John Krueger of Starbrite Farm (on vacation)

Update for July 28

Hi Everyone:

It looks as though the tomato season has arrived. We began picking a sizeable amount of fruit last Friday, and a lot more have ripened over the weekend.

It’s a week or two earlier than normal, one of the better consequences of this sunny, hot, and accelerated season. There will probably only be enough for 1 or 2 fruits per member this week, with more appreciable quantities arriving in the coming weeks. We should have some peppers and possibly eggplant for next week.  The bean plants have begun to flower again now that they have been re-hydrated. Hopefully they will produce a second picking of better quality than the first batch. The pole beans have begun climbing their trellis and will begin to flower soon, so the delicious, heirloom Rattlesnake beans should start in another 2 weeks.

Another consequence of the hot summer is that the onion crop has matured earlier than anticipated. The tops have died back on almost all varieties. Once this happens, we must quickly get them out of the field to be dried or they will begin to rot. My workers spent most of Friday and all of Saturday pulling, gathering, and spreading them out in the greenhouse to dry. The volunteer work day to help with the onion harvest scheduled for August 8th is cancelled, since we could not wait until then. The crop looks excellent with lots of large bulbs of good quality that should store well.

We received some good precipitation on Sunday, which began as a sudden downpour and continued for another 2 hours as a steady light rain. It caught me in the middle of sowing a late crop of beans and soaked both me and my bags of seed before I could flee the field. I often joke that the best way to bring rain is for me to get on the tractor I use for seeding and head out to plant. I consider this to be a corollary of Murphy’s Law as it relates to farming. I was in the middle of a row and had to try to finish as the soil quickly turned to mud and stuck to the wheels of the seeder. What a mess!

The share for this week will be: Lettuce, tomatoes, summer squash, green cabbage, beets, Yukon gold potatoes, garlic, daikon radish, a small quantity of either beans or snow peas and choice of an herb. Look for dandelion greens as an extra, if you like them (most people don’t). Enjoy! —Farmer John

Update for July 21

Hello Everyone:

The fruit share will be peaches and plums this week.

We had a great start to the season, with plenty of beautiful greens, and unusually bountiful shares. As we head into mid-summer greens generally become more scarce, and in this accelerated season we have arrived at this point a little sooner than normal. All of the various mustards have bolted to seed and the kale is looking quite sad due to the heat and dry weather. At this point only the Swiss chard remains viable and we have been cutting it quite heavily during the past 2 weeks. I believe we can harvest sufficient quantities for distribution this week, but then we will need to let it rest and regenerate for a bit. I have been preparing ground to plant more spinach and mustard greens and I will be seeding these crops as soon as the weather allows. These greens should become available again in early September.

Up to this point we have provided you with chiefly “normal” vegetables with which most members are familiar and know how to use. This week may be the week that we cause some members to search their cookbooks and the internet for ways to use some less common vegetables; specifically radicchio and fennel. Even though I planted over a thousand radicchio plants many have bolted and quite a few have been destroyed by the groundhogs.  We may need to offer dandelion greens as a choice with the radicchio. This time last year we were swimming in green beans; this season however both the abundance and quality of the crop has been reduced by the heat and dryness. The plants are looking better now that they have gotten some rain and I hope that they will begin to flower again and produce a second picking.  We also have an heirloom pole bean called the rattlesnake bean that looks good and should start producing in about 3 weeks. I am in the process of planting more bush beans for September harvest.

The tomato crop is looking good so far, and we may have sufficient quantities to ship out by next week, if not, certainly in 2 weeks. Eggplant and peppers should also become available in the next couple of weeks. We will be beginning to harvest potatoes this week, even though the earliest varieties have not completely died back. This means that they are “new” potatoes and as such have thin skins that are easily damaged in harvesting and washing. It will be best to use them fairly quickly, as they probably won’t keep well.

