March on the Farm!!

Hello Farmily!

What a spring!! It’s been wonderfully warm, seeds are starting, grass is growing and baby goats are bounding about the farm! It’s also still really wet. Liquid sunshine we like to call it. Here’s to hoping we avoid a drought this summer! (Speaking of summer, make sure you read to the end for a special offer!!!)

After a dark cold winter it’s nice to be enjoying some of the left over greens from the garden. It’s also exciting to see all the little specks and flecks in the seed packets come to life, lift their hands to the light and GROW!

 Basil, Nasturtium, Calendula and Pac Choi!

That’s not the only thing growing on the farm! Last Friday Marbles, the spotted doe threw (that’s farm talk for gave birth) to two strapping bucklings (boys). They are getting bottles 4 times a day, and are getting more coordinated every day.

They even came out to say hi to our new puppy Logan! With all that’s going on right now, it’s still pre-CSA season! We have a little late March special for those of you who haven’t signed up for our CSA yet! How does a free week of veggies sound to you? If you sign up by the end of March, we will give you a free week of veggies!! That’s 6 months of fresh, seasonal, classic garden treats for less than $22 a week, and you’ll get a week for free!! Everyone likes free. Just click the link, and fill out the order form. We’ll bill you later (yes we can take payments)

HERE IS THE SIGN-UP LINK!

(and one last shot of the cute brothers!)

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What is a CSA, and who is Adalyn Farm?

First, we are Adalyn Farm.  Adam and Joscelyn Stevens (along with our daughters and extended family).  We are a small farm (5 acres) in Stanwood Washington.  The calling on our hearts is to care for our planet, locally and through community.  There is more about that, and our story here.  And here are a couple videos from last year on the farm….

So there you go, that’s us.

So what is a CSA?  Well, here’s another video!  It’s way better than me trying to explain it.

And that’s what we are doing this year!  Here’s a link to the Flickr gallery of all 25 weeks last year.  Last year was a pilot year with Adam still working full time off farm, and we expect the shares to be even more bountiful this year as we plan on transitioning to full time farming!  We are offering on farm pick up and delivery.  You can get Hayton Farms fruit with your share this year, and Deanna is doing flowers if you want local beauty on your table all summer long!

Fresh Local Berries (organic too!)

We are excited to be partnering with Hayton Farms this year to offer an add on of fresh local organic berries!  Hayton Farms is a 5th generation, organic berry farm less than 20 miles from our farm in the fertile Skagit valley.  They specialize in berries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.  They offer multiple varieties of each, meaning lots of variety!  If you’ve been to any of the local farmers markets, you’ve seen them.  They are at over 80 different markets each week!!!

We are going to be offering 1/3 flats, that’s four pints (or two quarts) of berries.  They will be seasonal, so there may be a lot of strawberries at some times, more blueberries at others.  If you really love fresh fruits and berries, you can add on more than one fruit share.  If you select delivery, your berries will come with the rest of your CSA share at no extra charge.  We hope to be able to offer some bulk buys during the season for folks who want to do some canning as well.  The cost for the first share is $204 for 17 weeks.  You can add a second share for an additional $195.  In addition, we will be coordinating bulk buys for canning and preserving for our CSA members.

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch!

Here’s the CSA Sign Up link!!!

Flower CSA! From Twig and Vine in Stanwood Washington.

We can’t do it all.  But we also think that shouldn’t mean you shouldn’t have choices, options and some beauty in your life, and we have an opportunity for our CSA customers, to have a fresh local flower arrangement weekly with their CSA vegetables.

While we are growing your veggies, Deanna from Twig and Vine will be putting together some of the best of the seasons flowers to grace your table!  Deanna has been arranging flowers for local brides, offices and other customers for years.  We are excited to have the chance to partner with her to offer a 10 week season of fresh local flowers, grown with the same care as we are growing your food (That means no bee harming sprays or chemicals, and with a mind to the stewardship of the soil).

