Wow – can you believe it’s the end of April?! Time sure does fly, especially right now when there’s not a lot of definition between one day and the next.
We wanted to post a quick update about what’s happening at the farm with the current pandemic situation — what we’re still offering, what has been put on hold, and our plans for the coming months.
CSA
This year we are especially excited to be offering a CSA program, as the need for fresh, local, accessible produce has become so great. We already have over 30,000 veggies planted in our greenhouses, with more on the way. We’re currently taking care of the orchards getting ready for our fruit trees to bloom. Peach trees are in full bloom and apple trees won’t be far behind.
By the beginning of May, our crew will be transplanting all of our veggies out into the field to make sure everyone gets a full bounty of produce to kick off the first week of our CSA season. We have guidelines in place to guarantee safe handling of the produce, and will be offering a curbside delivery option to members that prefer a contactless pickup. On your pick-up day, you can call 978-682-6332 ext. 0 to arrange for an employee to deliver your share to your car.
If you haven’t ordered your share yet, we still have some half and full shares available. You can buy your share here!
Farm Stand
We are happy to still have the farm stand open on a daily basis. While our hours have sifted slightly, we’re still open 7am – 3pm Monday-Thursday, and 7am – 6pm Friday-Sunday. We’ve been diligently following a stricter cleaning schedule, disinfecting constantly, making sure all knobs, countertops, and shopping baskets are being sanitized, and our staff are wearing masks and gloves.
We’ve ramped up our production of Meals to Go, so we always have easy options to grab and takeaway (along with plenty of bakery specials for a sweet pick-me-up!) We’re stocking grocery staples whenever possible, including eggs, milk, and butter, as well as more shelf-stable items like oils, chocolate, chips, etc. We have also beefed up our produce selection, featuring items like greens, cucumbers, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, bananas, apples, carrots, broccoli, and more.
We’re now offering order-ahead options with a call to the farm stand (978-682-6332 ext. 0) and can arrange for curbside pickup. We had a busy Easter season making lots of baskets for the kiddos, so we’ve decided to offer Mother’s Day baskets as well, and custom cookies for Teacher Appreciation Week! See our website and social media for more details.
We’ll continue to operate the farm stand safely as a grocery alternative, and place to continue picking up bakery items and meals to go.
Animal Area and Playground
Our animals are all happy and healthy, and missing their human visitors! The animal area and playground are currently closed, but we’ll re-open both as soon as it’s safe to do so. Until then, all of our furry friends are sending their hellos virtually!
Events and Whim
This year will mark the 10th season of our beloved Whim Dinner Series, and the fate of that series is currently not in our hands. We are still hoping to host Whim this summer, though due to the coronavirus pandemic, we are waiting to understand the longer-term social distancing guidelines before we confirm with restaurants and publish our schedule for the summer. We have several incredible chefs already lined up, so as soon as we get the green light to safely move ahead with larger gatherings, we’ll be sharing additional information about Whim!
Please keep an eye on our website and social media for timely updates.
As far as weddings and private events are concerned, we’ve helped many brides and other groups reschedule their weddings and other events this spring and summer that were set to take place at the farm, and are doing out best to find alternate arrangements for all affected. We’re working with customers on a case-by-case basis, and also welcoming in those who had to cancel with their original venue, and may be looking for somewhere else to hold their functions when the dust settles a little bit. Please feel free to reach out to our Director of Events, Ashley Piazza, if you have any questions on this front!
Looking Ahead
We’re keeping an eye on governmental guidelines, and will abide by all state-mandated rules as long as they are in effect. Currently we’re following social distancing guidelines, and ask that customers coming to the farm do the same. As things change and evolve from here on out, we’ll keep customers apprised of any changes via email, social media, and our website.
On behalf of the whole team, we would like to thank our loyal customers for your continued support as we go through these difficult times together.