The share for this week will be lettuce (various types), red potatoes, cauliflower, summer squash, carrots, red torpedo onions, fennel, radicchio or dandelion greens, Swiss chard, string beans (either green or wax), and choice of an herb. 

Enjoy! —Farmer John

Update for July 14

Hi Folks,

I am happy to report that the farm received nearly 2 inches of rain this past Friday night into Saturday morning. This was much more than expected and a bit more than was needed, but nevertheless a huge relief, both to my worried mind and my drought stressed plants. We were occupying too much time moving the sprinklers around and I was unable to begin preparing ground for the fall planting which will begin soon.

When the ground gets dry, it shrinks and tightens, making plowing difficult and dusty.

I will have to wait a day or two for the soil to dry a bit, but soon I will be able to get some seeds in the ground.

I picked and ate the first few tomatoes over the weekend. The first few always end up on my plate, since there aren’t enough to distribute or even to take to market. And what a delight they are—acidic and sweet, unlike anything available from far away places, out of season. The tomato crop looks good so far and I anticipate having sufficient quantities to begin distributing in 2-3 weeks.  Peppers and eggplant are on the horizon as well. 

The pea harvest is essentially done but we are still picking a few shell peas and some snow peas that were planted late. Their replacement in the legume category—the string beans are just beginning to fill out. The plants have been looking quite sad this past week or two, a result of the dry conditions and also the damage caused by the bean beetle. It is necessary to tolerate some defoliation as we wait for the parasitic wasp to do its job.

While we are on the subject, 2 weeks ago in my update I discussed the Mexican bean beetle and the biologic control program run by the NJDA. I like to try to inject some humor into my writings and I jokingly referred to these insects as “undocumented aliens.”

I received a message from one of the members saying that she found this offensive. I apologize if anyone else did not find this amusing. I did not mean to compare undocumented immigrant to bugs, but since in recent days some politicians have done just that. I suppose that my remark could have been easily misunderstood. I have tremendous respect for the hard work done by the immigrant population, in agriculture and in other areas. I have seen the poverty that exists in Central America and I have sympathy for the risks that are taken and the sacrifices made by these folks in order to provide a better life for their families. The United Farmworkers Union is currently promoting a program they call “Take our Jobs,” encouraging average Americans to spend a day doing farm work, in an attempt to promulgate greater respect for these workers and the arduous tasks they perform. I guess in some way we are unofficially participating in this program with the volunteer work days we have been hosting. I wish to thank those members who came out this past Sunday to help with the garlic harvest. We were able to bring in about a third of the crop.

We have needed to harvest large quantities of lettuce in the past few weeks in order to not lose them to bolting in the scorching heat. Some of these varieties do not hold well and the coolers are getting quite full. We will be sending 2 different types of lettuce in the shares this week. Hopefully you won’t mind eating lots of salad this week. We also had to harvest the Napa or Chinese cabbage this past week, so that will be in the share. While I planted sufficient quantities for all the members and to have for market, a substantial number were lost to either rot or bolting, so we may need to substitute regular green cabbage if we run short.

The share for this week will be: Romaine Lettuce, green leaf lettuce, Napa cabbage, choice of kale or Swiss chard, elephant garlic, carrots, summer squash, cucumbers, peas and/or green beans, and choice of an herb. Enjoy!  —Farmer John

Update for July 7

Hello Folks,

I hope everyone had a pleasant Fourth of July weekend. We don’t get to take much of a break for the holiday here at the farm. Today, Monday was a regular workday and I spent most of yesterday on a marathon mission to finish planting the winter squash.

I confess that I did catch some blues music and fireworks (ooh-ahh) in the nearby town of Sparta. The lack of rain in the last 2 weeks has us moving the irrigation equipment around from field to field, a task that interferes with our other pressing duties. Oh yes, and it’s been really hot, in case you hadn’t noticed. Many things are burning up in the fields, especially my workers and me.  It looks like it will cool down a bit by the end of the week and we have a couple of chances of thunderstorms to bring some much needed precipitation.

