing.  My grandkids had such a blast in the pumpkin patch with the chickens.  They are still talking about it.  Also, Maddie, the Pomeranian, has really touched my Mason's heart.  He loves Maddie and we have many pics of her with the  boys. It was wonderful to see all the people that you have touched.  Watching them flock behind your tractor picking carrots and potatoes was so neat.  It looked like a bunch of human sea gulls.
 I also came to appreciate even more, what hard work it is to prepare our boxes.  After the harvest I was sore for three days from the bending and carrying of the vegies out of the field. It is amazing to me that you can spread your farm to so many with such few human hands.  When I think of the entire year and experience the word that comes to mind is grateful. I loved it all.  You are incredible to allow us to be such a huge part of your farm.  The energy on the farm is so amazing and everytime I came I left feeling so full.  Thank you so much!!!!!

The vegetables tasted AMAZING.  There were MANY times that I stood in my kitchen and ate the vegetables straight out of the bag and they didn’t even get into my freezer. The best pea pods I have EVER eaten.  The best VEGETABLES I have ever eaten.   I also learned that I LOVE kohlrabi. 

 I may never be satisfied with a store bought cucumber again.

Thank you thank you thank you!!

The kohlrabi was delicious.  I assume that the sweetness may have been due to the mineral balance?
My favorite memories were freezing peas with my daughter.  Although, we found that we were hard-pressed to shell fast enough to keep feeding the kids and get some set aside to actually freeze.  Your e-mails were always so enthusiastic and it really made us feel like we were a part of things to get those weekly updates.

I wanted to email you and let you know how the garden graced our table this Christmas.  Christmas eve we dined on homemade potato soup made from the potatoes we canned this fall.  Christmas morning was blessed with breakfast casserole made from hashbrowns from the garden.  During the day we munched on pickles made from the cucumbers.  And then for dinner we had a garden chicken, green bean casserole (yes from the garden), and potato casserole (again from the garden), topped off with pumpkin pie made from the squash and pumpkins from this fall.  Thank you for blessing our table!  Here’s to 2011!!!

We’ve eaten a couple of our chickens that we got a couple weeks ago – they taste just WONDERFUL!  I can also second that sweet corn comment – I’m from Nebraska and grew up eating amazing sweet corn from our own fields and I agree, the sweet corn we are getting from your farm in some of the best I’ve had – just sweet delicious goodness.  We’ve been very impressed with the quality of the food we’re getting and another delight for us is EVERYTHING we get we can use – it’s all stuff we know how to cook and preserve because it’s traditional produce – like my grandma used to grow.  The quality and the types of vegetables you grow make this CSA head and shoulders above the others we’ve done.  We appreciate all your hard work and care.

My favorite part of the CSA experience was your enthusiasm Mark.

Hi  Mark

I made the following recipe with the chicken I received from “my farm”.  It was the most outstanding and delicious chicken I’ve ever had, so wanted to share it with  you. 

Thank you Mark for a wonderful and delicious season! I am still enjoying my fall harvest goodies! I am looking forward to next years season! Thank you again!

WE really enjoyed the harvest days, particularly our first where we picked so many peas it was hard to believe we'd eat them all, but we did!  And I liked getting the boxes each week.  It was like a fun surprise each time not knowing exactly what would be inside each box and unloading it into bags with the kids.  I love the notes sent out each week and all the fantastic produce that came each week.  Even with a full share, sometimes, I wish we had even more!  It was that good!

We most definitely noticed a difference between your veggies and those purchased at a local supermarket.  With things as minor as more vibrant colors to what is really important is better depth of flavor and as a diabetic, I track my blood sugars quite a bit and noticed more consistent numbers this summer vs the past 2 summers.  I believe it is probably related to more nutrients in the veggies.  As a host, we always enjoyed the smiles from your employees and the positive attitude they exuded every week during delivery. It was always fun to open the box and see the other members open their boxes each week. It was almost like Christmas every Tuesday. The farm events were awesome. Very cool to see the origin of the produce we enjoyed

 The first time I used your potatoes (cooked and mashed by my usual method), my teen-aged son said they were the best potatoes I’d ever made and asked what I’d done differently.  So…yes, I’d say we noticed a difference J (Also, the corn was some of the sweetest we’d ever tasted.  We LOVED the final farm event, picking potatoes with the chickens following us and the boys competing to see who could find the biggest squash.

My family tried new vegetables for the first time - HITS were kale, beets, banana peppers, butternut and acorn squash, and bok choy; MISS was brussel sprouts (it's all a matter of taste!)   The potatoes and lettuces were superb.   We loved the garlic and onions, too.  My daughter would have liked kale in every box!  We're roasting our chicken tonight--I may be in touch to purchase more.  My family ate healthy prior to this garden season, but we measurably increased, maybe even doubled, our produce intake with the CSA participation, which is wonderful for our health.  We cooked more at home, so I also think we actually saved money by participating.  As a working single mom, I can't devote enough time to garden in any substantial way, but I was able to find the time and energy to plant a little herb garden.  The combination of the CSA vegetables and my "just picked" herbs made for some amazing gourmet meals.  

 Normally I do not like cucumbers (raw) because they seem bitter to me.  Your cucumbers were a pleasant exception.  They were not bitter, rather on the sweet side.

We really loved the experience of the CSA. As this was our first year as a member we noticed a really fresh taste compared to store bought.

The memories we have from the CSA this year are picking all the vegetables, the kids are still talking about the pigs...

We do plan on being part of the CSA next year.

