Announcing New Egg Share

We’re excited to announce that next season we’ll be offering an egg share from our friends at Old Ford Farm in Gardiner, NY.

 Old Ford Farm is a family-run farm committed to animal welfare and environmental stewardship. Their hens are fed organic grains and are raised on pasture. Farmers Becky and Joe rotate them frequently to ensure that they always have a clean living area and the ability to forage grasses and bugs. Old Ford Farm’s practices make for animals that are happy and eggs that are nutrient-rich and delicious!

Egg shares will consist of one dozen eggs from pasture-raised hens every week for 23 weeks, from June to November. Visit the Old Ford Farm website to learn more about Becky and Joe and their growing practices, or sign up for your share today.

GROWER'S ROW: What A Bounty

Before we dive into November, let’s take one last look at October, in which we harvested more than SEVENTEEN THOUSAND pounds of food.

That’s right. Last month we harvested two thousand pounds of carrots, three thousand pounds of scarlet turnips, four thousand pounds of (very big) beets, seven thousand pounds of sweet potatoes, and a frantic thousand pounds of peppers just before the first real frost. (And that doesn’t include any of the hundreds of pounds of radishes, kale, cabbage, spinach, swiss chard and kohlrabi we’ve been steadily bringing in each week for distribution.)

October is over and the coolers are full to bursting… but still there’s more.

In November, we are pulling thousands of pounds of turnips, purple daikon, watermelon radishes, and even more carrots out of the ground (and finding creative ways to store it all). By now, the garlic has gone into the ground for next year. We are cleaning and storing implements, transitioning the greenhouse to a winter wash station, readying the tunnels for dropping temperatures and preparing for the start of our Winter CSA.

Amidst the hustle, we are also giving thanks.

We are thankful for a good growing season (remember last year’s scrawny beets?) and for coolers stocked full of food (tens of thousands of pounds!) for the winter. The seasons are largely out of our control, which can be a frightening thing for farmers. This year, luck -- combined with skill and experience -- resulted in a bountiful harvest. We are excited to continue sharing this bounty with our Winter CSA members.  

We are thankful for our donors and funders, large and small, who keep our programs running, and without whom we would not be able to do half of the good work we do here in Poughkeepsie. Big thanks to the Culinary Institute of America, the Vassar Baseball team, the Green & Clean team from Poughkeepsie Day School, our Vassar Community Engaged Learning interns, and all of the students and volunteers who came out to help us in the fields to rip out tomato vines and harvest some of the biggest beets we’ve ever seen.

Two thousand pounds of carrots harvested by the Vassar Baseball Team

Laura and Vassar student Katherine harvest potatoes

Scarlet Turnips

Students from PDS harvest big beets

The CIA harvested scarlet turnips and kohlrabi

We are thankful for you, our members and supporters. A special thanks to anyone who has ever stayed late to finish a job (I’m looking at you, sweet-potato-harvesting and onion-layering teams) or worked extra hours just to help out (Ed, Janet and Ken, Kyong, Beth, Beverly, Suzanne, and so many others). Your continued support of Poughkeepsie Farm Project takes many forms, from the hours you spend in the field, to the surprise zucchini breads and cold brew coffee that miraculously appear at our farmer lunch table, to your words of appreciation and encouragement, to your zest for eating vegetables.

On a personal note, I am thankful to be part of such a good team, both on the farm and in the wider organization. Everyone here pitches in and strives to make PFP better, in myriad ways large and small -- from coming in on Sundays to do tractor work, to keeping the kitchen a clean and useable space for everyone. I so appreciate working with people who invigorate this place with their talents, ideas and energy. Like the vegetables from our fields, it feeds me, and makes me feel full.

What feeds you?

Harvest of the Month: Kale

November's Harvest of the Month is kale. Harvest of the Month is an initiative of Poughkeepsie Farm Project’s Farm to School program. A different local farm product is served in school meals at area schools each month and we are helping to promote these locally available farm products.

