Our First Newsletter!
Welcome, All!
Welcome everyone to our first newsletter! We wanted to use this space to update our community about the day-to-day life on the farm, what we’re growing, and any exciting updates that we may have. As a small business in our third year, we have many “firsts” to celebrate, and we’re happy to share that excitement with our community!
Summer is officially ending here at the farm. We had some up and downs this growing season— Liam broke his toe in May, there were two major heat waves in July, and some new pest issues to tackle on the farm. But after our (first!) mini-vacation to the beach in August, we got our second wind back! We had some great farmer’s markets, met some amazing new customers, and reached our highest sales days to date!
It’s Fall, y’all!
September brings big changes for us, with me (Gaby) going back to my teaching job, and Liam tackling the day-to-day operations on his own. I always have a bit of mixed emotions going back, but luckily he sends me pictures of the farm animals during the work day. Things are starting to cool down over here and I know that the farm animals are really happy with the more manageable temperatures. Although, I will miss seeing our alpacas cooling off and playing in their kiddie pool.
What’s in Season at Homebody?
September marks the peak of our harvest season. Our fields are brimming with fresh produce, and we’re busy gathering everything before the first frost. Keep an eye out for:
Tomatoes: We have three different varieties of tomatoes, all of which are a part of our seed-saving program in partnership with Jeff Quattrone of the Library Seed Bank, an organization that aims to revive previously extinct Jersey-bred tomatoes and other produce varieties. The Stokesdale Tomato and the Garden State Tomato were specifically grown for the Campbell Soup Company (originally in Camden, NJ, my dad’s hometown) and we have the honor to grow them at our farm. They make for delicious sliced tomatoes and are also great for canning and soups! We also have the Jersey Devil Tomato, which is a small beautiful paste tomato that looks like a horn (aren’t all of these names great?!).
Pumpkins: Our pumpkins are getting close to harvest time. We have the Winter Luxury pumpkin which is specifically bred for eating! Perfect for sweet pies and savory baked dishes.
We also have fresh fennel, spring onions, daikon radishes, and our super delicious Fairytale and Paloma White eggplants.
In the flower field, we have some special varieties of large sunflowers, zinnias, and our first dahlia blooms at the farm.
Farmers Market Updates:
We will be at our regular Burlington County Farmer’s Market on Saturday 9/14 and Saturday 9/21. On Saturday 9/28, we will be at our hometown Chesterfield Harvest Festival, where will will have some special goodies to be given away!
Thank you for your continued support of our farm. We hope to see you at the market. Enjoy the beauty of the season and all the delicious bounty that comes with it!
Happy September!
Gaby & Liam