Maples turning on the Codman Community Farms laneway.
It’s that time of the season, when the leaves fall, the holiday decorations come out, and we begin making plans to reconnect with our friends and families. Here at the farm though, we are busy preparing for the coming winter by cleaning up the greenhouse, fields and farm yard for the imminent return of the hens, cows and pigs. We look forward to winding down, and to shorter days, after working so many long days all spring and summer, but first we have to wrap up all of our equipment and animals that have spread out in pastures across Lincoln.
Last weekend was our final chicken harvest of 2019 and it was the largest one of the season. In one weekend, we harvested over 500 Cornish, Capons and Freedom Rangers! This last harvest marks the end of a long season, going all the way back to the first chicks arriving in the March. This year we grew over 4000 birds for our community to enjoy, and we are proud that it was once again a successful year of growing beautiful pasture-raised birds. We owe so much to our hardy volunteers, who came out in all weather to nine chicken catchings in five months. These events are a fun time for all, but are also hard work between the lifting and catching, so we are always grateful for all the good cheer and help with this critical last step in the process of growing healthy, fresh, and local pasture-raised chickens. Our freezers are now stocked with chicken for the winter and spring, and while there are still so many projects we have planned for the farm, the daily chores are finally starting to subside, and we look forward to the slower workload during the winter months.
Our farm is a community effort, whether that comes in the form of volunteers helping to chase chickens, or devoted customers who come and shop at our little farm store, especially when there are so many choices for food from organic grocery stores to home delivery services (though few that raise their animals the way we do and are truly local and pasture-raised). Last weekend was evidence of how much you, our community, support this farm. The store was packed all day with people stopping in for their last chance to buy fresh chicken this year, and to select the turkeys that they had pre-ordered for Thanksgiving. I was there helping all day, and it was by far one of the busiest weekends we’ve ever had. Even our Farm Manager, Pete Lowy, was surprised. “I expected it to be busy, but not like this,” he told me at one point.
Our Board President, Nancy Fleming, unloading crates at a chicken catching.
We’re excited to announce that our Annual Feast is sold-out, and we’re hard at work preparing for the shindig on Saturday. If you missed out on buying tickets this year, we’ll have plenty of events in 2020 to look forward to! And as always, the store remains open year-round, with its lights twinkling away even on the coldest of winter nights. Stop by support your local farm and to pick up everything you need for hearty winter dishes to warm you up.
Thank you for helping to close out the 2019 growing season with a memorable and successful weekend at the store. Your support allows us to keep producing high-quality, pasture-raised local food, to regenerate the farmland and ecosystems in Lincoln, and to provide community access to local farms through education, events, and more. From our bustling store to the sweat and laughter of our volunteers, we feel your support, and are grateful for it.
Until Next Time,
Jon