Now, to introduce our November Harvest of the Month… KALE!
By Kathryn B., Farm to School Manager

Kids Washing Kale

Kids Eating Kale

Most of you have probably heard of this superfood but would you believe it is a favorite among the students we work with?!? Every time we do a cafeteria taste test or have a new student join our after school program they delight us with their memories of coming to the farm and having the spectacular Kale Salad! They love harvesting it, massaging it and adding it to a delicious medley of veggies. Our Harvest of the Month initiative is all about sharing new recipes featuring local farm produce with local kids, so we decided to share a few of our favorite kid-approved Kale recipes and fun resources here.

Thankfully, you can enjoy kale all winter long because it just gets sweeter during the colder months. So even though it’s the November Harvest of the Month, you can count on seeing it at the CSA year round!

Educational Downloads

Green Thumb Smoothie

This green thumb smoothie is a great way to introduce new people to this awesome green! It’s packed with essential nutrients and is still a fruity, sweet treat for any time of day.

Download the Recipe

Autumn Kale Salad

Try out this autumn kale salad recipe - perfect for the end of the season as we head into winter. Combining this superfood with other favourite autumn produce like butternut squash and apples is just one of many ways we serve up kale salad here at the farm. Experiment with other fruit, nuts, beans and veggies to find your favorite combo!

Download the Recipe

Oh, Kale Yeah! – Benefits of Kale

It seems impossible that one food could have so many benefits, that’s why we call kale a superfood. Not only is it nutrient rich, it’s delicious too! Try some of our suggested recipes to add kale to your diet!

Download the Infographic

Kale Coloring Sheet

Check out this cool “kale-oring” sheet. A perfect introduction to a tasty vegetable for the children in your life!

Download the Coloring Sheet

Kale Tipsheet from Just Food

Check out this handout to learn tips about storing and preparing kale, including some delicious recipes!

Download the Tipsheet

Kale Newsletter from Western NY Farm to School

Our friends in Western NY created this great newsletter with info on how to grow kale, how to prepare it, and more kid-friendly ideas and recipes!

Download the Newsletter

PFP Kale Blog Post from 2017
Former education intern, Elyse Canty, explained a bit about kale, the varieties we grow and how we like to prepare it when working with children.

GROWER'S ROW: Grab Your Forks

It’s October on the farm! Which means: CSA distributions are bountiful in butternut, Fruit share members are enjoying apples and pears and grapes, cabbages are making a comeback, purple daikon are doubling in size, and we’re planting greens that we’ll be harvesting… in 2020?

Butternut Harvest

Andre on the Broadfork

Yes: We’re talking about our high-tunnel greens! While the long days of summer fast-forward the maturation process of our main-season plants, it can be two months (or more!) from transplant to harvest for our fall-planted, winter-harvested lettuces, kales, and bok choy.

In the lessening light of autumn, plants grow much more slowly. Eventually, when daylight dwindles to fewer than 10 hours per day, they stop really “growing” all together. During this time, plants do… well, what a lot of us do during the winter. They sit tight, and they wait for warmer weather.

What that means for us farmers is that we need to get these plants in NOW, so they can put on growth before this “Persephone period” of low-light hibernation sets in. Each day we delay makes a difference. Too many days can mean the difference between having a bountiful winter harvest, or barely having enough for our Winter CSA.

This is a big project. It entails turning a high tunnel that is stuffed to the gills with sixteen thousand, ten-foot-high tomato plants into a cavernous open space; a blank canvass with lofted, rich soil ready to receive plugs of lettuce the size of your thumb. In addition to removing all of the crop material, we must also prep the soil: we aerate it, amend it with supplemental nutrients, incorporate them, and rake it flat for seeding or transplanting.

Tunnel Full of Tomato Plants

Ready to Receive Winter Greens

One of the most important tools we use in preparing the soil is called a broadfork. This tool is a tall, u-shaped bar with flat metal forks coming out of the bottom. It lets us use our body weight to help sink the tines into the earth. Pulling back on the handles creates cracks in the soil, which help to break up compaction and allow nutrients, water and air to more easily penetrate to lower horizons. (Oxygen is, in fact, a key component of soil. Without it, the microorganisms that break down and recycle organic matter, making it available for plant uptake, would be unable to do their important job.) The broadfork does all this without mixing the top layers of the soil, meaning it is less disruptive to the existing soil structure and communities of earthworms and specifically-situated microbial communities there.