I’m all for Alliums. I rarely cook a dish that doesn’t start with onions, garlic or some member of this tasty family. This is why I try to include some type of Allium in each delivery. I apologize for the absence of the pearl onions that were promised in last week's share. I know we planted them, but we just couldn’t seem to find them in the field.

Everything gets name stakes as we plant but sometimes they get lost and at this point it’s hard to distinguish the cippolini onions and shallots from pearl onions. No matter though, we have lots of large onions that are ready earlier than expected, so last week's delivery should be the only one of the season absent of Alliums.

The cucumbers have started producing heavily and a few groups received some last week. If you didn’t, you are likely to get some this week.  The pea season has gone by in a flash owing to all the heat. We have some sugar snaps left and also a meager harvest of Fava beans, which we will offer as a choice this week.  The bean crop is coming on strong and will be ready to fill in as the legume family member in 2 weeks, if not sooner.

The share for this week will be: Lettuce (either Boston or Oak leaf)  broccoli, beets (either purple or Chioggia, also known as Candy cane), kohlrabi, sweet onions, summer squash, cucumbers, Swiss chard, choice of sugar snap peas or Fava beans and choice of an herb (basil or parsley). Enjoy! —Farmer John

Update for June 30

Hello Everyone,

Well, it was a scorcher of a week!  It’s summertime in New Jersey just like I remember it—hot and humid. While the hot warm weather crops such as the tomatoes and peppers have been in their glories, the cool weather plants have been looking quite dejected—wilting and droopy. Fortunately the heat wave is predicted to break and we will have some milder temperatures by mid-week. There’s no rain in sight though, and the ground is getting pretty dry. We are moving into the time of summer when passing thunderstorms are our best chance of precipitation. We find ourselves hoping for them, with the caveat that they not be accompanied by high winds or hail.

We are in the weeds, as they say; only in this case it is meant both literally and figuratively. We have been fighting to keep the grasses from swallowing the potatoes and the leeks and pulling the pigweed out of the carrot and beet crops. Once we begin deliveries and markets, harvesting occupies so much of our time that it’s hard to keep up with the maintenance. The pea picking is especially labor intensive and for that reason I wish to thank profusely the volunteers who came out on Sunday to help with the pea harvest. They picked nearly 300 lbs. of sugar snap peas, more than half what we will need for the week. The Guatemalan workers I have been waiting for finally had their interview at the embassy this past week and were given visas. They will arrive this Wednesday day night. Hallelujah! Help is on the way!

We were visited this week by a gentleman named Mark from the state insect labs. He brought with him and released thousands of parasitic wasps. Parasites, you say?  Yes, but fortunately they only parasitize the larva of the Mexican bean beetle. This undocumented alien was once the scourge of bean growers throughout the state until this wonderful biological control program was developed. It’s a beautiful thing; one less crop that has to be sprayed and it’s good to know something good is being done with our tax dollars.

The share for this week will be: Green leaf lettuce, pearl onions, radishes, spinach bok choy, arugula, sugar snap peas, broccoli, summer squash, choice of escarole or endive, and choice of an herb.  Enjoy! —Farmer John

Update for June 23

Hi Folks! 

The first round of deliveries seems to have gone fairly well, from all reports. There will generally be some glitches and confusion with the first couple of deliveries, especially with new groups. Some lucky groups got broccoli last week, an item that wasn’t on the list. Those that did not, will receive it this week. The earliest variety of broccoli we planted is producing a meager harvest due to stress from temperature extremes soon after transplanting. Stress in plants, it should be noted, is completely unconnected to stress in humans, except as it relates to my stress levels. Plants react to stress by flowering, which since broccoli is a flower, should be good, but the flower forms when the plant is still too small and hence produces a small bud. There are 4 other varieties in the field for which I have good expectations (not great though--sorry, Charles).

We should have sufficient quantities for all groups several times in the coming weeks.