 

Your arrangement will be different, every week, and will include some familiar and some unique components.  She describes them as “a flower garden bouquet, with a loose comfortable feel, filled with unique foliages and herbs.  The will have heirloom flowers, types that growers sometimes can’t get, and flowers like sweet peas, dahlias, zinnias and much more!”

 

The cost for the 10 week season is $250, which is a good deal, and unlike the $30 arrangements in grocery stores, all of your investment will stay in the community.  These flowers aren’t brought in from out of state, these are local.  Like 25 miles local.  Additionally, if you add on delivery for your CSA, your bouquet will show up with your weekly box of local produce at no extra charge!  Deanna expects the season to start in July.

 

If you have any questions, you can e-mail her at twigandvine(at)gmail.com, or get in touch with us!!

CSA Sign up link here!!!

 

Family Farm January update!

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year from the farm!

It’s been a wild open to the winter season!!! We are again reminded why we did not buy land in a valley, as many of the valley farmers we know are currently watching water flow through their green houses and over their fields. We have had our share of “liquid sunshine” here on the farm, and there are some ares that are boggy enough to pull off your boot, and then ask for your sock too. Maintaining dry footing and bedding areas for the animals are about our only outdoor challenge at the moment.

 

Taking advantage of some clear weather to spread more wood chips in the goat pen.

Even with a flat tire on the trailer, the farm help stuck with it, and got the job done!

We love the Christmas Holidays here on the farm.Quiet whispered phone conversations, evergreen needles stuck in socks, more sugar than what’s good for us, and fires in the wood stove. There are also wonderful “dark days” crafts, games and more treats!

It’s also a chance to start thinking of the new year. The farm plan for the CSA is under way, and with one full season under our belts, we can’t wait to start the 2016 Adalyn Farm CSA. It is going to be 100% local. And delivery is an option if your spring and summer schedule is hectic. There are two share sizes available, standard, and premium. If you are still learning to love your veggies, we would recommend the standard share. If you know you love them, then we would recommend a premium share. If you are single, empty nesters or grow a garden of your own, we would suggest you split a share. Splitting a share gives you a full share, every other week, and with the first shares coming out in May, and running for 25 weeks well into the fall, it’s a way to make sure your kitchen is stocked with fresh veggies before and after the “zucchini flood” that most home gardeners suffer from in late July and August. If you are interested in splitting a share, just mention that in the sign up sheet, and we’ll invoice you for half the cost of a full share.

 
These are some sample shares from the 2015 season.

If you have any questions on how this might work, please get in touch!

This really is a fun time of year, when things have slowed down and we look at the crop information from 2015, yields, germination and harvest timeline, taste tests, and recipes that we loved, and if we liked the food, decide what’s going to get care, love and attention again here on the farm, and what’s going to get skipped. Not that running a farm with veggies, hens, geese, pigs and goats ever really has a slow time.

-Your farmers.

Are you ready to sign up for fresh veggies in 2016?

HERE IS THE SIGN-UP LINK!

Adalyn Farm 2016 CSA sign-up’s are HERE!!!

All Farm CSA!

This is what we have been working towards for almost 5 years!  First, let us tell you what a CSA is.  CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  First coined in the 80’s, it was a farming business model that allowed local customers to have easier access to local, seasonal food, while taking a little bit of the risk from the farmer and sharing it with the customers (traditionally surplus is also shared with the customer).  The local food scene and eating in general has changed a lot since the 80’s and so have some CSA’s.  

We are striving to get back to the roots of a CSA, while leveraging modern technology to give today’s customers what they want.   All of the vegetables and meat you get will be from our farm, we DO NOT buy in any vegetables or meat from other farms.  We feel local food security is important, and local means local.  Even the flower and berry add-ons we offer are grown within 20 miles of our farm, not trucked in from California’s central valley or Mexico.  This does mean some things will not be available all season long.  You will have choices, not every week, but as much as we can.  Through our weekly CSA email update, when the harvest allows us the flexibility, you can select different options depending on your share size and what is in abundance or scarce.  If we have an abundance, you might get to choose between more lettuce or more carrots, or between a new veggie or some of the more traditional garden fare.  