As soil farmers, the broadfork is a key tool that allows us to improves soil structure with minimal disruption. Also: it’s ergonomically efficient and fun to use!

Aside from tunnel prep and planting, other big projects this month will include harvesting and storing winter crops such as potatoes, purple-top turnips, watermelon radishes, leeks and red and gold beets; harvesting and curing sweet potatoes; and cover-cropping our fields.

Stay tuned next month for more photos of the harvest!

Kitchen Donations Needed

We are so excited for the beginning of the school year and our 2019-2020 after-school programs at six Poughkeepsie schools. We are looking to step up the cooking portion of all of our programming this year. For that reason, we are asking for your support. We are seeking the items below in new or gently used condition. If you would like to donate one or more of these items, please visit the farm between 5:30 and 6:30 on October 8, 15, 22, or 29 with the items. We will have a PFP educator available to let you know whether we can accept your donation (based on its condition and other donations received thus far).

ITEM	QUANTITY
heavy-bottomed stainless steel skillet (All-Clad or other induction capable)	6
heavy-bottomed stainless steel medium 4 qt pot with lid (All-Clad or other induction capable)	6
heavy-bottomed stainless steel large 8-12 qt pot with lid (All-Clad or other induction capable)	6
Large cast iron skillet, 15”	1
Medium cast iron skillet, 8”	1
Kitchen tongs	12
microplane	2
Stainless steel baking sheets	4
Small plastic baskets for organizing small items	6
Durable muffin tins (NOT non-stick)	2
Coffee grinder	1
spiralizer	3
milk crates	8
Metal or silicone whisk	4
Steel scouring pads	4 Boxes of 12
Eating Utensils (metal forks, spoons, etc)	150
Large metal or melamine mixing bowls with tight fitting lids	12
Electric or induction burners	5

Use Gardens to Build Community

If you are an educator looking to integrate gardening and food education into your work, consider attending the Poughkeepsie Farm Project’s Summer Institute for Educators this August. Are you a classroom teacher who wants to include more hands-on learning opportunities but aren’t sure how fit it all in? Are you new to the field of farm and garden education and want to get immersed in the topic? Do you have a vision to turn an empty patch of grass into a school garden but don’t know how to get started? Maybe your school has a neglected garden that just needs some love, attention, and advocacy to get it up and running again. Or perhaps you are interested in garden education as a way to explore food, culture, and heritage with your students. If any of these statements are true for you, our Summer Institute would be well worth your time. This three-day immersive training is designed to help educators integrate gardens into their teaching, and together we will explore topics in literacy, social studies, science, math, and nutrition, as well as build knowledge about sustainable agriculture, food systems, social justice, and ecological gardening practices.

Our annual program theme is “Using Gardens to Build Community”, and this year we will examine gardens not just as growing spaces or outdoor classrooms but also as vehicles that can empower youth to celebrate the diversity in their own communities. We will focus on the ways we can use gardens to promote the development of positive social skills, emotional regulation, mindfulness, and empathy. We will also consider how food and gardens can be used as a starting point for conversations about race and cultural heritage that are both developmentally appropriate and inclusive.

Workshop topics will range from the cerebral to the practical, and this balance is part of what makes this such a unique and valuable learning opportunity. In addition to our annual theme of building community, we will spend time on the basics of garden-based educational theory, we will visit learning gardens both at the farm and at local schools, and we will troubleshoot common challenges like how to engage a large group of students in a small garden and how to transform a typical school setting into a culinary classroom. And in addition to presenters from the PFP education team, guest presenters will include experts from regional educational organizations. Past speakers have included educators from The Mediation Center of the Dutchess County, Hudson Valley Seed, SUNY New Paltz, Cornell Cooperative Extension, as well as classroom teachers who’ve achieved high levels of success with garden education at their schools.

