May
Flower Update:
It's that time of year where we are filled with spring joy that we have missed all winter long. Our perennial fields are blooming with gorgeous Lilacs & Peonies and we are excited to share them with you! Additionally to these early spring delights, we have Ranunculus & Foxgloves blooming in our tunnels.
Enjoy Flower Farmer Alisa’s favorite spring recipe using Lilac as the main ingredient…
Lilac Tea ~ Ingredients
2–3 cups (packed) lilac flowers (all greenery removed)
1 lemon
1–2 tsp maple syrup
3–4 cups boiling water
INSTRUCTIONS
Put flowers in a glass jar.
Add enough boiling water to cover lilacs (3-4 cups).
Soak overnight.
Strain out flowers.
If the resulting amber-colored tea, or lilac water, is too strong or bitter, water down as needed.
Add maple syrup (approximately 1/2 tsp per cup).
Squeeze in juice from lemon (approximately 1/2 tsp per cup).
Stir and serve chilled (refrigerate and/or use ice cubes).
Details: Be conscious that separating the flowers from the branch is time consuming, but meditative. This activity brings forth the opportunity to practice gratitude for the generous plants and honor their place in our lives.
NOTE: The leaves & woody stems of the plant are NOT edible.
This tea will not be overly sweet, but you will taste the floral notes
Vegetable Update:
We welcome May with furious activity as the beds in our covered growing spaces are cleared of the last of the winter and early spring plantings and prepared for warm weather crops. Favorites like eggplant, peppers and lots of tomatoes are being joined by several varieties of basil and a large variety of other fresh herbs. Outside, greens, beets, cabbages, broccoli, peas and carrots are being planted and carefully tended during these fickle nights. In the greenhouse, as the tomatoes and peppers clear out, more seedlings of all the favorites plus cucumbers, beans, summer and winter squashes appear and prepare for their field transplants once we’re sure the cold nights are behind us.
Goats!
This year we are welcoming back Green Goats of Rhinebeck to help us continue with our conservation plan. This is our second season with them & we will be moving them to a new location on the farm.
Goats have an incredible ability to eat just about anything, which makes them a great help here when it comes to plant control. We use the goats to remove invasive plant species such as Rosa Multiflora which is indigenous to eastern Asia but now finds itself thriving throughout the Eastern US.
Feel free to say hello to the goats when you come by the farm stand or pick up your CSA share. They love a good head scratch.
Please remember these are working goats so do not feed them
For more information about this organization, visit
Soil Testing and Amendment
Ever wonder why that low spot in your yard never really greens up and looks healthy? Want to have a better understanding of what those weird numbers on the front of the fertilizer bag actually means? If you want to gain more insight into the conditions of your soil and the water you're using in your garden, come spend some time with the Maitri Farm crew. We have monthly farm tours, events, and CSA pickups where you can bring questions OR you can email us at
info@maitrifarmny.com
We are happy to teach you about soil testing, water sampling and what all those numbers mean for the health of your garden. We’ll review parts of our annual soil testing and water testing results and learn how to decipher the reports.
Additionally, we will talk about home soil testing kits versus sending samples to an accredited lab, accessing your local Ag Extension Office, how to take and send your samples and what the results mean for the average gardener.
Please feel free to send in any questions ahead of time and to bring any previous test results you’ve done in the past.
Here at Maitri Farm, we aim to promote regenerative farming techniques that can be scaled down for home gardens. We will go over how to source materials that are in line with what we believe are the best practices for a happy earth and a happy human. Questions regarding soil health or any other plant growing inquiries are welcome, please send us an email :)
Upcoming Events
Seedling Sale: Come by on May 20th for our seedling sale. The farm will be open from 9 AM - 2 PM. We will have a variety of culinary herbs, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, zinnias, cosmos, hyacinth, runner beans and many more! Address:
143 Amenia Union Rd. Amenia NY 12501
Tomato Session #2: This is the second installment of an ongoing tomato series we have ongoing this year. Join us on Saturday, June 24th at 10 AM for a workshop that covers pruning, fertilizing, trellising and harvesting tomatoes. Join us an hour early for a farm tour!
Vegetable CSA: Maitri Farm is thrilled to be able to offer our first Vegetable CSA with the 2023 crew! We have been hard at work to provide the highest quality of certified-organic, New York grown produce. To be a recipient of our vegetables, sign up through our website linked here or navigate to our vegetable section.
