Author: Amy

I have sad news to share: Red Wagon Farm will not be at the Boulder Farmers’ Market this year. There were many factors that went into this decision, but the main one was my health. It was my job to manage our market booth every week for 8 years. But 5 years ago I suffered a health crisis and was left with a debilitating chronic illness. Wyatt has had to fill in for me at the farmers’ market for the past 5 years. This is in addition to his already too-full schedule. We’ve both been struggling to keep going during this time and something had to give. We had to simplify and have chosen to focus on our CSA and our restaurant accounts.

The hardest part of this decision was knowing that we would let down our farmers’ market customers. We appreciate all that you have done for us and hope that you will support Red Wagon in whatever the future might bring. ~Amy

At the beginning of each farm season, I intend to write a lot of blog posts to communicate with our CSA members. Some years I am better at it than others. This year I think I got a D- in communicating with you! Nonetheless, I am so thankful for each and every one of you. We could not, COULD NOT have a farm without you! Our CSA members are the backbone of support for out farm. We try so hard to do our best for you and I hope we succeed each year.

Growing vegetables for a living is beyond difficult. The uncertainty, the low pay, the all-consuming nature of farming, and on and on. But Wyatt and I get to make a living (barely!) doing something good in the world. We get to grow healthy food for our community. We get to see kids grow up loving our vegetables (how many of you have been CSA members since your kids were born??)  I took some vegetables over to my friend (and CSA member), Elizabeth’s, house. Her kids tore into the bag, demolished the hakurei turnips, dug into the other vegetables, and when I left they were eating the kale raw. My sister is a CSA member. Her kids always ask “Are these Uncle Wyatt carrots?” They will grudgingly eat store-bought carrots, but they know they don’t taste very good.

I don’t know about you, but I was born in 1971. I grew up eating frozen green beans and peas & carrots because it was what you ate then. Oh! And lots of iceburg lettuce! Talk about tasty veggies! Somehow I liked vegetables through all that and continued to eat them as an adult. I am so delighted that my work today involves making vegetable snobs out of kids! I hope that many of these kids continue to love good vegetables throughout their lives.

Wyatt and I also get to do something that feels like a net positive for our ecosystem and environment. The way we farm provides habitat for birds, reptiles, and many other critters. Wyatt has been learning about soil health and micro rhizomes and has been implementing the things he’s learned on our farm.

I could go on with a lot more, but this is a start. Thank you so much from me, Wyatt, and all of our hard-working farm crew. We truly could not do this without you. We hope you will join us again next year!

Thinking of joining our CSA, but not ready to commit to the whole season yet? Now you can try out our CSA Veggie Share for 2 or 4 weeks! Click here to join. Select the Trial Veggie Share and sign up for a Weekly (4 weeks) or Biweekly (2 weeks) share.

Here are links to the schedule for our Trial Veggie Share and also a list of what was in our Veggie Share last year.

Other details:

• You can see all the info about our CSA on our website at https://redwagonfarmboulder.com/csa/
• Prices are pro-rated if you purchase a Trial Veggie Share after the beginning of the month. The Trial Veggie Share costs $28.45 per week.
• We are not able to offer our add-on items (fruit, eggs, mushrooms, and coffee) on a trial basis due to logistical difficulties.
• After the trial period, we will send you instructions on how to join as a CSA member for the rest of the season if you want to.
• Currently we are offering Trial Veggie Shares in June. We will make July shares available in mid-June.
• Email us with questions: csa@redwagonfarmboulder.com

This is our 10th season of having a CSA at Red Wagon Farm! Thank you so much to all the members who have supported us over the years–as well as new members who are with us for the first time this year!

We have come such a long way from our humble beginnings. Wyatt and I started our farm in 2004. We had a few brutal years and a very steep learning curve to get things going. We did almost everything wrong at least once!

Here are a few photos from 2004: I am laying plastic mulch and Wyatt is in our primitive wash area: a slab of concrete, a few tubs, and a garden hose.

Wyatt and I did most of the work ourselves. I actually worked in the field (instead of in front of my computer!) We both worked to plant, weed, water, and harvest everything. I did most of the tractor driving–not because I had any experience. But because it was Wyatt’s job to follow behind me moving all the very heavy implements behind the tractor. I can remember getting home from the farm around midnight and getting up the next morning around 4 am. I have no idea how we did that!