We are also beginning to cut summer squash, though not in great quantity, so we will begin a similar delivery rotation with this crop until we have more in 2 weeks. Which leads me to the following disclaimer: We reserve the right to omit or change any item on the farm update list from your actual share for that week. We also reserve the right to add a vegetable to your share which was not on the list. All legal facetiousness aside, the update list should be considered a close approximation, my best guess, of what will be in the share. I can’t be 100% accurate all the time.

We have at present, what I suppose should be called a good problem to have--we have too much stuff (foodstuffs). There is enough spinach for this week and probably next week as well. It still looks beautiful but it won’t hold as we head into some hot days this next week (and I was trying so hard not to talk about the weather!). The problem is that we don’t have the time to harvest it all, and don’t want to overwhelm you, the members, with too many greens all at once. The Swiss chard looks great, but will have to wait. The bok choy is ready too, but next week will have to do. 

All of the mustards--tatsoi, broccoli raab, and green wave--are bolting to flower and the arugula is already too far gone to salvage anything from this planting. We will be sending as much broccoli raab as we can as a choice with the mustard greens this week. The flowers have been damaged a bit by a new pest--the tarnished plant bug--but the leaf is nice, and there’s never much of a bud with raab anyway. There will also be Hakurei salad turnips in the share this week, a favorite among the veterans and hopefully a new treat for the neophytes. They are delicious eaten raw, sliced like a radish or grated in salads or can be cooked.  The root is sweet and mild flavored and the leaf can also be steamed or braised.

I apologize that there was so much soil on several items last week. We had a torrential downpour last Sunday and it splashed a lot of soil onto the leaves. We can’t practically wash the leafy greens like lettuce and spinach, because if they remain too wet they rot quickly in storage and transport. My crew compounded the problem a bit by not removing enough of the lower, dirtier leaves, during harvest and so soiled the other heads in the tub. We will try to do better!

Many thanks to the pea picking volunteers who came out to the farm to lend a hand today. We had representatives from Metuchen, Jersey City, Westfield and Staten Island. Together they picked about 120 lbs. of peas.

The share for this will be: Red leaf lettuce, scallions, salad turnips, sugar snap peas, spinach, a mustard (tatsoi, broccoli raab, green wave), choice of endive or escarole, broccoli (some groups), summer squash (some groups), and choice of an herb (parsley, cilantro, dill). Enjoy! --Farmer John

Update for Week of June 14

Hello Everyone, 

The battle is in full swing now and we are completely and exhaustingly engaged. Make no mistake about it: producing quality vegetables is a battle from start to finish. It’s quite amazing how many critters there are that want to dine on your veggies before they can make it to your plate. We have fenced around the pea patch to keep the deer out and buried fence along the periphery of one field to try (unsuccessfully) to exclude the ground hogs. Compared to the four-legged creatures, the six-legged ones don’t eat as much but they’re much more numerous. Our two worst insect pests, the flea beetle and the cucumber beetle, have attacked with a vengeance this spring, and we are spraying to control them before their populations explode even further.  We use only approved organic materials--products that are naturally derived, have low toxicity to humans and break down quickly.

The weather has been okay, too hot and a bit too dry, but it’s better than wet and cold!  Most of our chances for rain over the past three weeks have been from scattered thunderstorms and none of these potential storms have materialized so far. We have a cool front moving in for the week ahead, which will make working conditions much more tolerable and hopefully bring some rain ahead of the front.

We are in the process of transplanting out into the field all the warm season crops. We have planted about a third of the 5,000 tomato plant and all of the eggplants, 1,800 or so.  On Friday, the sweet potato plants arrived and we needed to get those in immediately as they have hardly any root and wilt quickly. They looked quite sad as they baked in the blazing sun, but most of them should take root. This week, we will be planting the peppers, melons, summer squash, ground cherries, and the rest of the tomatoes.  We also have herbs and flowers to set out.

