A Note from the Field at Arcadia Farm

By Stephen Corrigan, Arcadia Farm Director

Arcadia Zucchini,
photo by Molly M. Peterson

In farming, there’s a point of frustration that settles in every spring. So much time and energy go into prepping fields, planting, and tending veggies, and there is very little immediate payoff. I operate solely on faith and the memory of seasons past to keep me motivated during these lean times. And then seemingly overnight, everything changes…

Summer hits, and it’s all I can do to stay on top of harvesting all of our delicious crops from the fields. It’s incredibly rewarding to see that produce making its way onto the Mobile Market and to know that it’s going out to people who will enjoy cooking it and sharing it with their friends and families. Fortunately in a good year, we have a surplus of crops that need to find a good home, and luckily we've been able to build a network of chefs and restaurants that have been clamoring for this food. By selling this surplus food, we are able to bring in revenue to help support our programs and to gain greater exposure as chefs highlight our produce on their menus. Some of the restaurants that we’ve worked with this season include Columbia Firehouse, Evening Star Café, Tallula, Rustico in Ballston, Birch and Barley, and Red Apron Butchery, and they have all created delectable dishes to highlight our seasonal produce.

As the season winds along, there are always new crops coming on and many more on deck. We've all spent a great deal of time completely covered in mud as our first new potatoes are coming out of the ground, and these little guys are perfect and delicious for a summery potato salad. Our first tomatoes are getting just a kiss of ripening. It takes all of my willpower every year to wait until the first tomato is fully ripe before eating it, but if you've ever jumped the gun for a lackluster tomato, you know that the patience of letting it ripen on the vine is definitely rewarded handsomely.

Just a quick reminder that our next volunteer day is coming up this Saturday from 9am to noon. We’ve got some fun tasks lined up, and slots are filling up fast, so register today!