We did notice that vegetables are a lot tastier and much better looking than the ones in the supermarket, and my three year old, who wouldn't normally eat willingly, would sneak things from the box to eat them raw :) My main motivation for signing up, is giving my child the best food i can afford, healthy stuff she'd like. And having her understand where her food comes from, and the labor it involves.
Some of our favorite memories were picking potatoes from the field, while my girl plays with an earthworm- Picnicking in the woods- When my mom asked why i had so many turkeys in my freezer, and her puzzled face when i said those were chickens from the CSA- Learning to cook new things (Kale was my favorite)- Getting a couple hens out of my cousins' car (i guess they were curious) because my cousin was afraid of them- Riding on the back of a pick up to go get more potatoes- Taking pictures of the fields

We noticed a HUGE difference in each vegetable's flavor due to the delicate balance of minerals in the soil.  Every different vegetable had a delicious, unique flavor that was simply irreplaceable and not found in supermarkets or grocery stores!  The philosophy of biological farming was important in our CSA choice, and we found the perfect farm to fit that choice!!!  Some of our favorite memories include the various vegetable picks that we took part in.  We thoroughly enjoyed coming to the farm, meeting the workers (and of course you, Mark!), and spending time in the beauty of the land.  We absolutely loved the harvest weekend and were thrilled to be a part of something so wonderful!  Meeting such amazing people was a highlight for us!  We really, truly did like everything.  There is not a single thing that we would change!  We loved having fresh, delicious vegetables in a box, ready to go, each week.  We also loved the cheerful emails about our boxes each week!  Of course!!!  We undoubtedly will be joining again next year!

This was a wonderful experience.  Thanks for all your hard work!!

My family had the most memorable magical picnic in the woods.  We also liked visiting the chickens and picking out our own pumpkins off the vine!!!  I also loved that every time we drove by the drop off site my children screamed don't forget the "begtable". And they play pick up the "beggies" at home with toy food!!!

Everything tasted very fresh and needed minimal seasoning.

The Brussel sprouts were the best we have ever tasted.  The cabbage was fantastic and the corn was great like always.  The spinach was wonderful and we even used it in our homemade ravioli recipe. It was all wonderful and we really enjoyed entertaining guests with meals using your produce.  Having the CSA box encouraged us to eat many more healthy veggies than we normally eat / purchase.  We enjoyed sharing the extra produce with friends / neighbors (sharing the bounty).  We are so sad to see the season end. 

The taste difference was huge!  The vegetables, especially the greens and potatoes, had a much richer and complex flavor than a store vegetable.  Knowing the people who are responsible for nuturing the soil is a major reason for participating in the CSA.  The lettuce at the beginning was fabulous, the tomatoes made anything I have ever bought at a grocery store pale in comparison.   I enjoyed being able to say that I was involved in the CSA movement.  I was very happy with everything.  I would like to see an eggplant or two next year if possible.  I plan to join again next year.  Buying food locally, from a person I know and trust is very important to me.  I want my children to place importance on participating in the support of community producers of necessities, and locally grown food in particular.  Thank you for the opportunity to participate.

My favorite memory was definitely the end of year pick with my 2 year old son.  He talks about the farm and the chickens all the time and is doing better at eating his potatoes since he picked them.  The other memory I have is serving corn on the cob for A LOT of meals and at first, my 2 year old wouldnt eat it.  I kept serving it and finally, at the end of summer, he ate it.  They say if you keep putting foods in front of a child they will eventually eat it...and I wouldnt have had that much corn on the table if it wasnt for you.  I liked having the veggies in my kitchen each week and exposing my family to a variety of vegetables.  I also like that I have a freezer full of veggies for the winter.  Your emails were helpful because otherwise I might have not known what a few things were. 

Yes, I think your vegetables are better and it has to be the soil amendments.  One thing I love is how much heavier and darker everything gets across the summer. It starts out all light and airy and leafy and by the end, it weighs so much and is so dense.  I loved everything in the box. I appreciated the herbs and would have loved more of them through the season. You did a phenomenal, phenomenal job with the CSA and I'm so excited to be a member.

We had many memories from this summer.  The final picking with our youngest daughter, Annie.  We loved seeing all the young families get back to basics with using fresh veggies.  Annie loved seeing the chickens (She has always loved animals) but it brought her back to her youth even though she is a sophomore in college!  It was amazing Mark.  Our eldest daughter was serving in the Peace Corps in Ukraine for the past 2 years.  She finished in May and returned to our home before heading to grad school at NYU in September.  While in Ukraine she had no running water/no indoor plumbing and the people of her village survived on what they grew in their gardens.  She was a vegetarian prior to leaving but quickly learned to love all the fresh organic meats the country had to offer.  When she returned home, your weekly delivery MADE her week….she is now in NYC and was just talking to us about how she missed the fresh produce we received.   Also at home for the summer was our 22 year old son, Michael and 19 year old daughter, Annie.  They both quickly fell in love with the fresh produce and with having all three kids home for the summer (first time in years) it was a money saver.    We also LOVED the pickings.  The favorite of the kids was the green beans.  With the 2 five gallon buckets worth, I canned 30 jars of green bean hot pickles.  Each kid took 10 jars to college (and yes, I mailed them carefully to NYC) and they are funny….Kristi is eating a jar at a crack and Annie and Michael are rationing.  The corn pick was great, same thing for making sure their apartments are well stocked.  We will sign uup again next year, 100000% yes!  Depending on the return of kids (potentially could go either way) would determine full/half share.    Again thanks Mark for all you did…it was amazing. 