Farming is still very hard for us (although not quite so brutal). And every season we worry about making enough money to get us through to the next season. We have tried many ways of selling our veggies. Wyatt (when he was younger and more insane!) signed us up for 6 farmers’ markets in 2004. Thankfully we quickly cut back on the number of markets we do and now we just go to the Saturday market in Boulder. We’ve also experimented with selling veggies to lots of restaurants and having several farm stands.

We’ve learned over the years that the most stable source of support and income comes from our CSA members–you! You commit to buying a whole season’s worth of veggies and taking whatever we have in abundance in our fields. In return, we try hard to grow the best veggies we can and give you a variety of deliciousness over about 5 months. I cannot express how much our CSA members mean to us. Red Wagon Farm would not exist without the support of our CSA. We are grateful to every single one of you! Thank you and we are looking forward to a great season with you!

It’s almost spring! That means it is time to sign up for a CSA. I’ve seen a lot of CSAs over the years. And I’ve also answered hundreds of questions for people asking about the Red Wagon CSA. There are so many CSAs in the area–how do you choose the one that will be the best fit for you? You can start by asking friends in the area to recommend a CSA they have enjoyed. Or look online to see if the farm has any reviews.

Here is the most important question to ask yourself when choosing a CSA: Are you a) trying to help a farm (a new farm or one that has been around for a while) by supporting them financially and you aren’t that worried about what you actually receive? Or are you b) looking for a CSA farm that will provide you with a good variety of produce all season long?

I you answered “a”, your work is easy! Find a CSA farm that you love (for any reason) and join away! If you answered “b”, you have a lot more homework to do. Here are some questions you should ask before you join a CSA if you are really counting on receiving the food you paid for:

1. How long has the farm been in business? The more season the farm has under its belt, the more able it will be to deal with the many challenges that come up during a season. Do you know what a “normal” growing season looks like in Colorado? Me neither. Every year is vastly different in terms of weather (and plant diseases, and insect pests, and…) and it takes a number of years before you know how to roll with all the challenges Mother Nature throws at us.
2. What did CSA members receive in their shares last year? Ideally, the farm will be able to show you a list of what CSA members received every week of the previous season. Obviously each year will be unique in terms of exactly what CSA members receive, but looking at a list from the previous season will give you a good idea of what to expect this year.
3. What crops does the farm grow? This is similar to #2, but slightly different. Does the farm grow a lot of leafy greens? Will you be eating only beets, zucchini, and turnips? Maybe you are allergic to tomatoes and the farm prides itself on providing 8 weeks of tomatoes to CSA members. Find out if the farm grows the kinds of vegetables you like.
4. Do CSA members get first-quality produce? Or do they get seconds? If CSA members get seconds, you should ask if the price reflects this.
5. Is the produce washed? Some people love getting home and rinsing off dirt from freshly harvested vegetables while they sort through the week’s haul. Other people want clean veggies they can put straight in the fridge without having to spend any time on prep.
6. What quantity of produce will you get? Will you get enough to feed you for the week? Or will you get large quantities of some items for canning?
7. How many weeks is the CSA? You will likely pay more for a CSA share that runs 22 weeks than one that runs for 16 weeks.

There are many more questions you could ask. And there are no “right” answers. It is all about gathering information before you make a commitment.

Both the farmer and the CSA member are unhappy when they have different ideas and expectations for the CSA. The more information you can get ahead of time, the more likely it is that the CSA you choose will be a good fit for you and you will happily eat your way through the summer.

Thank you so much to those of you who contributed to our Farm Worker Support Fund. You have no idea how much it meant to our farm crew.

If you’d like to make a contribution, click here for more details on our Farm Worker Support Fund.

The Red Wagon Farm Worker Support Fund is new in 2015. So far we have collected $5,332! Over 20% of CSA members made a contribution and Tuv Ha’Aretz contributed $1,000 as a group. I have not yet promoted this fund as much as I would have liked. But despite that, my heart is warmed by the huge response we have received.

We distributed the money to the farm crew in September paychecks. Full-time crew members who have worked the full season received $300 each and a smaller amount was given to part-time crew or people who have only worked part of the season. A lot of the crew members were not aware of this fund and many people were shocked with gratitude that our CSA members made so many contributions. Here are some comments that people sent me after they got their paychecks:

I would like to express immense gratitude to those who contributed to the Farm Worker Support Fund. We rely on this type of community support so that we are able to continue growing good food! ~Kevin

A BIG Thank You to our CSA members who gave money to the Farm Workers Support Fund. Organic farming is a way of life and practice that we truly believe in. Some of the field hands have families and are commuting up to an hour one way every day. Farm work is hardly profitable. Work days are long, begin before the sun is up, and are physically and mentally exhausting. The bonus on the paycheck keeps the motivation high and is greatly appreciated! ~Christian

