Strawberries
Salad Mix
Spring Onions
Parsley
Carrots
Rainbow Chard
Salad Mix
Spring Onions
Parsley
Carrots
Rainbow Chard
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We are raising funds to build a much needed new packing facility. Find out more here: http://bit.ly/2k0HUvZ Every little bit will help and THANKS!  JOB TITLE
Farm Assistant SUMMARY The farm assistant helps with crop production as well as distribution and marketing. They will be responsible for CSA deliveries, restaurant deliveries, vending at farmer’s markets, and assisting with all aspects of crop production and distribution. QUALIFICATIONS
DUTIES
WORK RELATIONSHIPS Supervised by farm owners. Works closely with farm owners and other farm workers. Once well trained will be given sole responsibility of some tasks. HOURS Tentative Schedule through December: Tuesday 12 - 5; Tuscaloosa CSA deliveries Wednesday 7-3; Field and packing shed work Thursday 8-4; Birmingham deliveries Friday 7-3; Field and packing shed work Saturday 5 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Birmingham farmer’s market After December the schedule will become more flexible with 1 farmer's market on Saturdays, restaurant deliveries on Thursdays, field work, harvest, washing, packing, and infrastructure work in between. COMPENSATION Starting at $12/hour with the possibility of a performance- based raise Access to an abundance of high quality, delicious produce Access to our vast library and educational resources Opportunity for advancement Email margaretann@snowsbendfarm.com for an application. The Importance of our CSA: A Thank you to our Current Members and an Invitation to Others to Join8/26/2016  What do you think of when you think of a farm? A wide open landscape, rolling fields, maybe a tractor and some livestock? It is very romantic, yes? It does have it’s moments of bliss, but we are usually too busy to notice. Another concept that many associate with farms is work. I often hear “it must be a lot of work”. It is a lot of work, but work doesn’t bother most farmers. The hard part is making the farm profitable and income predictable. That is where Community Supported Agriculture saves the farm! There are many unknowns in farming. When will it rain? When will it stop raining? Will the squash bug wipe out the squash this year? Will the coyotes eat all the watermelons? The CSA takes some of the guess work out of this high risk occupation. The farmers markets and restaurants we work with are great, but if it rains on a Saturday and no one shows up to buy the produce, then we suffer. Restaurants can close for a week, hit a slow season, or have a new chef come in and not be familiar with us and our product. The CSA is the back bone of our farm and Snow’s Bend Farm likely would not exist without the support of our members. “CSA members are supporting a regional food system, securing the agricultural integrity of their region, and participating in a community-building experience by getting to know their neighbors and who grows their food. (Irvine, Karabinakis, and Portmess, Eating Local – healthy farms, healthy communities, healthy you, 2003)”.  The Definition Community: a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals Support: give assistance to, especially financially; enable to function or act Agriculture: he science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food and other products Our CSA is a group of people that share an interest in good food and want to ensure that small farms like ours exist. They enable us to lease the land, buy the seeds, hire and pay skilled workers, and provide for our family through farming. Members make a financial commitment to the farm and in return receive a weekly share of our harvest.  The Benefits Beyond ensuring that small farms like ours exist, there are benefits to the members. It is a good deal financially. We don’t add extra costs for the delivery, packaging materials, or the newsletter. The box contents are planned according to market value and we often go over, but try not to too much as the number one reason most people will drop out of any given CSA is due to receiving more produce than they are able to consume. If you have difficulty deciding between local or organic, you get both with us. We grow 50 different fruits and vegetables and within those we grow several varieties of each. For example, we grow 3 kales, 3 beets, 2 okra, 4 summer squash (not mention the 7 kinds of winter squash), 5 eggplant, 20 plus varieties of tomatoes, and so on. We choose our varieties based on flavor, not on shelf-life as much of the produce you will find at the grocery store has been. This often means that new members are introduced to vegetables and varieties that they have never tried before. Weekly newsletters help to walk you through preparation of the more exotic ones. There are benefits to the community as well. Economically, the dollars are kept within the community. Environmentally, less fuel is used to transport food and because we (as are most CSAs) are growing organically, there are no harmful chemicals used in our system. Family farms have a history. Ours is no different. Although neither of us come from an agricultural background, the land has been in David’s family for over 150 years and it has been farmed in some capacity all of those years. Going back even further, a small population of the Mississippian culture lived on the farm and were certainly growing food. We care deeply about the land we are farming and strive to be good stewards of it.  The Food One of my favorite things in life is sitting at a table with my family and having a colorful plate of food in front of me. Food is at the forefront of my mind almost all of the time. We grow it, we sell it, and we eat it! This is not true for most people these days. I recently heard that 80% of food is consumed 2 hours after it is purchased. That has to mean someone else prepared it or it was processed to be eaten right out of the package. For me, food is such an enjoyable part of life that I cannot imagine not spending time on it. Before children, I would pour a glass of wine, chop some onions and garlic, begin sautéing them and find my inspiration after the smell began to fill my kitchen and I rummaged through the refrigerator and pantry. Now we need much more forethought and find that having templates (ie., taco night, pizza night) and filling in with seasonal ingredients from the farm works much better. One of our many goals as farmers is to introduce more people to the joys of preparing meals from scratch with fresh ingredients. It is reported that increasing fruits and vegetables in your diet is more beneficial to your health than decreasing fat and sugar. The fact that fresh fruits and vegetables are delicious should make that easy.  Our very first melon harvest! The Gratitude A bounty of thanks to our CSA members for allowing us to farm for you! Many of you have been members since the beginning, when it was just David and I, some soil, seeds and a shovel. We were very young, idealistic, and capable of changing the world all on our own, one carrot at a time. We now know that we cannot do it alone, but need our community and their support. You are all enablers in Snow’s Bend Farms existence. Thank you! If you are not a member, but are interested, please visit http://csa.farmigo.com/join/snowsbendfarm/2016  Our first CSA beet harvest our first year