I so enjoyed the family pick of the peas, with daughter and granddaughter, and the cuke pick, and of course the last pick with daughter Debbie.  I really enjoyed just being in your gardens, the presense of healthy air, plants, trees, and veggies.  It was all so good.  I liked best the fresh healthy veggies.  Just the idea of organic and of healthy food.  The deliveries were good, the excitement of 'whats in the box this week?'  The peas and cukes were the best, ever and forever
Absolutely, I will be down there again.  Why? cause it is the best and the freshest produce ever.

We decided to go with a CSA because we strongly support and agree with your philosophy, as well as knowing where our food is coming from, buying local, and living more in sync with the natural world.  The drive out to the farm is gorgeous!  The surprises waiting in our boxes each week were the best! I would like to have a longer summer break (I teach at NDSU), so I could keep up with all the vegies coming in the fall! 

I enjoyed many things.  Connecting with the other people at the pick-up.  Sharing with my grandparents, learning new ways to try things.  Watching my kids “get” where their food comes from… and EATING IT ALL!!!  We were thrilled with it- I need to be better about using some of the things I didn’t know about. I loved how it opened my mind for stir fry, freezing veggies and more.

I enjoyed eating the kale.  And getting my 1 & 4 year old to like kale as much as I did.  I also enjoyed having my children help with the harvest events as this is a great opportunity for them to experience farm land and seeing where vegetables come from!   I liked the kale, varieties of the lettuce, potatoes, cabbage, brussel sprouts, carrots, corn (just about everything!).  Also the herbs were fun to get.

I think the veggies had amazing flavor, better than at the grocery store, and frankly better than the farmers market.
We will return next year.  I would like more tomatos next year,  leeks and garlic too.  Seemed like we had a nice variety and had things I had never had.  All in all a very good experience.  Thanks for all your hard work.

I loved bringing my kids out to the farm and showing them the pigs and chickens and letting them see where food really comes from (other than our tiny home garden and the grocery store). They loved stomping through the rows and finding cucumbers that were just the right size. My five year old did an amazing job of picking and is SO proud of herself when she eats “her pickles” I panicked when my three year old got lost in the beans, but I heard her singing and found her sitting among them eating beans right off the plant happy as could be. It was great to spend a little time on a real farm.  I looked forward to the surprise in each box. I would wait to plan my meals for the week until I knew what we had and then plan around that. It was great for finding new recipes and cooking healthier. I also really enjoy your e-mails. When about half way through the season you mentioned you were an elementary teacher it all made sense. You talk about your love of your farm with the excitement of a fourth grader. You have great voice in your writing and the love of what you are doing just shines out.

I did notice the difference in several of the items, like the potatoes, beets and carrots.  I enjoyed the taste of the vegetables because of the biological farming, but it was not essential to my CSA choice, but it has made it more rewarding and enjoyable.  I enjoyed harvesting on the farm with the other families.  Visiting with staff at the veggie stands in the F-M area.  Talking about the wonders of BlueBird Gardens to my friends and co-worker.  I liked lots of potatoes.  They were lovely. :D  I liked the progression of the items as well.

Yes, we did notice that the veggies seemed more flavorful.  the potatoes were exceptional!  This is a huge factor for us as we are trying to provide the most nutrient rich foods for our children.  Every Wed when we picked up our veggies from our drop off my son went digging through the bags and was eating before we got home.  I had to start keeping wipes in the car so he could wash them off before he ate them!
We had a great time whenever we visited the farm too.  My kids really loved walking in the chickens and feeding the pigs.
 I loved the variety in the box and getting my kids to try different veggies that they might not have had before.
I really liked the experience.  I'm not sure I would change anything. YES!  We had a great year with the farm and can't wait to do it again.  We always have a garden ourselves and plan on doing that again as well as Bluebird.  It worked well getting the veggies that you had started as we were just putting our garden in and harvest was busy for us but incredible!  Now the freezer and pantry are full and ready for winter!!

Thanks for a great experience!!

Flavor and nutrition is important to me. We found the vegetables very flavorful. It's nice knowing what we are getting and where it's coming from. As from the grocery store we have no idea where they are coming from or how they were grown.   I enjoyed the picks with my husband and visiting with the others. It was an awesome experience and I haven't got dirty like that in years.   Being my first year I liked everything. I loved Tuesdays and picking up my vegetables and planning my meals for them.  I loved getting gourds and little pumpkins in the boxes....what a nice surprise. Now if I can figure out how to keep the squirrels from eating the pumpkins.  I really don't see any changes needed. I feel it flowed just great. My pick-up spot was Premier Meats and the employees their were so friendly.  At this time, I do plan on joining again next year.  It was nice feeding my family fresh vegetables for 20 weeks! I don't think we have ever eaten so many fresh vegetables in our life. Thanks for the awesome job!

We noticed and really enjoyed the taste!  A favorite memory is the way my kids acted every Tuesday when we opened the box.  They said it was like Christmas! I also loved introducing them to veggies they had never tried before. The chickens at our feet while picking potatos was a good one too!
I liked the variety, freshness, taste.  For next year, my kids are asking for more kohlrabi.  I would love more kale and broccoli ;)  Absolutely we will sign up again!  We can't wait.  I know some of our friends that we shared the bounty with will be signing up too.

Everything was wonderful.  Definitely more flavor, but the colors of the vegetables were even more beautiful.  Definitely was one of the reasons I become a member this year.