You will have the choice to do on-farm pick-up of your share, or have it delivered to your home for an additional cost.  We highly recommend on-farm pick-up for several reasons: the chance to pick up surplus veggies beyond what is in the shares (depending on availability), to pick up eggs that are available on a first-come, first-served basis, to see what’s happening on the farm, to visit some friendly animals, and so you can get to know your farmers and where your food comes from.  

Week Seven

Week Five

Week Six

We are also partnering with two other local farms to provide berries and flowers as add-on options with your vegetables!!!

We are excited about partnering with Twig and Vine as they explore offering a flower CSA.  Deanna has been arranging for weddings and custom orders and is excited to have folks all over the area enjoying her flowers!  Her 10 week season will start in July (when the blooms are ready), and will run for 10 weeks.  Your arrangement will be in your box at pick-up, or delivered if you select CSA delivery as an add-on.

 

We know how much our family enjoys seasonal fruit, so we are very excited to offer an add-on for a berry share.  Hayton Farms is a fifth generation farm growing organic berries in the Skagit Valley.  Your berry share will include different varieties of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries as they come into season.  Each share will include 1/3 flat, that’s four pint baskets of local, organic fruit!!!  The season starts in mid-June and will run for 17 weeks.  They will be in your box at pick-up, or delivered to your door if you select for CSA delivery.

Lastly, Community Supported Agriculture is supporting the farmer and the community.  Giving back to our community through our farm is a key piece of our farm plan.  We will be working with several local churches to donate multiple shares to families in need in our community, and we want to partner with our customers in this.  If you would like to help us give additional shares, please indicate so on your order form.  You pick how much, even $25 will go a long way!  We will update our Farm-ily with the impact they make through this.  (Our goal this first year, with your help, is to donate 10% of the total food grown on the farm.)
  
 Here is the breakdown of what we are offering.  To hold your place you only need to pay the $200 deposit (which applies toward your total).  We will invoice you monthly for the balance (full payment due by April 31st).

 Farm CSA with choices! 25 weeks of a variety of fresh, organically-grown veggies and greens.

1. 1. Share Size
      1. Premium Share $795 (7 or more items, larger volume of each item, more choices, feeds 4-6 people each week.)
      2. Standard Share  $545 (5 or more items with some choices, feeds 2-4 people each week.)
2. Add-Ons
   1. Delivery to Stanwood, Camano Is. and Arlington!
      1. $135 for the entire season.
   2. Farm Bouquets!  Arrangements from the talented, local floral artist at Twig and Vine.  Included in your box starting in July and running for 10 weeks.
      1. $200 for a 10 week season.
   3. Berries!  A variety of local, organic berries from Hayton Farms.  1/3 flat (that’s 4 pint baskets) included in your box starting mid-June and running for 17 weeks.
      1. $204 for each 17 week share (Fruit lovers can get a second share for the reduced price of $195.)
   4. Adalyn Farm Organic, Pasture-raised Chickens!
      1. $30 each, must be picked-up on farm on specific dates. (This item is pending insurance underwriting, we’ll invoice once we have a green light.)
   5. Donation for a Family in Need
      1. You determine if you would like to give a monetary gift toward helping us provide fresh, healthy food to a family that is struggling to feed themselves.

 

Are you ready?  HERE IS THE SIGN-UP LINK!

Additionally, if you refer a friend to us, we will discount your CSA share by $20 for each family who signs up for either of our two share sizes.  This credit can only be applied to the main CSA share and cannot be applied to the Add-Ons.  To receive credit, your friends need to put your name in the field at the end of the sign-up form where we ask if anyone has referred them to us.  Just think, you could have a free share this summer!

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Things not yet seen.

Oregano. We trimmed this several weeks ago for our CSA, and today I was thinking about how it’s grown back stronger and better since we trimmed it. Although at the time it looked rough.  We feel the same way right now, rough.

