Our Farm Crew Grew!
Yes, we’re growing vegetables: arugula, beans, beets, bok choy, cabbage, carrots, chard, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, escarole, herbs, kale, peppers, potatoes, salad mix, scallions, tomatoes, winter squash and zucchini are already in the ground. It's been a cold spring, so most of them are still very small -- but they're surviving. And with the warmer temperatures at the end of May, soon they'll be thriving.
But that’s not the kind of “growing” we mean. This year, we’re also growing in size.
Our team is bigger than it’s been since 2017! As you may already know, PFP is temporarily suspending all workshare activities. (For the safety of our members and the farm crew, we will no longer be inviting 30+ members each week to participate in projects such as weeding and harvesting. Read more here.) All together, the suspension of workshare means that the farm is essentially losing 90 person-hours of labor every week.
To compensate for this drastic loss, as well as the increase in labor in bunching, bagging, and packing that comes with the change to pre-packed shares, we’ve had to bulk up our crew. Our farm interns, who normally start at the beginning of June, started a month early. And we brought on a whole other team member.
Which means: we have some “new” folks for you to meet! They may be new to the crew, but they’re not new to PFP. Read on to meet the most recent additions to our farm team:
Katy, Erin, Natalie, German, Leon, Andre and Isabel on a recent field walk
Katy Cassady, Farm Intern
Some of you may recognize Katy Cassady from her recipe sampling at CSA distributions over the past year, where she made beet brownies, pickled radishes, kohlrabi fritters and more delicious farm-fresh dishes. Prior to joining PFP as a Farm Intern, Katy was at the Culinary Institute of America.
Beth Hentschel, Farm Intern
Beth first joined PFP as a CSA member in 2019, where she delighted in a cascade of winter squash and a varied assortment of radishes. A flight attendant by trade, Beth has taken an educational leave for the summer to grow some roots to balance her wings.
Isabel Morrison, Farm Crew & Education Liaison
Many of you will recognize Isabel, either from her time as a Farm Intern with us last year, or from the four years she spent as an Education Intern during her time at Vassar. Isabel brings numerous seasons of experience to her position as Farm Crew & Education Liaison, and we are lucky to have her back on the team.
Together with Andre Luiz-Domingues (Greenhouse & Plant Sale Coordinator), Erin Moylan (Wholesale Coordinator), German Gutierrez (Equipment Coordinator), Natalie Marshall (Foodshare Coordinator), Lauren Kaplan (Assistant Farm Manager) and Leon Vehaba (Farm Director), we have a solid team of nine.
Our farm crew grew.... And now we have work to do.
With the highest number of CSA members we’ve had to date, the least amount of help, and a new COVID-related curveball what feels like every week, we definitely have our work cut out for us. In all honesty, it’s daunting. But. With a team this hard-working, smart, capable, collaborative and enthusiastic -- it’s hard not to feel a sense of optimism for the days ahead.