I loved being a member of CSA!  This was my first experience with something like this and the first thing that comes to mind is that my family tried some veges that we would probably not had tried before.  I loved the notes each week from you and esp. enjoyed the hints for vegetable use.   A half share is just right for my husband and I and the veges we wanted more of were just a drive over to Moorhead to get. I can't really think of much to change for next year since this is my first experience.  I definitely plan to participate next year!..

Thanks!

I appreciate that so much time & thought goes into maintaining the soil that produces my vegetables.  Everything we received was all very high quality and full of flavor.  It was so much fun picking up our vegetables at Total Health Chiropractic each week.  I loved it if one or more of my children was along because we were all like kids at Christmas - so excited to see what our box held that week.  We kept missing the picks out at the farm due to schedule conflicts so when we were able to participate in the last harvest pick of the season, it was delightful.   I also appreciated the excellent communication we received from Mark each week about our boxes.  It was fun to share a little more information about the produce we were receiving with the kids each week.  I liked the never-ending supply of sweet corn and the fabulous potatoes were our favorite veggies, but it was also fun to be challenged to use some things that had never made it into our homes before -- Kale and the different fresh herbs to name a couple. 

I didn’t think I would but I really did!  The flavors of the veggies were so much more….more…well, MORE! J  And yes, it is important!  It shows that you care about the food that goes on my table.
I’ll never forget the first trip out for the pea pick.  It had rained at the farm early that morning and I (city slicker that I am) was not prepared for the mud.  I came back from the field completely covered in mud with no change of clothes and laughing all the way to the car!  Also, Mark, you made us feel so welcome every time we came out.  Your warm greetings and hugs will be something I’ll miss this winter and look forward to next spring!!  Oh gosh!  That’s such a loaded question because there was so much that I liked.  Your efforts to make us feel connected to the farm, like it was truly ours was probably one of my favorite things about the whole experience.  By the end of the season, we were just referring to Bluebird Gardens as “our farm”.  Opening the box each week truly was like opening a Christmas present!  We were always wondering what we were going to get.  And with the harvest events, you gave me a reason to learn how to can!  I’d never canned anything before, but this year, I canned 40 quarts of picked cukes, 12 pints of pickled beans, and 30 pints of salsa.  Between those and all the veggies in my freezer, we’ll be eating from our farm all winter long!!  I know it wasn’t your fault, but we really did miss not having the tomato harvest event.  So that would be something I’d like to see next year.  And more spinach!!  Oh we loved the spinach and were bummed when it was done for the season J Yes!!  Absolutely!!!  We’ll be back next year and we will also volunteer to be a delivery host again. 

Thank you for the wonderful food you provided.  This was the first time I had signed up for a CSA.  It was a great experience.   I ordered a 1/2 share thinking it would feed 1-2 people. It was a lot, I mean A LOT, of food and I was able to share with family and friends.  Everything had aroma and flavor.  The lettuce greens were awesome (in comparison, the bagged stuff in the store tasted like paper!).  And cutting into the tomatoes released the most mouth-watering fragrance.

 

Thanks again --

I definitely noticed the difference in taste especially in the Corn, this was far better than anything at the store.  The potatoes were also amazing, the fact that this is a biological farm didn’t really make a difference in my decision, but it is something that I agree with and look as a plus to the process.  A favorite memory is the pick – we only did one, but it will definitely be something we will do again next year, but more of them!  I also enjoyed getting my box every week – it was something that I looked forward to every week!  We liked All the vegetables!  We liked every part of the CSA Share.  We would have liked more Zucchini JOF COURSE we will sign up again!!!  WE LOVED THIS! Going to probably upgrade from a ½ share to a full share..

 

Yes we did notice a difference in flavor! The veggies just tasted fresher, or fuller (if that makes sense). While biological farming's not extremely important to us, we really love it and make sure to mention it to others when we talk about the veggies!  Favorite memories are just the weekly surprises in the box - being able to try out new veggies was also really fun. Oh and shucking corn that wasn't crawling with bugs still amazes me!  We liked the onions, peppers, pumpkins, tomatoes, potatoes!  Absolutely we will sign up again! We certainly got our money's worth even tho we didn't get to any harvest events.

I can only think that what you are doing is certainly on the right track.  FOODS AS GROWN is the most healthy way to live, and the flavor of your produce was excellent, as compared to store bought.  All I can say is the flavor had a FRESHNESS to it.  I have NEVER HAD GREENS that had flavor like your did.  It was sad to see them cycle so quickly.  But they sure were good while they lasted - thank you. I think the biological farming is VERY IMPORTANT, PLEASE KEEP IT UP/CONTINUE. 
My favorite memories were WAITING FOR TUESDAYS , and the phone call saying "they are here".   And of course, the GREENS, i.e., lettuce varieties, instead of a head of iceberg in the store with NO flavor or nutrient value. And the potatoes I thought were better flavor, undoughtedly because of freshness. The Sweet Corn was delicious too. HECK,  IT WAS ALL GOOD.  What I liked about this season is that I found out about it.  Sorry, I didn't know the CSA even existed.  I did buy from the Mhd Stand the previous year, but I heard Mark on WDAY radio - not that I have it on that much - but he gave the web site, and of course, this day and age, NO ONE can live without a web site , but it did work for you this time, so maybe it pays to advertise.  Anyway - I think it was the FRESHNESS and the FLAVOR of the produce, and the ability to have it delivered, almost to our door. A very good deal.