The peas are flowering profusely and I expect an abundant supply for the first delivery and during the subsequent three to four weeks. The brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, etc.) are growing well for the most part. They could use a good rain and will enjoy the cooler temps forecast for the week ahead. One of the early varieties of broccoli is showing sign of “buttoning” because of the stress of several extremely cold nights in early May. Buttoning means flowering when the plant is still too small and producing a tiny head.  If this variety is a complete loss, it will reduce the number of weeks we will have broccoli in the shares during the early summer harvest.

I have also had problems with the emergence on my potato crop. Several varieties did not come up at all, and several others came up so spotty that I will have to abandon them. These few problems notwithstanding, most everything is growing well and we have lots of great stuff coming on for the beginning of the season, now just a little more than a week away.

Thanks to the volunteers who came out to help with covering the greenhouse on May 15th. We were able to get it done on the first try this year! --Farmer John

Farmer John's First Update for 2010

Happy Spring, everyone!  Welcome to the 2010 Starbrite Farm CSA season.

The weather has been beautiful this spring, or so you thought. For those new members, you will soon learn (if you follow these updates) that what most folks consider great weather is not always the best for farming. For the veterans out there, you are already accustomed to my weekly griping about the weather—it’s too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry; and all in the same week!

The weather is always a rollercoaster ride in NJ in the spring, but the ups and downs do seen to be becoming a bit more extreme. With two mini heat waves and a hailstorm already gone by, the biggest challenge this spring has been a scarcity of rain in April and early May. The biggest annoyance has been the wind, which has been blowing hard a lot this spring, and steadily and fiercely for the last three days. These are critical times for transplanting and for direct seeding of the cool weather crops such as broccoli, and peas.

Fortunately, we’ve gotten just enough precipitation to get by. The pea and fava bean crop has germinated well and is growing beautifully and the lettuces and cabbage family crops, which are transplanted, have taken root and are beginning to grow. My crew has planted over 80,000 onion plants and we are more than halfway through planting the 4,000 lbs of seed potatoes that we have ready for this year’s crop. The garlic and shallots, which were planted last fall, have come up well and are growing nicely. Carrots, parsnips, beets, spinach, and chard, which were planted several weeks back, are coming up well. I recently sowed radishes, turnips, arugula and other types of mustard greens as well as cilantro and dill. 

My workers and I have been busy since early March with greenhouse planting and we have thousands of tomato, pepper, cucumber and squash plants that will soon be ready to be set out. We’ve been working hard for you and I believe we’re on track for a great season.

Thanks to those who came out to help cover the greenhouse on May 1st. Your help is greatly appreciated!  Next chance is this Saturday as we will attempt to cover the big high tunnel greenhouse in Hardwick Township. Keep your fingers crossed for calm winds!  —Farmer John

Photos from the June 7, 2008, Spring Farm Trip

All photos by Lenny Librizzi.

The farmhouse on rented land.

A view of one of the barns on the rented farmland.

John Krueger and members of New Jersey CSAs on the farm visit day.

We stopped to water the flats of seedlings that were parched on this 97 degree day.

John showing us one of his small tractors to which the tools are attached in front instead of in the rear.

Rows of multi-colored greens at Starbrite Farm.

White row covers, an organic technique to help keep weeds down and moisture in the soil.

Red row covers for tomato plants. The purple flowers in the foreground are vetch used as a cover crop.

Julian Librizzi at Starbrite farm on farm visit day.

Close-up of lettuces soon to be part of the CSA shares.

Julian Librizzi and Joseph Kent on antique farm equipment.

Farm Update, May 21, 2008

Hi Folks,

Well, I’m a week behind in writing this update, and probably almost 2 weeks behind with my planting schedule.  There just aren’t enough hours in the day this time of year to keep up with all of the seeds and plants that need to go in the ground at the same time! Throw in limited windows of opportunity in between rains, and equipment breakdowns and it’s easy to fall behind.