Hebrews 11:1 talks about faith in things not yet seen. While that perspective fits with farming on any given day, it is especially true for us right now. We are at the point on our transition to farming, that we need to step out in faith, towards our goal. Right now, that means opening the order forms to start accepting deposits and orders for 2016. It also means making the go/no go decision on a winter CSA/Farm Share. We think our community would like access to local fresh vegetables through the winter, but we can’t be sure. We are also not sure that enough folks would find out in time to put us at the threshold to go for it.  The winter CSA/Farm Share decision is also complected by my full time job. If we offered it, I would need almost all of the daylight hours to get the planting done in August and September, to be able to have the veggies grown for the winter. I have a very understanding boss, but I’m not going to ask him to pay me while I do a bunch of fall planting.

Having faith doesn’t mean making poor decisions though, and there are just a few more details to work out, before we open the store.

If you want to support us, please keep your eyes on our social media. We also will be doing some kind of capital campaign. We have some problems that we need to address before we go full scale.  We are a resourceful people, the Apollo 13 astronauts were able to fix their doomed craft with tape, socks, the cover to the flight plan, some parts from flight suits, a bungie cord and some lithium hydroxide canisters. We are no less resourceful, and although not a space ship, a covered wash station would be really nice.  We have also had folks who are not close enough to be customers ask how they could support us, and be part of the farm.  We want to serve our community, but in truth, the community we are part of stretches from Stanwood to Puyallup, to California, Mexico and New York.  So stay tuned!  If you have questions, please feel free to get in touch!  Farmers(at)adalynfarm.com

First CSA share is out!

Yep, we are underway!  Our first CSA share went out last Wednesday.  This year is a test year, so 10 shares, and only on-farm pickup.  We are keeping it simple, and trying to make all the mistakes we possibly can.  Every. Single. One.  The good news is we are making lots of mistakes, the better news is that we are still seeing some success despite the the mistakes!

Our little Farm-ily has been wonderfully supportive.  We got thank you notes, and words of encouragement back in early spring, before we even had anything in the ground.  It was heart warming.  And now that the first shares are down the driveway, we are getting more support, encouragement and some very kind words.

Here’s what one of our customers posted.  I think she actually had dinner before we did, and arguably might have been the first to get cooking with the greens!

View this post on Instagram

Our gorgeous dinner, with big thanks to @adalynfarmboy and @adalynfarmgirl for their first CSA week!

A post shared by Sally (@sallykanehen) on May 20, 2015 at 6:06pm PDT

 

Sally was kind enough to share her “quick dinner” with me (she didn’t want to call it a recipe, but did say she loves cooking chicken like this, because it stays so moist)

“Evoo in pan, salt & pepper chicken thighs, and brown in the pan. When they’re browned on one side, flip, then add a chopped onion and a couple hand fulls of quartered baby cremini mushrooms. More salt, lower heat, then arrange so the chicken is resting on top of veggies. Then I drizzled with about 2-3T of balsamic and let cook another 10 min or so. Lastly, add a couple handfuls of whatever greens you like (I used those beet greens) and just cook for another minute or two. Key is to not over cook the greens!
We had the chicken with a wild rice and quinoa blend, and a salad of your greens, radishes, feta cheese and sunflower seeds.”

It’s a long season ahead of us, with problems we don’t even know we will need to fix yet, we also know it’s full of sunshine, smiles and some of the best time’s we have ever had.  We are truly excited to share our farm with this wonderful group of people.  We are also just barely starting to think about next season, if your interested, drop us a note farmers at adalynfarm.com, we’ll keep you in the loop.

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Adalyn Farm offerings for 2015

Hello, and welcome to 2015!!!

We are so excited and have so much to share with you.  First off, click through to our “about us” above, in the website header.  It’s new and updated, although it might be better said that it’s more in-depth, since we aren’t really new (we’re in our 30’s after all), and we haven’t really been updated (unless you include Farmer Joscelyn’s various surgeries). You’ll find our story there, as well as our management and farming practices spelled out.  We are scrubbing up some other little rough spots, so there might be more to see over the next few weeks.

(Gratuitous picture of food.)
 