 

We noticed and really enjoyed the taste!  A favorite memory is the way my kids acted every Tuesday when we opened the box.  They said it was like Christmas! I also loved introducing them to veggies they had never tried before. The chickens at our feet while picking potatos was a good one too!
I liked the variety, freshness, taste.  For next year, my kids are asking for more kohlrabi.  I would love more kale and broccoli ;)  Absolutely we will sign up again!  We can't wait.  I know some of our friends that we shared the bounty with will be signing up too.

Everything was wonderful.  Definitely more flavor, but the colors of the vegetables were even more beautiful.  Definitely was one of the reasons I become a member this year.

I definitely noticed the difference-I don't want to eat produce from the grocery store anymore, as the difference in taste is so big!  Everything has just been so full of flavor.  All summer long, we kept having "the best" experiences, as in, "the best potatoes we've ever had, the best corn we've ever had", etc.  I couldn't get enough of the radishes, and I've never like radishes in my life!
As far as the philosophy of biological farming, when I was doing research online to decide whether to do CSA this year, and which farm to go with, that was a huge deciding factor.  I was very impressed with the thought that goes into it, and the love and stewardship involved.  You guys obviously enjoy what you are doing!

We had many favorite memories!  Walking down to the dropoff point with my children, and seeing the excitement they had to open the box each week.  It was like Christmas, to see what surprises would be in store this time.  We also really enjoyed being able to come to the farm events.  I'll never forget my son squatting among the peas, talking to another CSA member and eating fresh peas as fast as he could while "the grownups" actually put peas in the bags.  Well, okay, I may have eaten a few peas in the field, too.  Or my daughter on the way to the last pick, talking the whole way to Fergus Falls about how she was going to play in the mud.  And then doing it.  Those farm events were just great, being able to take the kids out to pick vegetables, look at the pigs, discover that chickens will not actually eat you, and so on.  We thoroughly all of them. Where to begin?  We had a great time this year.  The peas, the corn, the green beans, spinach, bell peppers, the cucumbers(!), the kale and swiss chard,  all good.  The melons we got were sooo sweet-and we got to eat them like you're supposed to, rocking on the front porch, teaching the kids how to pit the seeds into the yard.  I know that the tomatoes gave you trouble this year, but the ones we did get were very tasty, and I'm looking forward to eating some more of them next summer!  It was fun to get the herbs in the boxes-I really enjoyed cooking with them.  Oh, and the chickens are just amazing.  And the farm events.
More spinach!  Seriously, it's really good.  I couldn't get enough.  The only other thing, and I'm not sure if this is possible given the nature of the business, is if we could get slightly earlier e-mails regarding what is in the box.  Just to be able to get a jump on menu planning.  Athough the surprise factor is fun, too-like I said earlier, it was like Christmas every week!  So, if it's not possible, not a big deal.
Definitely we will join again.  My husband is addicted to your potatoes, and the kids were so sad when we went to the last pickup and I told them it would be the last time until spring.  So, I've already promised them that we will start getting more veggies next year.  This has been a great experience for us, and a great value-both for the actual food we got, and for the wonderful times at the farm.  I can't imagine not wanting to do it again.

Yes, we noticed a difference.   They looked better, had a longer shelf life and tasted fresh.   In those rare chances that I have, I like knowing that I can eliminate some of the chemicals that go into my food source so knowing that you choose a biological farming philosophy is important to us.
I has favorite memories.  Being a drop off location was fantastic!!!  I enjoyed watching each member open their box, it was like 20 weeks of Christmas.  I liked many things.  Searching for a recipe that I could use so I could try a vegetable that neither of us have ever eaten and would never have purchased in the store...kale for example...became probable the biggest hit of the summer...my 3 year old niece even loved the kale chips.
  I was at the harvest event on Saturday the 9th of October.  I arrived around 10:30, and what a site...the people...the vehicles...the excitement.  You felt it as soon as you stepped out of your vehicle.   YES!!!  I plan to join next year.    Why would I take the time to plant a garden, then have to weed and tend to it, and be lucky to maybe get three things to produce when I can "HIRE" professionals who know what they are doing.  I receive a wonderful variety of items that are delivered to me each week, now if only I could find a maid to clean the house.

It is very important to me what I feed to my kids.  The veggies in the store, not only don’t taste fresh, sometimes they just look terrible and are overpriced for soggy limp green beans!  I am happy that what I am feeding my family and have frozen in my deep freeze for the winter is not given all the chemicals.  I was very happy with each and every box.  One of the main things I noticed was the flavor of the potatotes!!!  There is NO substitute for fresh potatoes and tomatoes for that matter when we got them!  My favorite memorie]]>Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:28:05 -0600WHAT'S NEW FOR 2012 AT BLUEBIRD GARDENS??

Nothing ever stays the same in life.  If it does, one isn't growing and changing.  At Bluebird Gardens, we are always learning from the previous year.  What can we do to make the next year better?  Our members are the rudder that guides our ship.  We take their comments and surveys very seriously and make changes.  This page will be divided into the two main components of our CSA, the box and the harvest events.

To make your life simpler, the first page that pops up for you on our website will have the information you need, once the CSA season begins.  It will have a TENTATIVE list of what should be in the next box.  That should make your long range planning easier.  That same page will also have current harvest event information.  So you will no longer have to play detective trying to find the information you need.  It will be right there. 

PRODUCE in the BOX!!! 

The focus of our CSA is offering traditional garden produce for our members.  Within that realm, though, we want to offer a wide range of diversity.  For additional  adventure, we will include some new items that fall outside of tradition.

Beans-  We will have seven varieties of beans this season which includes green, yellow and purple beans!