Regardless of your level of teaching experience or depth of knowledge in food education, one of the great benefits to all participants is sense of solidarity gained by spending three days in community with other like-minded educators who are all working towards the same goals. When you are teaching, whether you are in a traditional classroom or in a less conventional setting, you may feel isolated and alone in your work, especially if you are taking on a new project like managing a school garden. Participation in our Summer Institute will not only provide you with a wealth of knowledge to build your capacity and confidence as an educator, but it will also give you a much needed boost of optimism, joy, and rejuvenation before the start of the next school year.

So join us on the farm for three days of learning, teaching, and building community. The Summer Institute runs August 21-23, visit our info page for more information or to register. We hope to see you there!

PFP and CIA Collaborate on Farm-to-Table Brunch

Join The Culinary Institute of America and Poughkeepsie Farm Project for a farm-to-table brunch in celebration of PFP’s 20th Anniversary

On June 1, the Student Garden Club and the Sustainability Club at the CIA, and their instructor Brian Kaywork, Head Chef at American Bounty Restaurant, will skillfully transform farm fresh produce into a delicious three-course brunch experience.

Here, we invite you to meet the chefs, in their own words:

David Cruz

Growing up in Poughkeepsie wasn’t always so simple and easy. I would have never imagined myself attending such prestigious school 3 years ago; and to be in my last semester majoring in Applied Food Studies Bachelor's program is a dream come true. Not only for myself but for my parents who came to the states for a better life for my siblings and I. My interest in food has become focused mainly on educating those around me about where their food comes from. It is crucial to understand this concept as a chef and student at the Culinary Institute of America. As a chef in the industry for over 5 years, working at several restaurants including, The Poughkeepsie Ice House, Mercatos Osteria Enoteca in Red Hook, South Seas Island Resort in Florida, The Egg at CIA with Restaurant Associates, and current Sous Chef at Nic L Inn in Poughkeepsie has definitely had its ups and downs but has shaped into the chef I am today. Moving forward, I see myself educating young children, and my community on the importance of a sustainable food system. With organizations like Poughkeepsie Farm Project, it has been proving that education on food can help food insecure families while providing essential knowledge on how to self sustain oneself through growing it yourself. Awareness, knowledge, and passion will help me start my own educational farm one day, where all will be welcomed and immersed into the concept of farm to table; enabling people to cook for themselves and stray away from non nutritional and processed foods.

Alex Shao

Coming to the United States, I was unaware of the opportunities that I would soon be exposed to. Growing up and going to culinary high school in Singapore, I was mainly exposed to Asian and some basic French cuisine. I never imagined the diversity in culture and ingredients I would find here, and the level at which chefs are elevating the cuisines of the world. I eventually did my externship at Per Se in New York City, where I realized the importance of finesse and sense of urgency needed in a restaurant. Through the Culinary Science Bachelor’s program at the CIA, I was given the precious opportunity to further develop and enhance my culinary skill by learning the science behind cooking and different modern cooking methods. Moving forward, I would like to work on developing more skills and gaining more experience to take my cooking to the next level. Detail, dedication, and delivery, will help me stay focused in the kitchen and shape me to be the chef I want to be.

Dylan Leary

After growing up in St. Petersburg, FL and working in restaurants throughout high school, I went to Northeastern University to pursue Food Science through Chemical Engineering. After a year, I transferred to the CIA, where I’m working towards my Associates in Culinary Arts and Bachelors in Applied Food Studies. Here, I serve as the President of the Student Government and the Chair of the Student Sustainability Committee. In my free time, I run a nonprofit organization planning work with chefs, farmers, and doctors in rural Uganda.

Katy Cassady

Growing up surrounded by Midwest agriculture and local food businesses I learned how to love the more rustic side of the culinary industry. I worked for local apple orchards, meat distributors, and MN farmers markets at first, and then grew into the restaurant side of the industry later on. My primary focus has always been to bring the beauty of locality and sustainability to everyone I encounter. CIA has helped me to improve upon this focus and expand my food sustainability network through committees and classes. I am now a candidate for the CIA’s Applied Food Studies program and an involved member in the Campus-Wide and Student Sustainability Committees as well as a barista and bartender on campus.

