Welcome to our Fifth Harvest Week 

The Upcoming Angelic Organics Field Day
We hope you will attend our Field Day (previously called the Open House) on Saturday, July 18. Plan to arrive late morning for hayrides, a self-guided tour of the farmstead, a visit to the animals at the Learning Center, a potluck feast, and a trip to the U-Pick garden, perhaps for some green beans and a bouquet of flowers.

Kids: Travel the farm with your Farm Fun Passport! We’ll stamp your passport as you meet the goats, chickens, cows, worms and more. At the end of your journey, turn in your passport at the Learning Center and taste some delicious goat’s milk ice cream. It’s a great day for all.

The main topic of discussion at the CSA meeting after lunch will be our distribution system. I’d love to hear your feedback on how our delivery system is working for you. Roughly two-thirds of the meeting (30 minutes) will be a discussion about community pickup sites and one-third will be a discussion of home delivery. We hope that several of our wonderful site hosts will be in attendance and will join us in the discussion. We plan to gather in the Community Loft for this meeting.

Check out the important Field Day details and schedule here: https://angelicorganics.com/field-days-for-shareholders/

Special Field Day Exhibit: Window Art Made from Angelic Organics Beets
Vibrant installations of beet papyrus created by California-based artist Julia Goodman, with the assistance of her painter friend Leah Rosenberg, will be on display in the Granary and in the Community Loft. Julia may write a newsletter column about her work in an upcoming issue of Farm News, explaining her inspiration and her technique. In the meantime, check out the vibrant colors in our lofts that stream through the beet papyrus made by Julia, harvested from the same fields that provide the beets for your CSA share. See more of Julia’s work with beets here: https://vimeo.com/117772908

Look for the Balloons

Loft of the Big Barn
While ambling through the cavernous upstairs of the big barn (above the room where you sign in as a guest) towards the Community Loft, notice the farm’s costumes to your left; still photos from The Real Dirt on Farmer John to your right; and back to your left again, framed by a wall of logs and a canopy, the Twin Peaks Guest Room. Perhaps the Log Lady sleeps there on occasion, dreaming answers to questions for her log to answer.

More Color
In the Granary, pay special attention to another color installation—the walls painted in the Lazure style by Tom and Nancy Melvin (Ravenswood Manor pickup site hosts for Angelic Organics since 1992.) Lazure painting was introduced by Rudolf Steiner, founder of Anthroposophy (including Waldorf Education and Biodynamic farming) as a way to make flat surfaces come alive. Notice how the rose hue in the window wells to the east suggests the rising sun; the blue to the west reminds one of the approaching nighttime; the green towards the bottoms of the sidewalls suggests the vibrant fields; and the yellow towards the tops of the sidewalls implies the shining sun overhead.

We’re happy to have colorful reasons to encourage you to visit our Granary and our Community Loft.

Another Special Field Day Feature
Many of our shareholders have never seen our spiffy and spacious barn kitchen. Just to make sure you see it this time, we’ll station the desserts on the big table in the kitchen.

 

Yet More Color and Light
While you are in the part of the barn where the kitchen is located, stroll down the hallway past the bathrooms and view the Feather Room.

While You are Exploring the Farmstead
Check out our new heated farm repair shop, which Primo and his team constructed last fall and through the winter. It’s not quite finished yet, but it’s already super functional. It makes me happy every time I go near it, given that I waited 45 years to finally have the right farm shop. No color on the exterior yet—we’re still deciding.

Farmer John’s Life’s Work
When you visit the Community Loft, the Barn Kitchen, the Feather Room and the Granary, you may develop a feeling for my passion for my farm’s buildings and how I have re-purposed them over the past 45 years–recently with inspirational assistance from my wife Haidy, who brings a playful, yet refined, sense of design to our partnership.

I also offer a heartfelt acknowledgment to Primo (Jesus Briano), who has been faithfully and artistically incorporating my design ideas into the farmstead for the past 25 years. Every farmstead building you encounter at the Field Day reveals Primo’s astounding range of artisanal carpentry and finishing talents.

Good News
My wife Haidy is finally recovering from years of debilitating illness from Lyme disease & Hashimoto’s that have kept her from dynamically engaging with the farm and the rest of her life. It would be premature to say that she is completely recovered, as Lyme is known to dwindle and to then renew its forces, but we are confident that the overall trend is towards recovery.

A joyous development for Haidy, me and Angelic Organics is that most days, Haidy is now able to be involved with myriad farm plans and activities. She is a fantastic contribution to the farm and to my life, demonstrating remarkable design, planning and administrative skills. Haidy has offered to partner with me as the general overseers and co-ordinators of the Field Day, so there is a good chance that you will encounter her at the event.

Serving You Better
(I announced this in last week’s newsletter, but I am including it again in this issue for our shareholders who only receive a delivery on odd weeks, as it is an important development at Angelic Organics.) We recently uncovered some very useful features in our online shareholder management system, Member Assembler. Click here  http://angelicorganicsfarm.csasignup.com/login to log in to your record, make changes to your address or phone number, or to schedule vacation holds or to pick up at a different site.

A New Format for Weekly Email Reminders
We are now sending a new format for your weekly emails, reminding you to pick up your delivery. These emails are regular reminders of your share details and pickup instructions for your site. Our former system of just providing one confirmation of share and pickup details at the beginning of the season was not adequate; many people call our office wondering about their share details. Now you will receive this information every week.

Crops Coming Your Way Soon
Cucumbers and cabbage are about ready to tumble into your box. In the next one to three weeks, you’ll also receive celery, fennel, parsley and carrots, amongst the numerous other vegetables, such as salad and cooking greens, zucchini, and sweet onions. The sweet corn looks on schedule for Week 7, but it might arrive as late as Week 8.

Sign up for the Free Recipe Service
Make sure you sign up for the Local Thyme recipe service we offer with this year’s share. It received many great reviews from our shareholders last season. Go to www.localthyme.net/register . Enter the farm code AOLTFREE under “I am a member of a CSA farm.”  Click the sign-up button.

Let us Know
Let Shelly know anything you’d like to share about this week’s box email hidden; JavaScript is required . Please note the week and day of delivery, your site, when you picked up your box, and any comments about your box.

Please Fold Your Boxes Properly and Return Them
The farm re-uses the vegetable boxes. Flaps are easily torn when the boxes are dismantled improperly, and then the box bottom might later burst open with fresh, organic local produce heading towards the floor. Please return your empty, flattened vegetable boxes to your delivery site. If you receive home delivery, place them in the location where your box is delivered.

More from Shareholders
Visit us often at www.facebook.com/angelicorganics , where we post exciting farm developments regularly, and shareholders post recipes, tips, and photos.

Saturday’s Box Contents
Please Note: this summary is written before you receive your box—be aware that some guesswork is involved. As always, be sure to thoroughly wash all of your vegetables.

Salad Greens – lettuce, mizuna
Cooking Greens – kale
Root Crops – beets
Fruiting Crops – zucchini/summer squash
Brassicas – cabbage, broccoli
Herbs – cilantro

Your Farmer, John

Angelic Organics Learning Center Annual Peak Harvest Dinner
Join Angelic Organics Learning Center for their 8th Annual Peak Harvest Farm Dinner on Saturday, July 25! Enjoy a five-course meal, prepared by premier chefs who use seasonal produce fresh from the Angelic Organics farm. Bus transportation from Chicago will be provided. All proceeds support Angelic Organics Learning Center and their educational programs that help build local food systems. This event sold out last year, so get your tickets soon! http://www.learngrowconnect.org/farmdinner. For more information, call 815/389.8455.