Broccoli ~ We will have six kinds of traditional broccoli.  Our members last year raved about the sweetness of the broccoli.  The biggest change for this coming year is we will plant enough for multiple heads of broccoli, especially early in the season when the heads are typically smaller.

Cabbage ~  Same as last year, we will have a number of cabbage varieties that have different maturity dates.  We will also plant enough to serve cabbage as a harvest event, just as last year.  The difference is your harvest event cabbage will be on the wind turbine field so you can make your kraut earlier in the season. 

Celery-  A few years ago we grew celery and found the stalks to be full of flavor.  So we are raising enough to put in the CSA boxes.  Careful how you store it at night.  No one wants stalkers!

Chinese Cabbage ~  We are raising three kinds of Chinese cabbage each quite varied.

Cauliflower ~  Cauliflower was a favorite in the box and will be back in full force. Of course we have the traditional white but we are including the purple varieties as well.  Cauliflower will also become a harvest event.

Carrots ~ We always plant varieties that are sweet. 

Sweet Corn ~  We are growing the same varieties as last year.  If it's not broken, don't fix it.  We are planning to raise more corn to accomodate for the harvest events.  That was a very popular event last summer.  We are getting a basket weeder for weeding the sweet corn, peas and beans. 

Cucumbers ~ We had wonderful response on the survey regarding the cucumbers!!  We will have a free pick of the long slicing cucumbers going on in the harvest event field (the wind turbine field) right beside the driveway.  Any time you come to the farm, you can help yourself to more cucumbers to add to what you already get in the box!!

Egg Plant ~ The battle with egg plant is that potato bugs like them more than anything.  Last year, we sprayed with organic sprays which did little to stop them.  We will try other organic sprays next year and begin the battle earlier.  We are planting the same large egg plant but a smaller version in addition.

Lettuce ~  In addition to the traditional romaine that you found in the box, we will plant summer crisp, iceberg and butterhead lettuce, giving you even more variety of lettuce this year.

Kohlrabi ~ The CSA feedback was very positive on kohlrabi.  We will have it in the box less often but will give you more of it at those times.  We will also make sure it is a harvest event more often for those who really like their kohlrabi.

Mushrooms ~   Mushrooms were a big hit last year and we are expanding our plantings.  the winecaps were great to raise.

Cantaloupe and Watermelon ~ They were a hit last year and will continue to be high on our list. 

Peppers ~  We are doing many varieties and many, many peppers are being planted.  My goal is to have enough peppers in the box so you can have a meal of stuffed peppers.  Peppers are amazing in salads and in stir fry.  The new basket weeders we are getting should bring about better production.

Peas ~ The early crops of peas did very well and so did the harvest event.  We had wonderful and needed heat in June and July which shortens the pea season.  We are planting the same great varieties of regular, sugar snap and snow peas as last year.

Turnip-  Turnip is a very mild, great textured  bulb, with a flavor similar to a cross between radish and cabbage.  We will also plant rutabaga and parsnips. 

Pumpkins-  We will continue to plant a grand array of pumpkins for the fall harvest event.  We will also plant our pie pumpkin.  It makes the best pumpkin pie and bars!  It will be a hit once again in the CSA box.  More and more are realizing they can make the BEST pumpkin pie with these easy to bake pumpkins.

Onions-  We will have the same sweet onions as last year.  We are planting more storage onions that will still be sweet but have a better storing ability.

Spinach-  We had many positive comments about spinach from the CSA survey especially adding spinach to the fall harvest.  We are also getting a basket weeder for all the small-seeded crops.

Radishes-  The German Giant and Easter Egg radishes had the best quality.  We will leave our French Breakfast for next year.

Zucchini-  Zucchini was a hit again this year.  We will continue the wide variety of types.  We are also adding zucchini as a free continual harvest event so any time you are needing extra zucchini for bread or hotdish,, they will be right beside the driveway in the wind turbine field!!

Winter Squash-  We are adding more varieties to the winter squash line-up.  Celebration, sweet lightning and delicata were CSA favorites this year.  We will make sure they are planted in abundance for the harvest events as well.

Tomatoes-  This was a great year for tomatoes in the box and in the harvest events.

The biggest problem that seemed to surface in the survey for a small number of people was being able to use all that was in the box.  We will once again try the switch box idea.  We tried it briefly last season and in a few cases, it appeared some thought it meant the chance to take from other member's boxes.  This year, we will make a box with loud and clear directions about how to use the switch box.  If you get the items you like and don't take home the ones you think you don't like, it should make usage of our produce easier.  The drop off hosts who continued the switch box idea on their own had great success.

WATER

Water??  Why is water listed on a page with food??  As water has become more polluted, many molecules of water clump together.  This would be fine, however, water is important for many functions within the body.  Big clumps of water, for example, have a hard time sliding in and out of our cells to accomplish their many jobs.  We bought a machine that structures the water and clumps of water with 21 atoms become clumps with five or six atoms.  What does that mean for the human body?  It means the water can actually do its job.  Studies show amazing things happen with plants and animals.  But how about you?  I have found nutritional supplements work better and I have more energy.  Our hard water now tastes soft and very wet!  As a CSA member, you are welcome to come and fill your jugs with water anytime.  Use the left faucet on the west side of our house.  Drink...to your good health!!  Some took advantage of this in 2011 and I am hoping more come for water the next season.