I just wanted to express my deep, heartfelt gratitude for everyone at Red Wagon and the amazing community of people who support us. The work we do out here is the most challenging work I have ever done in my life. But to be able to provide wonderful, organic food for so many people makes every day out in the field worth it. Thank you so much for your support, my gratitude for this community is beyond measure. ~Maggie

This act of kindness could not have come at a better time. ~Allie

Thank you Amy and Wyatt for thinking of your farm crew and setting up such a generous fund and thank you CSA members for your contributions. I speak for many of my coworkers when I say that most of us are not doing this job because of the pay but because it is work that we can feel good about in a country where farming is a forgotten craft. The work is a challenge and the reward is serving the community. Your donations have been an unexpected gift and a welcome surprise! Thank you! ~Ana

We had to get the propane tank to heat our house filled this month and that is a big expense so the fact that this happened was pretty great! ~Sarah

And a longer comment from Leigh:

As the harvest manager, I get a lot of great quotes and jokes daily from the crew–but the donations from the Farm Worker Support Fund elicited some particularly great responses. Here are a couple of direct quotes from the crew:

“This could not have come at a better time. The extra money on this paycheck is literally going to keep the debt collectors [from student loans] off my back.”

“I just can’t believe it’s true…is this real? Is this real money?”

I think that these quotes emphasize something really key about this donation–it could not have been more perfectly timed. Life as a seasonal worker changes from one month to the next, even from one week to the next. And our well-being fluctuates with the well-being of the crops; when the farm is doing its best we feel the most secure in our jobs and continued employment. In the seasonal work community two times of year are called mud-season–late March to early June, and mid-October to early December. It’s named after the actual mud accumulating on the ground as snow melts (spring) or starts to fall (in early winter) but is also a fairly apt metaphor for the seasonal job market. Typical employment cycles begin and end yearly or even over many years, but for us work/life begins and ends every six months. This time of year feels particularly precarious as we search for our next homes and livelihoods. So a couple hundred extra dollars on the paycheck literally could not have been better timed. I wish I could capture the smiles of relief I saw as the paychecks were passed out. Thank you from the crew at Red Wagon Farm. ~Leigh

We have come to the end of another CSA season at Red Wagon Farm. Thank you so much to all of our CSA Members! We started our CSA in 2007 (after starting Red Wagon in 2004). We started with about 50 CSA members, all picking up at one location. We still have about 10 members who have been with us for all 9 years. (How can it be 9 years?!?) Thank you so much to all of you long-term members! And thank you to those of you who have been with us for just one or two seasons. We could not have our farm without our CSA members. You are the core of Red Wagon and you are our most stable and reliable source of support.

Every season of farming is different, but I think 2012 has been the most unique year by far in terms of weather. It is hard for me to remember this far back, but we started out with incredibly warm weather in 2015. Lauren worked a bunch of days outside at the farm in January because the weather was so nice! We got a lot planted early and we were really busy in March. Then starting April 16 we had 6 weeks of rain totaling 12″. That is our main planting season and I can’t believe we made it through that. We will see the effects of all that rain in our crops through the end of 2015. But once the rain stopped, it didn’t start again for months. We didn’t have a meaningful amount of rain all summer. And then we’re having the longest autumn in our 12 years of farming. We had one mild frost at our Valmont Farm location, but we still haven’t had a hard frost. We were still harvesting tomatoes at the beginning of this week! In mid-October!

A number of CSA farms in Boulder County closed during 2015 because it was such a difficult season. I feel very proud of Wyatt and all of the Red Wagon crew. We were able to bring you a good assortment of vegetables every single week and we gave you the full amount you paid for.

Growing vegetables for a living is beyond hard. There are times during every season that I am not sure we will be able to continue. But here we are, almost at the end of the 2015 growing season and we’re still going strong. A very large part of that is due to the support of our CSA members. Thank you. We love growing food for you and we hope to see you again in 2016!

Stop by our farm this month! The Red Wagon Pumpkin Patch and Yarn Shop is now open!

After years of waiting, we finally have beautiful yarn and rovings from our very own alpacas! The alpaca fiber is so incredibly soft. And when you pick out a skein of yarn, you can feed some carrots to the alpaca who grew the fiber for you!

Pick out a pumpkin, let the kids run through the straw bale maze, visit with the farm animals, and relax in a beautiful spot in Boulder County.

We’re open 10 – 6 every day through Halloween at 7694 N 63rd Street.