Glazed Turnips with Brown Butter and Sherry Vinegar
From Root to Leaf by Steven Satterfield 1 bunch white turnips 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, plus more if needed ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste Trim off the tops from the turnips and reserve for another use. Wash and trim the turnips roots. Slice them in half if small, or quarter them if large, and set aside. In a wide skillet over medium-low heat, cook the butter until foamy. When the foam subsides, watch closely as the bits of milk solids on the bottom of the pan begin to brown. When lightly browned, immediately remove the skillet from the heat and set it on a cool surface to stop the cooking. Add 2 tbsp. vinegar to the browned butter and return the skillet to the stove over medium-high heat. When the mixture begins to sizzle, add the turnips and season with salt. Keep the turnips moving either with tongs or by shaking the pan so that they cook evenly on all sides. When they begin to brown and the sauce is reduced to a glaze, taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. If the butter separates, just add a splash of vinegar, and it should come back together. Roasted Strawberries From Super Natural Everyday by Heidi Swanson “There are few things better slathered on a flaky buttered biscuit, hot crepe, or piece of bread.” 8 ounces small to medium strawberries, hulled 2 tablespoons maple syrup 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt 1 tablespoon port wine A few drops balsamic vinegar Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the middle of the oven. It is important to use a rimmed baking sheet or large baking dish for this recipe – you don’t want the juices running off the sheet onto the floor of your oven. If you are using a baking sheet, line it with parchment paper. Cut each strawberry in half. If your strawberries are on the large side, cut them into quarters or sixths. Add the berries to a mixing bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, olive oil, and salt. Pour this over the strawberries in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for about 40 minutes, just long enough for the berry juices to thicken, but not long enough for the juices to burn. Watch the edges of the pan in particular. While still warm, scrape the berries and juices from the pan into a small bow. Stir in the port and balsamic vinegar. Use immediately or let cool and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Makes about ½ cup The Swiss Charmer from Your Neighborhood Farmer Kyle Platt Rip chard greens off stems and tear into 2-3 inch pieces. Set aside. Cut the remaining stem into 1/2"-1"pieces. Take olive oil, onion, garlic, and cut chard stems and sauté in a pan on medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Add Chard greens and sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly wilted, turning often. Add one cup of chicken stock per Swiss chard bunch and bring to a simmer. Cover pan, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer for 10-12 minutes. Uncover and add several dashes of balsamic vinegar and sea salt to taste. Stir pan, turn off heat, and recover allowing the pan to sit on the burner. Allow the pan to sit covered for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!  Snow's Bend Strawberry Recipe Contest! Submit your favorite strawberry recipe and win prizes ranging from a $50 Snow's Bend farmer's market gift certificate, a weekly bouquet, Snow's Bend t-shirts, or other prize! Deadline for submission is May5th and results announced May 10th. Good luck and good eating! Click here to enter! #snowsbendstrawberries  SNOW’S BEND FARM INTERNSHIP
May – August 2016 Learn the basics of organic farming the best way possible – through experience. The work will include harvesting, washing and packing produce, working at the farmer’s markets, cultivating, planting, pest management, trellising, and more. Once a week we will provide a farm lunch and discussion on topics including fertility and cover crops, planting, greenhouse management, small and large equipment, pest management, weed management, CSAs, marketing, irrigation, the business side of farming, and more. Interns will have full access to our library that includes several books on each subject. 20-25 hours or work per week Bi-weekly stipend of $300 (negotiable, depending on experience) Call or email for more information 205.394.3561; margaretann@snowsbendfarm.com  August is typically our bleakest month, but not this year. After a sweltering July, many of our late summer crops are looking better than ever.  Okra, an August staple, is beginning to produce in large quantities. The variety pictured is 'Red Burgundy', an heirloom variety that cooks and tastes just like the typical green varieties. Okra is a member of the hibiscus family and has gorgeous flowers. It is a favorite of hummingbirds and bees.  Melons are necessary for surviving an Alabama summer. These cantaloupe are days away from ripening.  We are always testing new crops for the August heat. Arugula and edamame are two that have passed!   The winter squash harvest has begun! So far we have brought in the butternut and orange kabocha for curing. There are still pumpkins, green kabocha, spaghetti squash, and delicata to go.
There are still cherry tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, summer squash, basil, flowers, and more being harvested. Visit Find Our Produce for information on where you can get your hands on some. Fall is just around the corner and we are busy planting more cooking greens, salad greens, root vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, herbs, and more. |
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Snow's Bend Farm ~ Coker, Alabama ~ 205-394-3561
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