Harvest Events-  Although the box is the core of our CSA, the harvest events are definitely the icing on the cake.  Stocking up for winter is the primary purpose of the harvest events, but it becomes much bigger than that.  It is a connection with the farm, a memory maker, an experience of walking in our shoes and a chance to bring back old traditions of canning and freezing.  The joy of being self-sufficiently ready for winter is a great feeling!!  I hear it from our members all the time.

From the surveys and from experience, we plan to make them even better this year:

~The majority of the harvest events will occur in the wind turbine field right beside the driveway.  We will have a sign-in kiosk halfway up the driveway where you sign in and deposit your tickets.  Since this will be so much more manageable for us, harvest events should be able to continue any day of the week. 

The most exciting change in harvest events is that we are adding a number of free ones that don't require a harvest event ticket.  Any time you come by the farm and want to take part in those, you can. 

~They include the flower pick, same as last year.  The great difference is they will be so accessible, right beside the driveway!!

~The long slicing cucumber is another free pick.  Maybe you want to make refrigerator pickles or you just want more for that salad.

~Basil and other herbs will be included in the free pick!!

~We are so happy to see kale gaining such momentum in popularity and it will be a free harvest event all summer!!

~We have the request for more zucchini often and that will be a free harvest event.  We will have all the types we raise in rows right beside the driveway so you can get the ones you want.  Maybe you just want the zucchini flowers to fry.

~Grape tomatoes are a monster for us to pick for the box, but I ordered some really sweet ones to be in the free harvest event right beside the driveway!!

~Brussels Sprouts are another monster to pick for the box but we will plant many to serve as a free pick.  They typically get ready later in the season.

 

The following harvest events still require tickets.

 

  This year, we will continue the idea where you can divide your harvest event ticket.  In other words, you could get a half event of squash, which is six squash and a half event of pumpkins, which is four pumpkins.  You can do two half events to equal a whole harvest event.  This allows members to harvest a smaller amount of more vegetables.

~The list of harvest events is growing.   Harvest events hinge on the bounty of the farm.  Since the harvest events have their own field this year, they won't be competing with our filling of the boxes.  This means many harvest events won't have to wait until the end of the season.

 

~If you are really into a certain vegetable, you can also do more than one harvest event of that one.

~ Following are the amounts we are planning for this year:

Peas-  Unlimited amount of regular peas, sugar snap peas and pea pods!!

Broccoli- One five gallon pail

Cauliflower- One five gallon pail

Beets- One five gallon pail

Carrots- One five gallon pail

Sweet Corn- Ten dozen

Cabbage - Ten heads

Potatoes- A hundred pounds (four five gallon pails)

Tomatoes - A bushel (Two five gallon pails)

 Onions - One five gallon pail

Green Beans - Two five gallon pails

Spinach- Two five gallon pails

Kohlrabi - One five gallon pail

 Winter Squash - Twelve of your choice!

Pumpkins - Eight of your choice!

Fall Decoratives - Two five gallon pails.  We are adding Indian corn to the fall decorative package along with corn stalks.

Pretty much anything we raise can be a harvest event.  If I have forgotten something, let me know!

 

 

 

]]>Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:11:08 -0600So biological farming, in essence, is a total tribute to our amazing creation.  It is to put all the wheels in place so nature can do her work.  The minerals in the soil have to be restored to their natural balance, hence the soil life can flourish, and then be fed by the cover crops.  Generally, soil life in an open field is bacteria, which are important.  But we also need the fungi which are so important for the harmony of the soil.  So we need to add those back to the soil.   

That is, in fact, how nature works.  Nature covers the ground with plants.  Animals feed on those plants.  The plants die down and return to the soil giving a continous snack to life in the soil.  There is nothing more sound than nature's plan.  And biological farming is mimicking nature.

To watch Mark tell growers about biolgicial farming at the MN Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference in St Cloud, click on the following url:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ-_JDYag08

]]>Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:09:05 -0600FARM HARVEST EVENTS

Defying the notion of common sense and  being totally unique to a typical CSA, the harvest events are a massive giveaway from our farm to you.  It is a celebration of connecting YOU, our valued member, with the place where your food is grown!  As the Bluebird Gardens CSA evolves in the enjoyment of making your journey of healthful eating a vibrant memory, we are making a number of exciting changes.  The majority of harvest events will all be held in the wind turbine field instead of across our entire farm.  That means you can easily park along the sides of our driveway and suffer no worry over where the event is.  It should ease the management of the harvest events for us so the chance of harvest event windows being wide open should increase dramatically.  We will have a sign in kiosk at the entrance to the field along with a box to put in your harvest event coupon.  And since the harvest event crops are planted separately from where we harvest for the boxes, it will not compete with the box and will be totally for your harvest events!!  Fun, huh??!!  In this age of rapidly rise food prices, being self-sufficient and stocked up for winter by fall is a mighty fulfilling feeling! 

Another change...Some FREE harvest events over the whole summer!!

In addition to the many events listed below that require a coupon, we will have a number of free ones that you can take part in all summer.  They will be closest to the driveway in the wind turbine field with completely easy access.  Anytime you are in the area, feel free to stop and gather these from your farm.  Right beside the driveway will be the cut flowers that will fill your house with the rich color from your farm.  They are a free pick to you.  Some members want  more of our great cucumbers than come in the box.  So the long burpless cucumbers are also a free pick whenever you like.  Maybe you just want more for salads.  Maybe you want to make a batch of regrigerator pickles.  Kale is a growing favorite and there will be rows of kale that will be a free pick all summer.  Brussel Sprouts and basil will also be free picks as they become ready.  Grape tomatoes will also be along the driveway hosting a free pick.  We ordered the sweetest, most expensive ones for you to enjoy anytime you come.  Zucchini is also a free harvest all summer.  We have quite a variety of zucchini planned for the boxes.  We will add that same array of varieties to the harvest event field so you can seek the one that suits you best for that zucchini bread or hot dish you are planning that needs extra zucchini.

