Hopefully ever one is anticipating the Spring Equinox that will be occurring this coming Saturday at 1 pm.  We have sensed it's near arrival by the re-awakening and greening of the fall cover crops and by the emerging tree buds.  The French Sorrel has also started to make its way out of the ground, along with the Belle Isle Cress, and the first green leaves of the strawberry plants! 

As to create a staring point this year for a couple of our Farm’s long term goals, in the categories of creating Hands-On Agrarian Intern Programs & The Sharecroppers Exchange, we have been most fortunate to be able to have our first two full time live-on interns here at Arugula’s Star Farm.  Max Butler and Stephen McDonald  are now one in the same with all the happenings, cycles, growing, infrastructure projects, gathering, caring, sustenance, stewardship, and learning, and we are very excited for us all in this new undertaking!

Here lately we have been working on the management and rejuvenation of all the perennial fruit crops, like strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and gooseberries & the asparagus that we started last year in 2009.  We will be expecting the first great gatherings of the strawberries and the asparagus this year.  These will be two if the first crop offerings we will have for the 2010 season and these are wonderful organic foods to look forward to on the on-line store.

The March 5^th  Tennessee Organic Growers Association (TOGA) Farm Tour day turned out very nicely, as the weather was perfect for an enlightening farm tour.  We would like to thank all that were able to participate. The next Farm Tour and Educational opportunity will be coming up on Saturday March 27^th, so to learn more about this please see our Event Calendar and click on USN Scholorship Fundraising Evening Classes.

The items in the on-line store are the same as last week and to order please click here to go to the Arugula’s Star Farm On-line Store.  If you have not tried our Golden Eggs yet, please have a try and order early, as we sold out last week.  

Thanks,

From all of us here at Arugula's Star Farm.....even the chickies too!

Now, for The Local Table, 2010 season, public announcement:
Season: April-November
Our farm is located on the fertile Leipers Creek Valley, about 9 miles southwest of Leipers Fork, in the Bethal Community.  Most recently, our 152 acres were placed in a permanent conservation easement with the Land Trust for TN, and will forever be available as farm land, protected from sprawling development. This year we are altering our normally offered, 28 week CSA season, as we will be undertaking major infrastructure projects, cover cropping, and working on the establishment of a non-profit, Educactional Organic Working Farms Initiative named Windfall Agrarian Initiative.  The 2010 season will consist of e-mail direct sells of limited seasonal amounts of asparagus, strawberries, greens, legumes, root vegetables, melons, eggs, and other produced on farm items. By signing up to be apart of our e-mail direct selling list, you will have the option of placing an order, then to be picked up at Elmington Park, off of West End and I-440, or On-Farm.  In the future, look for Arugula's Star, an on-farm, all organic, outdoor/indoor dining venue.  For more information and to learn how a tax free donation can help a local farmer conserve land, teach others, and produce organic foods to help feed and enrich your local community, please see our website.  Be curious, ask questions, and sign-up for our newsletter mailing list.

November 4th

1.)White Russian Kale Bunch

2.)Champion Collard Greens Bunch

3.)Tres Fine Mariachere Frisee Endive

4.)Red Tide Leaf Lettuce Heads

5.)Batavian Escarole Head

6.)Chervil and Cilantro Bulk Herb Mix

7.)Delicata Winter Squashes

CSA Basket Journal #26

November 11th

1.)Lacinato Kale Bunch

2.)Red Romaine Lettuce Heads

3.)Chinese Cabbages

4.)Evergreen Hardy Scallion Bunch

5.)Joan Rutabaga Roots and Greens Bunch

6.)Cosmic Purple and Snowwhite Carrot Bunch

7.)Purple Peacock Broccoli (Elmington Park Mornign CSA members)

    Rainbow Swiss Chard Bunch (On-Farm Afternoon CSA members)

8.)Spaghetti Winter Squash

CSA Basket Journal #27...THE FINAL CSA BASKET OF THE 09' SEASON

November 18th

1.)Bulk Arugula and Red Tide Leaf Lettuce Salad Mix

2.)Detriot Dark Red and Golden Baby Beets and Greens Bunch

3.)Batavian Escarole Endive Head

4.)Tenderleaf Hardy Mustard Greens Bunch or Broccolit Raab Greens Bunch

5.)Danver Orange, Cosmic Purple, and Gladstone Yellow Carrot Bunch

6.)Joan Rutabaga Roots and Greens Bunch

7.)Waltham Butternut Winter Squashes

• A fine chopped Crisp Mint Lettuce, and Batavian Escarole Endive Salad tossed with  Olive Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, Salt, Pepper, and some Walnuts.

• A warm Pasta, Pepper, and Cilantro Dish served topped with a great raw Hard Goat's Milk Cheese that came from Whole Foods called  Tommes Des bois noirs Herve Mons

Hello Folks… Past, Present and Future Friends, CSA Customers, and Farm Interns. 

Come one and Come all, as you would have gotten the quick announcement about our Fall Gathering last week, here is the detailed announcement.