We have finished planting more than 60,000 onions and have planted about 1400 pounds of seed potatoes (only 900 pounds to go!). I hope to finish with the potatoes this coming week. This past week we transplanted the second round of lettuces and started the third succession in the greenhouse. We also transplanted out fennel and celery and a few tomatoes in the greenhouse. I expect to be transplanting eggplants and many more tomatoes this week.

As for direct seeded crops, I have planted carrots, beets, parsnips, swiss chard, and spinach. In the next few days I will be sowing radishes, turnips, dill, cilantro, arugula and other mustard greens.  There are cucumber and summer squash plants growing in the greenhouse which will be ready to transplant in a week or so. 

Many thanks to those who came out for the work party on 5/3 and helped to cut up seed potatoes and with covering the greenhouse. It was great to meet all of you and the help was greatly appreciated. I hope to meet many more of you at the second volunteer work day rescheduled for this Saturday 5/24 or at the farm visit on 6/7. 

--Farmer John

Farm Update, May 5, 2008

Hi Everyone,

It’s hard to believe 2 weeks has gone by since my last update; time flies when you have too much to do! It’s shaping up to be another dry spring similar to last year. Various predicted rains have failed to materialize or perhaps I should say, have vaporized. Drought is difficult in any season but it is worse in the spring because so many seeds are being planted that require consistent moisture to germinate well, and so many transplants are being set out that require adequate water to take root and begin growing.

Another complication is with field preparation, which involves plowing under cover crops or weeds (nature’s cover crops) and debris from last years crops to decompose. The microorganisms that perform this brilliant act of recycling require water for their activities and without moisture decomposition grinds to a halt. This has me particularly worried because I rented, and have just plowed, an additional 6 acres of field that has been in hay for many years. The thick sod gets flipped over by a mull board plow to lay face down and rot, which will take weeks or even months. The process can be accelerated by rototilling, but in dry conditions this is less effective and also creates clouds of dust and windborne soil loss.

But don’t worry too much (that’s my job!) there’s rain in the forecast and maybe the weatherman isn’t lying this time. In any event, the first planting of peas is up and growing, as are the fava beans, in spite of having there beds severely trampled by the neighbor’s escaped horses. We’ve planted thousands of brassicas (were you paying attention during that class?) and lettuces these past 2 weeks, watering them in with hoses and watering cans. We’ve also been planting tens of thousands of onions in the past weeks; these at least are a bit easier to irrigate since they are planted on black plastic mulch with drip lines. It’s only a matter of hooking up the lines and opening a valve, a task that needed to be done anyway.

A couple of good rain days will also allow us to catch up on greenhouse work, and begin cutting up seed potatoes. We have thousands of tomato, eggplant and pepper plants that need to be moved into larger soil cells and it’s time for another round of greenhouse seeding. Cutting up seed potatoes into small pieces for planting is a daunting task when you’re sowing over 2000 lbs. This will likely be one of the jobs that I will be requesting help with during the upcoming volunteer work days.

That’s all for now. Pray for some rain, but not too much!

--Farmer John

Update to the update: In between writing the update and sending it out we got about an inch and a half of rain, so I’m sorry I ever mentioned the D word. Now the forecast is for a rainy week ahead, and I’m hoping they’re wrong this time!

John Krueger's First Message

Happy Spring, everyone! According to the calendar we’re 3 weeks into the season, but it’s only been during the last few days that it has actually felt like spring. The forsythias are blooming and the garlic is up and growing. We’ve been busy in the greenhouse for the last 5 or 6 weeks planting lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and radicchio among other things. Many of these plants are ready to go outside to be “hardened off”, which means becoming accustomed to slightly colder nighttime temperatures and the drying effect of the wind. I hope to begin transplanting these by the end of the week.

Actually the planting season began in early February with onions and leeks that I started in a vacant room in my house under fluorescent lights. These crops are slow germinators and slow growers and should be transplanted out into the field as early in April as possible. Since it’s too cold and would be too expensive to heat the greenhouse to grow these plants in February, I choose to let my neighbors wonder: “what’s he growing in there?”

