Wednesday, July 19 Flooding Update and Pick-ups Will Resume
Little Free Library near the grape arbor.
We wanted to share some highlights of how our farm is recovering and going forward. As your Intervale Community Farm Board of Directors, we are so grateful and humbled by the generosity and support from you and the wider community.
PICK-UPS ARE RESUMING
We look forward to seeing our Thursday Shares tomorrow, July 20, and our Monday Shares on Monday, July 24. Our parking lot is patched up (thank you Intervale Center!), our pick-up barn & coolers are clean, and ICF staff are busy prepping veggies for your shares, tending our surviving tomatoes and cucumbers, and replanting crops as our fields dry out.
Colin and Will planting baby lettuce.
We expect to continue summer CSA shares through October, though with far fewer vegetables. For the next 3 weeks or so, we expect to have 6-7 crops available; then for another 1-2 weeks, we may have only tomatoes and cucumbers. By late August, we expect to add back salad greens & herbs, and then more crops through September and October. Bread, eggs, and goat cheese will be available throughout. We’ll update you on specific crops as the season progresses.
FUNDRAISING & VOLUNTEERING
The donations coming in are highlighting the deep belief that supporters have in ICF. Thank you! We are also so grateful for our volunteers, and those who hope to help in the future. Continue to support us by registering to volunteer, mailing a check or contributing to our ICF GoFundMe, and/or supporting recovery of the entire Intervale.
COMMUNITY-SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE
The CSA model of farming enables farmers and eaters to share the bounty and the risks of each season. Most years, ICF members have received far more food than the price paid for their CSA Share. In a few unusual years, the value of the vegetables has been less than the price of the Share; this is sadly the situation this summer.
The ICF Board and staff know that for some members, an unexpected reduction in the amount of vegetables presents a significant financial hardship.
To assist our Supported Share households, Intervale Community Farm will automatically refund an amount reflecting the reduction in the produce received. For other members who will be harmed by losing food dollars, we encourage you to request a pro-rated refund by emailing info@intervalecommunityfarm.com, leaving a voicemail at 802 658-2919x1 or by speaking to a staff member at pickup. We want you to make this request if need be. We hope that everyone requesting a refund will do so thoughtfully and carefully, with ICF’s well-being and future in mind.
Longtime ICF member Tom Berry puts it this way:
Bella pruning and trellising tomatoes.
“It grieves me to see our lovely Intervale Community Farm take this most devastating blow. But our strength is that ICF members have joined together to share the risk. While it will be a hardship for each of us to have less food from the ICF for the next several months, it is a loss that most of us can manage. I am proud to share the risk and the loss so that our farmers and members can dig into the work of recovery and restoration at our Farm.”
ICF’s wonderful staff will be happy to answer any questions you might have about the length of this season, refunds, and anything else on your mind. Feel free to email, call, or chat at pick-up. We on the Board will also be very glad to answer any questions you might have.
Thank you so much for your continued support and being confident in the Intervale Community Farm’s resilient future!
In cooperation,
Bonnie, Christopher, Emily, Lis, Maja, Mandy, Mark, Mieko and Pamela