Got a birthday? These folks celebrated by volunteering with us

Hannah and Cait, close friends from college and members of the Catholic Community at Stanford, both have birthdays in February. This year, they chose to celebrate by putting out a call to their friends for a work day at Common Roots Farm. They gathered over 25 friends who showed up at 9:00 a.m. on a Saturday and worked all morning to help with early spring tasks on the farm. Wow! These gals know how to throw a party!

Cait practicing her chicken whispering.

Hannah visiting with our youngest volunteer.

Seriously, these young people were amazing as everyone rolled up their sleeves and helped clear out our hedgerows to prepare for mulching, removed lots of invasive plants, and helped feed our chickens and sheep. It was uplifting to see Cait and Hannah’s friends come together to celebrate by sharing their valuable weekend time supporting the mission of Common Roots Farm.

Thank you, Hannah and Cait, and all your awesome friends! We loved having you on the farm and we take heart from your generosity.

The birthday friends all together.

What’s coming in 2024? Berries and Blooms!

As spring approaches and we prepare for another farm season, Common Roots Farm is happy to share that this will be the year we build a barn. Yay! We have been planning and saving for this project for some years now and having a barn will mark a huge step forward for our organization. We’ll have proper indoor space for our people, farm equipment, produce washing and packing, coolers, offices, and so much more. It’s really going to change the game for everyone at the farm.

In the short term, however, we’ve realized that in order to build the barn, we need to scale back our production. Instead of growing our usual wide array of food crops, this season we will offer a much simplified CSA (community supported agriculture) program featuring our berries, cherries (cherry tomatoes, that is), and cut flowers. Our Berries and Blooms CSA is on sale now.

Becoming a CSA customer is such a direct and great way to help Common Roots Farm provide farm-based opportunities for people with disabilities. Our CSA will feature our beloved Albion strawberries as well as fresh cut flowers each week. Farmer Nina will be teaching people with disabilities how to grow a few other favorites, too, such as raspberries, peppers and green beans. All these crops can be packed in a pint, making processing easier, while still offering our customers fresh, seasonal fruits and veggies straight from the farm.

Less production means more time to position Common Roots Farm for a successful, impactful future, too. While some of our field blocks will rest this season, we will still be building soil health, practicing rotational grazing with our sheep, and participating in some new local community markets. Volunteer days will continue and there’s always plenty to do when the weather warms up and our art and cooking classes can begin.

We hope all our CSA customers, and everyone who buys from local farms, realize the important part you play in promoting small scale agriculture and local food production. By buying direct from our farm, you make a positive impact on your own health and that of the environment. You also help create opportunities for people with disabilities to learn and take pride in new skills, to build friendships, and to be immersed in the beauty and calm of the natural world.

Please visit the CSA page on our website today to learn how you can help support Common Roots Farm while doing something good and fun for yourself. Want to give a CSA share as a gift? We offer that option, too! Click here to learn more and sign up for our 2024 Berries and Blooms CSA today!

Thank you from all of us at Common Roots Farm.