We began transplanting the onions into the field this past week, and will be continuing to plant them out over the next couple of weeks. Also planted this past week were about 2200 row feet of Fava beans, and nearly 6000 r.f. of peas.

In the next 2 weeks, I will be spending a lot of time on the big tractor plowing and preparing ground for the many crops that it will soon be time to seed, and the plants which will soon be ready for transplanting. I expect to begin planting potatoes in the next few days, a process that will continue for several weeks. Spring has sprung and the hard work has begun! I look forward to a great season.

--Farmer John

Note: We have scheduled 2 volunteer work days to help cover greenhouses. They are May 3 at Good Hand Farm (rented field) and May 17 at Starbrite Farm. Both will start at 11AM, I have attached directions. Also the tentative date for the farm visit is June 7. Take care, John

Directions to Starbrite Farm: Take I-80 West to exit 12, Blairstown/ Hope. Turn right onto Rt. 521 North. Follow approximately 5 miles to Rt. 94. Turn left on 94 and go to first traffic light and turn right and an immediate right again. This is still Rt. 521N. Follow about 3.5 miles and make the first right after White Lake onto Old Orchard Rd. Starbrite Farm is #4, the 2nd driveway on the right. Follow the long driveway along the wooded ridge until you see the greenhouse.4 Old Orchard Rd. Hardwick NJ07825(Blairstown zipcode)

Directions to Good Hand Farm: Take I-80 West to Rt. 206 North. Follow 206 for about 9 miles. Just north( 2mi.) of the town of Andover turn left onto Brighton Rd. (there is a Brighton Rd. in the Borough of Andover as well, don’t turn there, watch for Simon Peters Sport Shop on the corner). The farm is about 2 miles down on the right, after the road straightens out. There is a long gray barn and a sign out front. 110 Brighton Rd. Andover, NJ 07821.

Introduction

My name is John Krueger and I am the owner and operator of Starbrite Farm. I have been interested in organic gardening for over 25 years, as an avid gardener and as co-founder and an officer of the Cook Organic Gardening Club.  

I earned a B.S. in Environmental Science from Cook College, Rutgers University in 1989. In 1996 I was hired as Farm Manager of Heirloom Harvest Farm in Blairstown NJ.  During my six years at Heirloom Harvest I was able to draw on my experience as an organic gardener and to gain experience in the techniques and equipment for larger scale vegetable production. I was given the opportunity to attend numerous conferences and workshops related to organic farming.

In 2002, the owner of the farm decided to discontinue operations in NJ.  I was determined to continue my involvement with organic farming and that year I began working with Richard Moran at Starbrite Farm in Hardwick Township. NJ.  Dick had been farming organically on his property for 10 years since retiring. 

In 2003, Dick allowed me to take over operation of the farm and I began working with the Bloomfield-Montclair CSA and selling at the Montclair and Morristown farmers markets. In 2005, I added a second CSA group at the Jewish Community Center in West Orange. For the 2006 season, I was chosen to be the farmer for the Downtown Harvest CSA in Jersey City. During the 2007 season, a new CSA group in Westfield was added and Starbrite Farm supplied produce for 200 members among the four groups. 

Over these years I have acquired additional leased fields in the vicinity of Starbrite Farm in order to expand my planting.  In 2007, I began leasing an additional 7 acres from Good Hand Farm in Andover Twp.  For the 2008 season, I will be leasing an additional 6 acres in Andover as well as additional greenhouse and barn space. I anticipate serving approximately 300 members in 2008.

I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible through the course of the season, at pickups, at the Farm visit, or at other social events.

For more on organic farming, see:

Organic.org: http://www.organic.org/

Organic Consumers Association: http://www.organicconsumers.org/

The National Organic Program: http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/indexNet.htm

Note: Click here for photos and information about Cranberry Hall Farm.