Farm Updates – Cat's Meow Farm

2024 Season

We had 25 CSA members in 2024 and sold produce at a couple of Westford Farmers Markets. Most crops did well for us, but the highlights were cucumbers, melons, peas, lettuce, eggplant, and garlic. We also had an exceptional fruit year peaches, pears, plums, apples, and berries. Several of the trees planted in 2019 and 2020 had their first fruit set. An investment that we put to good use in 2024 was the rotary plow for our BCS tractor, which helped us make permanent raised beds to improve drainage. We also experimented with living pathways sown to clover. Living pathways are an appealing pathway management and soil building technique, but we will need to do more trials to see if it makes sense in our context.

Snapshots of 2023

2022 Season

In 2022 we had 21 CSA members and we also participated in two Westford Farmers Markets. Having the walk in cooler was a huge improvement. We also converted a washing machine into a salad spinner and purchased a used BCS walk-behind tractor. These all added greatly to the efficiency of our operation. Probably the most helpful were the CSA work-share members and our high school student helper. Overall, 2022 was a good growing season, especially for our daughter Rosa who was born in September, right at the end of the CSA season.

We now have a walk-in cooler!

In 2021 we completed a walk-in cooler room for storing produce. This is a huge upgrade for Cat’s Meow Farm. Previously we relied on a fridge in our basement, chest coolers, and submerging produce cold water baths to maintain freshness. Most produce was also harvested in the morning of CSA pick up days, which is something we will continue doing to bring you the freshest produce possible.

Because the cooler was completed in the fall, we won’t experience it’s benefits until the 2022 season. However, the cooler has already come in handy storing gleaned produce from local farms as part of Peter’s other job. This photo shows boxes of gleaned cabbage and bags of carrots all destined for food pantries and charitable food sites in northwest Vermont. Having our own cooler to store gleaned produce as well as Cat’s Meow veggies often saves Peter up to an hour of driving at the start or end of a day. The cooler will also make it easier for Cat’s Meow Farm to contribute produce to the charitable food system. In 2021 Cat’s Meow Farm donated 375 pounds to local food pantries including the Westford Food Shelf.

The walk-in cooler is built in one corner of our garage and insulated with 4 inches of foam board. The room is cooled by a standard window AC unit connected to a CoolBot device, which keeps the room at our desired 38 degrees Fahrenheit. This technology makes building a small cold room way more affordable than buying a commercial cooler with a compressor. It is also more efficient to run.

2021 Season

In 2021 we almost doubled our number of CSA members. We also sold salad mix and tomatoes at the Westford Country Store and organized a once a month farmers’ market on the Westford Common. The addition of a 50 foot Farmer’s Friend caterpillar tunnel was a huge benefit for increased seed starting space and tomato growing. At one point in June the tomatoes, snap peas, and lettuce were all growing together in the same greenhouse bed, making for quite a jungle. Other farm improvements included a shed for washing greens under and a walk-in cooler that was completed in the fall. Many CSA members enjoyed picking their own bouquets from the flower patch. Some people signed up for additional locally made products including sourdough bread, eggs, honey, mushrooms, and more, which got rave reviews. This season came together with many helping hands: friends helping put up the hoop house, a friend expanding/regrading our driveway with his tractor, work share members chipping in at planting and harvest pinch points, weekly help from a young farm apprentice, sign painting by another artistic young person, lots of picking help by Amanda, and of course rodent control by Mr. Myron.

Snapshots of 2020

March 2020 update

March 20th. This is my first update of the season, letting you know what is happening at my farm and my plans regarding Covid-19. All of my original plans remain the same regarding the number of shares offered, number of weeks, start and end dates, and on-farm share pick up. If there are any changes I will let you know. As of today I have sold 10 CSA shares, which is my max for this year (I don’t want to over promise in my first year). That being said, if you know folks who are looking for local produce, custom ordering is still an option.

Plans for Covid-19: I am reviewing information from local/regional farming list-serves about sanitation and risk management for small produce farms. Even before this pandemic hit us I had signed up to participate in the Community Accreditation for Produce Safety program run by UVM Extension and the Vermont Vegetable and Berry Growers Association. If you have any questions about food safety, please ask. If I suspect that I have contracted or test positive for Covid-19 during the growing season there will be a lapse in service unless I find someone else to help with harvests and washing. If you are sheltering in place I hope to be able deliver to your doorstep. For those who requested the Westford Country Store pick up location, I will find out if this is still an option and if not I can deliver shares to you directly. If you or someone you know needs food, please reach out. I hope to have greens available within a month. If you would like to be part of a mutual aid group please let me know. I can start a separate email list that is not blind copied.

Farm updates: Now the fun part! Spring seems to be coming early and I am taking advantage of the nice weather to get started. On Friday I finished a small unheated greenhouse (caterpillar tunnel to be specific) and seeded a bed of early greens yesterday. The wind yesterday was rough but I think I finally got it secured well. Seedlings are growing in the window and under grow lights. The greenhouse will be a great place for hardening off transplants before they go in the ground. If the weather stays nice there is a lot I hope to accomplish in the next several weeks: prepping beds, building a wash shed, ordering materials, cleaning the garden shed, and organizing tools and equipment. I don’t think holding volunteer parties will be a good idea, but if anyone has time and wants to lend a (distant) hand let me know. I will give you a bonus share at the end of the season and some spring greens as well.

Lastly, here is a recipe for pine needle tea: https://www.wildedible.com/pine-needle-tea-natural-vitamin-c. The needles of white pine are an excellent source of Vitamin C, and I imagine most of us are fortunate to have a white pine growing nearby.

Stay well!