Big news first. Starting April 1, we’ll be up to our full-time hours for the season!

Monday – Noon-Four

Tuesday-Friday – 10am-5pm

Sat-Sun – 10am-5pm

We’ve also got a business line now! Call 484-773-6559 during business hours to reach whomever is working in the stand.

If all goes according to plan, we’ll be open seven days (besides holidays, which we’ll post in advance) from now until December 31st! There was enough foot traffic last year to warrant staying open the whole way through December this year. And then, in Jan-Feb-March of 2023, while our veggies are leaner and the weather is much colder, we’ll knock back to three days a week so I can get the field plan, seed orders, and logistics ready for the 2023 season.

Despite this week’s cold weather, the greenhouses are full and our seedlings are on target! We’ll begin working the fields with our crew next week, and that’s when we’ll start direct seeding some early crops. Then, the plantings begin, and we’re on our way!

Jodi from Gauker Farms will actually be here for THE SECOND FRIDAY this April, April 8th, but then we’ll be back to our First Friday pop-ups from 3pm-5pm during the season. We’ve got the details and pricing here, or you can just stop in and peruse her coolers next week if you don’t want to order anything specific.

Collective Creamery will be delivering their cheese subscriptions for the spring and summer to the stand again, and sign-ups are available here! If you love fancy cheese, this is a great way to support local dairy and local women cheesemakers. We are so excited to be a host site, and the crew is thrilled to have an opportunity to try out such magnificent cheese over the course of the season.

If you were still thinking about CSA sign-ups, our form is here. I’ve also attached it to the end of this email. We are offering pickups at the stand on Tuesdays, as usual, as well as at the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Allentown and a private residence on Church Street in Bethlehem. If the drive was a barrier, hopefully this will give you an opportunity to snag some veggies closer to you. And if picking up during the day is a challenge, we can leave your bag or box in the walk-in cooler for you to grab after work.

We are kicking off our seasonal plant sale with a celebration April 15th-16th! We will start to bring plant starts down this weekend, particularly the cold-hardy greens, herbs, and brassicas, and then we’ll bring down our peppers, eggplant, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers and more once we’re into May. We have organic seeds and potting mix for sale, as well. You can pop by and pick up whichever plants you like, or you can order from our form to reserve some specifics.

To kick off the plant sale, Cellar Beast Winehouse will be here for a pop-up BOTH DAYS, April 15th and 16th, and then we’ll be closed on Sunday the 17th. Laura from Warm Sugar has a holiday order form up, also, so you can order treats in advance and grab them from the stand on Saturday afternoon.

You’ll see some returning and new faces in both the field and the stand this season. I’ll be bopping around in both positions over the summer, and wrangling the New Tripoli fields, as well. I’m excited.

I’m also keeping a close eye on items we buy from other vendors and their subsequent price changes. If items become too expensive and seem like they are sitting on the shelves, we may take a break from ordering them so they don’t go to waste, or I may try to bring in new vendors with similar growing and producing practices but more competitive pricing. I bought a lot of our growing supplies and seeds before inflation got too crazy, but I’ve been watching the prices on everything from potting mix and chicken feed to packaging supplies go up around us. We are actively trying to keep everything reasonable for you (and for us).

Thanks, everyone, for coming along with us on our green, organic journey again this year! We look forward to seeing you and feeding you as the veggies flourish around us!

All The Best,

Liz