We are super excited about the outcome from our farm meeting a few weeks ago.  In short, we are planning on more animals on the farm this year and a test Vegetable CSA.  We are raising pigs again, as well as turkeys for Thanksgiving and 2 batches of chickens.  All are pasture-raised, organically-fed and humanely-processed here on our farm just as before. For the chickens, we will have two different pick-up dates to try to accommodate more people.  Turkey and pigs will be done near the end of October, with a last batch of pigs done in December.  All of the details for each of these items can be found through the links below.  If you want to get in line for some of the tasty meat, simply click on the links that interest you and follow the instructions.  If your mind is currently blown, just reply to this e-mail and we can send you copies of the info. sheets for anything you are interested in.

Info. on PIGS!!

Info. on TURKEYS!!

Info. on CHICKENS!!

Now, how ’bout that Vegetable CSA?  Well, after hours of garden planning and talking through work load and expectations, we are sticking to our guns and running the Veg CSA as a test this year.  What does that mean? It means that we are running a very small (10 share) CSA for a pilot group of customers that will be patient as we work out the kinks and give us the needed feedback for improvement.  If all goes well, we will be going all-in on this in 2016.  In fact, it’s shaping up to be the cornerstone that our farm is going to run on.  Although we both prefer raising animals to plants, a living just can’t be made on 5 acres with only animals.  With a small 100 member CSA, it’s within reach, and we can still run our goats, pigs and various poultry, all without compromising our care and stewardship goals for the property.  Did I mention that we are excited?  It’s all out of our hands, but God-willing, we will be calling ourselves full-time farmers in just a few short years!

How can you help with this awesome dream?!?!  Well, if you’re not already a customer, please consider allowing us to grow food for your family. Additionally, if you have friends who care about environmental stewardship, where food comes from and local economy, please consider sharing this message with them.  We can assure you this e-mail will forward flawlessly.

Again, we love to hear from our customers and would be happy to send you more info. on any of our available offerings for 2015!

-The Adalyn Farmers

Spring is coming, the grass is starting to grow, and the birds are getting louder every morning.

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Community Seed Exchange (Take that you big, nasty government/big ag bully.)

I saw at least two stories over the holiday about seed banks and seed exchanges being in trouble.  The premise is that seed companies need to sell seed that has a standard germination rate, set by the “industry,” so folks don’t spend good money on bad seed.  In order to enforce this, some states have laws about seed that is distributed being germination tested.  Most community seed banks can’t afford this, or do it in-house as many commercial seed companies do.  Really it all comes back to money, and trying to protect the consumer, but it gets hijacked by some brain stem with a pulse in government who doesn’t want free seed being given away unless it is germination tested…..  Sound silly?  I thought so.

So, for a second year (Not in a row, that would be too puny.) we are coordinating a community seed exchange.  The details are below, and the only request is that you jump on Facebook and indicate that you are coming.  That way we can make sure we have enough zip-tie handcuffs for all you wild law breakers out there.  Just kidding about the handcuffs, but we do need to have an idea of how many folks will be there.  It’s also a bit of a potluck/snack bar, so please let me know if you want to bring something, and I can put you in touch with the person that is coordinating food. After all, too much guacamole is too much of a good thing, especially if there are no chips to go with it.

From the Stanwood Community Seed Exchange:

“Are you ready for the 2015 garden season? Do you save seed from your garden to re-plant next year, or do you want to learn how? If you have seed to swap, plan to bring 4-8 shares (enough for a family garden), please germ test the seed if at all possible, and please pick just one or two of your favorites. Details on the actual exchange process to follow… And we do have a start on some door prizes…. And just to be clear, you don’t need to have seeds to swap to come, but if you don’t have seeds to swap, you won’t be able to participate in the seed exchange.

Our goal is to involve folks in the Stillaguamish Valley and surrounding areas, as we all share common seasonal variations that make gardening here unique. I am trying to line up a few folks to give informal talks or presentations, and we plan on having a light snack/lunch potluck. Kids are welcome, with parent supervision, because seeds are small and kids are quick.”

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