DROUGHT
I remember the days as a kid, when the perfect summer would be blue skies everyday - without a drop of rain to interfere with summer fun. These days though, I live in fear as spring rains fade, the temperatures of summer soar and rain in the forecast becomes something we are constantly on the hunt for on our weather apps. On any given day we find our farm staff competing to find the app with more rain in the forecast to ease our concerns of fields going brown and dormant, and crops withering in the dusty soils.
According to Drought.gov - 67 million people in the United State are currently experiencing some sort of drought right now. This is 33% of the land area in the U.S. If you live in any of the states listed below, you are experiencing either Extreme, Exceptional, or Severe drought...which is what we are experiencing here in Massachusetts.
- Extreme (D3) and Exceptional (D4) drought is present in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Wyoming, Oregon, Nevada, and California.
- Severe (D2) drought is present in Hawaii, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Today it is raining, thankfully, but we are a far cry from where we "should" be this time of year. "Should" is all relative these days as weather patterns become increasingly unpredictable. We all must start preparing for these additional uncertainties in our lives. As farmers we must plan and adapt to these unpredictable changes in order to continue to run viable and sustainable farms for the long run.
Since we are primarily a livestock farm, our pastures where our animals graze are high on our list of worries. This year we are facing pastures that have gone dormant and our grass-fed cattle are quickly grazing what grass is left on the fields. We have been moving them from field to field to try and find what green grass remains. We are hoping for cooler weather and lots of rain to help the pastures break their dormancy and put forth a bit of greenery as we head into the fall. Realistically, we will most likely begin feeding hay much earlier then normal and we are already expecting about half of the hay to be harvested from our fields - as compared to last season.
Here at Codman Farm we are looking towards this uncertain future and making changes and investments now to keep our farm strong and vibrant. We are investing in additional shade structures to keep our animals cooler while on pasture, we are building larger water wagons to keep our livestock well hydrated through these hotter summers, we are seeking out new fields and pastures which have higher water tables which will allow the summer grasses to endure drier summers, and most recently we have applied for grant funding to help us purchase a new grain drill so we can reseed our summer pastures with more drought tolerant forage blends. We are doing these things and more to adapt to a changing world.
Your continued support, whether it be making a donation to the farm, shopping in our Farm Store, or becoming a member of the farm are all ways you can help us raise the funds to keep Codman viable - as we face drought and all the other challenges in the years to come.
Drought Map - as of THIS WEEK!
BULK BEEF BONES AND CHICKEN BACK SALE!
As we quickly head towards fall it's time to start thinking about making broth and stock. To that end we are making BULK SALES of our grass-fed beef bones and pasture-raised chicken backs available at a reduced price to get you all healthy and strong !
Beef Bones - SALE PRICE: $1.99 lb -for 20 lbs or more!
Chicken Backs - SALE PRICE: $1.99- for 10 lbs or more!
To order:
e-mail Pete@codmanfarm.org
to coordinate order and pickup!
 
FRESH CHICKEN
NEXT WEEKEND!!
These are the LAST Fresh Chicken harvests of the year...
September 4-7 (turkeys too)
September 25-27 (turkeys too)
October 9-12 (turkeys too)
October 23-26 (capons & turkeys)
Reminder to once again ORDER YOUR TURKEY for Thanksgiving NOW!
Photo by Eli Newell
FRESH PRODUCE- THIS WEEK
Each week availability of produce and fruit shifts a bit. Some of these items are grown by us using organic growing methods (We are not certified organic), most of the other veggies we buy in from local farms ARE certified organic and most fruit is NOT certified organic, but IPM (which means low spray or low use of chemicals, when possible).
Available this week
August 29-Sept 8
FRUIT
Last week for Blueberries!, Peaches, Zestar Apples, some local melons too!
VEGETABLES
Codman Farm fresh dug red potatoes& Codman farm cherry and slicing tomatoes,
Codman farm radishes and beets and Green Beans
LOCAL organic loose carrots, fresh onions, garlic
chard, kale, lettuce mix, eggplant, cucumbers, shiitake mushrooms
and sweet corn(limited over the weeknd!)
TONS of cherry and slicer tomatoes this week!
MOZZARELLA HOUSE is in the HOUSE!