Here at Arugula’s Star Farm, we will yes indeedy be having our Fall Farm Gathering up and coming here on Saturday October 24th.  The Farm Tour will be the first happening and it will start promptly at 3 pm. This will consist of The Farmer's, Matthew and Allison Mills Neal, giving a walk through and a talking about of the farm's valley land and all it's growing cycles of vegetables and fruits, and the viewing of the moveable chicken coop and the beautiful chickens.  This will be great for anyone, but especially our CSA members so you can get an even better idea of the farm behind the basket! 

Of course though, do not worry if you cannot make the tour, as you will be more than welcomed to show up around 4 pm as this is when we will be heading on up  the single trac steep drive way in low gear, to the hilltop, which is where the rest of the evening will take place. The leaves might even be in full beauty, and the upper pasture bald is surrounded by timbers, so the landscape should also be a neat place for you to visually experience.

The highlight and energy of the gathering will be the presence of the Hog Sloppin' String Band that will really be putting out some wonderful down-home folky hoedown tunes. They will also be heading up and calling out some all out square dancin, as we will have a close cut pasture square that will be perfect for some dosy doin and swingin your partner round and round!  Think about digging deep under your cushions for some extra dollars so that when the Hog Sloppin String Band starts to make your change about bounce on out of your pockets you can throw it in the tip hat that we will be setting out for them and their great efforts! 

We will have a warm fire a glowing when the sky starts darkening, the stars start appearing, and when the coldness starts a nearing!  Nonetheless, please dress weather appropriate, as the whole occasion will be outside.  It is always recomendable to wear layers to our Fall Farm Gathering outside event, so you can stay as warm as you need or as cool as you want. Also, since part of the gathering will be at night, please bring a flashlight or two so you can make it easier on yourself getting back to your car, or heading to the bathroom tree/port-a-pot.  We are most excited to have as many friends, and soon to be friends, here as possible, and if you have gotten this invitation then of course you are more than welcome to bring your family and some friends that might enjoy some good company and some good ole time a dancing.

We will have an old firm bench, but if you want to know for certain that you can have a chair for a period of the evening then please bring one, or a blanket.   Also, as this will be a place to get some good eats as well we are asking that everyone try their best to bring an all organic dish/treat (sweet or savory), to share with the crowd.  Also, BYOB…anything goes, but remember it needs to be a safe drive home (take in mind it might be a cool evening)!

We are really hoping for a grand ole time with lots of people, and so we can kind of know how many guests to expect could you please send us a quick…"yes we will be there" at allie@arugulasstarfarm.com

As far as directions, our address is 6624 Leipers Creek Road, Columbia, TN 38401(really not near Columbia, but only 9 miles south past Leipers Fork). You should be able to pull out your map to find the best way to get to Leipers Fork and then it will be as easy as heading south for 9 miles on Leipers Creek Road to get to our farm.  We have a great drawn out map and hand written directions that we can distribute to our in-town CSA members, if you ask.  Then for those of you who we do not see on a weekly basis and have never been to the farm, when you e-mail to let us know you are coming, then you can just request these directions and we will send out the directions as an attachment back to you. We will probably wait a little closer to the time of the gathering, and do a grouped e-mail for these requested directions, as we would like to only send out these directions as an  attachement once.  The reason being that we are on dial-up and it takes about 15-20 minutes to add an attachement to an e-mail.  

Real quick, to give you a better idea of where we are located, basically our farm is very easy to find.  If you are coming from the Green Hills area in Nashville, (drive time ~ 55 minutes) you will just head South on Hillsboro Pike till you come to Old Hillsboro Road, in which you will take a right onto heading towards Leipers Fork.  You will cross over HWY 96 eventually passing Leipers Fork.  You will then just stay straight and the road changes name to Leipers Creek Road.  We are located ~9 miles outside of Leipers Fork in Maury Co., heading southwestward, and our driveway is on the Left .1 or less of a mile after passing the Cave Spings Rd. Sign.  Often people miss our driveway because it comes up really quick, try to keep you eyes open for a shiny windmill in a big field and a woodenStacked mailbox.  After knowing these few highlights of directions you should be able to make your way here from any point.

After you turn into the driveway, you will follow the lane over the bridge, by the barn, and on up a really steep hill.  You will pass a house, but do not stop there, keep on going over the cattle guard and onto a field lane.  Eventually, you should see some cars and a sign that will direct you where to park. If you are coming for the tour, there will be signs directing you on where to park down in the valley, as you will not be heading over the bridge until after the tour. 

Well, we are just delighted and very excited to bring all you folks together for a hoedown of an evening and who knows maybe even a few surprises!

ICKY WEATHER NOTICE:  As our farm is in a different geographical location than where you are heading from, the weather here might not be the same as there.  Therefore, if the weather is looking very very grim here and not so swell for a farm gathering we will post on our website www.arugulasstarfarm.com and send an e-mail notice the morning of Saturday Oct. 24th letting everyone know that the gathering has been cancelled.  There will only be a posting or notice if the event has been cancelled, so if nothing has been sent by mid-morning the weather must be lookin favorable and thus the gathering is a GO!

Matthew and Allison look very forward to seeing you all.