Elizabeth Pope

I have always had a passion for food and cooking, but it took me awhile to truly appreciate the journey that the food made to get to my cutting board. My family wasn’t very in touch with fresh foods, and so I got what I could while living in Westchester, New York. Right before coming to The CIA, I was able to go to the farmer’s market in Union Square, and that started my journey into fresh and local foods. Now at school, I am appreciative of the different chefs and students that allow me to see the value in all products. With these stronger values, I can start to implement a love for food and sustainability into my Business Management degree, as I work to open and strengthen the Innovation Kitchen with my classmates. When i’m not working on our restaurant, I work as the maitre d’ at the Bocuse restaurant where I try to encourage students to showcase the dishes and the dining experience.

20th Anniversary Farm-to-Table Brunch

June 1, 11am - 2pm

Environmental Cooperative at the Vassar Barns

50 Vassar Farm Lane

Poughkeepsie NY 12603

Tickets $75 / person

(845) 516-1100

GROWER'S ROW: You'd Better Believe It.

You’d better believe it: Despite the cold and slow start to the season, summer is HERE!  

With the latest wave of heat, our crops -- which have been biding their time, hanging out in the cold soil and growing very slowly -- have really started thriving. In the last week, we’ve watched them take off until they are (in some cases literally) bursting with crunch and sweetness and nutritious vegetal goodness. So! Get ready for the season's first tender vegetables like kale, bok choy, butter lettuce, arugula, summer squash and cucumbers... and of course, PYO strawberries and sugar snap peas.

When you sign up for a CSA, you are consuming something awesome. Here’s why:

Know Your Farm, Know Your Farmer

Our on-farm pick-up is an invitation to spend some time here, to wander and taste, to learn and explore. It’s a chance to get outside, to get some sunshine and fresh air, and connect with a busy ecosystem buzzing and brimming with life. And distribution is a great opportunity to connect with your farmer. We love talking about unfamiliar produce and swapping recipe ideas!

Choose Your Favorites

Our CSA gives you lots of choice. We offer a farmer’s market-style CSA pick-up, to let you choose which items you want. Experiment with something new, or bring home more of your favorites! Either way, you won’t have to take home foods you know you don’t like or won’t eat.

It’s Good For You, and Good For The Earth.

We are Certified Naturally Grown, and work hard to maintain a vibrant soil ecosystem. As soil farmers, we know that biologically rich soil make for healthier plants and crops that are bursting with nutrients. (Plus, buying local means fewer fuel miles!)

It’s Fresh.

We harvest everything super fresh -- from our farm hands to yours in as little as 4 hours! This field-to-you approach means that we can chose varieties for flavor rather than shelf-life, and harvest at peak ripeness. Does it get any fresher than that? Yes… when you pick it yourself! Members get to participate in the joy of the harvest (and get even more out of their share) with PYO strawberries, raspberries, cherry tomatoes, beans, flowers, herbs and more.

It’s a Great Value.

Receive anywhere from 10-22 lbs of Certified Naturally Grown, local, fresh, flavor-forward produce each week (depending on your share size) for an average price of $2/lb. Then get even MORE goodness in your share by participating in Pick Your Own at no extra cost! All this, and your dollars are going to supporting the local economy and a living wage for young farmers in the city of Poughkeepsie.

Get in on it. Sign up today, clear out your refrigerator, grab your baskets and reusable bags, and we'll see you next week under the distribution tent!

PFP Seeks Green Jobs Interns

Poughkeepsie Farm Project Seeks Applicants for Green Jobs Internships.

Poughkeepsie Farm Project is a farm-based non-profit organization committed to cultivating a just and sustainable food system in the Mid-Hudson Valley. On our member-supported farm in the City of Poughkeepsie, we grow fresh vegetables and fruit for our CSA, train future farmers, provide hands-on educational programs, and improve access to healthy locally-grown food.