We are pleased to announce we are now carrying FRESH MOZZARELLA from Mozzarella House in Peabody. It's tomato time so we figured it was time we offered the perfect match to our tasty tomatoes. And don't forget to pick up some balsamic vinegar and Eleones Olive oil for the perfect caprese salad!
"Mozzarella House cheeses are made from scratch with raw milk from local dairy farms. We use a low-heat pasteurization process in order to preserve the national enzymes in milk that are integral to great tasting cheese. By making our own curd, we are able to ensure the finest taste, texture and quality".
In stock now are: 8oz mozzarella, 8 oz smoked mozzarella, 4 oz mozzarella (ovoline), and cute little 10 gram mozz balls (ciliegine) which are perfect for salads, and also Burratina...a smaller version of very tasty Burrata. Let us know what you think!
LINCOLN FOOD PANTRY - THANKS YOU!
Today we received yet another THANK YOU letter from the Lincoln Food Pantry / Society of St. Vincent de Paul for the donations we now send to them EACH MONTH - THANKS TO YOU!
Several months ago we installed on the Farm Store self-checkout terminal, the ability for customers to make donations the Lincoln Food Pantry -which is run by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. As quoted in the letter to us today "It is because of YOU that we are able to serve a wonderful array of foods to over 400 people each month".
We are so happy to support this organization and help them help others who need access to healthy food. To date we have received donations of almost $4,000 earmarked for the Lincoln Food Pantry.
It takes a village...and we are grateful to everyone who supports both our work here at Codman Community Farms and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul!
FARM STORE DELIVERY and SCHEDULE
As we get into more of a routine we wanted to share what to expect each week as far as product arrivals and days to expect certain items...here goes!
MONDAY
High Lawn Farm (early morning)
Fresh milk, butter, cheese, ice cream deliveries
Myers Distributor (early afternoon)
Our local distributor from Massachusetts grown farms -
Local and Certified Organic fresh veggies, fruit, cider, donuts, flowers, and other items
TUESDAY
Bread Obsession (by 11 am)
Fresh bread baked in Waltham; baguettes, whole wheat slicing loaf, durum levain, sourdough, multigrain
WEDNESDAY
Bread Obsession (by 11 am)
Fresh bread baked in Waltham; baguettes, whole wheat slicing loaf, durum levain, sourdough, multigrain
Cape Ann Fresh Catch
Fresh local fish usually including haddock, scallops, salmon, swordfish, grey sole, and catch of the day
12:30-2:30ish
THURSDAY
High Lawn Farm (early morning)
Fresh milk, butter, cheese, ice cream deliveries
Myers Distributor (early afternoon)
Our local distributor from Massachusetts grown farms -
Local and Certified Organic fresh veggies, fruit, cider, donuts, flowers, and other items
FRIDAY
Bread Obsession (by 11 am)
Fresh bread baked in Waltham; baguettes, whole wheat slicing loaf, durum levain, sourdough, multigrain
Mi Tierra Tortillas (by 11 am)
Fresh, local, organic corn tortillas
Sweet Tahini
Fresh, gluten free breads, and Israeli inspired sweets made with no processed sugars
Local Veggies
We will be harvesting our own veggies and buying seasonally available produce from local farms, as available
SATURDAY
Bread Obsession (by 11 am)
Fresh bread baked in Waltham; baguettes, whole wheat slicing loaf, durum levain, sourdough, multigrain
C&C Fresh Lobster and Fish
Fresh fish and lobster
10am- 12pm
MISC INFO...
1. We remain OPEN 24/7, so if you want to avoid contact with others, visit in the wee hours of the night!
2. MANDATORY MASKS: Please wear MASKS in all public places so be sure to have one on when you visit the store. They are a pain for sure but JUST DO IT! ;-)
3. THANKS: Farm store sales remain brisk and we appreciate your support!
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions please contact pete@codmanfarm.org.
WEEKLY PICS
Turkeys are getting BIGLY!
It's cover crop time! Seeding winter rye on Codman North field after the pigs rooted it all up!
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Check out our bi-weekly blog for updates about what's happening on the farm! We cover the flow of the seasons, the movements of our animals, the different projects coming up and more.
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Want to spend a day on the farm? Itching to get some dirt beneath your nails? Looking for a group service project? Volunteers are welcome at Codman. Click below to read more about volunteering.
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Our community depends on our dedicated members to keep farming alive and well in Lincoln. Your support allows us to use the most sutainable practices and produce the highest quality proteins.
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