The traditional harvest events will continue...

If you desire a real connection to our farm, you are invited to take part in ten of the following events as part of your Family share and five harvest events with your share. It is the best way we can say, "Our farm is YOUR farm!! You will get to meet us and harvest vegetables for yourself! You will have a great opportunity to fill your canning jars, freezer or pantry at the same time you experience life on our farm. You will get to bond with other CSA members ! The harvest events hinge on the bounty of the farm. However, we plant so we have enough to cover harvest events.  And this year, they will be planted on your special harvest event field. The bounty is no accident.  Occasionally, there is a crop that doesn't do as well in a particular season. In that case, there might not be a harvest event of that crop. But the instance of that is rare and generally bounty reigns!

To cut down on your driving, we will be combining harvest events as much as possible. For example, in the fall of 2011, squash, potatoes, pumpkins, fall decoratives, beets, carrots, spinach and kale all the first weeks of October. Our CSA members made one trip to take in many harvest events. It was a celebration of bounty and our farm was host to hundreds of our CSA members. Plan to take time to picnic in the magic woods. Some from last year plan to make the experience in the woods a yearly tradition!! Following are the picks you can choose from. We continue to add more. If you are really into a certain vegetable, you can do multiple harvest events of that vegetable. In other words, you can do thirty dozen corn and have it count as three harvest events. We also let people do half of one event and half of another to equal one harvest event.

When all the harvest events were completed by mid-October in 2011, we still had much left so we had a grand finale free harvest event to celebrate the bounty of Bluebird Gardens!

 

• Pea Pick in mid-July. I will let you know the exact date in plenty of time for you to plan. Come with your family and pick peas to eat fresh and/or can or freeze. You can pick shelling peas, pea pods and sugar snap peas. Last year this harvest event was unlimited picking! Make sure you take time to sit in the field, soak up the sounds and scenery and munch on peas fresh from the field! We will have an awesome time! Stay as long as you like!
• The Green Bean pick occurs any time in the season when we have extra. You will find our Jade green beans are amazing for freezing or canning. You will be able to savor the flavor of summer from Bluebird Gardens ALL WINTER LONG when you come to pick beans at the bean pick! ! We are adding other varieties as well that should be terrific for freezing, including yellow beans. You will get two five gallon pails of beans although in 2011, it was unlimited picking because the harvest was so great.
• Broccoli Pick- With your own patches in the wind turbine field, you will have a royal harvest of broccoli this year. You will get one five gallon pail of broccoli heads.
• Pickling cucumber pick by appointment. Many chose the cucumber pick last summer and picked a bushel of pickling cucumbers! A bushel is two five gallon pails. Hundreds of jars from our cucumbers sit on shelves ready for winter eating across the valley!! We will make sure there is enough dill to go with your canning in 2012! The dill will be planted right beside the cucumbers so you can get what you need.
• Cabbage Pick- Some who are into kraut will choose the cabbage pick and get ten heads for sauerkraut .  Since you will have your own patch in the wind turbine field, you won't have to wait for the end of the season.
• Tomato pick! Many took part in the tomato pick in 2011! The tomatoes, in spite of the frost, did well into the middle of October so we had several weeks of free tomato picks. in 2011, we will have a huge amount of hot peppers planted by the tomatoes which will be part of the tomato pick!!!  We are planting oodles of Jalapeno, Cayenne and Chili peppers.  Let us know if we should add others!!
• Sweet corn pick! This event entitles you to ten dozen of our famous sweet corn from Bluebird Gardens. In 2010 and 2011, the sweet corn harvest event began in August and continued for two months. Many came and took advantage of the sweet corn pick and will be enjoying corn all winter! We freeze corn by putting it in a plastic bag in the freezer right from the field, husk, cob and all. In the long winter months, we pull a few ears from the freezer, soak them in warm water, husk the corn and boil as if it were summer! It is a little more soft than summer corn...but pretty close.
• Potatoes- The potato pick was huge the last two seasons!! Since we had such a bountiful crop, the two five gallon pail amount was changed to four! That amounted to 100 pounds of potatoes...free as a bonus from Bluebird Gardens!!
• Members could pick Norland Red , LeSota, Russett and Yukon Gold potatoes. Almost everyone who came to the fall harvest event chose to get potatoes.
• 
• Squash pick- Come and harvest twelve winter squash for your fall and winter season. Last year, members could get 12 squash from our field.  Butternut, Delicata, buttercup and Celebration were the favorites last year.  We will make sure we have plenty of those.
• Pumpkin pick- Many families had a blast finding their eight pumpkins in the pumpkin patch!
• Fall Decoratives- In 2012, we will make for a huge variety of gourds and small pumpkins but also Indian corn as well.
• Beets- Come and get a five gallon pail of our super sweet beets! With a bountiful crop, we might raise it to two five gallon pails as we did in 2011!
• Carrots- Get a pail of our very sweet carrots.
• Peppers- If you choose this event, you will get a pail of our peppers.
• Onions- If you choose this harvest event, you get a five gallon pail of our sweet onions.

 

• Cauliflower - We will be planting your own harvest event patches of cauliflower of our very best and biggest cauliflower!!  You will receive a pail for each coupon.

 

]]>Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:12:00 -0600