General Information
Poughkeepsie Farm Project's Green Jobs Internship Program provides interns with the foundational knowledge to pursue a career inspired by nature, sustainability, and justice. Over the last 20 years, more than 100 alumni have completed our training programs. Our interns work in the community, helping to distribute food, building relationships, and helping care for school and community gardens. They also work on our 15-acre farm with PFP staff to grow over 200 varieties of vegetables, herbs, and fruit. We provide food for a 500+ member CSA and to several local institutions while contributing to Poughkeepsie Farm Project’s larger mission of working toward a just and sustainable food system in the Hudson Valley. PFP’s numerous education programs reach several thousand children, teens, and adults each year.

Who we invite to apply
We seek dependable, good-natured individuals with active interests in social justice, food, farming, media, and working with children. Applicants should have good communication skills, the ability to take initiative, and the desire to be part of an active farm community. Applicants should be able to comfortably lift 25 pounds and engage in repetitive work, in all weather conditions. Bilingual applicants are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants MUST be City of Poughkeepsie residents aged 16 to 20 or Poughkeepsie High School students to be eligible for this internship.

Educational Benefits and Compensation

There are six paid positions available in the summer 2021 internship. Over the course of the internship, interns will engage in a variety of activities including:

• Learning and implementing basic waste prevention, composting, gardening, and food growing skills.

• Developing content and filming videos to make food growing, compost and waste prevention skills available to the community. 

• Leading volunteer opportunities for other youth and community members

• Empowerment and leadership development through teach back opportunities

• Building healthy relationships with peers, mentors, and the land here in Poughkeepsie.

• Connecting food justice and racial justice through food and farming.

How to Apply

Apply Online

Funding for this internship is provided in part by the Pollution Prevention Institute.

Growers Row: Hey André! Hey Plant Sale!

By Lauren Kaplan, Crew Leader

It’s SPRING… and gosh golly gee do we have some good stuff cookin’ this month.

First, we’re growing our team! Welcome André, who comes to us with a solid farming background, a (much appreciated) eye for detail, and a great big smile. As FoodShare Coordinator, André will be facilitating the donation of thousands of pounds of produce to our 12 FoodShare partners in and around Poughkeepsie. We are so thrilled to have him as part of our team for the 2019 season.

Also we are growing PLANTS. Lots of them. The tunnels are bursting with bright green arugula and mustards, and the greenhouse is finally starting to feel like itself again: the air inside is warm, the seeding table is in regular use, and all available surfaces are quickly filling with flats of seedlings. And some of them could go home with YOU!

That’s right: the next big thing we’ve got cooking is our Plant Sale.

As usual, our plant sale will feature around 100 varieties of starts -- everything from vegetable starts (of course) and potted strawberries to a wide selection of annual and perennial flowers and flowering herbs. Some have medicinal qualities, some are good for tea, some attract bees and butterflies and hummingbirds, and some (sunflowers! echinacea! rudbeckia!) are just plain pretty. We’ve tweaked our list this year, and will have some exciting new varieties.

Unlike past years, however, this year’s event is more than just a plant sale. This year, to mark 20 years (!) of this amazing PFP community, we are having a festival! We hope you’ll come celebrate with us at Farm Fest & Plant Sale, happening Saturdays May 4 & 11 from 9am-3pm.

In addition to the seedlings destined for the plant sale, we’re also starting lots of plants for our own fields. Tomato seedlings are headed to the high tunnel, where they will grow in a protected environment and eventually produce thousands of pounds of red tomatoes for CSA. Leeks and scallions, also destined for CSA, are headed into the fields, which are at the moment too cold and wet to plant into. And the first round of kale and collards, beets and chard, are right behind them.

We’ll be busy this month, clearing out our winter greens after a successful Winter CSA season to make space for incoming high-tunnel tomatoes, seeding up a storm, spreading compost, and even (though it doesn’t feel real on this gray grim end-of-March day) planting in the fields. We hope you’re not so busy that you can’t find a little time to go on a crocus-spotting stroll or splash around in an April shower puddle.